The Dangers of Lucid Dreaming. Is Lucid Dreaming Risky?

Is lucid dreaming dangerous?

Well, maybe. You could go into a coma, you could open yourself to evil spirits, you could die!  If anyone is dead or comatose after lucid dreaming, how would you know?

Seriously though, all signs point to no. Lucid dreaming is NOT dangerous.  A common question is if lucid dreaming is safe.  All of us dream rather frequently.  The only difference with lucid dreaming is that you are aware of what's going on and not just going with the flow.  You can feel fear in your dreams but nothing can hurt you.  If things get weird or scary, just think about your bed and wake up.

More often than not, lucid dreamers want to STAY in the dream for as long as possible and are annoyed when the dream fades and sends them back to waking consciousness. 

I think that lucid dreaming could potentially have mental effects on a person.  I think that one could become addicted to lucid dreaming and lose touch with or interest in reality.   Who wouldn't rather live in a world where you can do whatever you want?   Some may take it too far and want to be there all the time.

One of my first concerns when learning about reality checks was if a person could reality check so much that they REALLY become unsure of if their reality is real.  Maybe one could become so detached that they are constantly dissociated from their environment (whether real or dream).

I'm sure something like that would only occur in someone who already has mental issues, though.

So far I haven't encountered anything during my few lucid dreams that would make me fear continuing to practice. 

My Coolest Lucid Dream Experience to Date

My Coolest Lucid Dream Experience to Date

This occurred a couple weeks ago.  It was my longest, most stable lucid dream yet.   It was a WILD, but I think I achieved it after doing SSILD cycles earlier.

Okay so I "woke up" in a convention type center.  There were tables all around and some people were eating while others were doing work on laptops.

I read Robert Waggoner's book "Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self" and inside he talks about asking dream objects and characters what they represent.  So I decided that this would be the mission of this dream.

I walked all around the place, interrupting people's lunches and asking them what they represent.  Most of the people were annoyed at me and wanted me to leave them alone.  Many said that they didn't know.  I walked through a hallway and asked someone for a lucid pill.  He joked with me "What do i look like?  A dealer?"  but gave it to me anyway.

I came across a surgeon and asked him what was wrong with me.  He said "Pneumonia".

I found myself in a sitting area in the middle of a mall and a big fat sloppy obese guy came and sat near me and told me that he was my ugly side.

Later in the dream I was at my old elementary school and I sat in the field area with some of my old classmates. I don't remember the conversations but I remember giving them all big hugs as we departed.

This dream felt like it was at least 30 minutes long and I was excited that I was able to keep it stable for so long.  I know they say that you should take a few seconds to stabilize the dream as soon as you enter, but in my case I think I have to hit the ground running.  The times I've remembered to stop and 'deepen'  I've felt my real body and been booted.  

SSILD: A Backdoor Lucid Dreaming Method

SSILD: A Backdoor Lucid Dreaming Method

SSILD stands for Senses Initiated Lucid Dream.  You may be wondering why there are two S's and the reason is simply that there was already another technique called SILD.  I can't think of what that S stands for in that method but I guess it doesn't really matter does it?

I think of SSILD as a backdoor method to reach a lucid dream.  Why?  Because the technique itself seems to have little to do with lucid dreaming.  You'll see.

SSILD was supposedly tested out on many subjects before user CosmicIron proposed it on the lucid dreaming forums.   It's been pointed out that it is very similar to Betty Erickson's self-hypnosis technique. 

The SSILD method is very easy and many have had success with it.  After waking up after a few hours of sleep, do the following:

1. Relax.  Lay in a comfortable position...move if you need to.  Unlike the WILD method that instructs to stay as still as possible,  SSILD allows for natural adjustments.

2.  A) Close your eyes and search out the darkness behind your eyelids.  Do you see squiggles or circles?  If you don't see anything that's totally fine.  It only matters that you tried to see something.  Focus on your sight for an estimated 15 seconds.

B) Redirect your attention to your hearing.  Listen for the buzzing of the air conditioner or the high-pitched hum in your ears.  Can you make it louder?  Focus on your hearing for an estimated 15 seconds.

C) Now we move on to the sensations in your body.  Choose a starting point and note what you feel in each body part.  Do your legs feel numb?  Do you have an itch somewhere?  Do you feel the covers on your skin?   Survey your body for about 15 seconds.

