Falling asleep in a lucid dream is a necessary condition for continuing your lucid dream. If someone wakes up in the middle of an LD, he may not enjoy the maximum perks of LD. Special training and practice can train the mind to lucid dream while falling asleep. However, it is also necessary for a lucid dreamer to develop consciousness of what he is Dreaming. It means that lucid dreaming is a state of sleeping along with awareness, and it would be difficult for an amateur lucid dreamer to enjoy it. One may have noticed that all Lucid dreaming techniques including, MILD and WILD, demand the sleeper to fall asleep first.
Several researchers mention that inducing lucid dreaming hampers sleep quality, and it is due to awareness of the events happening in a dream. So, if you are enjoying the perks of lucid dreaming, you may not be able to enjoy the benefits of sleeping and resting.
Many sleep researchers mention that lucid dreaming may affect sleep quality because it provides the ability to control your dreams. The vividness and responsiveness in lucid dreams may nay allow a person to sleep completely.
So, if you make up any plan to induce lucid dreams at night, you will not manage superior quality sleep, and it will harm your sleep quality. Dr Dan Jensen says that a lucid dreamer cannot hold a restful and peaceful sleep without inducing lucid dreaming. The reason is that the portion of the brain responsible for sleeping is also conscious during lucid dreaming, and it hinders proper sleep. That's why people having frequent lucid dreaming may fall prey to insomnia and other sleeping disorders.
Sleep fragmentation consists of alternating wake-up and sleep cycles. Several researchers mention that sleep fragmentation directly affects the likelihood of lucid dreaming. Falling asleep and then waking up helps a person induce lucid dreaming at a greater rate. Voss et al. 2009, said that changing the patterns or sequence of sleep and awake states increases the metacognitive activity of the brain. Periods of fragmented sleep are better than having a continuous sleep. That's why maximum lucid dreaming induction techniques ask the Lucid dreamer to divide their asleep into small chunks.
Lucid dreaming potentially affects sleep quality, and however, it is possible to minimize sleep losses during lucid dreaming. A lucid dreamer can take small power naps in the day to fulfil his sleep needs. Similarly, he can use the MILD method for inducing LD because it also enables a person to enjoy 5 hours of sleep.
Falling asleep in a lucid dream is mandatory to complete your dream state. Although lucid dreaming affects sleep cycles and disrupts the internal sleeping clock, one can fulfil his sleep requirements in other parts of a day. Moreover, it is better to induce lucid dreams once a week to remain active.
Are you interested in experiencing intense lucid dreams? Well, oneriogens or dream herbs are the ultimate solutions for inducing vivid LD. Several herbs are available naturally that help lucid dreamers to have a more realistic experience.
Dream herbs have a hallucinating or sedative effect that provides lucid comfort to the dreamer. In this way, one can improve his lucid dreaming. Moreover, these natural herbs amplify the consciousness while sleeping and help remember the events happening in the dreamscape.
The benefits enjoyable by using organic herbs depend on the composition of the herbs. Some of the herbs bring colour and radiance to your dreams and also provide lucid support. Others may help you recall the minute details of your lucid dream. Scientific findings are available that show dreams herbs boost the cognitive thinking of the brain. They also increase the blood flow that ultimately produces vivid dreams.
Herbalists recommend several ways to use oneriogens or dream plants. As some herbs are more effective when used orally. However, these dream plants are usable in two ways:
External Usage of the herbs involves taking them as a perfume, ointment, or deodorant. The user does not engulf the organic extracts in this way. Some oneriogens are effective externally as Datura or Mugwort. Here are some external uses of the herbs for the induction of lucid dreams.
As a Deodorant
The fragrance or scent of some natural herbs is hallucinating. You can use these plants in the form of deodorants. Spray them in your whole room or on your pillow to get a deep sleep. For example, the enchanting smell of Mugwort lucidly supports you.
As dried flowers
Flowers of some plants possess a soothing smell. You can place the dried flowers in your pillowcase and sniff the odour while sleeping. This way will help you to get more prophetic dreams. Anise and Sage leaves are useable in this way.
Internal use of herbs means taking them orally or engulfing them. The organic extracts from such herbs are available as capsules, tea packets, coffee, etc. When you use herbs internally, the chemicals from these herbs get digested and enter your bloodstream. In this way, they directly affect your brain functioning and improve your experience.
As tincture
The dried barks, leaves, or branches of some dream plants get soaked in ethyl alcohol. The extracts from the plant’s parts move to the liquid medium and get concentrated there. In this way, you can use these tinctures of oneriogens with your meal.
