Lucid Dreaming

Dreams in most cases are messengers from the subconscious. We as humans are inundated with a terrific amount of information on a daily basis that we can't possibly process all. The stuff we don't deem as important at the moment is filed away into our subconscious to be accessed at a later date if at all. It's not only information that is stored in this way, but our emotions felt at the time or the fleeting reaction we had of the situation at the time. These are things that can be revisited in our dreams. These are our normal dreams, but there is an interesting other type of dream called the Lucid Dream.

Lucid dreaming is basically being aware they you are dreaming while you are dreaming. In lucid dreams you may have conscious control over the characters and other parts in your dream. They are also very real and vivid. The more self-aware you are, the more vivid the dreams are.

There are two types of lucid drams, the dream-initiated dream, which is at first a regular dream, but as the dream progresses, you realize that you are dreaming. The other type of lucid dream is the wake-initiated lucid dream, which happens when you go from a regular waking state, and then suddenly you are in a dream state with no lapse in consciousness.

One of the first steps to learn how to achieve lucid dreams is recalling your dreams. People who can remember their dreams are ahead of the game. Lucid dreaming is a skill and doing this on a daily or nightly basis can be problematic and is uncommon. However, several techniques have been developed as more and more is learned on this subject. Simply remembering your dreams is the first step because you are at least aware of your dreams, what you dream and when you dream. Keeping a dream journal improves the ability for lucid dreaming. Once you have awaken from a dream, sit quietly for a few moments, this will help you remember your dreams.

Another common method to determine if you are dreaming is performing reality testing, which involves actions that are different depending on whether the person is dreaming or not dreaming. Practice the following tests when you are awake will help you learn to perform the test while dreaming:

Look at your watch and make a mental note of the time. Look away and then look back. The time will have changed slightly with the second hand in a different position or the time is different on a digital watch. Digital watches will change during the dream, the others won't.
You can also switch on a light. If the light levels change you are not dreaming. Light levels rarely change when turning the light on in a dream. Admire yourself in the mirror. Your reflection in dreams tends to be blurred or distorted.

If you are prone to nightmares, learning how to lucid dream will probably be a great help to you as with nightmares, it's always a good idea to know that you are just dreaming. Lucid dreaming is fun way to get a bit creative with your dreams and learn about how your own mind works in the dream state.