A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming (11 page)

Dreams Are Real Experiences

We often think of dreams as these fragmented and foggy

images that we only sometimes recall after waking up. As

we said earlier, this is not the dream, but only the memory of

the dream. It might sound crazy, but dreams are real experiences

similar to the events and actions in our waking world. As we travel

through our dreams, the experiences are vivid and pristine, so

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much so that it doesn’t occur to us that we might be dreaming. It

isn’t until we wake up that the memories of the dream, the bits we

recall afterward, become cloudy.

Science backs us up on this point. A 2011 Italian study watched

the brain activity of participants when they remembered dreams. It

notes “the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the encod-

ing and recall of episodic memories may remain the same across

different states of consciousness.” In layman’s terms, this means

that our brains look pretty much the same whether we’re remem-

bering waking-life events or whether we’re remembering dreams.

SHOW AND TELL

The Achuar Indians, of the Ecuadorian Amazon, shared their dreams every
morning. They believed their dreams did not belong to the individual but to the
entire community. If someone had a bad dream about someone in the tribe, for
example, both parties were responsible for coming together and resolving any
sort of conflict the dream might be hinting at. Sharing and talking about your
dreams with family and friends is a great way to improve dream recall. Practice
like the Achuar and create a safe environment where you can talk about your
dreams with other people, receive helpful feedback, and always remember to
be supportive of others sharing their dreams. You will see your dream recall
increase significantly.

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Going to Sleep

Remembering your dreams isn’t rocket science. You simply

need to make the effort. After you have accepted the under-

standing that you are in fact dreaming every night, it’s important

to go to sleep trying to remember your nocturnal experiences.

Set an intention to remember your dreams before bed. It does

wonders.

Set an Intention

1. Repeat your affirmation.
As you

fall asleep, focus your intent on a

simple and concise phrase. It should be

brief and straightforward: “I will remem-

ber my dreams.” Repeat this affirmation

as you drift off to sleep. If you find your

mind wandering to other topics, gently

nudge it back.

2.  Visualize.
Picture yourself wak-

ing up in the morning and recalling

your dreams in vivid detail, writing

down the details of your dream in

your dream journal. Before drifting

off, see the dream journal page flooded

with multiple dreams, vivid experiences,

and details.

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3. Feel it.
Feel yourself coming out of a vivid dream, your eyes

opening and your heart still pounding, your head filled with

sensations.

Once you get into the habit of remembering your dreams you

won’t need to do this exercise each night. You will naturally and

automatically begin to remember more and more.

Healthy Sleeping Habits

No doubt about it, lucid dreamers are good sleepers. The

following techniques aren’t only good for your ability to

dream, they’re good for your health.

1. Set up nighttime rituals.
Do something that will relax you, such as take a hot shower or read. Meditate, draw, stretch, light incense,

make a to-do list for tomorrow. Do you follow suit with 50 percent

of Americans and watch TV before falling asleep? A recent study

wags the finger at you, concluding that watching the tube before

bed is one of the two main factors in sleep loss.

2. Go to bed at the same time every night.
By going to bed at

the same time every night, you’ll have more consistent sleep cycles,

which will come in handy later for inducing lucid dreams.

3. Bed, bath, and the great beyond.
Your bedding is important.

Your bedroom should be dark, comfortable, and quiet. It should

feel safe, your own private sanctuary where you can go to feel calm

and peaceful.

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4. Make Grandma proud.
Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and cof-

fee actually affect your dreaming negatively. Each substance has a

different side effect, such as suppressing REM and extending the

stage of deep sleep. You certainly don’t have to change your life-

style completely, but since these substances are not conducive to

dreaming, try to minimize your intake while preparing for a lucid

dream.

Waking Up

I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after,

and changed my ideas; they’ve gone through and through me, like wine

through water, and altered the colour of my mind.

—Emily Brontë, English writer, aka Ellis Bell

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As we said earlier, in the dream state things are very real when

they’re happening. It isn’t until we wake up that they become

fragmented or clouded. Therefore, waking up is one of the most

important components in excellent dream recall. Nothing, and we

mean nothing, fades the memory of a dream faster than waking up

too quickly.

Follow these guidelines to properly wake up and you’ll be

on the road to remembering long and vivid details. Here’s how to

do it:

1.  Wake  slowly  and  motionlessly.
Upon awakening, don’t move.

Don’t even open your eyes. Lie completely still and remain relaxed.