As capsule
Herbalists collect the herbal extracts of oneriogens by grinding them. Capsules help store these powdered extracts. So, lucid dreamers can use these medicated capsules for improving LD. Valerian root is best to use in the form of capsules.
As tea
Teabags of some herbs are also available online for improving LD. Some plants like Calea Zacatechichi are useable in the form of tea or coffee. The sedating chemicals present in the herb help you sleep faster and recall your dreams after awakening.
So, whether you use the dream herbs externally or internally, be careful in terms of dosage. Do not take overdosage to prevent harmful side effects.
Dream movies grab the curiosity like no other and lead us on a conscious trip into the dream world, from the dream builders of Inception to the philosophically clear thinking of Waking Life. These movies are a way to experience a crossover between waking and dream life. Animated films available on Netflix, like Waking life, better explain the mechanism of lucid dreams and how to experience LD.
There is a boatload of content available on Netflix that portrays this concept. For example, Tom Cruise fascinates the Netflix audience by playing the role of a boy who crosses the boundary between reality and dreams. Some practitioners say it would be best to view an LD movie because they provide many mind mapping references regarding Lucid Dreaming. These movies may help you get more indulged in your lucid dreams and program your mind accordingly. Moreover, there is enough thought-provoking content to keep you captivated for the whole duration of the film.
Some of the finest action-thriller Netflix movies about lucidity are here.
Inception is a film directed released in 2010. A clear classic! Inception tells the narrative of 'dream thieves,' who get into people's minds and steal or plant ideas. This expert thief obtains information from his victims by invading their subconscious minds. It features 'layers of dreaming,' as well as shared dreaming and more! They also employ a 'totem,' a form of a reality check. Inception is an unusual and fascinating film built on the notion of lucid dreaming and the crafty unconscious mind as its foundation. Inception is a must-see picture for everyone interested in lucid dreaming, and it is undoubtedly viewers' top ten favorites. The fandom for this movie may be due to the Charming personality of Leonardo Dicaprio.
This film depicts a soldier in the army who, in the future, discovers a planet where they must explore for oil or some other commodity. The film does feel like a lucid dream, as Rebecca Turner, a lucid dream writer, indicated. Let's see: a man falls asleep, awakens in a new body, and romps in a lovely realm full of waterfalls and long-legged seductive surfs. Except for that last element, this is your ordinary lucid dream.
Neo has led an average life - in what he believes is 1999 - until he got contacted by the mysterious Morpheus, who brings him into the actual world. In actuality, it is 200 years later, and powerful Artificial Intelligence robots have ravaged the Earth. Computers have developed a fictitious representation of twentieth-century living dubbed the Matrix to keep human brains occupied and power their bodies. The Matrix is a shared lucid dream overseen by Artificial Intelligence that constructs the simulated world.
This film has a distinctive fandom as it features John. Connecting to a dream world in the tiring period of your life got explained magically in this movie. Fans of Sherlock can use this movie to relate themselves as lucid dreamers.
Watching lucid dreaming movies on Netflix can help your mind program or script events for a lucid dream. It means one can watch this video content to master the Lucid dreaming experience.
After distilling the appropriate ways of lucid dreaming, researchers came up with the idea that the Mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming is best. It is an effective and scientifically proven method of experiencing LD. American psychophysiologist, Laberge, gave the concept of MILD in the 1970s. He mentioned that lucid dreaming using Mnemonic induction helps you treat your physical and mental impairments. Moreover, the implementation of this method while sleeping is not too difficult. An amateur dreamer can try this technique after practising for a couple of days.
The position or your posture while sleeping also decides the type of your dreams. Some scientific findings related to dream study highlight that people sleeping on the right side have productive lucid dreams. Contrary to it, left side dreamers may experience nightmares and sleep paralysis. Accompanying the dream plants with the prescribed techniques and posture will also lead to a productive dream.
In addition to the sheer happiness of lucid dreaming, MILD increases the chances of lucid dreaming every night. The Lucid dreaming experts recommend this technique for experiencing lucid dreams every night, and a pro dream encoder can use this technique to process his traumas. Moreover, the pursuit of lucid dreams using these techniques also enables the dreamer to skip a horrible episode of their nightmares.
Mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming discovered by Stephen Laberge has the following steps:
Research on different case studies mentioned that this MILD technique helped people induce lucid dreams once a week. Based on this research, you can trust the MILD method and use it to experience your first lucid dream. However, the best way to lucid dream is following the MILD along with all other conditions.
People who wish to remember their dreams using lucid dreaming are well aware of Oneriogens. Oneriogens plants or herbs used for LD are available all over the world. However, in some places, these are banned too.
