How to Become a Lucid Dreamer

Lucid dreaming is defined as a state in which the sleeper becomes alert and conscious that he or she is dreaming. Up until about 15 years ago, most scientists denied that lucid dreaming even existed. But through the pioneering work of researchers like Stephan LaBerge of Stanford University and Keith Hearne in England, the lucid dream has been recognized as a reality.

Lucid dreams that occur spontaneously in the general population are rare. Only about 3% of the population has them. But with time and patience, you can become a lucid dreamer. And the rewards are great. I call lucid dreaming the Nintendo game of the brain. Everyone dreams, so you probably know how realistic some dreams can be. Well take the most vivid realistic dream that you have ever had, multiply that by about 10 and then imagine being aware and exercising control over that dream. Being able to fly at will, walk through walls, and zap anything in your dreams that may be giving you stress is quite an experience.

There may be other benefits to lucid dreaming and studying your regular dreams as well. Research has suggested that dreams may even play a role in diagnosing disease. There are plenty of incidences where dreams have clued people in that they might be having physical problems. But you have to know where to look for the clues because a lot of the time they are symbolic. One example is of a woman who dreamt that she was at a party in the basement of a house and when she opened her purse, there was a piece of rotted meat in it. Turns out that the basement was representative of the lower part of her body and the piece of meat represented a tumor. After several trips to the doctor, a tumor was found in her uterus.

There are three components to dreaming: physiological, psychological, and some say spiritual. In many shamanistic societies, dreams are considered gateways to the other world. Here are a few tips, based on my own experience, on how you can dream better and maybe even become a lucid dreamer: