Learning how to dream about whatever you want is a major goal of lucid dreamers.  Lucid dreams provide a wonderful way to have adventures and do things that are not possible while awake.  Our site covers the very latest tips and tricks when it comes to lucid dreams, including how to techniques and new ways to enjoy dream control experiences. Our aim is to be a comprehensive website that remains completely free and will allow our readers to attain natural lucid dreams as soon as possible and therein learn how to dream about whatever you want.  Learning how to have lucid dreams is not complicated, but there are certain specific tips and ideas that can help have lucid dreams sooner, or can make them last longer or be more vivid.

How to dream about whatever you want tonight

While it is tempting to try to rush the experience – and we’re sure a few of you reading this want to skip right to “advanced” – it is important to establish your ability to learn how to dream about whatever you want before trying these advanced techniques.  But if you’ve already been successful at how to dream about whatever you want , here are some advanced suggestions:

How to dream about whatever you want: Passive to Active

The first advanced method regarding how to dream about whatever you want is to try to have lucidity that alternates between passive and active.  In other words, while in parts of the dream you will take full control of where you go and how you act, in other parts you will allow it to take you, even as you stay fully conscious.  The lucid dream that alternates between active and passive can give you clues about your own unconscious, and the meaning that it tries to project onto your dreams.  It can also lead to a fun adventure where you don’t know what is coming next.

How to dream about whatever you want…as someone else

This one sounds easy but is actually not.  Our dreams are usually seen in first person – you see the world as yourself, and when you try to look at yourself – whether looking down at a body part or looking in a mirror, there is often distortion.  Thus its very hard to be someone completely different when its hard to even know that you are yourself!  However, one of the great things about learning how to dream about whatever you want is that there are endless possibilities.  A tip for this one: Instead of being someone specific at first, just change an attribute about yourself – e.g. if you’ve always wondered what it would be like to be tall, envision yourself as tall.  These kinds of exercises are good practice.

How to dream about whatever you want again

Another one that sounds easy but is not, try to learn how to dream about whatever you want tonight in a way that repeats where you return to the same place with the same characters.  This can prove difficult because your mind will naturally try to paint a different picture each time, and your creative instincts will likely change the surroundings.  That said, it can be very interesting and exciting to face the same surroundings and characters in successive experiences to have adventures that build on themselves and continue from dream to dream.  As a related idea, try to have the same starting point with successive experiences, but take the dream in a different direction each time – this actually might prove easier than having lucid dreams that become a continuing story.

Challenges to learning how to dream about whatever you want

1. Getting too excited when learning how to dream about whatever you want

Many lucid dreamers report that they get so excited about their first few experiences that they wake up after knowing how to dream about whatever you want.  There are several ways to combat this.  First, don’t reach too high too quickly when you are learning how to dream about whatever you want.  If you find yourself lucid, just take a walk or stand still – don’t try to fly right away or visit ancient Rome.  Keep it simple and benign.  Second, try merely watching the dream – keep the conscious feeling, but treat it like it’s a movie.  You are aware, but watching the dream not participating.  Finally, for now, realize that even if you wake up after five seconds, you’ve been successful!  Practice learning how to dream about whatever you want will help you extend your experiences.  Take the success and look forward to bigger and better things!

Losing lucidity or control during the dream

Sometimes lucidity can be fleeting.  You have it at the beginning of the dream, or perhaps in the middle, but then it devolves into a regular experience where you are not lucid and in control.  First, you should realize that this in itself is positive – you have started to develop the ability to learn how to dream about whatever you want  fast, and the techniques you are using are working.  Now you need to assess how you can maintain lucidity in your dream state.  Start by going back to the knowing how to dream about whatever you want  technique you used – if you induced lucidity by the use of asking yourself “am I dreaming” many times each day (so that you would ask yourself that in your dream life too), then tweak that phrase and ask “am I still dreaming” for the next few days.  Did you use dream signs?  In that case try to suggest to yourself that you will keep checking for signs during each dream.  Maintaining lucidity is something that comes with practice, but it is generally the case that once you have been able to have any lucidity experiences, your most of the way there and maintaining the lucidity is a highly achievable goal.

Knowing how to dream about whatever you want: Frustration

It can be very exciting to know how to dream about whatever you want  or two.  That excitement can quickly turn to frustration when or if you do not have another one for a few days or even a week or two.  This is not uncommon, given that learning how to dream about whatever you want is an art that takes practice and perseverance, and at first requires optimal conditions.  That said, you will absolutely have another one, and do not make the mistake that many people make and suddenly change what got you to your first experience of lucidity.  Stay with the same techniques and processes, and also do not change your daily and nightly routines.  You’ve had an amazing experience and proven to yourself that you are capable.  Now you very badly want to make it happen again, yet it is normal that it might not happen right away.  Don’t mess with what worked and again keep a journal that helps you see patterns in when you had them – what did you do during the day before, when did you go to sleep, what mood were you in, how was your day the day before, etc.  You may pick up clues about the patterns in when your lucidity will tend to come.

How to dream about whatever you want: Details

Some people have described lucid dreams that seem to have less detail or are less dynamic than “normal” dreams. While they may be conscious and in control of the dream experience, they are disappointed in how much there is to see or to do in the dream. This can happen for two reasons: First, the new experience presents a new reality for the mind, and it may be that for some, at least at the beginning, they stay simple while the mind adjusts; and second, when you take control of your dreams you may be limiting your subconscious’ creativity when it comes to laying out the dreamscape. Here is the good news: This problem has the easiest solution because all you need to do is stick with it and your dreams will soon learn how to dream about whatever you want in more detail and more depth.

