How To Lucid Dream Tonight
Posted by dr3amh3rbs on Apr 19th, 2011 in Helpful Articles | 6 commentsLucid dreaming, in which the dreamer is able to recognize that they are in a dream state and are thus capable of being fully aware of and in control of their dream state, is a practice that generally takes a long time to develop. However, many people want to know how to lucid dream tonight. Generally, if people want to learn how to develop their lucid dreaming skills, I recommend that they start out trying to improve their dream recall and vivid dream frequency, start keeping a dream journal, and begin performing reality checks during their every day life. I also might recommend that individuals start taking a supplement such as celastrus seeds or blue vervain to increase vivid dreaming and dream recall. These practices will help you to develop a strong foundation for lucid dreaming work, and are the most effective methods in the long run, but it may take up to a month or two for the dreamer to achieve lucidity in the dream state.
Fortunately, it is possible to answer the question of how to lucid dream tonight! If you are thinking, “How do I lucid dream tonight?” and are just interested in trying the experience out and have never had a lucid dream before, there are a few ways in which you can discover how to lucid dream for the first time! Your lucid dream may not be as long or as easy to control as lucid dreams that one might have after building a solid dream work foundation, but you can absolutely have the experience of lucid dreaming with very little effort.
One technique that can be used if you want to know how to lucid dream tonight is known as reality checking. I like to reality check by looking at the time on my cell phone. To prepare yourself to do this, start making a mental note that you are going to check the time when you’re dreaming and do this throughout the rest of the day, more frequently as you are getting ready to go to sleep. The earlier in the day you start doing this, the better. This will act as a reminder to you in the dream state. Keep reminding yourself that you are going to check the time consciously in your dreams as you go to sleep. Take long, deep breaths and keep this goal in mind single-pointedly as you fall asleep. If you manage to remember to check the time in the dream state, you will most likely notice that the time you see does not make sense. Often, I will look at my phone in a dream at it will say something like 32:87, or the time will not agree with the actual time of day it appears to be in the dream. By noticing these things, I will know immediately that I am dreaming and will achieve lucidity.
Another technique that can be used if you want to know how to lucid dream tonight easy is known as WILD, or Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming. This technique involves paying attention to the images which will start to appear behind your eyelids as abstract shapes as you are falling in to the sleep state. Don’t try to control these images, just pay attention to them. Some individuals are able to jump straight in to lucid dreaming by using this technique of maintaining awareness as the mind enters the dream state. This won’t work for everyone but you can combine it with other techniques, and it is definitely worth a shot! This is particularly effective if you have woken up during the night to go to the bathroom or something of that sort and are then going back to sleep, as you are bound to enter the dream state much more quickly at this point. As you fall back asleep, try repeating an intention like, “I want to lucid dream tonight”, and with luck you should shortly find that you’ve fallen into a lucid dream!
Finally, if you want to figure out how have a lucid dream tonight, my number one recommendation would be to try working with some dream herbs. When I first became interested in lucid dreaming, I decided to purchase some Calea zacatechichi extract from a big online vendor. I smoked this just before going to bed, having never done any lucid dreaming work before in my life, and that morning I experienced my first lucid dream. I was in complete control of everything in the dream, and was able to remember every detail. Now that I have been working with dreaming for a long time, it is not necessary for me to work with a dream herb to experience lucid dreams, but they are definitely a huge help, especially if you have never had a lucid dream before and are looking to try the experience out before you devote a great deal of time to the process.
The herbs that I would recommend most to those people who want to know how to lucid dream tonight would be Calea zacatechichi, Silene capensis, and Entada rheedii. These herbs seem to produce very dramatic effects that are incredibly noticeable even the first time you work with them. Many of the other dreaming herbs that I describe here on the site work more slowly, producing effects on the brain and the lucid dreaming process over long periods of time, or have more subtle effects that may only be noticeable to individuals who have been doing dream work for a long period of time.
So, if you want to know how to lucid dream tonight, try out one of the herbs I mentioned above, remind yourself to check the time in your dreams, and try to pay attention to those images behind your eyelids as you drift off to sleep. I can’t guarantee that every individual will experience a lucid dream immediately using these techniques, of course, but these are the best ideas I can recommend for those who want to try out this amazing experience as soon as possible! Good luck, and leave a comment if you manage to have a lucid dream for the first time with these techniques! I’d be excited to read about some of your experiences!
hey please help me: i go to bed and i try to focus on the shapes, but for some reason my eyelids always crack open a little and i can’t get back in a relaxed feeling. earlier, i got really deep and kind of felt like i was on a roller coaster! i felt like i was part of my mind and i had the strange feeling that i wanted to drift off to the side of my mind! please explain! was i close to a lucid dream? how come i dont seem tired after i try this technique? also, when i wake up i feel like i never went to bed and i dont recall any of my dreams? oh and also, ive been acting weird lately, ive been extremely grouchy and ive been so tired but when i go to bed, i dont feel i did, please help me!
Kegan,
Whew; that’s a lot going on! In all honesty, I wouldn’t know where to begin to offer you something useful, partly because I would need a lot more details on what you’re trying to explain. Preparing for sleep, and especially working towards lucid dreaming is a very intensive process that requires patience and discipline. Following all the steps we outline is a process that can take weeks and sometimes months. Part of that process is documenting simple things like the food you ate and how much time passed after you ate and went to bed. It also involves developing, through your Dream Journal, a clear picture on what happened in your day that made it difficult to sleep, or what food you ate, or what drinks you drank that may reveal themselves as you look at your Dream Journal, and so on.
For me, I realized that I can’t eat protein within 2 hours of going to sleep. It not only makes me fidgety, but I often wake up after a few hours of sleep feeling like I just drank a pot of coffee. This I discovered through looking at my dream journal entries over the course of a few weeks. Within that few weeks, I also found music that helped lull me to sleep, so I’d simply put on my iPod and something like Anugama with unobtrusive earbuds. These are all things I discovered through my Dream journal that helped me identify why I was having difficulty sleeping or dreaming or getting close to lucid dreaming.
Perhaps if you do the same, you will discover what it is that most helps you to get to sleep and have a restful sleep. To me, that’s a great place to start. Once you discover that, then you can move onto which herbs, what music, or what products (like the Nova Dreamer) help you to recall your dreams. The more you can recall your dreams, the more you will remember to recall your dreams. And, the more you remember, the more the thought “I wonder if I’m dreaming” will enter your sleeping mind, waking you up to a lucid dream!
Happy Dreaming,
Keith
Hello there,
What is your take on masturbation/sex and lucid dreaming? I have heard regular masturbation can lead to infrequent lucid dreams. Is this just a placebo? I have been inducing lucid dreams for almost a year, now
Cheers.
Hey Jeremy,
Between my own experience and all the literature out there I don’t think masturbating (or not masturbating) has any effect on lucid dreams. And if you’re been inducing lucid dreams for a year now, just keep doing what you’re doing.
Great question!
Namaste
Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude or anything but how does the time like 15:57 not make sense? It’s 4:57 in 24 hour format. Anyway I have had three lucid dreams, one using the WBTS method (Wake Back To Sleep). I think you should check it out as it really helps me with lucid dreams.
-Chris
Dear Chris,
Thanks for pointing this out! I’m going to make an edit so this makes more sense – you caught our bias as non-military Americans who are not used to the 24 hour format.
I’ve also had great results with the Wake Back to Sleep method, especially in conjunction with Calea zacatechichi!