Ban on oneriogens is due to some of the lethal side effects of these herbs. These side effects include jerks, nausea, vomiting, etc. However, these slight effects are negotiable for some time. But the main point to consider is that mishandling or misuse of some herbs can lead to death.
The problem that arose by taking herbs for lucid dreaming is sometimes due to the chemical reactions of herbs and food. If you are using these herbs and any problem occurs, then you should stop their use immediately. There are several herbs in this list. Here I will show you the side effects and precautions of some most familiar herbs.
Typically Calea Zacatechichi is safe, but it can be unsafe. It is seemed to be lethal when you take it by mouth or by breathing. Some adverse effects of Calea Zacatechichi include nausea, hallucination, salivation, deficient involuntary coordination of muscle movement, and vomiting.
A study on the African dream root plant used for LD has saponins in its composition. Saponins on coming in contact with water give rise to foam-like substances. It can infuriate the digestive tract lining and cause vomiting. So to avoid this, don’t use African dream roots in larger quantities. Moreover, try to operate by sniffing rather than taking it with water.
Tabernanthe iboga, a native shrub of central Africa, can also induce lucid dreaming. An adverse effect varies from intense hallucination to even death. For this reason, it is also on the ban in some places. So, try to use it in minute quantity.
Salvia divinorum is generally protective, but it can cause hazardous side effects such as dizziness, confusion, delusion, paranoia, etc. These effects appear when you use salvia Divinorum by breath. So, avoid inhaling it.
The risk of hallucination and delusion is very high in people whose family history is related to schizophrenia. Thus such people should not use Salvia divinorum.
Amphetamine is a CNS stimulant used in LD and various disease treatments. Try to use this medicine on the advice of your physician because it may cause a false sense of well-being. After some time, chronic impacts burst out. Moreover, do not consume alcohol with this medication.
Overall I suggest that not using herbs for lucid dreaming without the recommendation of the doctor. Women that are expecting or feeding should stay on the safe side and avoid its use. Overdosage may lead to disaster. Furthermore, no one should be advised to use the herbs without considering their family history.
People love to use lucid dreaming to enjoy their fantasy, which is sometimes impossible in reality. The concept of using LD to live in a movie is also gaining popularity because people want to enjoy their favourite characters. However, researchers report that it can be scary sometimes. For instance, you want to wake up from your dream, but due to medications and practices of lucid dreaming, you are unable to wake up. You will find yourself in terrible conditions in such circumstances. When the idea of lucid dreaming is appealing in reality, then how our production houses may overlook this concept as it is.
Lucid dreaming has somewhat emerged as a zeitgeist, and horror movies draw the mainstream audience's attention by portraying the possibilities and perils of LD in a very enthusiastic way. Movies like inception and behind her eyes picturized the idea that people can shift to other physical realms and meet people in their dreams.
Here are some well-known horror movies on lucid dreaming that flooded the market:
This is a great horror movie written by Wes Caven for the first time. Several sequels of this movie got released in 1984. Its storyline constitutes a group of teens that face off next to Freddy Krueger. However, Freddy Krueger is a child killer manipulating a glove fabricated with knives that terrorize children through their dreams. Its idea revolves around a boy who is ill with nightmares and wound up becoming extinct in the middle of one. In this, Krueger comes in the dream of kids and kills them. Children also think that they, their family members, and friends are no more, but actually, it is a nightmare. The author intends to highlight the concept that travelling in dreams is possible. And dream world has its physical existence as well.
In 1984 first sequel of dreamscape of 1n 39m released. In the main plot, a man comes into sight who can cross the threshold and influence people's dreams. That person got hired by a government agency. He lends help to alleviate the nightmares of the president of the United States. President dreams about nuclear war but staggers upon a shooting plot. The twist comes when a patient dies during sleep from a heart problem. The whole storyline is full of threats and horrors.
The Dead of night movie story got scripted as a complete, accurate crime show to set up a family makeup. In the original version, Craig enters a country lodge. He gets scared of finding the guests in his home because he met all those in his dreams. Then Craig comes to the house after 1-to 2 such incidents; his wife gives him a mirror. Upon looking in that mirror, he found himself in another place. Craig thinks he is experiencing one after another terrible incident after going to the cottage. But he awakens in his bedroom after a phone call from his host.
On a serious note, if you are a man of strong nerves, you must watch these horror movies. Some LD practitioners recommend watching these to explore the dream world from a deeper approach.
The common perception about lucid dreaming is that LD brings psychological resilience to people. They assist a person get rid of his PSTSs or horrible nightmares. Moreover, lucid dreams are usable as psychological therapy to improve mental health. That’s why peoples induce LD voluntarily to overcome their fears and anxiety disorders.
