Every night, we drift off to sleep and slip off into a surreal dream state where anything can happen. Most people aren’t able to remember the fantastical details that unfurl in the subconscious once they’re awake.
Yet some individuals can develop the rare skill of lucid dreaming—where one is conscious of their own thinking processes. In other words, in a lucid dream, you are aware you are within the dream as it’s happening. You may even have the ability to control what’s happening in the dream.1
We interviewed a dream analyst to teach us how to lucid dream—read ahead to learn more about how lucid dreaming works and how to do it.
How Lucid Dreaming Works
Approximately 58% of people have experienced a lucid dream at some point, and an additional 21% are considered frequent lucid dreamers.2
A Brief History of Lucid Dreaming
People have been aware that lucid dreaming occurs since ancient times. However, the concept didn’t receive its name lucid dream until a Dutch psychiatrist by the name of Frederik Van Eeden coined it in 1913.1
Lucid Dreaming Occurs in REM Sleep
When you’re having a lucid dream, there are higher levels of neural activity occurring in the prefrontal regions of the brain.3
Researchers began studying lucid dreaming extensively in the 1970s and it was discovered that lucid dreaming occurs during REM sleep. And it’s most likely that lucid dreaming will occur during REM sleep later in the night.1
What a Dream Analyst Has to Say About Lucid Dreaming
According to Matthias Dettmann, MSc, a psychologist who uses dream interpretation in his therapy practice, the duration of sleep needed to have a lucid dream can vary among individuals.
How Much Sleep Do You Need to Have a Lucid Dream?
“Generally, it is believed that longer periods of uninterrupted sleep, especially during the latter half of the night when REM sleep is more abundant, increase the likelihood of entering a lucid dream state,” he says.
A good night’s rest4 is made up of two different cycles of sleep—non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). This is further segmented into additional stages known as N1, N2, N3, and N4 to represent a continuum of varying sleep states.
NREM sleep, otherwise known as “quiet sleep,” accounts for 75%-80% of sleep and is associated with muscle relaxation, memory consolidation, and bodily relaxation. REM sleep accounts for 25% of sleep and is associated with rapid eye movement, intense dreaming, and an active brain.5
Generally, it is believed that longer periods of uninterrupted sleep (especially during the latter half of the night when REM sleep is more abundant) increase the likelihood of entering a lucid dream state.
The body usually progresses through the various stages four to six times a night, with each cycle lasting between 90 and 110 minutes. Each phase is characterized by the intensity of rapid eye movements, changes in muscle tone movement, and their corresponding brain wave activity–alpha, theta, and delta.6
- NREM Stage 1: When you nod off, your body relaxes, and your heartbeat and breathing begin to downtrend. The beta waves that predominantly make up the wakefulness patterns slow as the alpha and then theta wave activity increases, creating a feeling of drowsiness and then light sleep.7
- NREM Stage 2: Your breathing and heart rate sync up, eye movements stop, and the brain begins to produce quick bursts of brain wave activity, known as sleep spindles. The bursts of brain wave activity help with memory consolidation which converts short-term memories into long-term memories.8
- NREM Stage 3: The delta-wave brain period is associated with the deepest sleep in all the cycles. This phase is when the body releases proteins for cell regeneration and tissue repair, and optimizes the neural pathways needed for memory retention9
- Stage 4 REM Sleep: REM occurs 90 minutes into the sleep cycle and this primary dream stage of sleep is associated with heightened brain activity, the storing and encoding of emotional memories, and the limbs becoming temporarily paralyzed as you vividly dream.10
Many research studies show that REM sleep aids emotional processing during your waking life. Additional neuroimaging studies also show that the brain processes responsible for regulating dreams and emotional significance in sleep thoughts share similar neural structures to those involved in controlling emotions while awake.11
How Do You Trigger Lucid Dreams?
There are a number of ways to trigger lucid dreaming and this involves mental training. To determine the most effective approach for you, it may be necessary to try out different methods.
Once you are able to enter an advanced state of lucidity, you can literally control anything which presents itself as part of your dream. You can decide to completely change your scenery, the direction of the dream, who you are interacting with, and ultimately the outcome of the dream.
