Diseases, endocrinologists. MRI
Site search

Lucid dreaming. How to get into and out of a lucid dream - techniques and tricks How to see a lucid dream direct ways

A lucid dream is a special atypical state of consciousness in which a person understands that he is dreaming, and can also partially control the dream, shaping the details, events and actions of the dream at his own discretion. How to induce this state yourself and learn to control it, prolonging the unusual sensations as much as possible? You will learn about this and much more below.

What is a lucid dream and how does it manifest itself?

For the first time, the theory of lucid dreaming was put forward by Frederick Var Eden at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He described in detail the characteristics this state, and also tried to explain it.

Towards the end of the 20th century, this theory began to be tested with scientific point vision - Japanese scientists have advanced the furthest here, thanks to numerous tests, they identified the phenomenon and recorded it with hardware.

Lucid dreams, in which a person understands that he is sleeping, and also partially or completely controls it, creating his own images, actions, forming events, arise during a smooth transition from wakefulness to the phase REM sleep and vice versa. This process is not mandatory - in most cases a person simply falls asleep and does not go into borderline state.

Physiologically, there is a gradual relaxation of all muscle groups and an increase in active work brain His alpha rhythms increase significantly and increase in frequency, while beta and components practically disappear, gamma rhythms lengthen the amplitude. The dorsolateral portion of the prefrontal cortex of the brain is activated, which does not manifest itself in any way during normal sleep.

It is known for certain that people who have experienced sleep paralysis– muscle atonia before falling asleep or immediately after waking up. Dreams in this case are very vivid, but often disturbing, sometimes with attacks of fear and nightmares.

Where is lucid dreaming used?

Lucid dreaming is a unique tool for simulating a wide variety of situations in the long term. Undoubtedly, it can be used in the future as an application in a number of situations:

  • Psychotherapy. A promising set of psychotherapy sessions using lucid dreaming may be useful for people suffering from a wide variety of phobias and fears. Flying in a dream, building self-confidence in any situation, and other stories can become a powerful motivator for recovery and healing;
  • Gaming aspect. Controlled dreams in the medium term may become the main full virtual reality where there are no restrictions;
  • Brain research. Certain theories and hypotheses directly point to the hypothetical prospect of expanding the possibilities of using the human brain. Lucid dreaming may be the “key” to control psychic abilities, increasing the analytical and memory functions of the brain in geometric progression, provide other, previously unknown knowledge and skills.

Learning to lucid dream

Official science and medicine do not have at their disposal reliable ways management of lucid sleep and techniques for guaranteed immersion in such a borderline state.

Nevertheless, for many decades, active searches have been conducted in this aspect. A number of independent researchers are using practical means to achieve a significant increase in the frequency of lucid dreams.

The duration of training varies over a very wide range and depends both on the specific methodology and on the personal data, qualities and knowledge of a particular person.

The furthest thing in understanding the mechanisms of adaptation of the body to the independent invocation of lucid dreams is this moment Stephen LaBerge has advanced – his “ Institute of Lucid Dreaming"offers people both free recommendations and paid individual or group courses with a personal trainer.

This article is often read with:

Ways to get into lucid dream enough. Most promising directions are considered:

  • Special concentration. Reading relevant literature, concentrating on certain abstract images;
  • Reception psychoactive substances . Herbal and synthetic-based drugs can contribute to the appearance of a borderline state during the process of falling asleep;
  • Rituals. Certain sequential actions repeated constantly;
  • Stimulation of sensations. Potentiation of tactile and vestibular images with an emphasis on the process of falling asleep;
  • Hypnosis. The most pragmatic tool, which is partially used for the practice of inducing lucid dreams even now.

After a person has been able to consciously induce a borderline state several times, it is necessary to consolidate the effect, keep a diary of the dreams you form, come up with promising scenarios for future dreams with clear sequential actions that make them easier to control and increase their duration.

Basic ways to enter a lucid dream

Below are well-known lucid dreaming practices that help a person be more likely to learn this process. However, you should understand that you most likely will not be able to enter a lucid dream the first time, and you will have to train for a long time.

Association principle

Its basis is the development of habits, a clear associative series that allows you to check reality and understand whether you are in the waking or sleeping stage. During the night period, when you are conditionally awake, ask yourself whether you are sleeping or not.

Follow the details– during a lucid dream, any changes in virtual space-time are possible. Thus, the clock on the wall may move jerkily, and some physical laws are not observed at all.

Try to compare reality and dreams. Remember the sensations when entering a lucid dream - this will help you build an associative series and immediately concentrate on the process. Look at your hands, try to cover your nose and mouth and try to breathe - if there is no shortage of air, then you are in a dream.

An alternative option for an associative series is the use of a background voice. The phrases “You are dreaming” and “This is a lucid dream” can be repeated either by the live voice of a third party or by a pre-recorded audio stream in the form of a file. The volume should not be too loud to make the process of falling asleep easier.

Self-tuning

Self-tuning or mnemonic method involves the use of memorized and memorized phrases and actions that are memorized to the point of automaticity, which are tied to the inclusion of awareness during sleep and contribute to the development of this habit.

Phrases or rituals can be anything. For example, “I will be aware that this is a dream” and at the same time mentally program myself for a certain action. Self-tuning can be conveniently and functionally supplemented with the technique of associations with reality testing.

