Lucid Dreaming: A Beginners Guide

3 August 2015

Hey guys, today I want to chat about something that I think is really cool. You may have heard of it before, (have you seen Inception?) or maybe you have no clue what it is at all. I'm going to be a brief as I can under each subheading, but if people want to know more about it after this post, then I can write up another one that's more in depth on certain points. 


Lucid Dreaming - What is it?

Lucid dreaming is dreaming whilst being aware of the dream. "Conscious" Dreaming. In a Lucid Dream, the dreamer knows that they are in fact asleep, and with that knowledge they can make choices and changes in the dream. It might sound a little farfetched but it's completely real, and once you master that, the possibilities are endless. 


Dream Journalling

So this is the most boring part, it requires quite a bit of commitment and practice to actually start having lucid dreams. But once you get the theory down, you'll be ready to give it a go. The first step is creating your very own dream journal, it can be handwritten or even typed up. Every morning when you wake up, write everything you can remember about your dream, down into your journal. 

This process is important as it helps you practice remembering your dreams, as well as spotting common dream themes that pop up a lot, which will help later when you need to start actually giving it a go. Try setting your alarm clock a bit earlier of a morning to give you more of a chance to write your dreams down. 

Reality Checks

These will be your best friend when you're trying to learn to lucid dream. The trick to doing them, is trying to make them habit, which means doing them when you definitely know you're awake. There are quite a few different ways to check your reality, and whether or not you're dreaming or not. My favourite and (mostly) no fail check, is holding your nose with your fingers and breathing through your nose. In waking life, it obviously doesn't work. But when done whilst dreaming, you can still breathe.

It's best to always know a few different reality checks, so that you can try others if one fails. Look at your hands, they will almost always be weird with possibly too many or too little fingers. Try to read something, it will be difficult, and it may not even be words just symbols. See if you can put your hand through a mirror. Seriously. 

Your brain is a tricky bugger, and will try and explain away your reality checks. One time I tried the holding my nose check and convinced myself that I just wasn't blocking my nose properly that's why I could still breathe. Practising these during waking hours is critical to doing it in dreams, ask yourself "Am I dreaming?" and then give a reality check a go. 

Even though you know you're awake now, the point is to remember to check when you are dreaming. Some people reality check every time they walk through a doorway. If something becomes enough of a habit, you will do it automatically in your dream. 


Hey I Think I'm Dreaming!

Congrats! You've asked yourself, "Am I dreaming?" You've done one or two reality checks, and they have confirmed it. You're asleep! Woah calm down! Unfortunately it's pretty common for the first few times you realise you're dreaming, to accidentally wake yourself up, due to being well just pumped to finally have done it!

Take some deep breaths, and try to steady yourself. If you start to lose focus on the dream there are a few tricks you can try. Concentrate on your hands, just give them a good stare. Spin around, don't worry you won't get dizzy. But it can stabilise the dream. Grab onto something, like a light post, an elephant, whatever is around. Grass doesn't seem to work for some reason, so don't grab that. 

Shout that you are dreaming. "Increase lucidity!" It sounds dumb, but hey nobody's going to hear you.


Now What?

Go nuts! Do whatever you want to do. Take control of a nightmare, or of a recurring dream. Read this list of 101 Ideas for Lucid Dreams, or create your own! Find your spirit guide, talk to other dream characters and ask them questions. If you can imagine it, you can do it. 

It's also helpful to look into other methods of inducing Lucid Dreaming. I won't go into them today, but you can read about them in the links below. 

Any Questions? 
I'll answer what I can! I've read soo much on this over the years, so I will help out any way I can.
Most importantly, 
DON'T GIVE UP!
It can take quite a while before you actually have a lucid dream. But trust me, it will be worth it!


Keep Reading:

LD4All - Has been my favourite Lucid Dreaming website for years and years. They have so many guides as well as an amazing forum. 
A Guide to Lucid Dreaming - Free People did a small article a while ago on Lucid Dreaming that is also helpful.







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26 comments

  1. When I was a kid, I use to be OBSESSED with dreams. I had a book on lucid dreaming, what do dreams mean, a dream journal and a dream catcher. Hahaha! It was the best! This is sooo much fun, Tegan! Hahaha

    xx Bash | Hey Bash | bloglovin'

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  2. I day dream a lot, is that close? :p Love this, so unique!

