Lucid Dreaming Help

The lucid dreaming help section is for anyone having problems with the induction methods, or are experiencing other sleep phenomena. Use this area to solve common problems and educate yourself on the science of sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, night terrors and nightmares.

How To Control Your Dreams

Learning how to control your dreams is a skill. Few people pick it up "overnight", unless they get lucky of course. But relying on pure luck to have lucid dreams is likely to be fruitless in the long run.

The most effective lucid dreaming technique I have found is to SET THE INTENTION of having a lucid dream. This can involve:

• reading about lucid dreaming before bed
• imagining what you would do in a conscious dream
• thinking "I will lucid dream tonight" before going to sleep

On some level, the intention will settle in your subconscious mind. And as scientific studies show, your dreams play out many of the thoughts, memories and events you experience during the waking day.

Discover more easy lucid dreaming techniques.

How To Stay Lucid

The most sought after lucid dreaming help relates to early awakening. This is when you become lucid, but can't hold on to the conscious dream state for more than a few seconds. At least, not long enough to really appreciate the experience.

But fear not! I have some really good tips for you. Next time you manage to become lucid, the opportunity won't be wasted. Learn about how to stay lucid. This really does work.

For more troubleshooting tips, visit the lucid dreaming FAQ.

The next few sections are to educate lucid dreamers. These problems don't go hand-in-hand with lucid dreaming - but if you are unlucky enough to suffer from them, lucid dreaming may help. Otherwise don't go thinking you will have start having nightmares or go sleepwalking! ;)

Escaping From Nightmares

I often find that lucid dreaming helps me to escape from nightmares. For some reason, I find I am more likely to become conscious in a nightmare. Probably because the emotions are more intense. This gives me a chance to look beyond fear and change the course of the dream. Or I can just wake myself up. Know how to control your dreams is an extremely valuable skill. Sleep Paralysis Some people worry about sleep paralysis. Every night when you enter the REM state, your muscles become paralyzed to stop you from acting out your dreams. In sleep paralysis, your brain wakes up a few seconds (and maybe even up to a few minutes) before your body.

This sounds scary but I assure you it's not - if you're aware of what is happening. Studies conclude that sleep paralysis will happen to everyone once or twice in their lives. Other triggers can include lucid dreaming, sleep deprivation, stress, or a sudden change in lifestyle.

However, I don't think it should put anyone off lucid dreaming. In my mind it is a simple oddity - and a rare one at that. However, it is useful to know about sleep paralysis, and I have some simple tips for dealing with it.

Night Terrors

This next subject is described as terrifying beyond fear. They are collectively known as night terrors or sleep terrors. This has never happened to me, so I can only report what others have said.

Night terrors involve sleep paralysis as well as hallucinations. People with narcolepsy appear to be more at risk. The root of the problem is in the border between consciousness and sleep. It is a foul mind trick and nothing more. Sleepwalking On the opposite end of the spectrum.... there is sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is the cause of many hilarious stories in my book. I know people who have gone sleepwalking in the night and ended up in a laundry cupboard by the morning.

However, there is a more serious side to sleepwalking. Some sufferers act out very odd behaviors. I remember a TV documentary once where a woman - who was fast asleep - sent a text message to a friend saying "help, I'm being raped". (She was fine, by the way. She also ordered a pizza while asleep.)

Sleepwalking has also been used as a defense for murder on several occasions. Can you really kill a loved one in your sleep? It sounds unlikely but who can say for sure...?

Don't worry, you are not more likely to murder your partner if you learn how to control your dreams!

In fact, if you did sleepwalk and lucid dream at the same time (which is very rare) - chances are you would realise what you were doing and wake up very quickly. Nonetheless, it is an interesting sleep phenomenon and earned itself a place in the lucid dreaming help pages.

If you have any other issues that could be included in the lucid dreaming help section, please contact me with the details.

Lucid Dreaming Help

Premature Awakening

Escaping From Nightmares

Sleep Paralysis

Night Terrors

Sleepwalking

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