According to Dresler et al. (2015), lucid dreams can help patients with schizophrenia to understand their impairments. Lucid dreamers have a powerful insight into their Dreams. And this ability improves their psychological perception of different events.
Despite all these positive impacts, some researchers mention that frequent induction of lucid dreams may cause damage to the mental health of people. People experiencing intense lucid dreams are unable to monitor reality. The blurring of the borderline between the waking world and dreams pushes such peoples towards psychosis-proneness. Recent research published in 2018 describes the harmful psychological effects of Lucid Dreams on the health of lucid dreamers.
Lucid dreams have positive effects on the mental and psychological health of people. However, different case studies mention that evidence of psychopathology appears in people’s experiencing fierce lucid dreams. Research conducted by Allan in 2019 showed that lucid dreamers face dream-reality confusion. Such people may fall prey to different personality disorders. Similarly, another study organized by Aviram & Soffer-Dudek in 2018 mentions that using inductive techniques like Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams and the Wake back to bed for LD can increase depression and anxiety.
Clinical applications of lucid dreams increased their importance in psychology. They are a part of different therapies in which depressed peoples induce LD voluntarily to get rid of their nightmares or sleep paralysis.
The European Science Foundation workshop also formulated a relationship between Lucid dreams and psychosis. The conductors of the workshop highlighted that a person has a similar mental interpretation in both LD and psychosis. Both lucid dreamers and psychopathic patients perceive themselves as a part of some virtual reality and try to enjoy their fantasies through these hallucinations.
The similarity between the two conditions brought the lucid dreamers into the spotlight. However, scientists are still figuring out whether the induction of lucid dreams is beneficial or not.
A lucid dream is a peculiar nature of the human brain in which a sleeping person knows that he is dreaming. Although, the neurobiological reasons for the LD are still controversial. But lucid dreams are not a psychological disorder. Scientifically, it is the mental consciousness of a person while sleeping and appears during rapid eye movement.
According to research, LD and psychotic disorders are also contradictory phenomena. Psychosis is the invasion of dream-like or hallucinatory conditions while sleeping. Contrary to it, lucid dreams rely on mental consciousness during sleep.
Due to some harmful impacts of lucid dreaming, scientists discredited using Lucid dreams as a clinical therapy. But the apprehension of the similarities between LD and psychotic disorders signals that lucid dreaming is useable as a novel therapeutic process for mental impairments.
In the past, when somebody reads or listens about something new and strange, they may get curious and make an effort to research things for gathering more information. In the late 1900s, people didn't know more about lucid dreaming, which was their new concept. People had many questions about it, and they had to get a reference from books to learn about LD. Their queries were about lucid dreaming techniques and other relevant information.
Things have changed now, and you can access information within seconds. Before moving further, it is necessary to tell you that this article contains many frequently asked questions about lucid dreaming. So just going through this article is very helpful for anyone who is a beginner or curious about the topic.
The word "lucid" means "expressed clearly", so LD means dreaming clearly. It results from consciousness in the dream state, realization and self-awareness that the dreamer is dreaming.
According to a study, people or practitioners will get their first lucid dreaming within 3 to 21 days on average. This can only be done when people keep practising mindfully every day to achieve.
Most beginners discover that their lucid dreams end early. When they start lucid dreams, they are very excited, and shouting causes them to awake. They often forget they are dreaming, and their conscious mind retrieves complete control over the unconscious mind. So the dream misses its intensity and comes to be a recurring dream.
No, not at all; lucid dreams are not exhausting. A skilled lucid dreamer expects lucid dreams 2-4 times a week with an average of 10 to 40 minutes.
No, a big no! This is a myth; lucid dreams don't have a negative physical impact on the body. No one will die after seeing his death in dreams, so don't worry if you want to experiment with it.
Lucid dreaming machines like REM Dreamer, Dream Band or Dream Mask etc., provide external motivations. The use of these machines doesn't guarantee effortless dreams.
Yes, the brain is highly effective during REM sleep, and lucid dreams also occur in the REM state. So LD contributes a lot to solving the problem and enhancing creativity.
MILD is a memory technique that means putting an idea in the unconscious mind. While WILD is a meditative technique means to learn meditation and consciousness. So it is better to start with MILD.
The evolution of technology and modern devices is beneficial to humans for several reasons. On a medical level, modernized devices can assist in the treatment of many sick individuals, thereby saving many lives and combating extremely dangerous diseases and infections. Almost every industry in the world has seen a rise in production, thanks to technological advancements and devices. These technologies and the modern era caught the interest of high-tech corporations, which have launched to commercialize portable Lucid dreaming induction devices for the general population.