Having honed a phrase or a short phrase to the point of automatism, looping it in the subconscious, use this “anchor” to induce a borderline state every time before falling asleep.

Savasana – corpse pose

Savasana in the general sense is a classic completion practical classes yoga, a period of relaxation and rest. Under certain circumstances, this practice can effectively induce lucid dreaming.

According to experts in this field, Shavasana can be performed without prior preparation and performance of other asanas, which greatly simplifies the technique and reduces it to basic set actions.

In specialized literature, Shavasana can also be called dead body pose or mritasana. It is not recommended to use it by pregnant women and people with musculoskeletal disorders.

The technique of performing the procedure includes a number of actions:

  1. Creating an atmosphere. It is necessary to provide dim light, complete silence, spread a blanket on the floor and lie on it with your back;
  2. Position. Your forehead should be in line with your chin (place a small flat pillow under your neck to make the process easier). The lower back is in full contact with the horizontal surface;
  3. Relaxation. Close your eyes tightly and start breathing through your nose. The tongue is as relaxed as possible, and so is the body (as if spreading over a horizontal surface, no tension or resistance). Inhalations and exhalations are light and weak. Rib cage rises and falls smoothly. Feel your body as much as possible; if there are tense areas, relax, imagining that your breath is passing through them;
  4. Detachment. Stop concentrating on your breathing, just watch it as if from the outside, and do the same with any thoughts that arise in your head. Do not try to suppress emotions (if any arise), but simply do not notice them;
  5. Dive. Imagine that your whole body with thoughts and emotions is immersed in water and finds the calm of the ocean. Thoughts are like surf waves, easily rolling onto the shore; there is no fear of the elements, a person merges with the water world.

Above, the main stages of entering the dead man's pose are presented. In classical Shavasana, the last stages are a gradual exit from the state, with the process of concentrating on breathing, but this is not necessary to enter a lucid dream.

Continue the practice of absorption and detachment for as long as possible, remain alone with the subconscious and consciousness, after which you let the latter go “free floating” - it will go into a borderline state and a lucid dream will arise.

Mask for lucid dreams

Modern research in the field of sleep control has led several private companies to the need to create a gadget that helps a person enter a lucid dream. This kind of device, technologically complex, is a kind of simulator that combines methods of self-control and associations.

The mask for lucid dreams looks like a wide blind bandage on the face that completely covers the eyes. Inside it is a set of LEDs, microspeakers, boards and sensors. How does it all work??

During the transition from wakefulness to the REM sleep phase, a person's eyeballs begin to involuntarily move quickly under closed eyelids - this is a side process of their relaxation. Motion sensors installed in the mask record this process, after which they transmit a signal to LEDs or microspeakers.

Accordingly, during the initial phase of REM sleep, a regular soft light or sound signal is sent to the retina of the eye or to the ears. The brain that receives these peculiar “hints” associates them with a dream.. Thus, without seeing the source of sound or light, but perceiving them, a person can understand that he is not in reality, but in the process of sleep, and control it accordingly.

As practice shows, you won’t be able to enter a lucid dream the first time using this gadget—it takes some practice and time. But after the first sessions, people see more memorable and colorful dreams and sleep better.

When the owner of the device gets used to the device and connects the additional methods described above, he will be able to see lucid dreams every night.

Other methods

  • Mental planning. Make the most detailed plan for your future sleep, full of emotions and actions. Try to learn it, not only verbally, but also at the subconscious level. In the process of falling asleep, imagines oneself at the starting point of the future dream (with the designation of a specific location);
  • Working with pseudo-real images. As you fall asleep, try to imagine a variety of abstract figures, concentrating on their details. Mentally rotate them around the longitudinal axis. Along the way, listen to “ white noise"in the head (it appears during the process of falling asleep as a pseudo-stimulus at the border sensory perception) and strengthen it as much as possible, try to mentally move the selected part of your body without muscle tension with increasing amplitude;
  • Mental representation of a real thing. Before entering the borderline state with eyes closed, try to imagine hands in front of you, in one of which the real thing appears (you should use it very often). The simplest example is mobile phone. Try to sense and feel its reality, pressing keys or tapping on the screen;
  • Electromagnetic stimulation. The innovative method is a direct influence on the waves brain activity. During the REM sleep phase, the frequency and intensity of alpha rhythms increases significantly; the human brain begins to be stimulated by electromagnetic waves of a frequency of 30-40 Hz, which correspond to gamma rhythms, essentially the process of wakefulness. In most cases, the dream becomes lucid, and the person enters the pre-awakening phase.

Which technique is the fastest?

There is no definite answer to this question - the speed of entering the borderline state and the time period for maintaining lucid sleep depend on the person’s abilities and his training.

The best option for mastering the lucid dream technique as quickly as possible is to use two or more techniques simultaneously. The most popular combinations of lucid dreaming techniques among beginners usually include association and self-control, as well as working with pseudo-real images and electrical stimulation.

It is wise to try a variety of options - for example, a combination of individual yoga exercises (Savasana) and the use of a special mask when going to bed.

Study of Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreams began to be studied from a psychological and scientific point of view at the end of the 19th century, but a qualitative leap occurred only in the early 2000s - it was then that large-scale experiments were carried out to identify all the features of the borderline state.

