10 Things To Try In Lucid Dreams
Here are some great ideas on what to once you achieve lucid dream inductions (after you stabilize!):
1. Flying. More to it than you might think.
The most "natural" thing for many first-time (and experienced) lucid dreamers to do is fly. Maybe flying is the closest thing to freedom we can imagine. Maybe we are jealous of birds. Whatever the reason, flying is one of the go-to activities in lucid dreams, especially when other activities are not planned-out in advance. Exhilarating, euphoric, and at times frightening, flying in dreams is a must-have on your bucket list. This is an experience available to all humans willing to succeed at lucid dream induction, so why not go for it?
Many people experience one or more non-lucid flying dreams throughout their life. What is not so obvious is that many of these are precipitated by being chased, and flying is used as an escape technique. That's not to say that flying dreams can't result from simply having a great previous day and the flying emanates from a sense of euphoria; the point is that flying is often-times employed by the dream-generation-system as an escape mechanism.
Another interesting thing concerning flying, especially during lucidity, is that many people experience a fear of falling, and/or difficulty in controlling their flight-path. Like any skill, flying in dreams requires practice. Experiment with different arm positions (such as one arm forward, one back, superman/girl-style), or try flying in a vertical position (standing up) rather than vertically (lying down), or imagine and create wings, or an energy bubble around you, or try to become a bird. Be creative. Fly into clouds, look at the scenery below and above you, see how high you can go, even into "outer space."
2. Which direction is north?
Mary Arnold Foster popularized the idea of asking yourself "how did I get here" throughout the day, as an exercise intended to carry-over into dreams. The idea was that, if you were to ask yourself this in a dream, you wouldn't be able to answer very far back and would conclude that you are dreaming. M.A.F. had never experienced lucid dreaming when she came up with this induction technique, and may not have realized the powers of confabulation (making up stories) that the dream-generation system has. If you were to ask yourself in a regular dream how you "got here," even if you were pre-lucid and suspected something was awry, your mind would likely make something up, and you would believe it. Now, however, if you are ALREADY lucid, this could prove very interesting: Attempt to pin-down which direction is "north" in your dream. Of course, the question doesn't really make sense, but it might be fun to see how you try to solve this nearly-impossible question.
3. Become another animal.
Therianthropy is the term used when humans metamorphosize into other animals. Also known as ShapeShifting, this idea is exemplified by the transforming into werewolves, and the metamorphosis of man into monster in Beauty and the Beast (or in reverse in fairy tales such as frogs turning into princes when kissed). Similarly, our legends are filled with part-man, part-animal creatures, such as the Minotaur, the Centaur, and the Sphinx.
Our myths portray these liminal, or multi-dimensional, cross-over creatures, as existing on the threshold between worlds. Kind of like being in a lucid dream – asleep and in a dream reality, yet maintaining waking-like thought and powers of rationality. The idea of shape-shifting is well-known to shamans around the world, and our oldest cave-art paintings depict these magical creatures, likely first glimpsed in dreams, or during psychedelic visions, or some other trance state.
I have heard from a few lucid dreamers of their transformation into non-human creatures, and I have seen liminal beings in my own dreams. In fact, one of my lucid goals was to transform into a dog and run through the woods as only a four-legged beast could. What kind of animal would you become?
4. Telekinesis
Many magicians and conmen have claimed the ability to move objects with nothing but their intent, the power of their own mind overcoming the known limits of the physical world. Telekinesis, AKA psychokinesis, is an area studied by parapsychologists and is currently focused on attempting to influencerandom-number-generators with nothing but the mind, devoid of any known physical energy; attempting to demonstrate anything more complicated than this have been given up. Although some success has been claimed in controlled studies with the above approach (a good understanding of how statistics are calculated and how these studies are conducted would be needed to qualify these claims), we can experience the powers of telekinesis in lucid dreams. Again, practice will improve performance, but it can be thrilling to move objects around in dreams by merely focusing your thoughts on the task at hand. The extent to which you develop this skill depends on your ability to induce lucidity coupled with your imaginative faculties.
5. Phasing
Phasing refers to the ability to move through solid matter. Imagine being able to push your way through a wall, a floor, a ceiling, a rock, without disturbing the solid material you are passing through. Seems like this should be a piece of cake when lucid, but because of the "failure" mechanism of the dream-generation-system and the fact that you have probably experienced the INABILITY to phase during most (or all) of your waking life, moving your dream body through dream matter can prove difficult, especially at first. But trust in the possibility. Do not give up, and with continued effort you will be able to move your finger through a table, your face and body through a wall, whatever you want. Actually, over the past few years, I have used a form of phasing as my reality check (if I feel the need to check at all). It's almost always like this: I suspect that I'm dreaming, I walk over to a window, press my finger through the window pane, and if it goes through easy as it would through water, I know that I'm dreaming and I jump and phase the rest of my body through the glass, fly off and do whatever comes next. (I still wonder about the possibility of sleep walking and jumping out of an actual window! However, sleep walking is almost never associated with dreaming, so this is very unlikely.)
