ILLUSTRATES Rodrigo Ico
There are several methods, and all include performing a reality check. Basically, a lucid dream is one you can control. Researchers believe that since ancient Egypt there are records of lucid dreams, but scientific proof only came in 1975. In theory, anyone can control their own dreams and, according to enthusiasts of the practice, there is no lack of reasons to try. After all, when you succeed, you have control over everything that happens in the dream. Not only can it be fun, it also helps those who have a lot of nightmares, such as people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Another advantage, revealed by a Swiss research, shows that the practice of activities in the dream can improve skills in real life. For example, if you dream that you are doing sit-ups, your abdominal muscles may get stronger as your body will remember the movements it has made. Crazy, huh? Check out some of the most popular methods below: MILD (acronym for “lucid dream mnemonic induction”, in English), WBTB (“wake up and go back to bed”) and CAT (“cycle adjustment technique”).
MILD method
1. When you go to sleep, repeat to yourself that you are going to have a lucid dream. Repetition is important to fix the idea
two. Wake up after four to six hours of sleep (use an alarm clock) and, still in bed, think about the dream you just had. Writing helps both remembering and memorizing
3. Choose something specific that exists or happens in this dream to serve as a reality check, unless you have already developed one (see box). In that case, insert your reality check into the dream
4. Go back to sleep mentalizing each step of the dream and repeat to yourself that you will have a lucid dream. You’ll go back to sleep in the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep, which is when we dream5. If it works out, you will return to the same dream. When the reality check occurs, the dream will become lucid. Stay calm and start exploring
WBTB method
1. Perform the first two steps of the MILD method. The difference is that, in WBTB, you have to get out of bed and do something that holds your attention for 20 to 30 minutes. It could be reading a book or thinking about the tasks for the next day, for example. When it’s time to go back to bed, resume the MILD method in step 3
CAT method
1. For starters, set your alarm to wake you up 90 minutes earlier than usual for a week. In the second week, alternate: one day you wake up 90 minutes earlier, another at the normal time
two. This routine will condition your brain to always wake up 90 minutes earlier, making it more awake than your body in the REM phase. Take the reality check, and that’s it.
Curiosity: According to the author of this technique, Daniel Love, it works because it adjusts sleep cycles
REALITY TEST
Discover the Crucial Scheme to Control Your Dreams
1. Reality testing is an essential step in lucid dreaming. The test is, in short, a habit that you create on a daily basis and that your body, after being conditioned to do it, will automatically perform it in your sleep.
two. Any gesture that you repeat several times in everyday life can do. It could be holding your nose, looking at your hands, pinching yourself, or walking through a door. The essential thing is that the gesture is accompanied by the question “Am I dreaming?”
3. Eventually, the habit will appear in your dream. Look around and notice if your hands have more fingers than normal or if you can breathe with your nose blocked, for example. When the question comes, you’ll realize you’re dreaming
SOURCES Websites How to Lucid, World of Lucid Dreaming It is The Wall Street Journal