I lucid dream about once a week, sometimes more.
It's definitely something you can cultivate: to do so, think about lucid dreaming (while you're awake), talk about it, research it... basically, get your brain thinking about it. Seriously. I read this thread earlier today, and had a lucid dream two hours later when I took a nap (what my sleep doctor has to say about me being able to dream at all during naps is another story). The way I see it, when you're dreaming, your brain brings up a bunch of stuff that's on your mind. If the thought "hey, I might be able to control my dreams" pops up, well, that's the first step.
If you suspect you're dreaming, here are a few tricks you can do to confirm it (I've done all of these multiple times):
1. Look at a clock and see what it says. Look away for a few seconds. Then look at the clock again. A lot of times, in dreams, the same clock will have a wildly different reading the second time you look at it.
2. Flip a light switch. Light switches tend not to work in dreams.
3. If you're running, try to turn your strides into leaps. Then see if you can sort of float in the air a little longer. Then try to glide.
If you're thinking about it even a little, you can sometimes catch something that doesn't make sense and, more importantly, doesn't make sense in the kind of way that dreams don't make sense. For instance, this afternoon, I was walking through the college in my hometown, though I just got back from work 2 hours away. Wait. That doesn't make sense, and the way in which it doesn't make sense - I seem to be suddenly transported to my hometown - is exactly the kind of thing that happens in dreams. So, I thought, "mmkay, I'm dreaming. I'll try to run up that snow-covered hill." When it comes to consciously directing your dreams, start small, and then build. By the end of the dream I had jumped onto the roof of a house, climbed in through the attic, and fought the guy who lived there in an attempt to steal a painting. Seriously.
It's definitely something you can cultivate: to do so, think about lucid dreaming (while you're awake), talk about it, research it... basically, get your brain thinking about it. Seriously. I read this thread earlier today, and had a lucid dream two hours later when I took a nap (what my sleep doctor has to say about me being able to dream at all during naps is another story). The way I see it, when you're dreaming, your brain brings up a bunch of stuff that's on your mind. If the thought "hey, I might be able to control my dreams" pops up, well, that's the first step.
If you suspect you're dreaming, here are a few tricks you can do to confirm it (I've done all of these multiple times):
1. Look at a clock and see what it says. Look away for a few seconds. Then look at the clock again. A lot of times, in dreams, the same clock will have a wildly different reading the second time you look at it.
2. Flip a light switch. Light switches tend not to work in dreams.
3. If you're running, try to turn your strides into leaps. Then see if you can sort of float in the air a little longer. Then try to glide.
If you're thinking about it even a little, you can sometimes catch something that doesn't make sense and, more importantly, doesn't make sense in the kind of way that dreams don't make sense. For instance, this afternoon, I was walking through the college in my hometown, though I just got back from work 2 hours away. Wait. That doesn't make sense, and the way in which it doesn't make sense - I seem to be suddenly transported to my hometown - is exactly the kind of thing that happens in dreams. So, I thought, "mmkay, I'm dreaming. I'll try to run up that snow-covered hill." When it comes to consciously directing your dreams, start small, and then build. By the end of the dream I had jumped onto the roof of a house, climbed in through the attic, and fought the guy who lived there in an attempt to steal a painting. Seriously.
How will we know, when the morning comes, we are still human? - 2D
Don't worry, my friend. If this be the end, then so shall it be.
Don't worry, my friend. If this be the end, then so shall it be.