6. Try to convince other dream characters they are "in a dream," or "in your dream," specifically.
Here's a weird one. I have NEVER been able to convince other dream characters that they are in my dream. Could be just me, but I have heard the same from others. Could be the "failure" mechanism at work. Or something else, I don't know. But I recommend playing with this idea and seeing where it leads you.
7. Work on a problem you've been having difficulty with while awake – musical composition, engineering issue, invention, inter-personal conflict…
I'll keep the commentary brief on this one. But know this: Many revolutionary breakthroughs have occurred during dreaming, things that have enriched human culture beyond measure. Usually this involves the person working hard for a long period of time on a problem, and then one night the solution or the key to a solution is presented during a dream.
8. Seek a deceased loved one and once found, talk to them, or just be with them.
When I ask study participants to relay their "Most Important Dream," many times this is in the form of seeing or being with a loved one who has passed away in the physical world. What an amazing gift. In the as-real (or realer) virtual simulation of dreaming, we can be reunited with friends and family in a way that we have lost access to while awake. The dream need not be lucid for this type of occurrence, but you may be able to increase your chances once you achieve lucidity. Definitely a motivating factor here to master lucid dream induction!
Of course, you are not limited to visiting with the deceased, you can try to summon anyone, or anything, you want in a lucid dream. Obviously, many people choose to quench their romantic passions in lucid dreams. It's your inner-world.
9. Open up a door, and expect to find your worst fear behind it. And face it.
This was one of my goals. The idea actually came to me during a lucid dream. I was walking around in the forest and came upon a wooden structure, like a manger or farm, and then I found a rustic door. I "knew" that my biggest fear awaited me on the other side. Earlier, while awake, I saw the newer version of King Kong in the theater, and the crowd squirmed in their seats during a scene where giant insects attacked the characters. Now, in my dream, I wasn't sure what exactly was awaiting me. Would it be monsters? Giant insects? My own weaknesses personified, or my deepest regrets? Whatever it was, I wasn't ready for it. I walked away and left that task for another time. When I awoke, I decide that my next lucid dream experiment would be to go through a door and face whatever it was that was waiting to confront me. And when the opportunity came, guess what? It wasn't that bad at all. For me, it had to do with acknowledging an abstract concept: "We" are afraid of what we cannot see, and with bravery we can bring "light" to any shadow, to any darkness. I don't know in what form your demon or fear will present itself, but remember this – it's just a dream.
10. Open up a door, and expect to find your greatest desire. Fulfill it.
Obviously, dreaming doesn't have to be in the shape of a nightmare. And there is more to life than conquering dragons. Sometimes we just want to have fun, to indulge in our hedonistic desires. If you could do anything, what would YOU do?
The most "natural" thing for many first-time (and experienced) lucid dreamers to do is fly. Maybe flying is the closest thing to freedom we can imagine. Maybe we are jealous of birds. Whatever the reason, flying is one of the go-to activities in lucid dreams, especially when other activities are not planned-out in advance. Exhilarating, euphoric, and at times frightening, flying in dreams is a must-have on your bucket list. This is an experience available to all humans willing to succeed at lucid dream induction, so why not go for it?
Many people experience one or more non-lucid flying dreams throughout their life. What is not so obvious is that many of these are precipitated by being chased, and flying is used as an escape technique. That's not to say that flying dreams can't result from simply having a great previous day and the flying emanates from a sense of euphoria; the point is that flying is often-times employed by the dream-generation-system as an escape mechanism.
Another interesting thing concerning flying, especially during lucidity, is that many people experience a fear of falling, and/or difficulty in controlling their flight-path. Like any skill, flying in dreams requires practice. Experiment with different arm positions (such as one arm forward, one back, superman/girl-style), or try flying in a vertical position (standing up) rather than vertically (lying down), or imagine and create wings, or an energy bubble around you, or try to become a bird. Be creative. Fly into clouds, look at the scenery below and above you, see how high you can go, even into "outer space."
2. Which direction is north?
Mary Arnold Foster popularized the idea of asking yourself "how did I get here" throughout the day, as an exercise intended to carry-over into dreams. The idea was that, if you were to ask yourself this in a dream, you wouldn't be able to answer very far back and would conclude that you are dreaming. M.A.F. had never experienced lucid dreaming when she came up with this induction technique, and may not have realized the powers of confabulation (making up stories) that the dream-generation system has. If you were to ask yourself in a regular dream how you "got here," even if you were pre-lucid and suspected something was awry, your mind would likely make something up, and you would believe it. Now, however, if you are ALREADY lucid, this could prove very interesting: Attempt to pin-down which direction is "north" in your dream. Of course, the question doesn't really make sense, but it might be fun to see how you try to solve this nearly-impossible question.
3. Become another animal.
Therianthropy is the term used when humans metamorphosize into other animals. Also known as ShapeShifting, this idea is exemplified by the transforming into werewolves, and the metamorphosis of man into monster in Beauty and the Beast (or in reverse in fairy tales such as frogs turning into princes when kissed). Similarly, our legends are filled with part-man, part-animal creatures, such as the Minotaur, the Centaur, and the Sphinx.
