Lucid Dreaming: How To Control Your Dreams
Veronika Rivero
Last month, we discussed the history and basics of dream interpretation. We reviewed that dreams can have hidden messages aimed at revealing something to the dreamer. There are many techniques that can be used to identify and understand these messages. Interpreting dreams can reveal one’s hidden desires or dilemmas. However, this is of no consequence when the person is within their dream. Sadly, this cannot be fixed. After all, it is impossible to know when you’re in a dream. . . right? Wrong.
Most likely, you have heard of lucid dreaming. In recent years, lucid dreaming has gained attention through social media and TV. Lucid dreaming is the act of being consciously aware that you are in a dream while dreaming.
The term “lucid dreaming” was first used by Dutch author and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in his article “A Study of Dreams” (1913.) However, there are a plethora of lucid dream descriptions that predate his article. One of the most famous lucid dreaming descriptions is Aristotle’s. It reads: “when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream.” Perhaps Aristotle was a decorated lucid dreamer and simply did not have the terminology to name it.
Recently, doubters of lucid dreaming have been silenced by science. Experiments have proven that there is a difference in brain activity when lucid dreaming. When comparing a brain that was lucid dreaming to a brain undergoing regular REM sleep, scientists reached interesting conclusions. Experiments from Macalester college studied a neurobiological model of a lucid dreamer’s brain. The studies suggested that lucid dreaming activates multiple areas including the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital regions of the brain (SSH, 2016). This is drastically different from the brain during regular REM sleep, which does not activate any of these areas.
Most people have at least one spontaneous lucid dream in their lifetime without using any strategies. Individuals with an impressive cognitive strength in their waking life experience random lucid dreams (Gholipour, 2014). However, if you have yet to experience a lucid dream, there are many different things you can do to increase your chances of having one.
The first step is to keep a dream journal. This is arguably the most important step to becoming a successful lucid dreamer. After waking from a dream, write down what you remember in your dream journal. If you do not remember any dreams, just write “don't remember dreams.” Dream journals can assist in remembering your dreams more accurately, and identify frequent dreams that are overwhelmingly different from your waking life. For instance, if you have ever looked at a clock or tried to read something in your dream, you will find that none of the numbers look accurate and the words are unreadable. This is because the part of your brain associated with language is shut off during dreaming. Noticing and analyzing occurrences like these in a dream journal promotes active dreaming.
The next way to increase chances of having a lucid dream is to elevate your awareness during dreams. For example, you may dream that you are in your bedroom. In the dream, something about your bedroom might be different. By elevating your awareness in the dream, you would realize “this isn't my room…I must be in a dream.” In order to heighten your awareness within dreams, you must also heighten your awareness in waking life. This way, your brain will subconsciously transfer this ability into your dreams. As I mentioned, there are key instances that can be easier to realize than others, such as looking at a clock or trying to read.
The last technique is learning to remain calm and focused when you finally begin to lucid dream. It is common for lucid dreamers to become so excited that they succeed at lucid dreaming that they actually wake themselves up. This is the most difficult step, as it is not easy to calm your emotions within a dream. Especially when realizing that you have the ability to do anything you want in a lucid dream!
Imagine all the endless possibilities that you can have within a dream. Using the power of your mind, you can visit any place in the world, meet any person dead or alive, and anything else you can think of. By writing in your dream journal, practicing awareness, and maintaining focus, you can start to lucid dream!
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