Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams:
How To Perform The MILD Technique

This article is about how to perform Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams - or the MILD technique - created by lucidity expert Dr Stephen LaBerge. He invented this method while at university in order to have lucid dreams on demand. It is possibly the easiest lucid dreaming technique around.

The basics of MILD teach you how to increase your self awareness, making it easier to recognize when you are dreaming. It also involves setting the intention to lucid dream, which makes it far more likely to happen. The result is spontaneous dream control.

How to Perform The MILD Technique

Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams features several approaches. They are most powerful when combined. First, start a dream journal. Write down at least one normal dream every day when you wake up. This improves your awareness of the dream world and produces more vivid dreams. Then follow these simple steps...

#1 - Increase Your Self Awareness

Throughout the day, ask yourself whether you are awake or dreaming. This is called a reality check. A reliable way to do this is set your digital watch to chime every hour. When it beeps I look at my hands and ask myself "am I dreaming?" Then I try to push my hand through a wall or desk. When you habitually do this in a dream, your hands will appear in high definition... and you WILL be able to push them through any solid object. The sudden increase in self awareness will instantly trigger your lucidity!

This particular lucid dreaming technique has two more benefits. If I hear my watch chime in my sleep, it may trigger a reality check. What's more, digital watches often don't work in dreams, and looking at the time can be a good reality check itself.

#2 - Set The Intention To Have a Lucid Dream

The basis of Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams is to set the intention in your subconscious mind to induce a lucid dream at will. As you fall asleep at night, repeat in your mind "the next dream is a lucid dream." The subconscious mind is a powerful tool. Ask for something and it will come to you.

There are brainwave entrainment MP3s specifically designed to support this part of the MILD technique. The Lucid Dreaming MP3 by Unexplainable Store will put you in a meditative state within minutes while you repeat your mantra. I find it extremely effective, and it often guides me directly into a lucid dream state.

#3 - Learn To Recognize The Dream World

The final part of the MILD technique is the most fascinating. After setting the intention to lucid dream, the single most important goal of your subconscious is to control your dreams. Now, imagine what it would be like to realize you are dreaming. Imagine you are back in the last dream you can remember and re-live the ending.

But this time, become conscious within the dream. Look around you and see everything in high definition. Smell the scent of the air. Feel the ground underfoot. Engage all your senses. This is the key to increasing self awareness in dreams.

This powerful visualization technique is excellent for becoming lucid, especially if you do it as you fall asleep. Sometimes you will find the dream world literally unfolds around you. Other times you will fall asleep and dream of this memory later on in the night.

That is the secret to Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams. The very last thought you have before falling asleep is about lucidity.

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