Lucid dreaming: Unlock the power of your dreams

“The white night descended like a cloud. The wind reads the future in young leaves.
I hear your familiar voice, see your form, But why is it only in a dream?”

To return to any of your dreams—or even create a new one—there are lucid dreams: dreams in which a person realizes they are in the realm of Morpheus and can control what happens—their actions, the behavior of those around them, and even the very laws governing the dream world. At the same time, they retain memories of their real life and their personality traits. Such dreams can be compared to video games where you are both the developer and the main character.

The term “lucid dream” first appeared in 1913, thanks to Dutch writer and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden. He wrote an article titled “A Study of Dreams” for a journal on paranormal phenomena. Since 1896, Frederik had kept a dream journal where he recorded the most interesting and memorable dreams, later sharing his experiences. By the time the article was published, he had collected around 500 dreams, 352 of which were lucid. In his article, he described how he first realized he was dreaming.

He dreamed that he was floating down a river, admiring the reflection of tree branches. Everything looked so real that he suddenly thought, “Wait a minute, how can my brain create something like this?” At that moment, he became aware that he was dreaming. And thus, the term “lucid dream” was born—you realize you’re asleep, yet you can control your dream.

The Most Amazing Thing Is That Anyone Can Experience a Lucid Dream and Live Out Any Desired Scenario

With the right approach and strong desire, there are practices and techniques that can help absolutely anyone enter a lucid dream and fully immerse themselves in any imagined scenario. Some people succeed on their first try, while others require multiple attempts, but in any case, the result can be worth all the effort.

Sorry, not today—I have training in the Realm of Morpheus…

One of the Most Common Techniques: MILD

One of the most widely used techniques for entering a lucid dream is MILD—Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams. Despite its complex name, the technique itself is quite simple but still requires genuine belief in the outcome and several repetitions.

Before going to bed, set an alarm to wake you up five hours after falling asleep. When you wake up, avoid sudden movements and focus on recalling your dream. If you don’t remember anything, try to recall any previous dream, even from childhood. Relax and concentrate on your intention to realize that you are dreaming. Visualize yourself in the space of your previous dream, trying to maintain the awareness that everything around you is not real. Repeat this process until you drift back into sleep.

This technique has shown promising results, which is why it was even used in LaBerge’s experiments, where participants needed to consistently enter lucid dreams. The success of the method often depends on how quickly you fall back asleep. If you manage to do so within five minutes of forming your intention, your chances of success increase. To fall asleep quickly, it’s crucial to find the right balance between sleep and wakefulness after the alarm rings—don’t fall asleep immediately, but stay relaxed. If it doesn’t work, you can experiment with adjusting the timing.

Another Effective Technique: FILD

If the MILD method doesn’t yield the desired results, you can try FILD—Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming. This technique is highly popular due to its simplicity and relatively high success rate among beginners.

To perform this technique, go to sleep as usual. Then, when you wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning, start gently moving your fingers as if you are playing an imaginary piano. First, press an invisible key with your index finger, then lift it and press the next key with your middle finger. Repeat this cycle, alternating fingers, for about 20–30 seconds.

Do not get distracted by counting or other factors—focus entirely on your fingers and their movements. These movements should be extremely light—no need to “press” hard on the imaginary keys, just gently lift and lower your fingers.

After about 30 seconds, perform a reality check—for example, pinch your nose and try to breathe through it or jump and see if you float. If you succeed, congratulations—you are dreaming, and the dream world is now yours to control. If not, simply try again.

Increasing Your Chances of Success

To improve your chances of having a lucid dream, regularly ask yourself during the day: “Am I dreaming or awake?” Your answer should be mindful—train yourself to check reality, so that when dreaming, you’ll recognize something unusual. To develop this habit, link the question to a specific trigger. For example, every time you look at your hands or check the time, ask yourself whether you are dreaming.

But How Do You Avoid Seeing a Psychiatrist After Lucid Dreaming?

