Lucid Dream Techniques

Step 1: Question Your State

"Am I Dreaming?"

Simple, yes? Well, yes and no. It's easy to ask the question but it's also too easy to automatically answer "of course I'm awake". You need to stop and think.

You will always feel awake. You need to prove it to yourself.

Reality Tests

Replay the last few hours or minutes. How did you get here? Where were you previously? Where are you going? In a dream, the answers to these questions are difficult if not impossible. Try reading something. Reading more than a few words of text in a dream is difficult, the letters tend to flow and mutate. It's especially difficult if you try to read the same sentence or page twice. Check for your dream signs See the dream signs page for more detail. Try to fly Flying is one of the easiest things to do in a dream, yet few of us manage it in "real" life. Be sensible - don't try jumping off the roof. Just stand still and imagine yourself lifting off the ground. If you are dreaming, chances are it'll work.

You can probably think of other ways of testing your state - use whatever works best for you. Don't worry about what other people will think, they won't have any idea what you're doing.

For this questioning to work you need to do it frequently. Get used to quesioning whether you're dreaming or awake any time something unusual happens, any time you find yourself in a surreal or bizarre situation. You might even like to write the question "Am I awake?" on the back of a business card so that you see it every time you open your purse or wallet.

Get into the habit of questioning your waking state frequently and thinking carefully about the answer. You might find tha alone habit is enough induce lucid dreams. However most people need to also use the other techniques on this site.

Next: Lucid Dreaming Step 2 - Recording your dreams