3. Repeat steps ABC 3-4 more times.  If your mind wanders just try to remember where you were and get back into it.  With each cycle, you should feel more and more relaxed.

4. Go to sleep. 

That's it.  Somehow this technique preps the mind to better recognize when you are dreaming.  SSILD is known for the realistic false awakenings it produces.  It's advised that you should do a reality check if you find that you are laying in bed forever unable to fall back asleep after doing this method.

When I first learned of this method I really liked it and felt it had some promise for me.  After I completed about 4 cycles I'd be so relaxed that I wouldn't even want to MOVE!  I couldn't sleep right after, but I was relaxed.  The first week of using this method I had several vivid dreams, my first false awakening and a DILD. 

The reason why I don't use SSILD consistently is because now it takes too long!  I start to lose focus within the first cycle and soon after I'm back on track,  my mind wanders again.  It's so weird because when I first used this technique I could finish the cycles effectively and quickly.  I guess my mind starts to relax faster than it used to.

Do Religious (Spiritual) People Astral Project While Atheists Lucid Dream?

Do Religious (Spiritual) People Astral Project While Atheists Lucid Dream?

I haven't been around the lucid dreaming forums for all that long, but I have noticed something. 

It seems that many, if not most, of the people at the forums dedicated strictly to lucid dreaming believe that dreaming is just a natural function of the mind and only an expression of one's own thoughts, fears and aspirations.  They are skeptical and close-minded about anything that suggests that there may be more to dreaming than just what their minds created.  Many are atheists and if it can't be explained scientifically, then it (things like precognition, shared dreams, meeting the deceased or a future connection) absolutely does not exist. 

I find it somewhat strange that people who are able to step out of the norm and consciously enter another world shun all spiritual meaning and significance to lucid dreams, or dreams in general.  I think it's weird that the lucid dream forums have to have a separate "Beyond Dreaming" section for those who think beyond their own minds and apply more spiritual or mystical meaning to the dreamstate.  

But then you have the other end of the spectrum with the Astral Projection and OBE forums. These members are much more spiritual and tend to consider their experiences and encounters real and significant.  I personally lean towards the theory that lucid dreaming, astral projection and OBE occur in the same 'space', although I can't say that for absolute certain. 

I'm thinking that maybe lucid dreamers who believe there's more out there gravitate more towards the AP and OBEs, even though these phenomena may just be lucid dreams. 

I'm somewhere in the middle. 

WILD Complications. Eyes Wide Shut (Open)!

WILD Lucid Dream Complications.  Eyes Wide Shut (Open)!

I want to share something annoying that has happened to me a few times.  I wake up during WILD, feel the sleep paralysis and coast through as it takes it course.  When the sensation subsides I do my nose-pinch reality check and yes I'm dreaming.  It should be smooth sailing from there--lucid dream here I come!

However, what I see is the actual room I'm sleeping in.  I can feel myself sitting up in my 'dream body' but I can't get up and go anywhere.  Why?  Because my (real) eyes are open and I'm looking at my room.   I'm thinking that maybe the room is a dreamscene and in my semi-confused state, I don't think to close my physical eyes.

I've actually ruined a WILD once because when I opened my eyes in the actual dream, I took a few seconds to try to figure out if I was looking at my physical quarters or if it was the dream environment.  In the time it took for me to determine this, I was booted.

Lucid Dreamers Get WILD! The Wake Induced Lucid Dream

Lucid Dreamers Get WILD!  The Wake Induced Lucid Dream

WILD stands for Wake Induced Lucid Dream.  With this technique one enters directly into a lucid dream from a conscious state. The basic idea is to allow the body to fall asleep while keeping the mind alert.

The best thing about this technique is that resulting dreams tend to be more vivid.  Also if you are able to master this method, you can theoretically have a lucid dream whenever you want with no worries of missing dream signs and forgetting to question your surroundings in a dream (as with DILD).

From what I gather, here are the basic steps to a WILD lucid dream:

1. For best results try during a nap or after about 4-5 hours of sleep at night.  These times are when you're most likely to be approaching or to be within an REM cycle.

2. Relax. If you have recently woken from sleep your body should already be in a relaxed state.  Some people use meditation for this purpose.