    Pam xo/ Pam Scalfi♥

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  3. I really really enjoyed this post! It's something different and interesting on my bloglovin feed. I used to write down all of my dreams down in a note on my phone but I stopped and I'm not really sure why! After reading this I definitely want to get back into it x

    Katina | www.katinalindaa.com

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  4. Oh interesting! I have to admit I've never thought about wanting to do lucid dreaming. I get sleep paralysis sometimes though, if that counts hahaha.

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    1. It kinda counts, there's a whole section on sleep paralysis over on the LD4all website! x

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  5. This is very interesting! Who would've thought, hey?! I'm a dreamer, so it seems like a pretty cool idea! :D
    xoxo,

    BerryBloomXO.com | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog 
    also on BLOGLOVIN 

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  6. This sounds so interesting! I only remember my dreams occasionally :(

    Meg | A Little Twist Of…

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  7. I do lucid dreaming. Sometimes when I wake up I find it tiring and sometimes, it's hard to wake up from it. It felt like I woke up, but I was still in the dream (which I know that I'm still dreaming). Good thing is, I can control my dream. For example, If I don't like the surroundings, then I fly somewhere else or have powers in my dreams, and drag celebrities in it.

    Dice, '96 Wild Heart

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    1. False Awakenings ! Haha you sound like a pro! x

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    2. Not a pro, just enjoy it. I do it when I take a nap, because half of my mind seems conscious for some reasons and it works well that way

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  8. This is so cool! I think I've ever only had one or two lucid dreams, and I always wake up. How long have you been trying to have lucid dreams? And how often do you get them?

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    1. I started a long time ago in high school but I tend to forget about it. I actually had a lucid dream last night, most likely due to writing about it and thinking about it a lot lately. I kept like getting too worked up and opening my eyes though, but I don't think I actually woke up. It was strange. x

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  9. I experience it all the time as well as hearing myself talking and crying, ive done it since i was little haha =]

    emyii90.blogspot.co.uk

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  10. I would love to master this! It sounds so awesome!

    xo,
    Jessica
    www.fortheloveofbubbly.com

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  11. Holy snaps the idea of lucid dreaming scares me so much haha. I dunno why. I think I lucid dreamt once. I looked at a clock twice and they read different times - then I realized hey I'm in a dream! And then proceded to hover over the bed, because I read somewhere that it was a cool experience trying to fly but I was scared of going up high so I decided to do it over the bed because in case I fell, at least I'd land on a soft surface.

    becky ♡ star violet

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  12. The idea of lucid dreaming is super but I've heard it's actually kinda bad since you're not fully sleeping, doing it every night instead of sleeping can be horrible (I have a friend who had to go on meds because he lucid-dreamed too much actually). Still sounds awesome and I'd try it for a nap haha.
    xx, Pia

    http://gymbagsandjetlags.com
    @gymbagsandjetlags

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  13. Love this post, was a really interesting read! I find the concept of lucid dreaming fascinating, but do worry that its a sign of a rubbish nights sleep!xx

    Laura | Lala London: Beauty & Lifestyle

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  14. Great post! I can control my dreams but I had no idea it was actually thing. Maybe I should start a dream journel too.

    Tiffany Tales – A British Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

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  15. Such a dope post through and through! Lucid dreaming sounds pretty amazing and crazy and scary but I loved learning more about its meaning, especially having never understood the concept ever so clearly before reading this. Also really loving the idea of dream journalling, such a cool thing to do <3

    Sophie | soinspo xo

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  16. I used to lucid dream a lot, but unfortunately my experiences weren't so positive as they mixed with nightmares and I often got "stuck" in the dreams and couldn't wake up - sometimes was terrifying! The ones that have been good are awesome though :) My reality check is to look at the time on something digital, so either a digital clock (like an alarm clock) or a phone, then look back again - the time jumps by a really strange amount and sometimes the numbers don't even make sense as a time, so that's when I know that I'm dreaming!
    Sian xx Rebel Angel

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  17. So interested. I am definitely going to start practising this.

    www.kindoflovely.com

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  18. This is so interesting! I've heard about lucid dreaming before but never known how to do it. I'm definitely going to start using these tips and reading up about it some more! Thank you so much for sharing : )

    Kathryn | nimblenote.blogspot.com

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  19. I especially like your information on reality checks - I've looked into lucid dreaming a bit in the past but hadn't read anything about reality checks before, but it makes a lot of sense! I can't wait to start taking control of my dreams. Thanks for your tips :)

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  20. This is fascinating! You've inspired me to click the links and read up on lucid dreaming. I want to try it! :)

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Thanks so much for commenting everyone! I read and appreciate every single one of your comments! xx