The post How to Dream About Whatever You Want first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

Types of Lucid Dreaming Reality Checks

When we are dreaming details around us may either look distorted or may change in ways that cannot happen in reality.  Thus one method of using lucid dreaming reality checks is to stare at something that has some detail or is not expected to change, and see whether your expectations hold true.  Doing this constantly while awake is easy, and can translate into you doing them while dreaming.  Here are some examples:

• In dreams your fingers may appear distorted.  They are such a detailed part of you that it can be hard for your dream state to keep them looking like they should.  Look at your hands many times each day and you may find that when you look at them while dreaming they do not look as they should.
• The same goes for your reflection.  It can be hard for our dream state to piece together an accurate and detailed picture of ourselves, so if you look at your reflection often you may find that one of these times it will not look as it should.  Perhaps you are dreaming!
• People in dreams often change.  So as you go about your day notice the people around you and some details about them.  They should certainly not change into different people!
• Text in dreams often changes and may be hard to read.  So if you read something once, look away and then read it again, is it the same sentence or group of words?  Is it even in the same language?
• Surfaces in dreams may not be what they seem.  Lean up against a wall, or push hard on a table.  In a dream state your hand and arm may go right through.  Or maybe the surface will turn to liquid.
• Often the details in a dream are what is distorted and change a lot.  In other words, the big stuff stays constant but if you look at the little stuff you see that something is amiss.  One example is looking at the face of a watch or your cell phone.  Does it look normal to you?
• Try jumping or even trying to fly in your dreams.  Jump as high as you can – do you actually come down or do you find that gravity is not working.  You could also try to fly.  Put your mind to lifting off the ground and flying.  Again, if something seems off about gravity, perhaps you are dreaming!

There are other possible reality checks for lucid dreaming as well, usually having to do with images that are quite detailed or very unique.  You may find your own unique set of lucid dream reality checks.

Lucid Wiki has some great information about reality checks and dream control, and I Love Lucid Dreaming goes over four specific reality checks.

Using Reality Checks for Lucid Dreaming

Learning how to do reality checks is easy, but of course lucid dreaming reality checks do not work if we don’t know to look for them.  The best way, then, to be sure that in your dream you will look for these distortions and bending of reality is to constantly look for them in real life.  Look at your reflection and look at your hands quite often during the day.  Notice the detail and check to see whether anything looks off.  Perhaps accelerate this at night and make sure you are frequently checking these things out before bed.  As they become habit they are more likely to carry through into your dream world, and suddenly you will realize that something is not right, and you are dreaming!

You should also use the power of suggestion with your reality checks for lucid dreaming.  Tell yourself that you will notice these distortions when you are dreaming.  Visualize looking at your hands, or your reflection, or the details of others and see the distortions when you are dreaming.  The power of suggestion can boost your chances of truly making your lucid dreaming reality checks work the next time you are dreaming.

Reality checks for lucid dreams may work slightly better for WILD lucid dreaming techniques.

Scheduling Lucid Dream Reality Checks

It is absolutely vital that you do as many reality checks as possible each day so that they become a lucid dream trigger.  For this reason you should make sure to make yourself reminders that you will see each day, such as sticky notes in places that you look at often, a rubber band around your wrist, or maybe a temporary tatoo.  One way or another you don’t want to forget to do your lucid dreaming reality checks and you will even benefit from the constant thoughts of doing the checks themselves.  In other words, the reminder of doing the reality check itself becomes a trigger.  Perhaps that same sticky note will appear in your dreams but you will not be able to make out what is written on it!

Lucid Dreaming Reality Checks Conclusion

A lucid dream reality check may lead you to realize you are actually in a dream, so of course the more often you do lucid dreaming reality checks the better, since any part of your daily routine can get incorporated into you dreams.  You don’t necessarily have to do many different kinds of lucid dream reality check; Just choose one or two and stick with them.

Lucid dreaming reality checks are quite a key part of many lucid dreaming techniques, and can almost stand alone as a way to trigger you into knowing that you are having a dream.  Please use our comments section if you have any other ideas for other readers, or have had success with any particular lucid dreaming reality checks.

The post Lucid Dreaming Reality Checks first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

How can I lucid dream?

A cousin of the question “how do I lucid dream” is “how can I lucid dream”.  This question often is asking not so much exactly what the techniques are, but whether lucidity is actually really possible.  In this case you can relate your own stories, perhaps including your own hesitation and disbelief before you started.  You can point them toward online forums and other places to get the lucidity stories of others.  Maybe you can show them some of the lucid dreaming research you’ve read, and particularly point out that research done by sources they’ve heard of.  “How can I lucid dream” is asking not only for the method but also for the assurance that it is possible.

Sometimes people are asking this question with an emphasis on the word “I”.  In other words, they do believe that you or others have been able to do this, but they doubt their own chances.  They may have tried some initial lucid dreaming steps, or maybe they do not generally remember their dreams.  One way or another they are uncertain about whether the effort will be worthwhile for them, and in this case some reassurance about how they will likely see success as the work on things may be helpful.  Relating your own challenges along the way, or again pointing them to forums and other sites where people write about overcoming their own initial challenges can be helpful.