Staying in a lucid dream, especially for the first few times, can be just as difficult as entering one. Unusual sensations may trigger intense emotions—ranging from excitement to fear—which can cause instant awakening. But that’s not the only risk to the mind when experimenting with lucid dreams.

The most common problems experienced by lucid dream enthusiasts include disrupted sleep patterns, leading to increased fatigue and irritability during the day, as well as dissociation and blurred boundaries between dreams and reality. Another significant risk is experiencing “false awakenings” or falling into “limbo”—a dream state with no apparent exit, causing extreme stress due to the inability to wake up.

The Danger of Limbo

The danger of limbo is that your brain creates a self-sufficient dream world, which you cannot control but experience as if it were real. During limbo, people may wake up multiple times within their dream, reliving various situations—each one feeling real until they “wake up” again. And again—not for real.

This state is often caused by severe exhaustion and frequent stress but is also commonly reported by those practicing lucid dreaming.

A cyclic dream like this resembles living through “Groundhog Day”, but within your own dream. The number of false awakenings can range from 10 to 100 times in a single night, and for individuals with fragile mental health, this can lead to psychosis or paranoia, eventually requiring psychiatric help.

The most amazing thing is that there are practices and techniques that, with the right approach and strong desire, can help absolutely anyone enter a lucid dream and live out any desired scenario with full immersion. Some people succeed on their first try, while others require multiple training sessions, but in any case, the result may be worth any effort.

Sorry, I can’t make it today—I have training in the Kingdom of Morpheus…

One of the most common techniques for entering a lucid dream is MILD, or Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams. Despite its complex name, this technique is quite simple to perform, though it still requires sincere belief in the result and several repetitions.

Before going to bed, set an alarm for five hours from your expected sleep time. After waking up, avoid sudden movements and focus on recalling your dream. If you don’t remember anything, try to recall any previous dream, even from childhood. Relax and concentrate on the intention to become aware of yourself in a dream. Visualize yourself in the space of your last dream, trying to maintain the intention and awareness that everything around you is not real. Repeat these steps until you fall asleep.

This technique has shown quite good results, which is why it was even used in LaBerge’s experiments, where participants needed to enter lucid dreams consistently. The success of immersion usually depends on how quickly you fall back asleep. If you manage to do so within five minutes after setting your intention, your chances of success increase. To fall asleep quickly, it’s important to find the right balance between wakefulness and sleepiness after your alarm goes off—try not to fall asleep instantly but remain in a relaxed state. If you don’t succeed, you can experiment with different timings.

If this method doesn’t yield the desired result, you can try the FILD technique—Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming—which is popular due to its simplicity and high success rate among beginners.

To perform this technique, go to sleep as usual. Then, upon waking up in the middle of the night or early morning, start moving your fingers as if you are playing an imaginary piano. That is, first, lower your index finger as if pressing a key, then raise it while lowering your middle finger, then lower the index finger again, raise the middle one, and continue this pattern for about 20–30 seconds.

You don’t need to count or get distracted by other factors; your entire focus should be on your fingers and their movements. These movements should be as light as possible—there’s no need to press on an imaginary key forcefully, just gently lift and lower your fingers.

After some time, perform a reality check—for example, pinch your nose and try to breathe through it or attempt to jump and fly. If you succeed, it means you’re dreaming, and the dream is now under your control, allowing you to do anything you want. If it doesn’t work, you can always try again.

To increase your chances of having a lucid dream, ask yourself throughout the day, “Am I awake or dreaming?” The answer must be conscious—you need to train yourself to check reality regularly. This way, in a dream, you’ll be more likely to notice something unusual. To develop this habit, you can link the question to a specific trigger. For example, ask yourself whether you’re dreaming every time you look at your hands or check the time.

All of this sounds great, but how do you avoid ending up at a psychiatrist’s office after experiencing lucid dreams?

