by Corey Shields

Created on: March 02, 2009

Lucid dreaming is concious dreaming. It allows you to be anything and everything you ever desired. We may never fully understand the purpose or cause of dreams, but we do know that they can be controlled, almost like a game! Lucid dreaming is harmless, and unlike anything you've ever experienced. Here are five great ways to induce lucid dreams!

1. Keep a journal

Having a journal is crucial to developing a strong dream recall. Having the ability to recollect dreams greatly increases your chances with inducing a lucid dream. It is best to keep this journal beside your bed, and write in it immediately after waking as the dream is still fresh when you are in your waking moments. If you wait too long, even a matter of minutes, the dream can slowly drift away. After many entries in the journal, you will begin to recognize common elements in your dreams. Your brain will also realize that you are serious about understanding your dreams.

*If you don't like writing, you can also use a voice recorder to record your dreams.

2. Reality Checks

A reality check is conciously performing tasks as a reminder that you are awake. In your waking moments, preforming reality check can become habitual, subsequently carrying over into the dream world. In dreams, electrical devices often malfunction. A fine example of a reality check would be to turn on an electric device, such as a television or light. Another way is to look at some text, or a symbol twice consecutively (Eg. clock, road sign, etc.) Glance at it once, turn away, and then look at it again. Did it look the same both times? In a dream, the second glance can lead to jumbled letters and other unnatural changes.

3. Submerge Yourself

If you spend a generous amount of time reading and thinking about lucid dreaming, it's bound to happen eventually. The brain will get caught up in your focus on becoming lucid. There are countless books and techniques to keep your mind devoted.

4. Interrupted sleep

Go to sleep tired. Set an alarm, and wake up five to six hours later. Stay up for an hour and think about nothing but lucid dreaming, all the while performing reality checks. When going back to bed, the chances of a successful lucid dream are greatly increased.

5. NovaDreamer

So you've read, practiced, and done all you can to have a lucid dream, but to no avail. Now what? Well there is a product out there to induce lucid dreams, but for a pretty penny. The NovaDreamer is a mask-like device that covers you eyes as you go to sleep. It detects when your body has entered REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. With the use of two LED flashing lights and audio, it triggers a lucid dream. The NovaDreamer is said to be very reliable, and has multiple settings to get the best results.

*Final Tips

If you finally find yourself having a lucid dream, here are some tips to keep the dream alive.

- Don't get overly excited when you first realize you're dreaming. Being overjoyed can cause you to awake. You must remain calm.

- If you feel yourself waking up, try spinning around in circles (in your dream of course.) It is said that this helps you remain asleep.

- For best results, don't just summon things. For example, if you want to meet the president, don't just say "I want the president to appear in this room." Instead, try calling him on the telephone in your pocket, and ask him to come over. Keeping your dreams reasonable improves the overall quality of them.

Now you are ready to take on the dream world! Go ahead, take your new Corvette over to Brad Pitt's LA mansion...Or better yet, why don't you just fly?!

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