The vast majority of people think of dreams as something mysterious which is not within our power to control. Whether we have nightmares or very pleasant dreams, a lot of us think of our dreams as sound and thunder, so to speak ” and believe that they are something which we cannot exert any kind of control over. In fact, this is not the case at all. Through the method called lucid dreaming, dream control is something that anyone can have.
But what is lucid dreaming and how does one do it? What are the benefits of being in the drivers seat for these nocturnal journeys? Keep reading to find out more about the practice of dream control.
What Is Dream Control?
Dream control, which is the ability granted to us by the technique of lucid dreaming is having the knowledge that you are dreaming even while in the middle of a dream. While you are sound asleep, your mind can be aware of the fact that you are dreaming, letting you be in control of the events which transpire in your dreams.
Dream control can be a great help to people who suffer from recurring nightmares. The simple, yet powerful technique of lucid dreaming can enable these people to get a full nights sleep.
Common Techniques For Inducing Lucid Dreaming
A newer and very effective method of bringing about lucid dreaming is binaural audio. Binaural audio involves listening to two different frequencies at the same time. The effect of this listening is to tune the listeners brainwaves into the proper frequency to achieve the state needed for lucid dreaming ” REM sleep.
Before this use of modern technology was discovered and available on CDs or DVDs for the purpose of dream control, self hypnosis and meditation were the most widely used techniques for lucid dreaming, although many people report finding it too difficult to achieve this state using these two particular means of dream control.
Other than these methods, many others have been used by psychologists and sleep researchers. However the mind is trained to assert dream control, the object is the same ” to enable the dreamer to realize that they are dreaming and to begin taking the reins of their dreams.
This training begins while you are still awake. The goal is to remember to perform some kind of cue which will remind us that we are dreaming ” this allows dream control to begin.
This can be as simple as telling yourself that you will be dreaming and that you will do or say a certain thing in the dream; which will tell you that you are dreaming, setting off a state of lucid dreaming.
This particular method to dream control is referred to as MILD, or mnemonic induction of lucid dreams, which was discovered by scientist Dr. Stephen LaBerge. With this approach, your brain is then in complete control as to what occurs in the dream, meaning that nothing could or would come of harm to you as it’s simply all in the mind and you are only limited by your own imagination.
A dream diary can also help you to get started with lucid dreaming. Immediately after you wake up, write down each and every detail that you remember from your dreams. After doing this for a while, youll train your mind to remember your dreams; this is the first step to dream control and soon youll start having lucid dreams!
You can beat back those nightmares, go anywhere, do anything and talk to anyone you want in these dreams. There are no limits except for your imagination to your dreams once you have mastered the techniques of dream control.
The experts say do that there is, however, one potential drawback to lucid dreaming, as much like anything in life, too much of a good thing can actually have the opposite effect. The main reason for this being that one of the most valuable aspects of dreaming ‘naturally’ is that it often tell us important things about ourselves that otherwise would have remained hidden forever. So enjoy dreaming lucidly. It really is an amazing experience, but remember to give yourself a few nights off!