3. Be still.  The goal is to trick your body into falling asleep before your mind does.  It's said that the body will send "roll over signals" to test and see if the mind is ready for sleep.  These signals may emerge as a strong urge to roll over or as a nagging itch or twitching muscles, etc...  If you ignore these signals, the body takes it as confirmation that your mind is not aware enough to detect and react to them.

4. Stay alert.  Some count from 100.  Others concentrate on the ringing in their ears.  Many focus on the colors and swirlies behind the eyelids, known as hypnagogic imagery. There is a very fine balance here.  If you are too mentally alert, your body will never sleep.  But if you allow yourself to lose too much consciousness, you will just  fall asleep and wake up kicking yourself for ruining the attempt

5. If all goes well, you will soon (or not so soon) enter sleep paralysis.  Sleep paralysis prevents us from physically acting out when we dream and all of us experience it when we sleep.   We're just usually not aware of it.  Sleep paralysis can be a scary thing for lots of people--especially those who have disturbing visual and auditory hallucinations.  Also note that some people don't 'feel' sleep paralysis during WILD.

6.  The transition step to enter a lucid dream generates a lot of confusion because it's different for everyone. Some instructions say that you should concentrate on the hypnagogic images behind your eyelids until it morphs into a scene that you can step into.  But what if you are like me and do not see hypnagogic imagery?
In my case, I ride with the sleep paralysis and when the sensation fades, I'll pinch my nose and find that I'm dreaming.  Then I'll open my 'dream eyes' and I'm there.

I've done WILD a couple times but I can't say that I have achieved it successfully.  That sounds like a contradiction, right?   Most times I've attempted WILD, I've fallen asleep before the end of the process.  The few times I've achieved WILD were when I just 'happened' to wake back up during sleep paralysis.  In other words, I've never remained aware straight through from relaxation to sleep paralysis.

Although I fail 98% of the time, WILD is still my preferred method because the resulting dream is so real. I aspire to figure out the right personal formula for having WILDs consistently.  I need to learn the best times, how to keep my mind from sleeping, the correct position, etc....

You may also want to note that the WILD method is very similar, if not identical, to the techniques used for those seeking OBEs and astral projection.  This causes some confusion and people are always wondering if an OBE or AP is the same as a WILD lucid dream.

What do you think?

DILD Method: The Basic Lucid Dream Technique

 DILD Method for Consistent Lucid Dreams

DILD stands for Dream Induced Lucid Dream.  This occurs when a dreamer realizes he/she is dreaming while within a normal dream.

For example, just the other day during a nap I found myself dreaming that I was walking to my car in the employee parking lot. I pressed my little keychain remote to unlock the car door and no matter how many times I pushed the button my doors would not open.  After several seconds of trying I thought "Wait...I might be dreaming here," and immediately I knew I was.   I did a reality check (more to come on that) that fails me now for some reason, but it didn't matter because I was convinced I was dreaming.

This is an instance of a DILD and it's suggested that beginning lucid dreamers strive for this before attempting the many variations of the WILD (Wake-Induced Lucid Dream).

On paper, DILD may seem simple enough.  You just stop yourself when things get weird and Voila!!  LUCID.

But for many, it's not that easy.  Most people must practice questioning reality in waking life with the expectation that this habit will carry over into their dreams.  

Reality checks are tests one conducts to determine whether one is awake or present in a dream.

Here are some common reality checks:

• Nose-pinch:  Pinch your nostrils together.  Normally doing this will prevent you from breathing through your nose, but when dreaming you are still able to breathe.  This is my go-to reality check.  It never fails.
• Finger-through-hand:  Take a finger and poke it against the palm of your other hand.  When dreaming your finger may pass through your hand painlessly.  A friend of mine told me that in her first lucid dream she stuck her finger in her eye, instead!
• Look at Text or Clock:  In dreams text seems to be unstable and ever-changing.  Look away after you read something and try to read it again. Does it say the same thing as it did the first time?  In the dream I mentioned before, I remember reading a poster announcement on a wall.  I could read sentences, but the words didn't make sense together.  The same goes for clocks.  Check the time.  Look at it again.  Sometimes in dreams the time will be different and sometimes there may be strange symbols on the clock in place of numbers.  
• Defy Natural Reality:  Do things that should not be possible in waking life.  Jump up and try to fly.  Put your hand through a wall.  Tear a phonebook in half.  If you can do any of the preceding, then you're likely dreaming.

