Lucid Dreaming

Induction Methods

Obviously, if you want to lucid dream, this is the first thing you'll want to know: how do I cause a lucid dream? There are five different methods you can use for this (probably more, but I've only heard of these five).

Wake-Induced Lucid Dreaming (WILD): Although it's the most effective, the WILD technique is also the most difficult. Before going to sleep, you need to stay perfectly still, so find a comfortable position before attempting this. Find a way to keep your mind busy- look around the room, think about the day, whatever you need to do. After a few minutes, you will get the urge to roll over. Ignore it. Sometimes, after some time ignoring the roll over urge, you may get an itch- ignore that, too. The problem most people have is that they respond to these urges, alerting their mind that they're still awake. If you perform this correctly, you will go into sleep paralysis within a few minutes of your final urge (whether it's the roll over urge or the itch seems to vary from person to person). Once you've gone into sleep paralysis, you can fall asleep. You should be lucid once you enter your dream. I plan on writing a separate chapter about sleep paralysis, so I'll elaborate more on the topic then.

Mnemonic-Induced Lucid Dreaming (MILD): The idea of MILD is simple. You start off by coming up with a phrase. This is usually something along the lines of "I will lucid dream" (some people may tell you that it's more effective to say "I am already lucid dreaming"; again, it varies from person to person). It can really be anything, depending on your goal. But, I'm assuming that your goal is to lucid dream, since you're here, so the phrases listed above will be your best shot. Before going to bed, repeat that phrase to yourself, out loud, until you believe it. Then, fall asleep.  Similarly to WILD, you should be lucid once you enter a dream.

Dream-Induced Lucid Dreaming (DILD): DILD is the easiest of the main three methods (WILD, MILD, AND DILD), and is the method that I use.  To perform the DILD technique, you need to get into the habit of doing reality checks.  Then, once you're in a dream, you'll do a reality check, thus realizing you're in a dream and becoming lucid.  My favorite reality check is to look at a clock, look away, then quickly look back at the clock to see how much the time changes.

Finger-Induced Lucid Dreaming (FILD): This is a simple one for beginners.  All you have to do is wiggle two of your fingers, alternating between them.  Start fast, then slow down, focusing on the motion.  You should be lucid once you enter the dream.

Sensory-Induced Lucid Dreaming (SILD): This one is also a simple one for beginners.  You focus on each of three senses: touch, sight, and sound.  First, focus on everything you can feel.  Then, on everything you can see.  And finally, focus on everything you can hear.  Repeat these cycles, each stage lasting about 30 seconds, until you fall asleep.  You should be lucid once you enter a dream.