Look for lucid dreaming stories

One of the best ways to build your confidence and affirmatively answer the question “How can I lucid dream?” is to read the stories of others whether here or on any number of online forums.  You may also have friends and family that talk about their own lucid dreaming experiences.

How do I lucid dream tonight?

Of course one of the questions that people have has to do with how quickly they can master the art of lucid dreaming.  So if you are asking yourself “How do I lucid dream tonight?” or “How do I lucid dream easily?” we also have an answer for you.  First, you may want to combine any one of the best lucid dreaming techniques with lucid dreaming supplements such as Galantamine or Calea Z.  These supplements will not lead to lucidity alone, but they can do things such as make REM sleep last longer, make dreams more vivid and memorable, or give you more REM periods.  Any of these will increase your chances at both achieving lucidity and remembering the dream.

You can also combine your techniques with lucid dreaming music, including relaxing induction instructions played beneath soothing music or specific technologies such as binaural beats and isochronic tones.  The latter two put you in a relaxed state that is conducive to dreams and dreaming.  Many lucid dreamers have reported success when using these brain entrainment technologies.  While combining lucid dreaming music and supplements is fine, you may want to try only one at a time so that you know exactly which one worked.  Otherwise you may find it necessary to use both when perhaps only one would do.

How do I stay in the lucid dream?

If there is one question that constantly comes up for usit is how to keep from waking up as soon as the excitement of being lucid in a dream hits.  Some feel that lucid dreaming supplements, by adding vividness to the dream, also make the possibility of waking up more likely.  There is no easy answer to correcting this problem, but one technique that seems to work is to mentally rehearse (and even use verbal affirmations) not getting too excited when you realize you are lucid in a dream.  Relatedly, it is good to practice moving slowly (not literally, but as far as what to do first) when you first realize you are lucid, as opposed to trying to run into an adventure right away.

Basically the problem of waking up during a lucid dream stems from our tendency to wake up when in a state of heightened arousal – it is a natural and protective reaction that would ensure that we would wake up if something urgent was going on around us.  Unfortunately for the novice just learning how to lucid dream, there is no easy way, beyond practice, to try to shut down our natural tendency to wake up when overly aroused emotionally while asleep.

The Lucid Dreaming Center coined the term “passive lucid dreaming” to describe the idea that a person can be fully lucid but still let their unconscious drive the content of the dream.  Given that there can be powerful and interesting meanings behind our dreams, being aware yet passive can be a way to learn more about your deep-seated hopes, fears, and desires.  Passive lucid dreaming can also be beneficial to the lucid dreamer who is just starting out on their adventure, since many have reported that when they get too excited and try to do too much too soon in their lucid dreams they invariably wake up much sooner than they would have liked.  It can also be good for those taking lucid dreaming supplements which make dreams very vivid and real.

A passive lucid dream may feel a little like being Dorothy in Oz.  You are fully aware as you walk down a path, drive in a car, fly around, etc., but you have no idea what or who you will see or what adventures await.  Make sure you have your dream journal ready so that you can write down every detail!  The passive lucid dream experience can have many emotions – it may be scary, happy, or sad.  It may lead to strange things, or unexpected twists and turns.  But the passive lucid dream should accomplish two things: For the novice lucid dreamer the passive lucid dream should extend the lucid dreaming experience by correcting this problem of waking up, and for the more advanced lucid dreamer the passive lucid dream can unlock deeper meanings from their waking world.

How do I lucid dream often?

Once you have learned how to lucid dream, whether it came instantly or not, you will quickly want to know how to lucid dream more often.  You’ll begin to ask yourself how to lucid dream tonight.   You’ll want to know the best lucid dreaming techniques so the question “How do I lucid dream” goes away!

The post How Do I Lucid Dream first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

Best Way to Lucid Dream: DILD vs. WILD

The first distinction we can make when we talk about the best way to lucid dream is whether you should try dream induced techniques (where you are already dreaming and use signs and other methods to realize you are in a dream) or wake induced techniques (where you try to enter a dream directly by maintaining alertness while you fall asleep).  There may be variability between people as far as which method works best, so our advice as far as the best way to lucid dream is to try both WILD and DILD techniques.  In fact, this may be the first experiment you should try since the techniques in each case are a little different and it can help to know which one to focus on.  Also, it may not be optimal to continue to try both.  For example, wake-induced techniques that involve naps may interfere with your nighttime sleep and REM cycles which can affect your chances of dream induced dream control.

You may want to try only one of these two general methods first.  In that case think of your own preferences.  Do you like naps and take them often, and during them do you have vivid dreams?  In that case you may want to try wake-induced techniques first.

Best Way to Lucid Dream: Using Aids

Does the best way to lucid dream involve the use of lucid dreaming aids such as music, beats, masks, or supplements?  For some the answer is yes, though we suggest that you make sure you experience at least some success without using lucid dreaming aids first so you do not feel dependent on them for success.  But assuming you’ve already started to have lucid dream experiences could using any of these aids help you find the best way to lucid dream?  Let’s go over the possibilities.

Best way to lucid dream: Music and tones

Lucid dreaming music is often soothing melodies that have instructions played just underneath them.  This aid is often used for wake-induced lucid dreaming as the soothing music in combination with the suggestions can be very helpful.  Various types of beats such as binaural beats and isochronic tones can also help you achieve dream control by relaxing you and helping your mind focus.  Could this be the key for you as far as the best way to lucid dream?

Best way to lucid dream: Supplements

Lucid dreaming supplements can help increase your chances of attaining dream control.  This approach can involve something as simple as eating certain foods in the evening or before bed, or more complicated like buying certain supplements you may not have previously heard of.  Lucid dreaming supplements are a great way to augment your desire to achieve dream control, and we cover them at .

Best way to lucid dream: Masks

Finally, dream control aids like masks may provide the best way to lucid dream.  These tools do things like signaling you with lights or sounds when you are in REM sleep, thereby becoming a dream sign.  Technology may help aid your pursuit of dream control, and thereby provide the best way to lucid dream.

Best Way To Lucid Dream: Tips

What are some other tips that might help you determine the best way to lucid dream for you?  Here goes:

• You may be more likely to lucid dream after specific types of days.  Some people find that the best way to lucid dream is after they have had a stressful day and their mind is particularly active, while others may find that the best days are those when they’ve been able to relax.  Know what your pattern is and you may be able to find your optimal times.
• Similar to the above, you may be able to find patterns in your sleep schedule.  Do you have more success when you’ve been able to take a nap, or does that disrupt your REM sleep (this may differ depending on the length and time of day of the nap)?  How about a relationship with how much sleep you got the night before?  Again there may be patterns.
• The best way top lucid dream for you may be to start with a passive approach rather then being too active.  Some people find that they can extend the time of the lucidity by not moving too fast and trying to do too much right away, and instead letting the dream take control.  This is also a great way to get some insight into your sub conscious.
• The best way to lucid dream for you may also involve the position you sleep in or other aspects of your sleep comfort.  In other words, you may find that when you sleep on your back, or when you sleep curled up, or when you raise your head with pillows you’re more likely to experience dream control.  The same may hold true of how hot, cold, or covered you are.
• Finally, the best way to lucid dream may involve having a partner, or perhaps joining a forum or other online community where you can share and receive advice and encouragement.  You might also remain motivated and confident if you are enjoying this pursuit with others

So, could one of these methods provide you with the best way to lucid dream?  There is no standard answer for everyone, so you may need to look into a few of them before you find the best fit for you.  The bottom line is that persistence and varying your approaches can be the key to successful dream control.  Make sure to check out our pages such as How to Lucid Dream Easily for more information about techniques.

We hope you will share your own advice and experience of the best way to lucid dream!

The post Best Way to Lucid Dream first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

How To Lucid Dream in One Night: The Day Before

We start with an exploration of what you can do during the day to give yourself the best chances of learning how to lucid dream in one night.  You’ll need to choose a day where you do not have too much planned so you can focus all of your energy on lucid dreaming.  Go around looking for dream signs, looking at your reflection to see if it is distorted, or your fingers to see if they transform, or other people to see if they change.  While doing this, ask yourself if you are dreaming.  Continually do this throughout all of your activities during the day.  Maybe even joke with friends by asking “am I dreaming?” whether they know why you’d ask that or not.  Text the question to a few people.  Ask the question at lucid dream forums.

While doing all of the above think about how you seem to have the most dreams or perhaps the closet experiences to dream control.  Were you particularly tired?  Then stay quite active.  Did you eat a lot, or a little, or particularly healthy?

How to Lucid Dream in One Night: That Evening

So now you have done a lot of things during the day, what should you do as bedtime approaches?  There are basically two things you should do: Accelerate your use of techniques, and prepare yourself for a restful sleep.  As far as the first idea, again look for dream signs in everything you do, many times during the evening.  As you do that ask yourself if you are dreaming.  However often you did that during the day do it more often in the evening, constantly asking the question and doing a wide variety of looking for dream signs.  At the same time think about how you can set yourself up for the most restful deep sleep you can.  What can you eat for dinner and have for snack that helps you relax and allows you to sleep well?  Do you like to take a brisk walk in the early evening so that you can relax later on, or are you best off just progressively relaxing throughout the evening?  Do you like to read, watch TV, spend time in conversation, etc. in order to relax?

How to lucid dream in one night by using your supports

As you try to learn how to lucid dream in one night the evening is also a great time to check in with others if you have lucid dreaming partners.  Even if you do not have lucid dreaming partners are there people with whom you feel comfortable discussing your hope to learn how to lucid dream in one night?  Maybe you could check in at a lucid dreaming forum, or send a comment in to a website like this one (maybe on this post!).  If you are using a book or a website like this, re-read some of it.  Everything you do this evening should have something to do with lucid dreaming so that when you are asleep this theme carries through.

How to Lucid Dream in One Night: That Night

So now you have prepared yourself well during the day and the evening to attempt to have a lucid dream in one night.  What can you do at bedtime and while asleep to give yourself the best chances?  Put simply you need to make sure you have set things up so that you will get an uninterrupted and comfortable sleep.  You want to have the right temperature, bedding that keeps you cool and comfortable, and whatever lighting you prefer.  Make sure that devices and other household objects that can make noise are off.  You need to set things up so that you can have a solid night’s sleep with normal and predicable REM periods.

You may want to add some specific aids to your attempts.  Perhaps you will use binaural beats, isochronic tones, or just soothing music in the background.  These lucid dreaming aids can help some people reach a state of relaxation and focus that can give you a good chance of knowing how to lucid dream in one night.   You could also use certain technologies such as lucid dreaming pillows, lucid dream masks, and other aids.  The former allows you to get as comfortable as possible while the latter detects when you are in REM sleep and sends a signal.

Finally, in order to give yourself the best chance at knowing how to lucid dream in one night you may want you eat certain foods right before bed.  Some have reported that a food as simple as an apple can help increase you chances.  Your journal may guide you as far as the best choices for a late snack to improve your chances.  The same goes for drinks, though you should stay away from more than one serving of alcohol.

See also our information on steps to lucid dreaming and how do you lucid dream.

You can also find information at Wikihow about how to experience lucid dreaming in one night.

How to lucid dream in one night, conclusion

All of the above can not only scientifically increase your chances of learning how to have a lucid dream in one night, they also become part of your ritual that focuses your days on lucid dreaming so that you are more likely to have that theme carry over to nighttime in your dreams.  You may find yourself doing on of these steps with the goal of learning how to control dreams tonight but at the same time you notice a dream sign of some sort – you are dreaming!

Please share other information and advice you have to help other know how to lucid dream in one night.

The post How to Lucid Dream in One Night first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

Here is a different take, though very interesting, on how to leave a scary lucid dream: Lucid Dreaming: How to Wake Up From Them

Scary Lucid Dreams: Characters

You may have seen movies where figures in lucid dreams seem angry that the character in question is there.  They seem ready to turn on the dreamer, and are generally threatening.  Many who have had scary lucid dreams come to realize that this characterization from movies is actually quite true – perhaps the writers got advice from real scary lucid dream stories!

The characters in the scary lucid dreams are not really dangerous, and they are unlikely to ruin the experience for you unless you are being too assertive in the dream.  In other words, you do need to respect these figures and realize that they may stand as a reminder from your subconscious that it still wants some control of what happens.  Your dreams have always been ways for your subconscious to express its creativity, work out issues, and explore new realities.  It won’t want to give up control to your conscious mind, and therefore is concerned about the fact that you are awake and aware.

That said, if you successfully learn how to lucid dream you will also notice that you can make peace with your subconscious, allowing parts of the dream to unfold without your guidance, while you take control of other parts.  In other words, as you rehearse for your dream experience – a key to most dream induced lucid dreaming techniques – make sure you are preparing to allow your mind to retain some control.  If those problematic figures go away, perhaps you were successful.

Scary Lucid Dreams: Meanings

We’ve described “passive lucid dreaming” in several places on our site.  As you may know, passive lucid dreaming involves just sitting back and noticing what is going on, not taking an active role in trying to change things or move around too much.  The goal of passive lucid dreaming is both to learn a little about our subconscious, and also to try to make the dream last longer.  When it comes to scary lucid dreams, the former becomes significant.

We can learn a lot from our dreams, and there is no better way to learn than close up while you are aware.  Many people who do not lucid dream keep dream journals so they can remember their dreams and then derive meaning from them, but the lucid dreamer can watch things even more close up.  And scary lucid dreams provide as much or more meaning than non-scary dreams.  Do they show us what we are afraid of, or where our anxieties lay?  Do they point out challenges we want to overcome and obstacles we need to get by?  Maybe they point to issues we need to resolve.  No matter what the meaning, you may learn something from scary lucid dreams, and using passive techniques may once again ensure that the dream will last longer and allow you to really watch things.

Share your scary lucid dreams

You may want to share your scary lucid dream stories, whether here or at one of the excellent lucid dreaming forums that are out there.  People may be able to help you find meanings, and perhaps share their own similar experiences and what they made of them.  It may be easier to do this given the relative anonymity of forums and comments, rather than shoring them with people you know.  Then again, people you know may be the best at drawing meanings since they know you well.

See our related information such as “can lucid dreaming be dangerous” and our general “lucid dreaming stories” page.

Scary Lucid Dreams: Solutions

Our answer to this concern about scary lucid dreams is two-fold: First, we congratulate the community member for having had a lucid dream!  That’s great news, and can only lead to better and longer lucid dreaming experiences.  Second we give the advice that to watch passively when you have a scary lucid dream – do not try to move around or do anything.  Do not try to excitedly fly away or find helpful characters.  Just sit back and passively watch – you know it’s a dream so you will be safe, and try to muffle how scary it is. At the very least, this may turn out to be the most interesting and thought-provoking “movie” you have ever seen.

Lucid dreaming gets easier with practice, and patience is absolutely required if you want to eventually be having longer and more exciting lucid dreams.  For now be happy that you are experiencing lucidity and allow for the scary scenario without getting to active and fighting back.  Be careful not to have the attitude that lucid dreams will be uncommon and thus you need to take advantage of each one, even those that are scary, and get as much accomplished as possible.  Unfortunately this will have a paradoxical effect and mean that you will not have much success getting much done at all!  Passivity allows your subconscious to get used to the fact that you are there.

Passivity during scary lucid dreams may feel more scary that doing something about the fear, but it is an investment in your future experiences and success as a lucid dreamer.  And since lucid dreaming is all about exploration, you can learn a lot from scary lucid dreams.