It has been scientifically proven that in a certain time period of the REM sleep phase, the human brain works atypically: the dorsolateral portion of the prefrontal cortex, usually responsible for consciousness, is quickly activated, its alpha rhythms are partially combined with the gamma component - the patient sees a lucid dream and can control it . This process usually lasts from a few seconds to 15 minutes.

The modern leader in the study of the processes of such dreams is Stephen Laberge, as well as a number of followers (Allan Hobson, the Max Planck Society, Patricia Garfield, etc.), under the auspices of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. In Russia, only a few enthusiasts are involved in the issue - for example, Mikhail Raduga.

Thanks to modern equipment, scientists have accurately identified the signs of a lucid dream and even learned to communicate with the dreamer. The next promising step is awareness underlying reasons borderline state and the development of a universal reliable method for controlling entry into a lucid dream.

Are there differences between lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences?

In the modern interpretation, there is no difference between these states - they are all formed in the REM sleep phase, potentiated by the same methods, and are associated with a partial cessation of information entering the brain through classical sensory channels.

The difference is noticeable only for a person experiencing such borderline states - if a lucid dream, as a rule, brings pleasure and delight, then the illusion of leaving the body is often frightening and occurs against the background of sleep paralysis. Despite this, out-of-body experiences are still considered a variation of lucid dreaming.

Lucid dream - fiction or reality? Psychology relates it to very real things, namely the highest mastery of mastering techniques. The success of all future activities depends on how we sleep. Of course, I want to be able to “install disks” with interesting and pleasant dreams, and even better, be able to get out of bad dreams, wake yourself up. But this is only one side of the question lucid dreams.

Dreams are a reflection of our mental (conscious and unconscious). In dreams, everything is objectified, which is why they seem so strange to us. After all, needs and problems are not always of a material nature.

Dream - functional state person. There are slow and fast sleep phases. For slow sleep Delta pulses are characteristic, while fast pulses are characterized by alpha waves. REM sleep is close to the waking state. During slow sleep, anabolic processes occur in the body (recovery). This is the physiology of sleep psychological side as follows:

  • At the stage of slow-wave sleep, there are practically no dreams; all information received during the day is systematized and processed (the important remains, the unnecessary is forgotten).
  • REM sleep promotes intensification of search activity, dreaming and reflection. A person seeks and finds answers to the most painful questions that cannot be analyzed in reality.

What is a lucid dream

Stephen LaBerge is considered the founder of the theory of lucid dreaming. However, the psychophysiologist was not only a theorist, but also a practitioner. He himself applied and promoted these ideas. The term “lucid dream” was introduced by the Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in the 19th-20th centuries. These ideas came to Russia much later. And there is still no exact data about who can be considered the father of the Russian theory about lucid dreams.

Lucid dream is a form of altered consciousness used to correct psychophysiological, physical, psychological state body. Scientific research has confirmed that lucid sleep is a borderline state not only between sleep and wakefulness, but also between sleep phases. The phases are closer to REM sleep, but even closer in brain function (the lobes responsible for control, planning and understanding are active) to the waking state.

With the help of lucid sleep, you can change the nature of dreams (lowest level) and the content of dreams (highest level). The desired maximum is to wake up and not remember what you dreamed, but to feel a surge of strength and positivity, to understand that you dreamed something very pleasant.

Lucid dreams border on mysticism and esotericism; everything described seems unreal. But at the intersection of psychology and somnology, this phenomenon has been studied for a long time. You can read about this, for example, in the work of V.I. Gromov. Although this topic is still little studied, primarily due to the lack of Russian literature. But this is not the only problem:

  • Difficulty in interpretation is another problem. Modern researchers determine the success or failure of the experimental subject by prior agreement: having achieved lucid sleep, he will make a certain movement with his eyes. But active movements eyes are always present in the moment fast phase sleep, therefore it is impossible to say with 100% accuracy what they mean at a particular moment. Although, on the other hand, if the process is controlled by technology, then the neural signals from the brain will not be similar to the REM sleep phase.
  • Subjectivity of information. The test subjects themselves talk about their “travels”; scientists simply have to write down their words, interpretations and vision of the situation.
  • It is difficult to repeat the first and control experiments under absolutely identical conditions.

Interesting fact: lucid dreams occur more easily and sometimes spontaneously in children. But as we grow older, this ability is lost. However, another surge in such activity is observed at the age of 15-16 years.

Is lucid dreaming dangerous?

This issue has also been little studied; there is no exact data at all. But several positions can be assumed.

  1. Such practices are contraindicated for weak and mentally ill people.
  2. The second danger is the possibility of confusion (analogy with video games). A person can make a mistake, get confused and real life do something unwanted while thinking he is sleeping.
  3. And one more problem: having mastered lucid dreams, a person will most likely deprive himself of natural sleep. It’s not clear how the psyche will react to this. But if we remember that dreams free our subconscious, allow us to process, find answers to difficult questions and think about the very name “lucid dream”, we can conclude: the subconscious will be tightly locked, and the consciousness, on the contrary, will work at the limit. But, believe me, the subconscious will not give up without a fight. It will find how to express itself in real life, since its rightful sleep has been taken away from it.
  4. Trying to find the optimal time to induce a lucid dream, waking up and falling asleep, you will certainly disrupt set mode. And the fact that nothing improves our health like good sleep, undeniable.