Researchers reported the first study on generating LD during REM sleep in 1987. With the success of light stimulation, scientists tested a portable computerized biofeedback device called Dream Light for the first time. Following these tests, a famous scientist and his colleagues at the Lucidity Institute launched the first commercially available LD inducer, the dreamer sleeping mask.
In this article, you learn about different devices, their working, and their effectiveness in achieving lucid dreams.
There are different types of devices available in the market that can be used to control dreams. It can be
Headband
The first device that is available in the market to use is a headband, and it was invented in December 2013 & this platform is open-source, allowing users to participate in its development.
The costliest headband device was released in 2018. It is a sleep-monitoring headband that emits light, vibrotactile, and aural stimulation, as well as the ability to record dream events. It is currently being tested in several universities and research institutes throughout the world. Two frontal sensors capture brainwave activity and ocular movements, which are used to track sleep.
Sleeping Mask
Among all masks, there is a mask invented by the American pharmaceutical company that has two distinct features. For starters, it can promote lucidity by recording and playing audio messages, such as the user saying "I'm dreaming," which can then develop into dreams. Second, it lets the dreamer and the machine communicate with each other.
The new devices all use sensors to detect EEG brainwave patterns associated with REM sleep, which is when the majority of lucid dreams happen. Then, in an attempt to create lucid dreaming, they use some type of stimulation—lights, music, or an electric current.
The next technologies that use EEG to identify REM sleep may be more successful, although their accuracy has yet to be verified. There are a few tried-and-true mental approaches for promoting lucid dreams that don't require any special equipment.
EEG electrodes are pressed on the wearer's forehead to detect REM sleep. Once the device recognizes that the sleeper is in that zone, it employs LED lights and auditory cues that may appear in the sleeper's dream and prompt the thinking, "Oh, I must be dreaming." While users are sleeping, the Neuron Open can play guided meditations to boost the likelihood of having lucid dreams.
Lucid dreaming devices have been getting popular over the past decade, but there is much research required. We conclude that better-controlled validation studies are necessary to prove the effectiveness of LD induction devices.
Lucid dreaming is good and bad at the same time. For example, some people began to experience dream claustrophobia or sleep paralysis after experiencing the LD. Similarly, lucid dreaming may worsen the mental condition of people already having mental or psychological problems like psychopathy. Different researches quote that some people lost the distinction between reality and lucid dreams. So, all such cases account that experiencing lucid dreams is harmful to health.
Several case studies mention that lucid dreaming is a source of inspiration for creative people like gamers or artists. Similarly, Laberge’s findings of lucid dreams justify how lucid dreaming is a source of physical rehabilitation of paralyzed people. An article published in the medical papers mentioned that physiotherapists are using lucid dreaming to spark the motor skills of mentally upset people. It means we cannot label lucid dreaming as a harmful activity.
Although the LD experts mention that lucid dreams can hamper the normal sleep cycle or deteriorate the quality of the sleep cycle and the exponential brain functioning during a lucid dream is not good. Moreover, case studies proved inducing lucid dreams causes problems like schizotypy, headache, depression, anxiety, stress, etc.
But, it is true lucid dreams techniques cure various disorders and nightmares. LD is an ability to take possession of our dreams, that utopian knows that it is a dream. Presently doctors are using lucid dreaming for treating nightmare disorders. Moreover, it helps to understand our desires and to face our fears. So, you can not ignore it.
Michael Bassey Johnson said that dreams taught me never to doubt myself as they let me do the impossible. Contrary to that, Brian said When you go to sleep, where do you go? It is like two sides of a picture. It means one side is ever dark. One side is fun, motivation, and adventure, while the other is horror or ambiguous. It means that the only thing that matters is how we perceive it and use it. However, people experiencing disorders like schizophrenia induce lucid dreams because it may intensify brain activity and affects psychopathic patients. Similarly, if used for the treatment of ailments and to overcome their fear, then it is adaptable.
People love to dominate over things they have no control over, but not anymore. Sometimes, they want to get rid of their fears or complexes. It is interesting to live a moment of your choice, to feel free in this suffocating world. These are the reasons which provoke people to practice lucid dreams.
Moreover, the magical phenomenon of lucid dreaming enables paralyzed people to enjoy their physical fitness. Similarly, enjoying your fantasies like jumping from 15000ft of the cliff without any support and ending up flying or assuming your teacher, writing your exam for you because you are not well prepared, or perhaps taking revenge from someone is enjoyable through LD.
The endnote is that lucid dreaming is not good or bad by itself. You can use this process for productive benefits, and it all depends on how the experimenter perceives the process.