Our myths portray these liminal, or multi-dimensional, cross-over creatures, as existing on the threshold between worlds. Kind of like being in a lucid dream – asleep and in a dream reality, yet maintaining waking-like thought and powers of rationality. The idea of shape-shifting is well-known to shamans around the world, and our oldest cave-art paintings depict these magical creatures, likely first glimpsed in dreams, or during psychedelic visions, or some other trance state.
I have heard from a few lucid dreamers of their transformation into non-human creatures, and I have seen liminal beings in my own dreams. In fact, one of my lucid goals was to transform into a dog and run through the woods as only a four-legged beast could. What kind of animal would you become?
4. Telekinesis
Many magicians and conmen have claimed the ability to move objects with nothing but their intent, the power of their own mind overcoming the known limits of the physical world. Telekinesis, AKA psychokinesis, is an area studied by parapsychologists and is currently focused on attempting to influencerandom-number-generators with nothing but the mind, devoid of any known physical energy; attempting to demonstrate anything more complicated than this have been given up. Although some success has been claimed in controlled studies with the above approach (a good understanding of how statistics are calculated and how these studies are conducted would be needed to qualify these claims), we can experience the powers of telekinesis in lucid dreams. Again, practice will improve performance, but it can be thrilling to move objects around in dreams by merely focusing your thoughts on the task at hand. The extent to which you develop this skill depends on your ability to induce lucidity coupled with your imaginative faculties.
5. Phasing
Phasing refers to the ability to move through solid matter. Imagine being able to push your way through a wall, a floor, a ceiling, a rock, without disturbing the solid material you are passing through. Seems like this should be a piece of cake when lucid, but because of the "failure" mechanism of the dream-generation-system and the fact that you have probably experienced the INABILITY to phase during most (or all) of your waking life, moving your dream body through dream matter can prove difficult, especially at first. But trust in the possibility. Do not give up, and with continued effort you will be able to move your finger through a table, your face and body through a wall, whatever you want. Actually, over the past few years, I have used a form of phasing as my reality check (if I feel the need to check at all). It's almost always like this: I suspect that I'm dreaming, I walk over to a window, press my finger through the window pane, and if it goes through easy as it would through water, I know that I'm dreaming and I jump and phase the rest of my body through the glass, fly off and do whatever comes next. (I still wonder about the possibility of sleep walking and jumping out of an actual window! However, sleep walking is almost never associated with dreaming, so this is very unlikely.)
6. Try to convince other dream characters they are "in a dream," or "in your dream," specifically.
Here's a weird one. I have NEVER been able to convince other dream characters that they are in my dream. Could be just me, but I have heard the same from others. Could be the "failure" mechanism at work. Or something else, I don't know. But I recommend playing with this idea and seeing where it leads you.
7. Work on a problem you've been having difficulty with while awake – musical composition, engineering issue, invention, inter-personal conflict…
I'll keep the commentary brief on this one. But know this: Many revolutionary breakthroughs have occurred during dreaming, things that have enriched human culture beyond measure. Usually this involves the person working hard for a long period of time on a problem, and then one night the solution or the key to a solution is presented during a dream.
8. Seek a deceased loved one and once found, talk to them, or just be with them.
When I ask study participants to relay their "Most Important Dream," many times this is in the form of seeing or being with a loved one who has passed away in the physical world. What an amazing gift. In the as-real (or realer) virtual simulation of dreaming, we can be reunited with friends and family in a way that we have lost access to while awake. The dream need not be lucid for this type of occurrence, but you may be able to increase your chances once you achieve lucidity. Definitely a motivating factor here to master lucid dream induction!
Of course, you are not limited to visiting with the deceased, you can try to summon anyone, or anything, you want in a lucid dream. Obviously, many people choose to quench their romantic passions in lucid dreams. It's your inner-world.
9. Open up a door, and expect to find your worst fear behind it. And face it.
This was one of my goals. The idea actually came to me during a lucid dream. I was walking around in the forest and came upon a wooden structure, like a manger or farm, and then I found a rustic door. I "knew" that my biggest fear awaited me on the other side. Earlier, while awake, I saw the newer version of King Kong in the theater, and the crowd squirmed in their seats during a scene where giant insects attacked the characters. Now, in my dream, I wasn't sure what exactly was awaiting me. Would it be monsters? Giant insects? My own weaknesses personified, or my deepest regrets? Whatever it was, I wasn't ready for it. I walked away and left that task for another time. When I awoke, I decide that my next lucid dream experiment would be to go through a door and face whatever it was that was waiting to confront me. And when the opportunity came, guess what? It wasn't that bad at all. For me, it had to do with acknowledging an abstract concept: "We" are afraid of what we cannot see, and with bravery we can bring "light" to any shadow, to any darkness. I don't know in what form your demon or fear will present itself, but remember this – it's just a dream.
10. Open up a door, and expect to find your greatest desire. Fulfill it.
Obviously, dreaming doesn't have to be in the shape of a nightmare. And there is more to life than conquering dragons. Sometimes we just want to have fun, to indulge in our hedonistic desires. If you could do anything, what would YOU do?