So before you start such practices, think again about the essence of the phenomenon - a form of altered consciousness. Of course, changes can always be positive or negative. But in this case, no one gives any guarantees, and the result may be the most unexpected.

Psychologists are actively studying the use of the lucid dream method for the correction of complexes and syndromes, especially those accompanied by nightmares and panic attacks in dreams. In this case, psychophysiologists allow such practices, but only under the supervision of a doctor.

However, experts strongly discourage using this method. healthy people who want to try, indulge, play, experience new sensations. But for schoolchildren it is completely prohibited, since the child’s brain has not yet formed and become stronger. In any case, lucid dreaming is an abnormal functioning of the brain.

The modern world of consumption could not stay away. People are offered various kinds devices, headbands, helmets, glasses and applications for phones that supposedly help you get into a lucid dream without any preparation. It's all a myth. Perhaps we’ll make a small allowance for (people’s self-hypnosis), but otherwise we can only hope for the development of self-regulation.

Benefits of lucid dreaming

If you do this competently, under the supervision of a specialist and with a specific goal, for example, to correct the mistakes of the past (to survive), then this is a good method of treatment. As you know, our demons (experiences, uncertainty, problems in adaptation, etc.) can spoil how mental health, and physical (), and indeed throughout life. Then the idea of ​​solving a problem in a dream looks quite good, for example, replaying a situation that torments you, but with a pleasant outcome for you. This is especially true if in real life you cannot meet a specific person or find yourself in specific circumstances.

In a lucid dream you can:

  • ask forgiveness from a deceased relative or hear important words from him;
  • get rid of fears by placing yourself in frightening conditions, but understanding that this is a lucid safe dream that you are guiding.

But it immediately pops up back side medals: giving in to panic and forgetting about the unreality of what is happening, your body will experience a real shock. Unfortunately, how will they react to this? important systems body, no one will say in advance:

  • On the one hand, the experience gained in a lucid dream can be repeated in practice.
  • But on the other hand, the feeling of control over the situation in a dream can overshadow adequate self-perception and cause a state of severe frustration in case of failure.

Lucid dreaming is when you realize while you are dreaming that you are dreaming. This awareness can range from a subtle understanding to a significant expansion of the images seen in the dream. Lucid dreams usually begin with a person in the middle of normal sleep suddenly realizes that he is dreaming. This is called lucid dreaming caused by imagination. Awakening-initiated lucid dreaming occurs when you move back from the awakening stage to the sleep stage without lapses in consciousness. In any case, in such dreams everything seems more bizarre and emotional than in ordinary dreams. And most importantly, to have lucid dreams, you must have at least some skills of control over “yourself in a dream”, as well as over your environment.

Steps

Using lucid dreaming techniques

    Keep a dream journal. At night, keep it by your bed so that immediately after waking up you can record your dream or the emotions and feelings that you felt when you woke up. This will teach you to remember more content from your dreams, which is very important for lucid dreaming. Besides, if you immediately forget everything by the morning, there is no benefit to managing your dreams.

    Do reality checks often. During the day, every few hours, ask yourself the question: “Am I dreaming?” – and do one of the following reality checks. With enough practice, you will begin to follow this habit even in your sleep, which will make you aware of the fact that you are dreaming.

    Every time before falling asleep, until you pass out, repeat:"I will be aware that I am dreaming." You can also use any other similar phrase. This technique is called mnemonic lucid dream induction. Mnemonic entry means that you are using a "memory property" or, in this case, a mechanically memorized phrase that triggers dream lucidity and turns it into an automatic habit.

    • Some people like to combine this step with a reality check in the form of examining their hands just before falling asleep.
  1. Learn to recognize the signs of your own dreams. Regularly re-read your dream diary and pay attention to “signs” that repeat in your dreams. These will be recurring situations or events that you may notice in own dreams. Remember them, and you may recognize them in your next dream, which will make you realize that you are dreaming.

    • You probably already know some of your dreams. Common dreams include dreams of teeth falling out, being chased by someone huge, or appearing naked in a public place.
  2. Try taking a nap again after waking up from sleep. When you wake up and remember the dream, write it down in your journal, then close your eyes and focus on the dream again. Imagine being in a dream, noticing an inherent sign or corresponding reality check result, and realizing that it is a dream. Try to hold on to this thought until you begin to drift off; the result may be a lucid dream.

  3. Consider purchasing a light alarm clock. Go online and buy a light alarm clock instead of a sound one, or even a special “dream alarm clock” designed to stimulate lucid dreams. Set your alarm to go off 4.5, 6, or 7 hours after you fall asleep, or set it to go off every hour if possible. Although auditory, tactile, and other stimulation during REM sleep (when the eyes move rapidly while you sleep) can make a sleeper aware that they are dreaming, one study found that the most effective stimulus is light.

    • You don't actually need to wake up (unless you want to use the timely awakening technique described below). Keep the lighted alarm clock out of reach of your own hands and away from the bed and/or cover it with a sheet or set it to a dimer light.