Below are several tools you can experiment with.
Reality Testing
Reality testing is the practice of questioning reality during your waking hours which can carry over into your dreams and trigger lucidity.12
In other words, reality testing requires you to perform a particular activity much as possible during the day so that when you’re dreaming, you can evoke lucidity by replicating that same action while you’re dreaming.
By cultivating awareness, it aids with metacognitive ability which stimulates the prefrontal brain region. This helps with the development of critical awareness to better distinguish between wakefulness and the dream state.
Try observing yourself, the environment, and people’s behaviors throughout the day to check for anything unusual or out of place. Whenever something is inconsistent, strange, or different from your environment, get in the habit of asking yourself if you’re dreaming.
The most effective techniques are the methods where it has a specific action in real life and a different reaction in a dream. So, the following are meant to be done during the day and during the dream. According to Dettman, for example, in the real world when you push your finger through your palm, it meets resistance but in a dream, the finger will pass through.
Examples of Reality Tests You Can Try
Dettman shares other examples of reality testing that you can try during your day. Then, at night the same action during the day will produce a different outcome in your dream:
- Look at a clock: Can you read the time or are the details of the numbers unintelligible?
- Look at the mirror: Can you see your own reflection or something else in the mirror?
- Examine your hands: Do your hands look normal or do your hands look odd the longer you look at them?
- Turn on a light switch: Does the light turn on normally or is the light malfunctioning?
- Plug your nose and try to breathe: Can you not breathe or are you able to breathe normally although your nose is plugged?
It’s important you try these techniques several times throughout the day. To reap the benefits, perform the reality tests with full mindfulness not when you’re going through the motions of your day.
Keep a Dream Journal
To help induce lucid dreams, Dettmann recommends recording your dreams immediately upon waking.
Why Does This Help?
This practice reinforces your intention to remember dreams, capture vivid details, and identify recurring themes or symbols.
Dettmann notes a dream journal is highly beneficial for dream recall to recognize dream patterns, and enhance self-awareness within dreams.
“Over time, this practice strengthens your dream recall abilities and helps you become more attuned to the subtle nuances of your dreams,” he says.
MILD Technique
The MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) technique13 is a popular step-by-step approach for inducing lucid dreams.
How to Use the MILD Technique
“[The technique] involves setting an intention to become lucid while falling asleep and using a mnemonic phrase or visualization to reinforce this intention,” Dettman says. For example, he advises repeating the phrase ‘I will realize I’m dreaming’ and mentally imagining yourself becoming aware of a dream right before you sleep so it remains top of mind.
If you awaken from a dream, this is a good moment to practice visualization by thinking about how you would rescript the dream. Then rehearse the new dream in your mind until you feel like you are back in the dream state while being completely lucid.
For the last step, remind yourself of your affirmations and visualizations that you will remember you are dreaming.
“MILD combines the power of intention, visualization, and prospective memory to enhance the likelihood of achieving lucidity,” Dettmann says.
Wake-Back-to-Bed
Megan Mary, a dream analyst and founder of Women’s Dream Analysis points out the wake-back-to-bed method (WBTB)14 can be effective since some of your most vivid dreams can occur in the early morning hours.
What Is the Wake-Back-to-Bed Method?
The WBTB method involves waking up at some point in the morning, staying away for a certain amount of time, then going back to bed.14
This is when your REM sleep is deepest meaning your dreams last longer at this stage. Lucid dreams are obtained more easily after several hours of sleep as well.
“Use this time to repeat your mantra or affirmation about what you hope to achieve in your dream,” Mary says. She also notes the power of suggestion is strong. While it seems simple to repeat affirmations to trigger lucid dreams, doing so may allow you to have a lucid dream.
Meditation and Dream Awareness
This might be one of the most important techniques of all. Before you can conquer the dream, it’s important to remember the dream.
“If you want to lucid dream, you need to become a high dream recaller first,” Mary says.
As she puts it, simple dream recall takes practice, repetition, dedication, and concentration. All of these attributes can be strengthened by regular meditation practice.
Using regular meditation techniques15 enhances self-awareness, concentration, and the ability to recognize dream signs and triggers.