The post Scary Lucid Dreams first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

Many want to learn how to lucid dream fast and in this case it may be possible to give some tips that will help this become a reality.  That said, to have consistent high quality lucid dreams you need to put significant time and effort into your techniques.  If you’ve looked in to lucid dreaming, whether at this site or elsewhere, you’ve likely seen how the amount of energy and time you put in to asking yourself “am I dreaming?” or looking for dream signs may be directly related to your later success.  That said, we wanted to give some hints that will help you learn how to lucid dream fast.  Make sure you read the section that is titled “Should You Try to Lucid Dream Fast” which presents a bit of a counter argument to some of this advice.

Learning How to Lucid Dream Fast

There are a few different ways to learn how to lucid dream fast, such as:

1. Take a full day off from work and other obligations and spend the entire day looking for dream signs and asking yourself “Am I dreaming?”  in this way you are condensing what might have otherwise taken you a few weeks into one day.  Condensing these techniques also means that that night they are quite fresh in your mind and may have an even better chance of carrying through to your dreams.

2. Make sure you are doing everything you can to remember your dreams in the first place.  Learning how to lucid dream fast may be merely a case of making sure you can remember your dreams.  In other words, if you can remember twice as many dreams you have that much more likelihood of remembering what may have been a lucid dream.  So while you are working on your techniques do not skimp on the process of remembering as many dreams as possible.

3. Bring in as many supports as possible if you want to learn how to lucid dream fast.  Join some forums, ask family and friends whether they want to try this with you, and share your experiences.  By bringing the topic of lucidity into your life you increase your chances it will carry over and trigger actual lucid dreams.

How to Lucid Dream Fast Tips

in addition to the above, here are some additional tips you can use when learning how to lucid dream fast:

1. Use both wake induced and dream induced techniques.  Especially at the beginning you will not know which techniques work best for you.  Wake induced lucid dreaming techniques involve slowly transitioning from being awake to being aware in your dreams, and they are ideally suited to entering the dream during naps or after waking yourself up in the middle of the night.  Using these methods along with dream induced techniques may increase your chances.

2. Keep a journal that covers everything – exactly what techniques you used, what you ate, what your day was like, what you did, what your mode was like during the day, etc.  knowing as much as possible about what the optimal conditions are for you when it comes lucidity can become a way to learn how to lucid dream easily.

3. Partner with others or at least join forum that can help you learn from others.  The advice and guidance of other who may be more experienced, as well as the motivation that comes with being part of a group, can help you achieve dream control faster.

4. Use lucid dreaming supplements and lucid dreaming music to help increase your chances.  You can also find devices designed to notice when you are in REM sleep and provide a sound or visual signal.  These methods cannot take the place of solid techniques, but they can augment them and help you learn to lucid dream fast.

Even with all of these ideas you may end up not being able to lucid dream fast, and the bottom line is that patience may be necessary and quite worthwhile.  Some people are able to lucid dream fast and for others a longer period of study and effort is necessary.  However, for both groups the end result is worthwhile.

Should You Try to Learn how to Lucid Dream Fast?

As you can see from the above there are ways to lucid dream fast, but the obvious question is whether this is a good path.  Perhaps learning how to lucid dream fast can bring immediate rewards but in the long run it may make more sense to approach dream control with a slower and more measured pace.  That way you can make sure that you are using techniques that don’t just lead to lucidity but also promise the most vivid and longest experiences of dream control possible.  Could trying to do this all fast lead to skipping steps that would have maximized the experience?

Our advice is to use a combination approach that points you toward how to lucid dream fast without skipping any steps.  Perhaps you could reframe this as “how to lucid dream reasonably fast” or “how to lucid dream as quickly as is practical”.  Even though it is tempting to rush in, your dream control adventures can be something to enjoy long term, so being patient, at least to some degree, may be the better approach.  When you find that your pursuit of having lucid dreams as quickly as possible is either not working at all or seeming to lead to dreams that are not as vivid as you’d like, take a step back and slow down.

How to Lucid Dream Fast Next Steps

Hopefully these how to lucid dream fast tips and techniques have helped learn how to have your first lucid dreams.  But there will always be something new to work on.  While it is certainly helpful to have learned how to lucid dream fast, you may find that those initial experiences of lucidity are shorter than you’d like, do not offer the control you wanted, or are not frequent enough.  It is important then to now set new goals related to these and other factors.  You’ve been able to learn how to lucid dream fast and now you want to make sure to optimize the experiences and make them more frequent.

Use our website to learn how to lucid dream fast

Much of the information and advice on this website is designed to help you learn how to lucid dream as practically and effectively as possible.  After following the simple instructions here in this post you may have had a few experiences or real, if brief, lucid dreaming.  As soon as that happens you may want to set some goals and keep track of them in your journal.  Make them specific and set your goals high.  What would you like to improve on now that you know what the potential is?  What would make the experience even better?  You will quickly realize that learning how to lucid dream fast is just a starting off point, one that can give you confidence and motivation, but that can also lead to an increased desire to do even better.

Here are some good pages and posts here that can help: How to induce lucid dreaming, easiest way to lucid dream, and steps to lucid dreaming.

We really like this set of answers at Yahoo to the question of how to speed your lucid dreaming and there are good videos at YouTube that can help you attain lucidity fast.

We wish you the best of luck in your pursuit of lucidity and hope that this post helped you move more quickly toward seeing the potential in this exciting possibility.  If you have your own ideas or experiences with how to lucid dream fast, please share them below.