Using the Timely Wake Up Method

  1. Understand when lucid dreams are more likely to occur. Lucid dreaming, and vivid dreams in general, almost always occur during the REM stage of sleep, which is characterized by rapid eye movement. The first stage of REM sleep occurs approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep, and the remaining stages then repeat approximately every 90 minutes. Target this method consists of waking up during the REM stage of sleep, and then falling back to sleep and continuing to dream, already aware of being in the dream.

    • You won't be able to pinpoint the timing of your sleep stages without visiting a sleep laboratory or having a very helpful "night bird" watch your eyelids in the middle of the night. It's more realistic to just keep trying the method below repeatedly until you catch yourself in the REM stage of sleep.
  2. Consider taking galantamine. Galantamine is a drug synthesized from snowdrops that may be the most effective medication inducing lucid dreams. For optimal results, take 4-8 mg of galantamine in the middle of the night. Taking medication before bed may impair sleep quality and cause unpleasant dreams. Due to this feature and the bad ones listed below side effects galantamine is recommended for use only occasionally as an adjunct to other methods.

    • Please consult your doctor first to see if you have any health problems. Galantamine may worsen conditions such as asthma or heart problems.
    • This medicine increases the likelihood of sleep paralysis, a harmless but terrifying condition in which a person wakes up and is unable to move his or her muscles for several minutes.
  3. Consider taking periodic B vitamins. Vitamins B5 and B6 can make dreams more vivid, bizarre and emotionally rich, which can lead to lucid dreaming. However, to notice the effect you will need to take a dose of 100 mg. This is significantly more than the recommended daily dose, and if taken in such amounts over a long period of time, it can cause damage. peripheral nerves. Use the vitamin only for special occasions and at your own peril and risk.

    • Consult your doctor if you are currently taking other medications or if you have any bleeding, stomach, bowel, or heart problems.
    • This drug may cause some people to wake up in the middle of the night, so it may be counterproductive if you are a light sleeper.
  • Lucid dreaming is a skill that needs to be learned, and even those people who regularly have lucid dreams only have them 1-2 times a month. Be patient and continue to practice the above techniques and you will gradually increase your chances and frequency of lucid dreaming.
  • If you periodically experience “false awakenings” during sleep, get into the habit of doing a reality check (for example, trying to read a book) immediately after waking up. Otherwise, a false awakening can turn a lucid dream into a completely ordinary one.
  • When experiencing a lucid dream, consider intentionally waking up a few minutes later. This will increase the chances of remembering the dream.
  • Don't drink anything within an hour before bed. Waking up to need to go to the toilet is the last thing you want when successfully experiencing a lucid dream.
  • If your sleep is coming not the way you would like it, “close your eyes” in a dream, and then forcefully open them. Repeat until you wake up.
  • If you think you are losing control of your sleep, shout very loudly what you want to happen next, and do this until you regain control of your sleep or until what you wanted happens.

Warnings

  • If you become very agitated during a lucid dream, you may suddenly wake up. To try to return to sleep, close your eyes and concentrate on it. If you are only half awake but still "in a dream", turn around or rub your palms together.
  • A lucid dream can cause sleep paralysis, in which, when you wake up, you remain conscious and aware of your surroundings, but find yourself unable to move your muscles. This is harmless, but often frightening, especially when combined with hallucinations of someone's presence in the room. Sometimes some muscles are less susceptible to paralysis than others, so concentrate on trying to wiggle your toes or swallow and remain calm until your hallucination stops.

Somewhere below, in the middle of endless green fields, a river meandered like a blue ribbon. It was as if she was playing with him. Who will be the first to reach the hill on which the city stands? He floated silently under the clouds, enjoying every moment. It's hard to describe. A desire simply arises in the heart, and every cell of the body responds to this wonderful call. And now it was calling forward. To his own city. With a magnificent palace in the center and a beautiful garden behind it. There was a stunning gazebo among the trees where he loved to sit alone, enjoying the birdsong.

A quiet rustling sound was heard nearby. Looking around, he saw a pair of young dragons. My heart began to flutter. But not from fear, but from joy. It was like meeting old friends. They sailed majestically across the sky, like two huge ships. The golden scales shimmered in the sun with all the colors of the rainbow. At the sight of such a spectacle, he wanted to scream with all his might, but the dragons got ahead of him. They let out a long, joyful cry, soared up and disappeared into the clouds.

And he flew and thought how the doors of his city would open before him, how his friends would greet him. The birds will sit on his hands and sing their songs for him. After all, this is his city. This is his world...

Do you think this is a fairy tale? Fiction? You guessed wrong. The world described above is quite real. This is the world of lucid dreaming, and everyone is as capable or better. Of course, you can say that this is all fiction, unreal, and so on. The fact is that reality is not so simple either. Our brain doesn’t care at all whether it takes a picture from dusty memory archives (perhaps even from an old movie) or receives it from an external source. You won't even notice the change. To a simple question: “Are you sure you’re not sleeping right now?” - most people won't even be able to answer. How to have lucid dreams? This is what we will learn today.

What are lucid dreams?

How to enter a lucid dream? Before getting an answer to this question, you need to find out what it even is? Essentially, the answer follows from the title. A person sees a dream, realizing that he is sleeping. This is the very first, main and most difficult step towards building your own world in your dreams. The problem is that most people on the planet are not only unable to control their dreams, but are not even able to understand that they are in a dream. And at the same time, we are still trying to talk about what is real in this world and what is not!

