The REAL Inception: How to Lucid Dream (Ana Geis)

Everyone has at least once noticed while in a dream that what's going on is not real. Have you ever wished you were able to control your dreams like in the movie Inception? Here's how.

Lucid dreaming is awareness of the fact that you are dreaming. Lucid dreams usually occur while a person is in the middle of a regular dream and suddenly realizes that he or she is dreaming. However, you can elicit a lucid dream using the methods that follow.

1. During the day, repeatedly ask "Am I dreaming?" and perform some reality checks whenever you remember. With practice, if it happens enough, you will automatically remember it during your dreams and do it.
2. Keep a dream journal.This is perhaps the most important step towards lucid dreaming. Keep it close by your bed at night, and write in it immediately after waking. This helps you recognize your common dream elements (people from your past, specific places, etc.), and also tells your brain that you are serious about remembering your dreams!

3. Learn the best time to have a lucid dream. By being aware of your personal sleep schedule, you can arrange your sleep pattern to help induce lucid dreams:

• Studies strongly suggest that a nap a few hours after waking in the morning is the most common time to have a lucid dream.
• Lucid dreams are strongly associated with REM sleep. REM sleep is more abundant just before the final awakening. This means they most commonly occur right before
•  waking up.
• Dreams usually run in 60-minute (Weiten Psych book 2004) cycles during sleep. If you are working on dream recall, it may be helpful to try waking yourself up during one of these cycles (interrupted dreams are often the ones we remember).

4. Try marking an "A" (which stands for "awake") on your palm. Every time you notice the "A" during your waking hours challenge whether you are awake or asleep. Eventually you may see the "A" in your sleep and become lucid.

These are just a few of the possible steps to get your mind ready to start being able to control your dreams. To see the rest of the article and the methods and tips for lucid dreaming, just click on the link below:

http://www.wikihow.com/Lucid-Dream