Lucid dreaming (OS) is a special altered state of consciousness that is fundamentally different from ordinary sleep. In a lucid dream, the reality and clarity of perception of the surrounding space is not inferior to the objective, and sometimes even seems even brighter than in the physical world. At the same time, the sleeper remembers that he is sleeping.
Remembering or entering the OS from an ordinary dream feels like passing through a pipe: as if something is being sucked into another, parallel world. This world is impermanent and changeable, unlike the earthly world, and therefore awareness can be preserved here only with full concentration of attention.
Attention management and lucid dreaming practice
Lack of concentration turns the lucid dream into an ordinary dream, therefore many dreaming techniques are aimed at developing the ability to control your attention: through contemplation of objects or stopping internal dialogue. These techniques develop the habit of bringing oneself back to the goal that has been set, which heightens awareness, both waking and dreaming. One of the methods of entering a lucid dream is to develop the habit of checking reality for authenticity, asking yourself the question "Am I dreaming?" or returning oneself to the state of presence - "I am." This habit increases the chances of remembering yourself in a dream and going into OS.
Concentration in lucid sleep: fixing reality
Fixing attention on the hands is one of the most effective methods used by practitioners to keep their attention in a lucid dream. After all, entering the OS is only the first step. And it is also important to be able to not fall asleep again immediately after entering. For this purpose, touching the objects of a dream or their detailed examination will help.
Promotional video:
Concentration on lucid dream objects helps maintain the relative stability of dreaming reality, preventing it from constantly floating. The surrounding space in a lucid dream is held by consciousness, but it can also be a clue to which consciousness holds, while maintaining its awareness. Although, in the second case, hands are still a more universal object for fixation, because they are always with us. However, it can also happen in the OS that objects for fixing attention are absent, although these are isolated cases.
From personal experience
Once, I seemed to be in a very unusual lucid dream. Everything around was completely white. At first my mind decided that the space around was limited by white walls, but when I tried to find at least some solid foundation, it turned out that there was no wall, no floor, not even my own body.
If we draw parallels with the esoteric systems of the hierarchy of the cosmos, we can assume that I ended up at the zero point of Alva, which the ancients called the ultimate depth of the universe. There are no divisions and manifestations in this world. The walls, initially outlined by my consciousness, were probably the product of the mind, which was not immediately able to accept such an unusual state. In that reality, the only thing I could cling to to maintain awareness was only one memory of my existence, “I am,” because there were simply no other objects for fixation there. Having mastered this state, the practice of lucid dreaming will no longer need fixation on visual objects, which significantly expands the horizons of possible experience.
Scientific view
The lucid dreaming phenomenon has been scientifically confirmed experimentally. During the experiment, dreamers were able to prove their awareness during sleep by transmitting a signal with a certain eye movement. At the same time, it turned out that the entry into the OS is most likely during the REM sleep phase, lasting from 5 to 15 minutes. This stage is on the threshold of wakefulness, and it is during this period that a person dreams.
The REM sleep phase begins approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep, after the main and longest - slow wave sleep. The phase of slow or deep sleep is associated with recovery processes. During this phase, all processes in the body slow down, muscle activity, respiration and pulse rate decrease.
During the night, the human body goes through several such sleep cycles - from slow to fast. And with each new repetition, the duration of the phase of slow sleep becomes shorter, and the phase of REM sleep, respectively, longer.
Severe energy depletion can lead to a complete exclusion from the sleep cycle of the rapid phase, therefore the key point in the practice of lucid dreaming is to ensure proper rest. Lack of sleep and chronic fatigue dramatically reduce not only the possibility of entering the OS, but also the likelihood of seeing and remembering even unconscious dreams.
Lucid dreaming techniques
In fact, dreams visit us at the threshold states of consciousness - the period of falling asleep or awakening. Based on this, there are two options for entering the OS:
Technique of direct entry into conscious sleep
This option is most suitable for daytime practice. Sleep in the middle of the day is usually shallow and light, at the level of nap, without going into a deep phase, which makes a direct exit to the lucid dream more likely.
This technique of directly entering a lucid dream is to preserve the memory of the presence of your consciousness, along with the observance of the complete immobility of the body. In this method, the main problem is precisely the preservation of immobility, since the brain, checking consciousness for disconnection, can send various impulses into the body. You may suddenly feel tingling, itching, or the urge to change your posture somewhere. However, the brain, as it turns out, can be deceived: stopping the internal dialogue and physical movements leads to falling asleep after about 15 minutes.
Also, this method is used in morning practice, when the body has already fully recovered overnight, but has not yet fully awakened. This method will help a short beep set at a certain time, before the usual wake-up time. The most favorable time is considered to be from 5 o'clock in the morning.
A short sound signal for consciousness will be enough to bring it out of unconscious sleep, but it will also not be enough for it to go into full wakefulness. Thus, you will find yourself in that very threshold state, which some practitioners call a phase. Further, your task will remain to maintain awareness of your stay in the OS, which will help the concentration practices suggested at the beginning of the article.
Technique for waking up from normal sleep
This technique of lucid dreaming involves remembering yourself directly in a dream. For this, it is recommended to carry out a reality check from time to time during wakefulness in advance.
Reality check examples:
- Time check. If you look at your watch in a dream, look away, and look again, the time will be different. The same goes for lettering;
- Try to take off, walk through a wall, or plunge your hand into a solid object. True, sometimes even in a dream it turns out to be impossible;
- Look at your hands. In a dream, the lines on the hands will be different;
- Thoughts about the past. Think about where you were before you came here or try to remember yesterday;
- Count your fingers. In a dream, their number may be more or less than ten;
- Try to breathe with your nose closed;
- Reach for the ceiling;
There are many more options for checking reality for objectivity. You can use accessories: for example, wear a ring or bracelet without removing, from time to time checking it tactilely or visually. You can set yourself sound signals for the period of sleep and wakefulness, associate awareness of yourself here and now with some action: for example, walking through doorways, or checking e-mail, or reading SMS. For the best effect, you should use different methods, even better creating your own.
An alternative technique for entering lucid dream
Another alternative technique for indirectly entering the OS is to set an intention before falling asleep. Conventionally, this can be tied to the phrase "this at night I will have a lucid dream." However, the main point here is not in words, but in the strong-willed message that is embedded in them. After the message is formed, you should turn off the internal dialogue and fall asleep. To get rid of obsessive thoughts will help preliminary recapitulation of the day and focusing attention before going to bed, for example, on the heart chakra or on a pleasant image that you would like to meet during the upcoming dream practice.
Elena Zakharchenko