Starting a mindfulness practice heightens awareness of your breathing, physical sensations, and environment. By being mindfully present and “in the now,” the practice improves cognitive skills such as attention and metacognition.16
A recent study in 2022 reported practicing mindfulness during waking hours is positively related to lucidity in dreams. Researchers in the same study also found individuals with high levels of meditation expertise and practice lucid dream induction report lower nightmare frequency.17
“Meditation is a crucial practice for quieting the busy mind. When the noise turns down, you allow for our inner knowing to emerge. You also are able to listen better to the very subtle messages from your subconscious,” Mary says.
Herbs
Herbs can help with lucid dreaming. One perennial herb called Artemesia vulgarism, also called mugwort,18 contains an active compound that has been known for dream recall and the induction of lucid dreaming.
Exploring and Enjoying Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming can be a magical experience to explore the subconscious. To fully access the benefits, Mary recommends maintaining the phenomenal state with techniques such as:
- Verbal affirmations: Use an affirmation such as repeating “This is a dream” to remember that no matter how lucid the dream is, you will eventually wake up. This allows you to enjoy and direct the dream.
- Grounding techniques: By engaging in a kinesthetic action, such as rubbing your hands, the sensory engagement will ground your dream’s sense of self to prolong the dream further.
- Going with the flow: Not attempting to alter the course of the dream will increase relaxation within the dream state. Getting into a state of observation, instead of action will stabilize the dream enabling you to stay within the realm of your dream longer.
- Avoid emotional conflict: Dreams are often fantastical, impulsive, strange, and bizarre. Not getting too excited in a lucid dream will help maintain and prolong lucid dreams.
How to Control What Happens in Your Lucid Dream
After stabilizing the dream, you can engage with the dream environment to explore dreamscapes to interact with dream characters as well as manipulate any objects.
“Once you are able to enter an advanced state of lucidity, you can literally control anything which presents itself as part of your dream,” Mary says. “You can decide to completely change your scenery, the direction of the dream, who you are interacting with, and ultimately the outcome of the dream.”
Mary notes that within the dream community, the ability to control lucid dreams is a must for those interested in self-development. Overcoming obstacles in your subconscious can be a powerful tool in your waking life as well.
Face Your Fears in Lucid Dreams
Research shows that the brain’s amygdala, which is the major processing center for emotions, plays a big role during intense dreaming.19Theoretically, that means you can face your fears in a lucid dream and effectively minimize their impact in the real world.
“Lucid dreaming can be a catalyst for personal growth because it can help you overcome fears, insecurities, blockages, and problems by allowing you to harness your self-confidence, extinguish doubt, eliminate blockages, solve problems, and dissolve your fears,” Mary says.
Practicing Safety in Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming can be a magical and fulfilling experience, allowing you to explore your inner world and subconscious. As you practice more, it’s important to maintain a healthy balance between waking life and the dream world so that lucid dreaming does not interfere with real-life responsibilities.
Mary advises reminding yourself that you can control your dreams—your dreams do not control you.
“Learning the techniques of lucid dreaming can have a profound effect on your personal waking life. When you are able to step into your own self-confidence and regain a sense of control over your dreams, there is a reflexive synergy that happens while you are awake,” Mary says.
Prevent Dream Hangovers
Dreams with high emotional content and a lot of brain activity can create a “dream hangover” where you feel exhausted as soon as you wake up. Self-care practices are key for prevention.
Some self-care practices to ensure a positive and safe dream experience include:
- Practice good sleep hygiene with a bedtime routine
- Getting plenty of sleep each night
- Avoiding alcohol before bed
- Journaling before sleep and after waking up
- Practicing meditation
- Intention setting
Mary advises reminding yourself that you can control your dreams—your dreams do not control you.
Summary
The relationship between your dreams, waking life, and emotional processing is more intertwined than we think. There are many proven benefits in cultivating your awareness and learning how to engage with your mind intentionally.
Why not make use of an activity that takes up one-third of our lives? With practice, you can conquer this useful skill and reap benefits to your emotional health and cognitive function. As you lucid dream, you can learn how to explore your subconscious and develop new skills.