Staying in a lucid dream—especially for the first time—can be as difficult as entering one. The unusual sensations can cause strong emotions, ranging from excitement to fear, which may lead to instant awakening. But this is not the only risk your psyche faces when experimenting with lucid dreams.

The most common problems for lucid dreamers include sleep disturbances, which can lead to increased daytime fatigue, heightened irritability, dissociation, and a blurring of the lines between dreams and reality. Another major risk is the phenomenon of “false awakenings” or the so-called “limbo”—a dream from which there seems to be no escape, causing intense stress due to the prolonged inability to wake up.

The danger of “limbo” lies in the fact that your brain creates a self-sufficient dream world that you cannot control while perceiving everything as completely real. During “limbo,” people may repeatedly “wake up” inside their dream, experiencing various situations, each of which will seem real—until they “wake up” again. But not for real. This condition often occurs due to severe exhaustion and frequent stress, but it is also common among those who practice lucid dreaming.

Cyclic dreaming is essentially like living through “Groundhog Day,” but within your own dream. The number of “false awakenings” can range from 10 to 100 in one night, and for those with an unstable psyche, this can lead to psychosis or paranoia, eventually requiring psychiatric help.

To determine if you are stuck in a dream loop or “limbo,” try checking the time or looking at any light source. Most of the time, you won’t be able to read the numbers properly because they will blur, and light sources will appear unnatural—these will be your clues. But if you are a fan of Christopher Nolan’s films and your dream resembles his iconic movie “Inception,” then a spinning top will be your clue—if it finally stops, it means you have returned to reality.

Lucid dreamers may also experience sleep paralysis—a state where, upon waking up, they temporarily lose control over their body while their mind remains active. This often leads to terrifying hallucinations. People in sleep paralysis frequently see shadowy figures sitting on their chest, trying to suffocate them. The panic during sleep paralysis can be so intense that some feel as if they are dying, which negatively impacts mental health.

So, dear directors and screenwriters of your own dreams, think twice before diving into lucid dreaming. One day, it might take you to a doctor’s office—and that won’t feel like a dream.

For those who don’t want to spend time on techniques and training to enter a lucid dream, the Brooklyn-based company Remee developed a special gadget in 2012 that, according to them, does all the work for you and provides an unforgettable sleep experience.

The device is a sleep mask that looks just like the ones travelers use on airplanes. It is very lightweight—only 30 grams—and has a soft texture, which is important since it fits snugly on your face. The back of the mask has a simple Velcro fastener, behind which is an electronic circuit board with power buttons, a battery, and a photo sensor that allows programming of the LEDs.

There are six LEDs in total, three for each eye, positioned horizontally and directed toward the soft inner side of the mask. The battery lasts 4–6 months. The front of the mask also has a mode switch button.

How Does It Work?

Sleep consists of five phases. Vivid, memorable dreams—including lucid dreams—occur only during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase, when brain activity spikes.

The six red LEDs in the mask help you realize you are dreaming. The mask “communicates” with you through light signals—you just need to learn what they mean. For instance, when turned on, it flashes from left to right as a greeting. The lights on the right indicate brightness levels, with the default set to maximum. When all the lights flash and then go out, the mask is ready to use.

The gadget is programmed to detect your deep sleep phase. Statistically, this is when most people have their most vivid dreams. Once it detects this phase, Remee signals you with its LEDs—enough to alert you that you’re dreaming without waking you up.

However, user reviews are mixed. Some noticed no effect or didn’t see the LED signals at all. Others woke up because of the mask and couldn’t sleep afterward. But some shared positive experiences, enjoying an unforgettable night in a lucid dream.

In the end, Remee is just a training tool—it can accelerate your progress, but effort and consistency are still required.

So, should you spend your energy living out fantasies in a dream, or use that energy to fulfill your desires in reality? Life and dreams are pages of the same book—the ending depends on us and our choices.

Enough technology. Good night.