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Key points
- Not everyone has lucid dreams.
- One may increase the possibility of lucid dreaming with helpful tips.
Lucid dreaming occurs where the dreamer is aware of the fact that she or he is dreaming while the dream is taking place.
Not everyone lucid dreams, but one may increase the possibility with the following tips, excerpted from my book How to Interpret Your Dreams: Keys to Insight & Empowerment. Try one or more of these tips for a few days in a row, or whenever you would like to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming. Practice the tips as long as they feel comfortable to you. If for some reason they do not feel good, stop the exercise and try something else, including simply having a normal night’s sleep.
1. Make a conscious intention to have a lucid dream before you go to sleep. For example, say to yourself “I would like to consciously fly in my dream”, or “I would like to consciously meet some old friends in my dream”. Keep your intentional affirmation statements general without a specific deadline (i.e. don’t say “I will/must fly in my dream tonight”). Just put forth the intention to your subconscious and to the Universe, and have them work on your behalf. Your lucid dream, if you have one, may or may not be one that you intended, and that’s perfectly okay.
2. As you drift to sleep, use your “observer self” to notice yourself falling asleep. For example, note to yourself “I’m getting groggy”, or “I’m getting sleepier” as if you’re watching a movie of yourself falling asleep. Condition your mind to get used to the experience of “observing” yourself as you fall sleep, so it may be easier to observe yourself when you’re dreaming as well.
3. If you have a positive (not lucid) dream with certain aspects you wish included in a lucid dream, as soon as you wake up say to yourself: “Next time I have this dream I will…”. For example, if you have a dream where you saw your childhood friend from a distance, say to yourself one or more of the following affirmations after you awake:
“Next time I have this dream I will meet my friend close-up.”
“Next time I have this dream I will greet and hug my friend.”
“Next time I have this dream we will play our favorite childhood game.”
“Next time I have this dream my friend and I will go on an adventure together.”
4. Similarly, if you have a difficult (not lucid) dream with certain details you didn’t like, as soon as you wake up say to yourself: “Next time if I have this dream I will…”. For example, if you have a dream where someone is bothering you and you are annoyed, say to yourself one or more of the following affirmations after you awake:
“Next time if I have this dream I will fly away.”
“Next time if I have this dream I will turn around and assertively tell this person to go away/disappear.”
“Next time if I have this dream I will feel confident, strong, and creative in my ability to handle the situation.”
“Next time if I have this dream I will use my super power (lucid dream power) to change the dream content to something more fun and empowering.”
Again, your lucid dream, if you have one, may or may not be one that you intended. Dreams often work in mysterious and unexpected ways.
For more tips on how to interpret your dreams, see references below.
© 2020 by Preston C. Ni. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright violation may subject the violator to legal prosecution.
References
Ni, Preston. How to Interpret Your Dreams: Keys to Insight & Empowerment. PNCC. (2020)
Clift, J.D., Clift W.B. Symbols of Transformation in Dreams. Crossroad. (1987)
Dream. APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. (2020)
Hobson. J. A. The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up. International Journal of Dream Research. (2009).
Jung, Carl G. Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Pantheon Books/ Random House. (1963)
