Dreamwork Research & Development

Lucid dreaming is a state of consciousness where the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming. It is a state in which the dreamer has real-time control over their thoughts and behavior, and can often, with a bit of intention, consciously manipulate their dreams. 

It is this mere transition - to being consciously aware that one is, presently, having a dream - that determines that the dream is, in fact, “lucid.” 

Dreams are a naturally occurring phenomenon that happen during sleep. To the best of our scientific consensus, they are created by the mind when we are asleep and unconscious. This means that our brain has no access to external stimuli such as sights, sounds, smells and sensations. In other words, our brain creates its own reality based on what it remembers from the day or past experience. When we have lucid dreams, we can become aware of this fact and have control over our perceived “selves,” within the dream environment. To a larger extent, we can also control the environment, as a whole, but that often comes with a bit of practice. 

Lucid dreaming was first documented by scientists as early as the 1800s and was written about in many books, such as "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, but it wasn't until the 1970s when it became a popular topic in psychological research. Lucid dreaming is a phenomenon that has been observed for centuries, but only recently have scientists made significant progress in understanding it. The first recorded mention of lucid dreaming was in the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD) when it was described in the Zhuangzi, one of China's most important philosophical texts.

The ability to have lucid dreams has been closely linked with creativity, intelligence, and problem solving skills. It is one thing to brainstorm and put together conscious ideas for inspiration. However, while lucid, one is free to observe their unconscious mental associations between concepts, in real-time. This helps to create unique and varied ideas from a much more surreal and abstract perspective. 

Lucid dreams can help people with mental health issues like PTSD and anxiety by providing them with a safe space to work through their problems. Dreams are inherently psychological, and dreamwork - in and of itself - offers a lifelong opportunity to reassess one’s mental state. This can be an intense, yet infinitely-rewarding pathway to introspective self-healing. 

A lucid dreamer can have a better sense of self awareness and self confidence because they have experienced themselves as being in control of themselves in the dream world. I mean, practice makes perfect, right? There is only so much that daydreaming can offer, in the way of perceived experience, though. Taking those visualizations into lucid dreams provides a far more lifelike arena, in which to test out some of your most uncomfortable experiences. Familiarity with those experiences, even in a - let’s say - “virtual” environment can, and often does, help to prepare a basis of confidence when meeting those situations in waking life. 

Lastly (but definitely not least!), lucid dreaming can be a fun and exhilarating practice, offering endless chances at fantastical adventures through the immersive, imaginative environment of one’s subconscious mind. Although pointed and focused dream work can be endlessly beneficial to one’s quality of life and mental health, one of the most rewarding aspects of it (in my opinion) is just the ability to let go and experience an infinite, metaphysical playground, where superpowers can be second nature and your time within it can often seem as real as waking life, itself. The sense of wish-fulfillment and adventure, when it comes to lucid dreaming, is something that can very rarely be put into words (although, I certainly do try! Haha!).

There are three main ways of having a lucid dream:

•  MILDs - Also known as “Mnemonic-Induced Lucid Dreams,” these occur after setting a specific intention to become lucid, before you go to sleep. It is, arguably, the more popular method of intentionally inducing lucid dreams. 

• WILDs - Also knowing as “Wake-Induced Lucid Dreams,” these occur when are able to maintain conscious awareness, as the rest of your body shuts down for sleep. With this, you are able to experience the mental transition, from “awake” to “dreamful sleep,” in its entirety. Personally, these are a little more difficult (because I tend to just end up falling asleep. Haha.), however, I know that many dreamers are able to achieve these just as easily as any other method. These are the type that are most closely associated with meditation and “daydreaming.”

• DILDs - Also known as “Dream-Induced Lucid Dreams,” these occur when one spontaneously becomes lucid as a response to something that they noticed while having a “regular” (non-lucid) dream. This could be the recognition of something that is “impossible in waking life,” or as a visceral response to realizing that one is having a “nightmare” - which activates as sort of a “fight or flight” burst of awareness. It can also just be a seemingly random realization of the “sensation” of being in a dream. This happens to be my most common way of becoming lucid, and has been, since I was a child.

As stated, above, there are many approaches to having lucid dreams, whether actively or passively. This means there are many tips; aids; and techniques that can help you enhance both the frequency of your lucid dreams and, in many cases, the quality of those experiences. Among these are, most commonly: 

• Dream Journaling - This (and I can’t stress this enough) is the Big One. When developing the ability to lucid dream, especially as a beginner, the habit of keeping a dream journal is practically essential. Keeping a journal helps to keep you in tune with dreaming, in general, and this can translate into being able to recognize dream signs; recall more of your dreams, more often; provide a timeline of dream experiences for self-reflection; keep a record of creative influences and inspiration; and so much more. In the world of lucid dreaming study and practice, your dream journal is your best friend. 

• Enhancing Dream Recall - This is another one that is crucial, especially if you’re someone who tends to say that you “don’t dream.” In the case of most humans (and most animals), we dream multiple times a night. However, most dreams tend to be fleeting and don’t stick around in our conscious mind for more than a second or two, after waking - if at all. Fortunately, dream recall is something that can be developed through exercise, much like a muscle. With practice, you can lengthen your memory of your nightly dream activity from what may seem like a couple of themes or sensations, to pages of dream details, as if you were simply recalling waking life experiences from the previous day.  

• Reality Checking - This one can be a lot of fun - both because of how silly it can be, if you ever find yourself trying it out in public, and because of how jarring it can be if you try a reality check while you’re just so sure that you’re awake, and you wind up being proven wrong. Reality checks are habitual tasks that you perform, during your waking days, in order to “test your state” and affirm whether or not you are, actually, in the middle of a vivid, realistic dream. There are numerous ways of performing reality checks - from the “finger through palm” and “nose pinch” tests, to the “seeing through eyelids” and “superpowers” tests. Which ones are the most effective completely depends on the individual dreamer, but any one of them has the potential to benefit most anyone.

There is an entire universe of exploration to be had, within one's own mind. I’ll be covering much of what I know, elsewhere on this site, but if you have any particular questions about the specifics of lucid dreaming, or how to get started, please contact me and let me know! 

-Greg