It’s very likely that, at least once, you realized you were dreaming, even that you were able to control the content of that dream. In that case, you might want to repeat: being conscious within a dream is a unique experience.

In this article we will explain how to realize that you are in a dream and control it . We will describe 9 very useful techniques to keep the mind in a state of consciousness, to manipulate the dream world and, not least, to remember dreams after waking up.

What are lucid dreams?

Lucid dreams are simply those in which we are aware that we dream . Sometimes this allows us to control the dream to some degree, modify the contents of the nightmares and even explore our mental life and use our imagination at will.

Human beings have applied this practice since ancient times for various purposes. Some Buddhist and Hindu disciplines have used lucid dreaming as a type of meditation, while many artists try to become aware of their dreams and control them for inspiration.

Scientific research has found that lucidity begins during REM phases (“rapid eye movements”), during which dreams are more vivid and narrative. It is believed that the main difference between typical and lucid dreams is that in the latter there is activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is related to working memory.

The maintenance of consciousness manifests itself in the greater presence of beta waves in the brain during lucid dreams than during the rest. These waves represent intense brain activation and are characteristic of wakefulness and to a lesser extent of REM sleep.

How to Control Dreams

Some people are spontaneously aware that they are dreaming every time they do, while others learn to control their dream world naturally; however, for most people this practice requires effort and dedication.

These keys to controlling dreams will be useful if you want to become an onironauta, but keep in mind that you must be patient to do so: it is very complicated at first and the results can be unsatisfactory. For example, it is common to be able to control a dream but lose consciousness soon after, or not remember anything when you wake up.

1. Record your dreams

Before you start having lucid dreams, you should learn to remember them as vividly as you can. If you find it difficult to remember what you dreamt after waking up, it is especially important to take this first step, because if you manage to control a dream but forget it immediately afterwards, your effort will have been in vain.

Keeping a “dream journal” is very effective in remembering what you have dreamt. Leave a notebook and a pen, or a voice recorder, on your bedside table, so that you can record your dreams right after you wake up. It may help you to spend a few minutes concentrating on retrieving the contents of your dream before you do so.

Read them again or listen to them later, since the mind is not fully active during the minutes after waking up and you are likely to forget what you dreamt right away, but the review will help you practice dream evoking.

2. Do reality tests

Reality tests consist of checking whether we are awake during everyday life . This practice has to be repeated frequently in the waking state so that it becomes a habit and is repeated spontaneously during dreams, allowing the onironauts to realize that they are sleeping.

A large number of behaviors are susceptible to being used as evidence of reality, since the internal logic of dreams is very different from that of real life. Basically it is a matter of detecting perceptual inconsistencies that would not occur if we were awake.

These tests consist of asking yourself if you are dreaming and then doing something to check it, such as carefully examining a text or a clock; if we don’t detect anything strange, such as letters or numbers moving, we are probably awake. Still, it’s best to do more than one test at a time in case the first one doesn’t work.

Reality testing just after waking up will help to detect false awakenings , common side effects of lucid dreams consisting of a false sense of having woken up.

Below is a list of some reality tests that the onironaut community considers particularly effective. However, reality tests that work very well for most people may fail others, so it’s best to try all or most of them.

  • Read a text , look away and read it again; repeat twice
  • Look at a clock and check that the numbers are stable and consistent
  • Trying to breathe with a blocked nose
  • looking at and touching hands for abnormalities (e.g., extra fingers)
  • Examining the environment to see if vision is perfect (only for people with vision deficits, even if they are slight)
  • Trying to “cast a spell” , like moving objects with the mind or flying
  • Turn a switch on and off to check if the light changes
  • Look in the mirror and see if the reflection is normal

3. Hatching dreams

To incubate a dream you have to concentrate on mentally repeating a sentence or visualising an image just before falling asleep. This technique is usually used to facilitate the appearance of concrete dreams, such as travelling to faraway or fantastic places.

In the case of lucid dreams, visualizing a scenario repeatedly helps us realize that we are dreaming if we appear there, and repeating messages like “When I dream I will realize” can be even more effective.

4. Don’t let your mind go to sleep

It is possible to enter directly into a lucid dream at the moment of falling asleep. To do this, it is necessary to get the body to fall asleep but not the mind to do so , at least not completely; it is useful to do muscle relaxation exercises, pay attention to physical sensations and concentrate on hypnagogic images until “entering” one.

This technique is known as “waking induction”. It is a very reliable way of achieving lucid dreams, although it often causes sleep paralysis – which can, however, be used as an intermediate step in achieving lucidity. It is much more effective in conjunction with the trick described in the next section.

5. Wake up and go back to sleep

To apply this technique you have to sleep for approximately 6 hours, wake up (the easiest way is to use an alarm), do a quiet activity that keeps you awake, such as reading about lucid dreams or playing a video game, for 20-40 minutes and then go back to sleep.

In this way we will manage to go directly to the REM phase , in which dreams are more vivid; something similar happens with naps, especially if we have been up for a few hours. Combining this technique with the rest we have mentioned, especially induction from wakefulness, is probably the best way to achieve lucid dreams.

6. Remind yourself that you are dreaming

We naturally tend to lose consciousness progressively during lucid dreaming, especially in situations of high physical or cognitive activation. Trying to stay calm and focused is essential.

Mentally repeating “I am dreaming” once we have reached lucidity will allow us to remain conscious for longer, especially if we combine this message with a hand rub, which also helps us to be aware of the distinction between the physical body and the dream body.

7. Create a new scenario

Even if we manage to be conscious and stay in this state, it is sometimes difficult to get control of our sleep. An important first step, especially for beginning dreamers, is to generate a new dream scenario and move there.

There are several techniques that can be useful to reach this goal: create a “portal” in the air with the mind (you can help yourself with your fingers); close your eyes, visualize a scenario and teleport; go around in circles with your eyes closed…

8. Make a wish or view a picture

If you have followed the above steps successfully, congratulations: the moment you have been waiting for has arrived. Once your mind is conscious and you have enough control over your dream environment, you can do whatever you want; the only limitation is your expectations .

Just remember that in dreams everything is possible, from becoming a dinosaur to talking to a loved one who has passed away or even a part of yourself.

There are two main ways to control dreams directly: wanting something and visualizing it. Saying what you want to happen out loud (e.g. “I’m flying over the ocean”) will make it easier for the wish to come true.

9. Prepare your next lucid dream

The technique known as “lucid dream induction” allows a lucid dream to be used to incubate subsequent ones. There are many ways to do this, although you will probably need to make several attempts; you will need creativity and patience to make this type of induction work.

For example, you may find it very useful to “invoke” a dream guide in your first lucid dream and ask him to warn you the next time you are dreaming. You can also create a room that functions as a vestibule to the dream world and visualize it each time you go to sleep.