The post How to Lucid Dream Fast first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

The great forum site DreamViews has a great section on lucid dream induction for beginners.

Lucid Dreaming for Beginners: Expectations

It is important when you are starting out on your quest to have lucid dreams that you know what to expect in your first experiences.  For example, you should be aware that your first experiences of lucidity may be fleeting, short periods where you are lucid and in control that fade quickly.  You may only remember a small bit of the dream, or wake up with a vague feeling that you had an experience of lucidity.  In a related way, your first lucid dreams may not last – you may get so excited that you actually wake yourself up, or the experience of being lucid actually transitions you to a waking state.  In any of these cases you should still be overjoyed that you did experience lucidity, and realize that this first experience may very well lead to longer and more fruitful experiences.

Other expectations related to lucid dreaming for beginners include knowing that it may take a while to have your first lucid dream, and then it may be a little while between your first one and your second.  You need to realize that while solid techniques will pay off there is not way to guarantee a lucid dream in any particular night or during any particular nap.  Stay focused on solid preparation and eventually it should pay off.  Be careful not to get discouraged.  connect on-line at a lucid dreaming forum or with friends or family that are also lucid dreaming beginners themselves so you can enjoy the journey together and keep each other motivated.

Lucid Dreaming for Beginners: Quick Start

When it comes to lucid dreaming for beginners, our first piece of advice is to make sure you are putting the necessary time aside.  Sometimes life gets so busy that we are not able to focus enough attention on our hobbies and interests that exist outside of work and other responsibilities. This is certainly the case as things relate to lucid dreaming for beginners. While of course we always need sleep and that is when lucid dreams occur, we still sometimes do not have enough time to practice our lucid dreaming techniques and follow the tips that require a little more time. And as for lucid dreaming for beginners, extra time and effort is needed in order to get off the ground. For all these reasons we suggest something called a lucid dreaming vacation day, where just like a normal vacation day you do not go to work and you limit the amount of outside activity you have on your plate. During this day you focus solely on techniques for your new pursuit.

Lucid Dreaming for Beginners Vacation Days

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Easiest Way to Have a Lucid Dream: Personal Item

There are two tips which we wanted to share that might prove to be the easiest way to have a lucid dream soon.  They both involve something personal, and also checking to see if that item is with you all the time.  That checking and the item itself become a lucid dream induction technique.  Here are some relatively easy ways to lucid dream:

1. Put something small but meaningful in your pocket.  It must be an object you can identify by feel and ideally is one that holds some meaning for you.  Many times during the day reach into your pocket and feel for this object, and notice that it is there.  One time you may find that the object is missing, or has changed.  Or maybe you find that your pockets are missing as well.  This can become a lucid dreaming trigger.

2. Write something short and meaningful on your palm, as short as your first initial.  Look at this writing many times during the day.  Notice it, and notice every detail about it.  Consider it and think about it and then look again.  At some point you might notice that the writing is gone, has changed, or is distorted.  Or maybe you’ll notice that your hand around the writing looks different.  These could all be lucid dreaming triggers.

3. Wear something unique and personal, like a specific type of jewelry and look at it often and notice it in your reflection as often as you can during the day.  Consider it, notice new details about it, notice how it feels.  At some point this article may be either missing or distorted, perhaps especially in reflections.  You may be having a lucid dream!

These three suggestions may be just enough to tilt you into a lucid dreaming state, especially if you’ve been close or are in a rut.  They are close to more traditional techniques that may also provide the easiest way to have a lucid dream, but these are just different enough to provide a boost.

Easiest Way to Have a Lucid Dream: Timing

Another factor that goes into the easiest way to have a lucid dream formula is timing.  Here is one example that may provide a boost: Many people enjoy using a snooze alarm so that they do not have to get out of bed in the morning as soon as their alarm goes off.  The snooze alarm may give an extra 7 minutes or 10 minutes or some other increment before going off again.  And many people report having dreams between these snooze alarms.  Is this a good time to practice wake-induced lucid dreaming?  Possibly, but there are both benefits and drawbacks.  In all, it may be worth trying but often in concert with other lucid dreaming techniques as well.

Easiest way to have a lucid dream using WILD

The benefits of trying wake induced lucid dreaming techniques when the snooze alarm goes off is that you may be in a relaxed state that pushes you back into a light sleep very quickly.  This is a nice set up that may create the easiest way to have a lucid dream.  In addition, you may have several chances given that you may be able to press the snooze alarm several times before you actually have to wake up.  Finally, dreams can be quick and therefore can fit nicely into the small window that you have when you try this.  These advantages may be particularly strong for those who have not yet successfully used dream-induced lucid dreaming techniques, and also for those for whom wake-induced techniques have proven to be most effective.

Easiest way to have a lucid dream using DILD

But there are also disadvantages to trying to do wake-induced lucid dreaming techniques when your snooze alarm goes off.  First, you may find that your dreams go by more quickly during this time and rapidly change from one theme to another.  Also, the shorter time period until you wake up could mean that your lucid dreams get interrupted more easily.  And of course logistics can make things complicated, since you may actually have to get up and getting used to pressing the snooze alarm too much can interfere with that.  In these cases you may want to practice any one of dream-induced techniques, or DILD.

