How to have Finger Induced Lucid Dreams (FILDs)

Today we’re going to cover Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming.

It’s a great little technique to have in your back pocket.

Something that you can pull out when the moment is right.

I don’t generally recommend the FILD technique as a starting out point for beginners. You should learn the basics first.

But it’s a good technique to be aware of. One that can help to mix things up if you are stuck in a rut, or help break a plateau.

It’s a pretty easy and simple technique so we’ll keep this tutorial short!

Preparing for a FILD

Funnily enough, to prepare for a Finger Induced Lucid Dream, the first thing you need to do is learn what to do with your fingers.

You’ll need to give this a little practice during the day.

So that you get the movement embedded in your mind.

Pick two fingers. You can use any two, but I suggest starting with your index and middle fingers.

Move them up and down, as if you are playing a piano. One after the other, in an alternating fashion.

The movements need to be really small and subtle.

No more than a millimetre at most!

We’re not trying to tap out a tune here… really it’s just about establishing the "mind-body connection" between your brain and your fingers.

Focus more on this. At most you want to feel a slight tug on the tendons in your hand, rather than a dramatic movement of the fingers.

So practice this during the day for a few minutes, so that the movement is already familiar to you when you try the technique at night. If you’re trying to figure it out at the time, it may just wake up you.

Lastly, you’ll need to be in the habit of performing regular reality checks (this is important).

When to try for Finger Induced Lucid Dreams

The most critical thing to remember about the FILD is that it must be performed when you are tired.

You need to be in that half-awake, half-asleep state where you can feel that sleep is just around the corner.

For example, when you feel as if you will fall asleep "as soon as your head hits the pillow".

Perhaps when you wake naturally during the early hours to use the toilet.

Or when you would normally try for a WILD.

That time when your body is crying out for rest and the hypnagogia flows easily.

This is nothing unusual, as this is really the base state for any lucid dreaming technique.

And it’s the state we try to achieve by waking ourselves up in the middle of the night. So, just as with the WBTB technique, you might like to try setting your alarm to wake you after 4-5 hours or so and then try for a FILD.

The key to this is that you want to be in a state whereby you feel like you could fall to sleep within 30 seconds or so.

The FILD Technique

So, when you are in that state, relax.

Don’t be visualising anything, or be in a ‘step by step’ state of mind. Just relax.

As you feel yourself drifting off, start gently moving your fingers like we practiced before.

You’ll be subtly sending signals from your brain to your fingers.

Relax more and allow yourself to keep drifting off, as you continue to move your fingers.

Do this for around 30 seconds to a minute or two.

So now check if you are in a dream by trying to push your finger through your palm. If it goes through, congratulations – you are lucid (you should now use the normal methods to stabilise your dream).

If it doesn’t and you’re still awake, then I suggest simply letting the moment pass and trying again another time.

It will either work, or it won’t. Repeated attempts will only lead to frustration, so just relax and enjoy some sleep if it doesn’t work for you.

You’ll either get lucky and it will work for you the first time.

Or you’ll need to try it several times over the course of a few weeks. There is no rush. Like I said before, keep it in your back pocket like a tool. Don’t wear it out.

Bear in mind that when this does work, it can be quite shocking – as you will probably be fully expecting the reality check to fail. But it won’t! So make sure you don’t get too excited!

How does this work?

If you’re wondering how this technique works, it’s a very interesting question.

Of course, others may have their own theories, but this mine.

Final Thoughts

Be aware of this mind hack and keep it in your back pocket for when the time is right.

Finger Induced Lucid Dreams are a legitimate tool in your lucid dreaming arsenal and you may even experiment using other body parts if you find success with it.

Credit to Hargart, as the original inventor of this method back in 2004.