Some lucid dreamers do reality checks like these throughout the day while obviously awake.  After a while the dreamer finds him/herself doing the same thing in a dream and becomes lucid.   One important thing to remember when doing reality checks throughout the day is that you must take a few seconds to REALLY question if you are dreaming or awake.  Look for anything that seems weird.  Ask yourself why you are doing whatever you're doing and what you were doing 10 minutes ago.    In other words, don't just mindlessly do a reality check and go on with your life because when you're dreaming you may reality check and just continue the dream without recognizing it.

Dream signs are recurring symbols or situations in dreams that one may use to induce lucidity.  Do police cars show up frequently in your dreams?  This could be a dream sign for you.  Use this to your advantage by making it a habit to do a reality check whenever you see a police car or officer in real life.  When you see a policeman in your dream you will remember to reality check, and hopefully you will become lucid.

Lucid dreamers at the forums have coined the related phrases "All Day Awareness (ADA)"  and "Lucid Living"

These terms refer to being constantly aware.  Again, if it becomes a way of life in reality, it will transfer over to the dreams.  ADA and Lucid Living (interchangeable in my book) involve constantly being aware of your surroundings and always wondering if you are in a dream.  This may involve doing reality checks but if you are consistently questioning reality, reality checks may not be necessary.

Honestly, I'm kind of lazy and can't remember to reality check enough to make it a habit.  

I'm still a rookie, but I have never become lucid by catching myself doing a reality check in a dream.  Every time I've done a reality check in a dream it was to confirm my suspicion that I was dreaming.  Somehow the reality check is what snaps me into a clearer dream-awareness. 

Lucid dreams can also be achieved in a less organic way.  Some use vitamins for lucid dreaming like Vitamin B6, Melatonin and Choline Bitartrate. 

Others use auditory tools like binaural beats which alter the brain waves to facilitate lucid dreaming.

There are also products like the Remee Mask which detect when the user is in REM sleep.  The mask then sends visual flashes of light or sounds to alert the dreamer that he/she is dreaming.  Devices like this can cost $200+.  That's an expensive dream if you ask me.

There you have it for DILD.  I think that if you can figure out how to become lucid from within a dream you will have a better shot at more numerous and consistent lucid dreams.  The WILD methods are more hit or miss.

So start getting those reality checks in today and you'll be off to a good start.  You have to start somewhere.

What is Lucid Dreaming?

What is Lucid Dreaming?

I suppose the first thing I should do is explain exactly what lucid dreaming is for those who may not know.

In a nutshell, lucid dreaming occurs when the dreamer becomes aware that he/she is dreaming.  If you are just now learning about lucid dreaming this may not mean much to you. 

Think about your dreams.  Usually you exist in your dreams as a fairly passive participant. You go along with the plot and don't really think about the strangeness of what's going on.  You just accept it as normal.   

Now imagine coming to the realization that you are dreaming when you notice that something doesn't make sense in your dream.  You are sitting in your old high school classroom even though you're 40 years old or you realize that you are talking to a friend who is deceased.  All of a sudden you become consciously aware and the dream environment is practically as real as if you were awake.   You can feel the air on your skin.  You can choose to take a bite of a cookie.  You can ask people in your dreams questions you prepared while awake. 

Think of how you feel right now.  You're probably sitting at a computer and everything around you is clear.  You can feel the weight of your laptop on your legs.  You may be sipping on a drink.  You are aware enough to do anything you want to do.  You can have the same feeling in a lucid dream.

Not so fast, though.  Achieving lucidity can be a feat in itself and there are many techniques out there for aspiring lucid dreamers to try.   With future posts I'll cover the methods I know of but they are also available at any lucid dreaming forum.  For many it takes constant practice and trial and error to enter a lucid dream or even maintain it for more than a few seconds.  As I mentioned in my previous post, some people are still trying to get lucid after months and years of attempts.  

My very first lucid dream was quite short.  I found myself in a street where people were walking all around me.  For whatever reason, I realized I was dreaming and I became present in the dream.  It was amazing.  I did a reality check, poking my finger through my hand, and I became lucidly aware of what was going on.  Immediately I could feel my clothes on my skin and I consciously looked around at my environment.   I remember this dream being kind of foggy and "mushy"---looking back, things didn't feel so sharp--however, since then I've had a few lucid dreams that were very vivid and clear.

So, do you think you want to be a lucid dreamer?