Lucid dreaming is simply the ability to know that you are dreaming when you are dreaming. Once one realizes that they are in a dream, he/she can explore and even manipulate aspects of the dream. Usually the realization of dreaming comes with some sort of trigger. Maybe you’re dreaming that you’re on a paradise island, or something super ridiculous happens. Most of my dreams occur while I’m in school. I graduated 3 years ago, so when I feel like I have a project that’s due, or I’m late for class, I know I’m dreaming. Anything that questions reality can trigger the knowledge of a dream.

How to Lucid Dream

They way to start controlling your dreams is to start documenting them. Keep a dream journal to jot down your night adventures. Once you start jotting them down, you will start to see some parallels and similarities in your dreams. The recurring elements in your dream are called dream signs and they are critical to lucid dreaming. Without the documentation, many elements like siblings, locations, and actions keep popping up in your dreams. Once you recognize these dream signs, you’ll start using them as landmarks in the dream world.

Another thing to do to help lucid dream is question your reality. It might seem strange to go about your day asking if you are dreaming, but asking those questions while you’re awake will seep into your dreams. If you stop to think about it, you can usually tell whether you are dreaming or not.

Once you start to lucid dream, everything is a possibility. Most people are known to start flying once they realize they are dreaming. Others walk through objects. Nothing is really off limits.

The Benefits of Lucid Dreaming

It’s cool that I get to fly while I dream, but why should I go through the trouble of even starting? I haven’t written in a journal sense I was a kid. When some people lucid dream, they experience an alteration in perspective. They begin to realize that there is much more to reality than what is presented to them. The biggest benefit of dreaming, in general, is that dreams usually point out an individual’s problems and guides us subconsciously to the solutions. Going through your dream journal, you can ask yourself if your dreams give you hints to help benefit your life while awake.