Forget nightmares and look forward to sweet dreams where you control what happens. It sounds like – yes, a dream – but you can actually train yourself to control the actions and scenarios that unfold during dream sleep.
The phenomenon is called lucid dreams and approx. 20 percent of people have experienced them. People with lucid dreams are usually not only good at seeing through their dreams, but they are also often better at analyzing and reflecting reality while awake.
These three methods for experiencing more lucid dreams are all scientifically proven, and you’ll get the best results by combining them all.
1. Check reality several times a day
Research has shown that the ability to be aware of and control our thought processes is the same whether we are awake, dreaming or using our imagination.
During the day, you can therefore make a habit of distinguishing between a dream and reality by, for example, checking whether your reflection looks normal, whether the clock counts the seconds correctly, and whether you can breathe even if you hold your nose and mouth.
Gradually, your brain will get used to doing the same reality check during sleep, so you will be more aware when you start dreaming and subsequently lucid dream.
2. Wake up, make sure you’re awake, then go back to sleep
We dream more at the end of sleep, when the need for deep sleep has been satisfied. Therefore, you increase your chances of lucid dreaming if you increase your mental acuity during this particular time.
You can do this by setting your alarm to wake you up five hours after your bedtime and stay awake for 30 minutes before going back to sleep. While you are awake, you must ensure that you stimulate your thoughts and senses as much as possible by, for example, reading a book, having sex, or meditating.
Finally, when you fall back asleep afterwards and start dreaming, you are more likely to have a lucid dream.
3. Know your dreams and be prepared
With the MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) method, you first practice remembering your dreams and finding a so-called dream signal that often appears in dreams but not in reality.
It could be, for example, that in dreams you don’t find your way or something big surprises you that rarely happens when you’re awake.
When you go to sleep you must focus on being more aware of this dream symbol and you must imagine that when you see the dream symbol and say to yourself: “This is my dream symbol, I am dreaming now and I am completely in charge.”