Exist different types of people. Some people have vivid, beautiful (or scary) unforgettable dreams. Others have absolutely no memory of what they saw in their dreams after waking up. There are also people who are given the gift of self-awareness in dreams from birth, without any training or exercise.

There is no need to think that this is some kind of modern invention. The first mentions date back to the distant 8th century AD. Even then, people thought about traveling in their dreams. Serious Scientific research began to be carried out much later, in the 20th century by S. Laberge, and later by other scientists.

Why is this necessary?

Before we start talking about how to enter a lucid dream, you need to find out why it is even necessary? Let's forget for a moment about things like hidden reserves our body, inexhaustible sources of new knowledge, additional sources of energy, and so on. Let's turn to dry and banal mathematics. For hundreds of thousands of years, people have been looking for a way to extend their relatively short life by at least a couple of days. Whatever is being done for this purpose: new medicines are invented, diets and exercises are invented. People go to great lengths to stay in this world for a little while. But very few people think about the fact that every day we delete from our lives as much as 8 hours allocated for sleep (some less or more). It doesn’t seem like much, one third of a day. Okay, we lose 10 days out of a month. More interesting now, right? Over 30 years of life, lost time is gained by 10 years! But we can’t stay awake, you say. That's right, we can't. But we have the power to fill this emptiness with meaning! Imagine having the opportunity to add years to your life, this is no joke! Time in a lucid dream is full of surprises. It seems that I slept for several hours, and the needle only moved by fifteen minutes. Moreover, there are cases where a person lived in a dream for several days, weeks and even months. And in the real world, as if nothing had happened, he woke up 8 hours later in the morning. Should we neglect the opportunity to increase our life expectancy by an order of magnitude?

There are many “supernatural” possibilities that open up to us in such dreams. This is unexpected knowledge and talents that a person had not noticed before. There are more interesting “revelations”, but it is better to leave them behind the curtain, since every traveler in the world of dreams must discover them for himself.

Psychologically, this is a great way to relax and give vent to your emotions. After all, this is your world! Everything here lives according to your laws, although it will not be possible to fully understand this right away. If you want to fly, fly, swim underwater, please. If you want to relax on the beach in Crimea every day - good luck! Your brain can create amazing landscapes and panoramas if you make it work for you. We'll talk about how to do this later.

Is it possible?

How to get into a lucid dream? Is it possible? Many people, after several unsuccessful attempts, become disappointed and come to the conclusion that either they were deceived and these are all fairy tales, or they do not have the ability to do this. Both of these are fundamentally wrong. First of all, everything written here is true! Secondly, there are no people who are unable to become aware of themselves in a dream. Some people succeed right away, others take weeks or even months, but in the end they are still successful. Maybe you won’t be able to build beautiful castles and raise golden dragons right away; it’s quite difficult. Everything will come in time if you don’t stop and go to the end! First you need to step over the main barrier - awareness. What are we going to do now? Are you willing to go down the rabbit hole? Ready? Then go ahead! We master the entrance to a lucid dream (LS).

Preparation

How to get into a lucid dream? Don't try to call OS when you're tired. If you have a hard job, go to bed early, set an alarm, and after you wake up, try to log into the OS.

Do not drink before bed, the urge to go to the toilet will ruin any

Prepare a notebook and pen for journaling.

Diary

Always keep a pen and notebook near your bed. After waking up, dreams are erased very quickly, you need to have time to write everything down. Record everything you can remember: the area, people, animals, tastes, sensations. Try drawing a map of your movements. Over time, you will notice some patterns. Something like locations will be drawn, as in computer games. Transition locations will appear. You probably remember how in a dream you are suddenly transported from one place to another. When you start keeping a diary, you will understand that such places are also natural. Remember them. Constantly re-read your diary, analyze and make a plan for next dream. Even if you can’t control yourself yet, make a plan over and over again: go there, explore such and such a place, try to fly... One day everything will work out.

Changing consciousness

Everyone calls this exercise differently - “critical thinking” or “reality check” - but the essence remains the same: force yourself to doubt the reality of the world around you. It sounds pretty fantastic, but there's nothing wrong with that. Constantly ask yourself, “Am I dreaming?” - and find convincing evidence. For example, look at the same sign or object twice. In the dream they will change. Or try to fly. However, the most effective method- this is the first option. Over time, this habit will take hold and begin to manifest itself even in sleep.

Self-tuning

It will be nice if throughout the day you constantly tune yourself to positive result. Repeat to yourself: “Today I will succeed” or “Today in my dreams I will fly.” This should not sound like a cry of despair. You must believe unconditionally in your success. If you didn’t succeed and you just fell asleep, when you wake up, tell yourself: “It’s okay, I’ll try again.” Sooner or later this fortress will collapse, and victory will be yours. Just don't give up!

Calm

One of the main criteria for success in our event. Increased arousal is a disaster both when trying to enter a dream and when you are already there (instant departure). Meditation can be a good help in this case. If you learn to control your thoughts and feelings, this will be a big step towards success.