Make sure to check out our related sections including how to have lucid dreams easily and ways to induce lucid dreaming.

Easiest Way to Have a Lucid Dream: Repetition

There is one central theme involved in most lucid dreaming techniques and approaches, and that is repetition.  You need to repeatedly do whatever seems comfortable and you find is beginning to work.  If you are suing dream signs as your central technique, looking for things like reflections and details that will be distorted in the dream state, you need to do this as many times as possible during your day.  If you are checking in by asking “am I dreaming” that needs to be repeated as well.  If you are doing the personal item technique mentioned above, again you need to check in a lot.  Repetition is what will bring that theme into your dream world and at some point make you realize that you are dreaming.

Many of you have likely experienced that fact that some new occurrence in your life shows up in your dreams, or that a thought you have before bed or during the day seems to spark something in your dreams.  The key to finding the easiest way to have a lucid dream is to have that same thing happen with the topic of lucid dreaming, where you find yourself thinking about lucidity while dreaming and then realize that you can take control.  Think of the repetition idea as a way to increase the chances that each singular thought or idea will make it into your dream and become a trigger.  Repetition provides an important pathway and can lead to the easiest way to have a lucid dream.

The post Easiest Way to Have a Lucid Dream first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.

We believe that spontaneous lucid dreaming is actually much more common than most people know.  In many cases, as with most dreams, the dream is probably forgotten or only remembered in a hazy fashion.  Thus the very first step in your journey to lucidity, before you go practicing the how to techniques you will find here, is to make sure you are remembering as many dreams as possible,  Keeping a Lucid Dreaming Journal is an excellent way to do this – and as motivation keep in mind that it may be that you are having lucid dreams but just not remembering them!

Online lucid dream journal

Right now Lucid Dream Journals do not have to be boring notebooks that you have to write in each morning.  Instead use technology.  Many smart phones allow you to dictate into text, or skip text altogether and have an audio dream journal.  One way or another, this way of recording what you have dreamed about first thing in the morning will help you ensure that when you do start to have lucid dreams because you follow the techniques here – or even when you have natural and spontaneous lucid dreams – you will remember them.

Lucid Dream Journal Entries

The main reason to use a Lucid Dreaming Journal journal is to track your successes and challenges while sleeping to know which techniques are working and which need to be adapted further. But we also want to discuss a different kind of entry in a Lucid Dream Journal, those that involve tracking your wake time and have nothing to do with your lucid dreaming techniques.

Some people find that they are more likely to have lucid dreams some days rather than others for reasons having little to do with their techniques. Instead they come to realize that their likelihood of having dream control may have to do with the amount of sleep they got the night before, their diet that day, how much caffeine they had, or the amount of stress their day involved. There may even be more subtle reasons such as their mood when they went to bed, how warm it was in their room, the weather outside, or what kind of day lay ahead.

Thus we suggest that your Lucid Dreaming Journal also should describe your waking time in detail, in fact in as much detail as possible especially until patterns emerge. You might be surprised at the patterns that do emerge, so keep an open mind an analyze your wake time journal carefully.  Again, an online lucid dream journal may be the easiest path, though some people prefer to simply write things down.

What to write in your lucid dream journal

Some examples of what you might write in your lucid dream journal include:

• The beginning, middle, and end of the story (or some other way to consistently write about the content)
• The people encountered and places visited
• Why and how it ended
• Anything you attempted to do, successfully or not
• What you did the day before – what you ate, how much sleep you got the previous night, how active/tired you were, etc.
• Any specific object or vision worth writing in more detail about
• The overall mood in your dream

Keeping a Lucid Dreaming Journal

The biggest mistake people sometimes make when they start to have lucidity is that they abandon their dream journal.  The assumption is that now that their dreams are lucid they will remember them naturally, and the dream journal was a helpful step in the process that is no longer needed.  That assumption often proves wrong, and in our estimation often leads the dreamer to forget many non-lucid dreams that may have interesting meanings, and even some fully lucid dream experiences!

After you stop using your journal you may gradually find that you are only remembering those dreams that are particularly dynamic and powerful, or those that happen right around the time that you wake up.  You may still remember most of your lucid dreams, but keep in mind that sometimes knowing your non-lucid dreams can help you visualize keys and pathways into lucidity – literally allowing you to plant the suggestion, “the next time I dream about that, I will be lucid”

Using a Lucid Dream Journal

Nothing has been proven to help you remember more detail and depth of your dreams than a good Lucid Dream Journal that you keep diligently.  If you stray from using a Lucid Dreaming Journal you take the risk that you will slow your progress toward having more, and longer, and more detailed lucid dream experiences.  You dream for hours each night but the average person only remembers a few dreams each morning.

World of Lucid Dreaming also has information about a lucid dream journal and if you are curious about lucid dream journal online or dream journal software here is a list at LucidWiki.

Remember that using a Lucid Dreaming Journal to promote lucid dreaming has never been easier.  Technology allows for dream journals to be written, like they’ve traditionally been, spoken or even videotaped using a smartphone, or written on a tablet or pad.  It has never been easier to start and maintain a lucid dreaming journal, and therefore by extension never easier to remember your dreams – hopefully even a few that are lucid.  Please feel free to share your own ideas and suggestions about a Lucid Dream Journal below.

The post The Lucid Dream Journal first appeared on Lucid Dreaming Guide.