This art form and practice has drawn increasing interest from researchers and lucid dream explorers in recent years. This incredible phenomenon allows people to become aware of their dreams while they are still dreaming. In doing so, they are given the opportunity to experience flying or confront their fears in real life. Dr. Martin Dresler, a leading researcher in this field, has lucid dreams about once every two weeks. The bad news is, as Widman points out, that only about half of the population profess to ever having one.
Researchers such as Dr. Ken Paller stress the need to develop the desire to lucid dream. He is a believer in taking a deep plunge into your passion. Through cultivating a passion for their dream experiences and creating a dream journal, they can dive deeper. Our very own Clara Varnum has done research on this subject with her father, Dr. Michael Varnum. Here, she describes how she’s used lucid dreaming as a weapon against nightmares.
Understanding Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming is when a dreamer becomes aware they are in a dream. While under this influence, they find themselves at the heart of their collective dream. “Lucid dreaming is a phenomenon where we become aware that we are dreaming while we experience a dream,” says Dr. Michael Varnum. That awareness can create some really amazing experiences—from flying through the air to entering imaginative worlds.
According to Dr. Martin Dresler, experts found that the majority of people who lucid dream do so for fun. “Most people engage in lucid dreaming because it’s fun,” he states. He goes on to explain that the period of clarity can be unpredictable, but is usually “long enough to begin soaring.”
Lucid dreaming is one of the most interesting and incredible human experiences! Not a single method can promise you that you will be able to become lucid at will. Like any other approach, she cautions, there are a lot of approaches out there, but none have been shown to result reliably for all people.
Techniques to Induce Lucid Dreaming
Recently, researchers have recommended a few methods to assist people in self-inducing lucid dreams. Dr. Ken Paller advises that aspiring lucid dreamers should truly immerse themselves in their dreams by keeping a dream journal. “Record your dreams daily,” he suggests, noting that reflection is essential to identifying recurring themes and triggers in your dream life.
For instance, a proven combo of techniques is the Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) method combined with the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD). Dr. Achilleas Pavlou explains how WBTB works: “To prompt WBTB, set your alarm for 1-2 hours before you usually get up.” Once they wake up, participants can return to the dream state while concentrating on the goal of becoming aware that they are in a dream.
“Only practice lucid dreaming techniques two to three times a week because it can be tiring,” he advises.
The Psychological Aspects of Lucid Dreaming
New research has shown that lucidity is associated with specific personality traits, which suggest some people are more prone to lucid dreaming than others. Clara Varnum found that the more open and extraverted you are, the more likely you are to have lucid dreams. People who frequently experience nightmares are twice as likely to experience these vivid hallucinations while awake. “We found that people who are higher in openness, extraversion, and people who tend to have more nightmares tend to have more lucid dreams,” she noted in an email correspondence.
Here, Clara exposes her own path to lucid dreaming. Those spectacular memories and experiences, she has the courage to confide, often come attached to a dream. “I’ve had lucid dreams before and most of them were nightmares,” she admits. In each of these situations, preventative action is taken by her to prevent bad things from happening—or to wake herself up.
There are times where her play for clarity has blown up in her face. “But sometimes, I’ve accidentally said, ‘I’m dreaming’ and made a good dream end,” she recalls, illustrating the unpredictable nature of dream experiences.