Fixing attention

Quite complicated, but efficient technique lucid dream from the waking state. As mentioned above, you should not try to enter a lucid dream when you are tired, otherwise you will simply pass out. Either go into a lucid dream during the day, or set an alarm, wake up, and do it at night.

So. Lie down on your back (it’s better to choose a harder pillow) and close your eyes. Relax and calm your breathing. Mentally walk through your body, all muscles should be relaxed. Now it is important to free yourself from thoughts. This is quite difficult (this is where meditation practice will help), but it is necessary. You will feel like you are falling into some viscous substance (like resin). Don't be alarmed, this point is very important. It only lasts a few seconds. The main thing is not to let your consciousness turn off at this moment. A few seconds - and you are on the other side! You are in a lucid dream! This method is extremely complex and simple at the same time. Difficult because it can be difficult to relax, concentrate and not let your consciousness turn off while passing through the “tar” layer. Simple because it is the shortest path to the world of lucid dreaming. This technique has several undoubted advantages. If something goes wrong, you can stop, calm down and continue rather than wait next day. No additional exercises, attitudes, devices or substances are needed. If performed correctly, the transition to lucid sleep is guaranteed. Many people recommend using for such exercises daytime. The advantages of this choice are obvious, especially at the beginning of the journey. Less likely that you will simply “switch off.” When everything starts to work out, you will be less dependent on fatigue, the state of your body and the time of day.

Health

Maybe some banal phrases will follow, but it’s still worth reminding about this for the common good. The technique of lucid dreaming should not be mastered by an unhealthy body. Therefore, if you are suffering from fever or headache, reschedule your classes. Also, do not do this with a full stomach, drunk or hungover. Believe me, our consciousness is a fragile, precious instrument. Handle it with care!

What's next?

Let's say everything worked out for you, and this will certainly happen if you have desire and perseverance. What happens next? How will your first life begin? mindful travel in a dream? First of all, you want to look at your hands. No one knows exactly why, but most often this is where it starts. Later, if you feel that the dream is starting to fade (you wake up), take a special look at your hands. This will allow the situation to deepen somewhat. An amazing sensation is the second most popular action performed in lucid dreams. At the beginning of the article such a flight is described; it is difficult to describe the physical sensations experienced during it. After such dreams, the feeling remains that our laws of the universe are not as unshakable as we were told about them from childhood.

Will

Even in a lucid dream, you often have to remind yourself who is boss. Our consciousness can be compared to a large garbage dump. What and who is not here! You can meet both beautiful and terrible creatures. Until you have learned to control and create something in your dreams, you remain just an observer. The main thing is not to be scared! It is important to remember that this is your world and you are the master here. Whoever you meet, you can command him or make him disappear. For this you need one condition - self-confidence! People, animals, things, buildings will appear in front of you. You can remove or adjust them, but always remind yourself that everything here is subordinate only to you.

Creation

You don’t need to think that the lucid dream technique requires you to draw every twig or leaf. Your brain remembers perfectly well what a forest, river or dog is, but if you want to correct something, the matter is limited only by your imagination. Write down everything you do in your sleep and mark it on a map. Write what you are going to do. Chances are good that one day you will return to the house or castle you built last night. Or get yourself a golden dragon that will meet you and protect you in every dream. You can create multiple locations and move between them using the transitions described above.

Knowledge

Many people use the state of lucid dreaming to get answers to questions that interest them. Hidden talents and opportunities are revealed. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in a dream our consciousness does not have the usual limitations. People often create a secret room, a magic ball or a magic box in their dreams, which they use to get answers to their questions. And, oddly enough, it works; a person really often receives information that is inaccessible to him in the real world.

Conclusion

Now you know what the lucid dream technique is. There are the most contradictory reviews about it. There are people who say that spending a long time in the OS worsens a person’s connection with the real world. Someone says that a person can go into a lucid dream and not return from there. Some people think you can go crazy there. As a rule, these are people who have either never had such dreams, or have made a couple of unsuccessful attempts and abandoned this activity.

There are others too. Those for whom the practice of conscious sleep has helped get rid of various complexes. Some learned to write poetry, music, made discoveries, learned foreign language. And some simply found a place to relax and retire. The practice of lucid dreaming is a vast, unexplored area, containing so many wonders and possibilities that we cannot even imagine. But all you need is a little desire, patience and self-confidence!

Lucid dreaming is like a movie where you are both the leading role and the director. You have the power to change any plot instantly, you just have to want it. This is a state when you realize that you are dreaming and can “play” with the plot of the reality in which you are participating. Every person, at least once in his life, has wondered how to have lucid dreams. After all, being in similar condition we can go wherever our heart desires and do things that we cannot do in real life. Note that there are people who are given this opportunity from birth, while others have to work using special equipment to achieve results.

Let us note that learning is a long process that requires certain efforts and it is imperative that a person must have a constant number of hours allocated to rest. Make sure your body is working well biological clock, which means you have a full healthy sleep. Check out the literature that can greatly help you in learning the technique - “The Practice of Lucid Dreaming” by Stephen LaBerge.

Of the most simple tips need to know:

  1. Make sure your vacation is regularly good.
  2. Don't use alcoholic drinks on days of intention to have lucid dreams. Such drinks disrupt the phases of dreams and the chances of working the desired program will be reduced to a minimum.
  3. Learn to reconstruct what you see while relaxing. When you wake up, remember the details, even if you want to fall asleep again. There should always be a strong-willed desire to learn here.
  4. Read literature about similar practices. More practice means you can achieve your goal faster.
  5. Be patient and persistent.

