Reality Shifting Handbook

Lucid Dreaming Basics

First, a bit about dreaming:

During sleep, the brain goes through various cycles. The majority of dreaming occurs in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage, because it is the stage where your brain is most active. The average person has 3-5 dreams per night, but most people do not remember all of their dreams, if any at all. Some dreams have certain meanings and may pertain to particular events in your life, or even subconscious thoughts and feelings that you aren't aware of.

What is a lucid dream?

A lucid dream occurs when you become aware that you are dreaming. Because you are aware that you are dreaming, you can recognize your thoughts and emotions as the dream plays out. As you start experiencing lucid dreams, they may only last a few seconds and quickly become unstable, or you may lose lucidity. However, as you continue to lucid dream, you will be able to stabilise the dreams easier, and even start to control the dream. You can summon items, change the storyline, or even change the dream environment completely.

How can you achieve a lucid dream?

There are various techniques you can use to increase your chances of having a lucid dream. However, there are some things you should do first, before even experimenting with different techniques. The first is to keep a dream journal, and the second is to do regular reality checks. These can be used in conjunction with techniques, but you can achieve lucid dreams with these two things alone. Finally, because lucid dreaming often occurs in the REM stage of sleep, increasing the amount of time spent in REM each night increases the chance of having a lucid dream. You can extend your REM sleep by having a consistent sleep schedule, exercising daily, avoiding electronics before bed, creating a relaxing sleep environment, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed.

Dream journals:

The first thing to do when trying to lucid dream is to keep a dream journal. Most people do not remember their dreams, which makes it way less likely for them to achieve a lucid dream. Even if they did have a lucid dream, they probably wouldn't remember it. This is where a dream journal can help. Every morning, as soon as you wake up, write down every dream you can remember, even if it is only a fragment of one. This trains your brain to remember dreams, which can help achieve lucidity. Once you are at the point where you can consistently record dreams each morning, you are ready to start trying techniques. It is okay if you have days where you do not remember any dreams, do not let this discourage you! 

Reality checks:

The second thing to do when you are beginning to try lucid dreaming, is regular reality checks. Reality checks are tests that can be done during the day to train your mind to recognise its own awareness. Doing reality checks often enough can cause you to do one in a dream, which induces awareness while dreaming and results in an instant lucid dream. It is recommended to do reality checks at least once an hour, but the more often you do them, the higher the chance is of you doing them in a dream. Pick just one reality check, and do it regularly, consistently. If you are not sure whether you are awake or dreaming, doing a reality check can instantly confirm which one it is. When you do reality checks during the day, it is essential to consider the possibility that you could actually be dreaming. As you do the reality check, ask yourself, "am I dreaming?". While it may be obvious to you that you are awake, in a dream, your brain cannot tell the difference. Some examples of popular reality checks include:

Finger through palm: push your fingers through your opposite palm. If your fingers pass through your hand, you are dreaming.

Counting fingers: count your fingers one by one. If you have more/less than 10 fingers, you are dreaming.

Nose pinch: pinch your nose with your fingers and attempt to breathe through your nose. If you can still breathe through your nose, you are dreaming.