Picture this: You’re soaring over the Himalayas, the wind whipping through your hair, no plane in sight. Or maybe, you’re finally having that perfect, non-awkward conversation with your crush at a dreamy, candle-lit cafe. Sounds like a fantasy, right? What if I told you that you could direct these scenarios and experience anything you can imagine?
Welcome to the incredible world of lucid dreaming.
This isn’t hocus pocus. Lucid dreaming is the scientifically studied state of being aware that you are dreaming while you’re in the dream. Think of it as being the director, writer, and lead actor of your own personal blockbuster every single night. For beginners, it might seem like an impossible superpower, but it’s a skill anyone can learn.
So, how do you unlock this power and take control of your subconscious playground? This guide will walk you through exactly how to start lucid dreaming using the most effective, beginner-friendly techniques.
1. Master Reality Checks to Question Your World
This is the cornerstone of lucid dreaming for beginners. The goal is to build a habit of questioning your reality so frequently during the day that you automatically do it in your dreams. In a dream, the results of a reality check will be… well, dreamy.
- The Hand Check: Several times a day, stop and look closely at your hands. Ask yourself aloud, “Am I dreaming?” In a dream, your hands might have extra fingers, look blurry, or morph.
- The Finger-Palm Push: Try to push the index finger of one hand through the palm of your other hand. In waking life, it’ll stop. In a dream, it might just pass right through.
- The Text/Clock Check: Look at a digital clock or a piece of text. Look away, then look back. In the bizarre logic of a dream, the time or words will almost certainly have changed or become nonsensical.
Pick one or two of these checks and perform them 10-15 times a day. The key is to genuinely question your reality each time you do it.
2. Start a Dream Journal to Improve Recall
You can’t become lucid in a dream you don’t remember. The very first thing you should do upon waking up—before checking your phone or getting out of bed—is to write down everything you can remember about your dreams in a dream journal.
Keeping a dream journal does two crucial things:
- It trains your brain that your dreams are important, which dramatically improves your dream recall.
- It helps you identify your personal “dream signs.” Do you often dream about being back in school, or does a particular person always show up? Recognizing these recurring themes while dreaming is a direct ticket to becoming lucid.
3. Use the MILD Technique to Set Your Intention
MILD, or the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams technique, is a simple practice for setting a clear intention before sleep. As you are falling asleep, repeat a mantra to yourself, such as, “Tonight, I will have a lucid dream,” or “The next time I’m dreaming, I will realise I’m dreaming.”
Visualize yourself inside a recent dream, but this time, imagine yourself becoming aware that it’s a dream. By planting this seed in your mind, you’re giving your subconscious a clear instruction.
Learning to lucid dream is a marathon, not a sprint. Some nights will be more successful than others. But stick with it. The first time you successfully perform a reality check in a dream and feel that jolt of awareness—that exhilarating realisation that you are in control—is an experience unlike any other.
So, will it be flying over Marine Drive or that perfect date? The dream world is your canvas. Start painting tonight.