Dream analysis

The first step is to keep a diary about what you saw in your dreams and analyze these records. In the morning you need to write down what you saw and your feelings. Perhaps you experienced the events as real events in your life, fully experiencing them, or you simply saw a movie. Over time, you will be able to analyze your notes and understand what is there: prophetic, echoes of everyday life, empty dreams. This way you will understand which dreams you can interfere with, and which ones it is better to just remain a spectator.

Mastering the technique of lucid dreaming is always a fairly lengthy process. It may take several months just to learn to understand your dreams, but it will important point– learn to understand the nature of your dreams. The key to this analysis is to learn how your subconscious mind works. Because interfering with some dreams can have a bad effect on the human psyche as a whole.

How to learn to distinguish dreams from reality

We see dreams only in the shallow phase, i.e. REM sleep This is a state where a person practically confuses unreality with reality. To understand whether you are sleeping or not, you need to pay attention to your surroundings, how quickly events around you change, and more. In a sleeping state, everything happens faster, and your room will not look like it does in real life.

Some people argue that it is better to rely on the sense of smell, where there are no smells, but is this true? Unknown. Take into account the control points, for example, it has been proven that in a dream, looking at the clock twice in a row, you will not see the same time, so you will understand that you are dreaming. Looking at the clock twice is a kind of state check, to learn it, look at the dial in the middle of the day as well, and you will transfer this habit to the subconscious. Making the effort to figure out where you are will, over time, give you a quick and clear awareness of whether you are immersed in sleep. And having acquired this skill, you can begin to learn to control the dreaming process.

How to learn to order dreams

How can we learn to see the dreams we want to see? Sometimes we want to see loved ones in our dreams who are not nearby or we want to go to some place where we have never been. In this case, it is worth practicing a practice that helps to “order” dreams. You need to start small: before going to bed, try to think hard about the loved ones you want to see in your dreams. Why exactly relatives? Because you already have them in your subconscious and it will be easier to see them. When you become successful at this, make the task more difficult - think about some place where you want to go. The moment this starts to work out, program yourself to perform certain actions.

How to learn to influence the plot of a dream

When you can “order” dreams, you can begin to learn the technique of comprehending a lucid dream. To do this, during sleep, you focus your attention on controlling everything that happens around you. Try to influence events. If you regularly dream that you are running away, then try to fly away or stop suddenly and feel stronger. If you fall in a dream, visualize that you suddenly fall into the cockpit of an airplane or into a hot air balloon. If possible, try to improve your imagination in real life.

How to learn to get rid of nightmares

Absolutely all people periodically see bad dreams and often wonder how to interrupt such a dream? You need to learn to open your eyes by force of will, imagine a button that, when pressed, will wake you up, or any other option. Stay awake for a few minutes, then the likelihood that sleep will return to its original state is minimized. This is a good skill that can significantly improve the quality of your life thanks to healthy rest.

How to learn to end an unpleasant dream in your sleep

A difficult skill that needs to be learned in the process of studying lucid dreams is to change your emotions during sleep, which will entail changes in all surrounding events. If you have a good sense of humor in your life, it will be easier for you to deal with this. It is by changing your negative emotions such as fear, anger to laughter and joy that you most quickly change the plot of your dreams.

What needs to be done? While in a dream, stop the events and imagine how something that frightens you becomes very funny. In dreams, imagination plays a very serious role, so it is worth developing it in real life.

How to learn to review your dream the next day

It is necessary to keep a dream diary, from the very beginning of dream analysis - this will help you at all stages of training. To learn how to see the same dream many times, possibly changing its plot, you first need to describe it in great detail. When you wake up in the morning, take a notepad and write everything you can remember. Write down as much detail as you can, remembering that the sensations you experienced are extremely important. You must describe the dream in such a way that the next day before going to bed, after reading these notes, you can immerse yourself in the memories almost on a physical level, and the better you can do this, the faster you can achieve a repetition of your dream. Read the entries, forming a clear intention to return to it. As you understand, having lucid dreams all the time is not so easy. It takes a lot of time, persistence, and the confidence that you will eventually succeed at it. When you have played enough with different endings of one dream, move on to the next one. This is how you develop a high-quality dream duplication skill.

What does a person who was able to comprehend the technique of lucid dreaming get?

As we have already mentioned, dreams are directly related to the human subconscious. And the subconscious reflects mental condition person, therefore, controlling one’s actions in a dream can have a beneficial effect on a person’s mental state in Everyday life. For example, if a person has some kind of phobia in real life, then the easiest way for him to eliminate it will be in lucid dreams. Let’s say that if a person is afraid of small spaces, then thanks to his imagination in a dream he can always increase the spaces around him, so the phobia will simply go away. After all, a person will subconsciously know that he can easily change the space in which he is.

It is also worth noting that people who practice such techniques become more confident and calm in real life. Perhaps this happens due to the fact that a person knows on a subconscious level that he can influence surrounding events and becomes more balanced. Improved performance, concentration and fast decision assigned tasks - the result of working on oneself in achieving lucid dreams.