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Avoid any abrupt movements. As you emerge from sleep, allow

yourself time to remember the dream you were just in. Don’t get

caught up in your daily responsibilities just yet, there will be a

whole day for that. Throw your net in the water, pull it out, and see

what you’ve caught. Let your mind drift back to your dreams and

recall everything you can, even if the memories are tiny fragments.

2.  Collect  fragments.
If you can’t remember the dream in its

entirety (few can), start with what you do remember. Our memory

often works by association, so if you can remember one thing, it’s

very likely you’ll remember more. Soon the memory will expand

by itself like a snowball, gaining momentum and power. Ask your-

self, “What can I remember?” and work your way backward or

forward from there.

3. Switch sleeping positions.
If you’re still hitting a memory block-ade, try switching sleeping positions. Lie on your side, roll onto

your back, go to your stomach, but do so slowly. You can often

recall the experience more easily by lying in the position in which

you had the dream.

4. Look to your emotions.
If you can’t remember a scenario or

piece together a plot, it’s useful to take note of your emotions.

What feelings are currently running through you? Was your dream

good or bad? Your emotions are a great indicator of the kind of

dream you were just having. If you can’t remember anything, write

down how you’re feeling and any thoughts going through your

mind. This practice may trigger more memories as well.

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5.  Write  them  down.
Finally, write your dreams down. This

aspect of dreaming is so important that the entire next chapter is

dedicated to it. There is no way around this fact: If you want to

become lucid in your dreams, you need to record your nighttime

adventures.

A 2003 study by professor David Watson observed 193 college

students over a few months, asking each day if they remembered

any dreams. Here is Watson’s conclusion: “Dream recall was spe-

cifically associated with openness. . . . Analyses indicated that

individuals who are prone to absorption, imagination and fantasy

are particularly likely to remember their dreams and to report

other vivid nocturnal experiences.” In other words, if we would

just open up to our dreams, they will come flooding in.

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Summary

•   The dream you remember in the morning is just the memory of 

the dream, not the dream itself.

•   Dreams are real experiences we are having every night. Because 

of poor dream recall, we’re forgetting about a whole other life 

that we are part of.

•   Remembering your dreams takes a shift in priority and focus. 

Value your dreams as important experiences that you want to 

begin remembering and they will blossom.

•   Begin practicing good sleeping habits, such as consistent bedtimes 

and getting plenty of rest.

•   Set an intention before bed: “I will remember my dreams.” 

•   Practice waking up correctly: slow and motionlessly. 

•   Before you attempt to have a lucid dream, it’s important that 

you remember at least one dream a night.

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7

Keeping a

Dream Journal

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While I viewed these mountains I felt a secret pleasure in finding myself
so near the head of the heretofore conceived boundless Missouri; but when
I reflected on the difficulties which this snowy barrier would most probably
throw in my way to the Pacific, and the sufferings and hardships of myself
and party in them, it in some measure counterbalanced the joy I had felt
in the first moments in which I gazed on them; but as I have always held
it a crime to anticipate evils I will believe it a good comfortable road until
I am compelled to believe differently.

—Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark),

explorer, soldier, and bear fighter

Great explorers always keep a log of their adventures.

Lewis and Clark kept a journal as they ventured into the

American frontier. Charles Darwin retold the tale of his

time on the HMS
Beagle.
Even Captain Kirk had his star-dated

captain’s log. A pioneer’s mission was to catalog the details of a

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foreign land. They noted the features of the landscapes, the atti-

tudes of the locals, and the twists and turns of various adventures.

As explorers, we will do the same. Keeping a dream journal is not

about writing down the foggy memories of a nighttime slumber,

but about recounting the story of one’s experiences from a com-

pletely other world.

Just like Lewis and Clark, just like Darwin and Captain Kirk,

we will be venturing into a new world. Unfortunately, we can’t

bring back any samples, T-shirts, or shot glasses. The only souve-

nirs that can be retrieved are our memories, what can be written

with pen and paper.

Improve Dream Recall

Experts say that people typically forget more than 50 percent

of their dreams within five minutes of waking up. Within ten

minutes, 90 percent is lost. This is why it’s important not only to

write down your dreams but also to do so as soon as you wake up.

Funny enough, writing down your dreams is also the single

most effective way to recall them. By recording them, you’re

essentially saying, “Hey subconscious! Dreams are important. I’m