How to Lucid Dream.

Step #8 - Wake Back to Bed

In our last lesson we looked at dream herbs. Now here's a really easy lucid dreaming technique to try while taking said herbs.

(You can still do this technique without any dream supplement or herb if you prefer.)

It's called the Wake Back to Bed Technique (WBTB).

The technique is really simple and can have immediate results, which is why so many beginners love it. You can perform WBTB every morning or just on weekends to fit your work schedule.

Getting Started

1. Go to bed as normal and sleep for six hours

Set your alarm or have another early riser wake you up. If you go to sleep at 11pm, this means waking at 5am. But don't worry, this isn't about sleep deprivation and you will go back to bed shortly.

2. Get out of bed and become fully alert

Write in your dream journal, read a book or website about lucid dreaming, or otherwise occupy your mind with something dream-related. You must get out of bed and wake yourself fully to be really effective.

3. After 20-60 minutes, go back to bed and relax

Take your lucid dreaming pill now (optional). Wind down mentally by practicing your total relaxation routine, listening to brainwave entrainment, and visualizing your desired lucid dreamscape in detail.

That's all there is to it!

The Wake Back to Bed method will significantly increase your chances of having lucid dreams during your remaining sleep cycles.

How It Works

The WBTB technique plays on the manipulation of your sleep cycles around a crucial time of increased Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, when your most vivid dreams occur.

Your premature awakening after six hours of sleep tricks the body into thinking it will be REM-deprived. When given the chance to return to sleep, your mind will dive straight into long periods of REM sleep, lapping up the “bonus” REM time essential to healthy brain function.

It really helps to spend the alert-time thinking and reading about lucid dreaming. This conscious focus will carry on into the dream world, reminding you to become lucid.

What's more, when practiced over time, you are teaching your brain to release its “wake up” hormones after six hours of sleep. So even on the days you don't practice WBTB, your conscious mind will start to rouse when you are still enjoying blissful REM sleep. This creates greater self-awareness in your dreams.

Final Thoughts

Some people perform a variation of the WBTB technique without even knowing it... If you get up in the night to pee, are toilet training a new puppy, or have a young baby to feed in the early morning, you are creating a similar pattern of disruption to your REM sleep.

Of course, you must go back to sleep afterwards. The intention is not to create sleep deprivation - so if you find you can't get back to sleep, then WBTB is not for you. And don't go crazy with it; a couple of times a week is sustainable for most people but if you find it too disruptive - stop. There are other lucidity methods available and it's a case of finding the best ones that suit you.