Lucid Dreaming
Author: Dr. Barry Burns

Lucid dreaming is simply being aware that you are dreaming
while you are in a dream. Learning how to do lucid dreaming
intentionally is a personal growth tool. It may help you
resolve personal problems because you're able to consciously
take an active role in your dreams. It can also be a lot of
fun!

Lucid dreaming is a challenging art to master, but there are
steps that can be taken to help you achieve the state.

As you go to sleep, use the suggestion: "As I am dreaming
tonight, I will realize I am dreaming" (use your own words).

It's important to do this as you are drifting off to sleep, but
you can do it throughout the day as well. Sometimes as you are
making this suggestion you may actually have a memory of a
previous dream come to mind! Your attitude should be one of
positive expectation, but gentle inviting rather than insisting
or applying any type of pressure or anxiety.

Next, work on remembering your dreams after you wake up. By
getting the mind used to remembering your dreams, you are
creating a more deliberate connection of awareness between the
conscious and unconscious mind. In fact, it's possible that you
may already be having lucid dreams, but you aren't remembering
them!

The final step is to attempt to stay in the twilight sleep
state for as long as possible upon awakening. You will often
have a dream just before you awake in the morning so if you can
stay still and keep your eyes closed, you may be able to enter
back into the dream, but with more conscious awareness – thus
creating a type of lucid dream as you balance between the
sleeping and waking states.

A common problem some people encounter with lucid dreaming is
that they wake up as soon as they realize they're dreaming.
This is because the work of making conscious choices while
sleeping causes the conscious mind is rise from its slumber,
thus arousing the wakening state.

This can be overcome with practice, but there is a technique
that can help. Before you go to sleep, plan on what you will do
in your lucid dreams. This removes an element of conscious
choice during your dreams, which may help you stay in the dream
state.


About The Author: Dr. Barry Burns received his doctorate from
the American Institute of Hypnotherapy. He studied
Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and Dreams. Dr. Burns
founded Wellspring Hypnotherapy, conducts seminars nationwide
and is author of "Wide Awake," a book on dreams. For more on
the meaning of dreams, visit: http://www.diagnoseyourdreams.com