Realizing that you are dreaming while you are still asleep is what is known as lucid dreaming. Sometimes while in this state it is even possible to control the dream you’re having. Depending on the occasion, they can occur with or without any effort on your part, but it is more likely to happen if you prepare for it, and practice certain techniques.

But why would you want to bother with lucid dreaming? Well, haven’t you ever wanted to do something in real life but couldn’t either because it’s humanly impossible or because it’s just something you can’t bring yourself to do? Well, if you are lucid dreaming, you can do anything without having to worry about the repercussions. As long as you can dream it up, it’s possible.

Once you know that you are dreaming, you’ll have a good chance at being able to control what happens in your dream. What can end up happening during a period of lucidity can be anything you can put your mind to, and I mean that literally. If you can dream it, then you can do it.

Some people have also tried lucid dreaming as a technique to stop their nightmares. This is because as long as you can realize that you are only dreaming while the nightmare is occurring, you’ll be able to control what happens. You can dream up a hero to save the day, or if you’d prefer, you could be the hero yourself. That’s the beauty of lucid dreaming – in the end, it’s all up to you!

There are a few pointers to think about when trying to control your dreams. The first and probably the most important step to the whole process is remembering your dreams. The best way of doing this is by keeping a dream journal.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, it can be as ordinary as a notebook kept within reach of the bed. This is important because you’ll forget just what happened if you are forced to hunt down some paper and a pencil. Speaking of pencils, you’ll also need some form of writing utensil. Now every time you can remember a dream, try to write down as much detail about it as you can stand - even if it is only a point form list.

Just be sure not to leave this task until later. Do it as soon as you wake up because we tend to forget many of the details in our dreams rather quickly. After a while, you should be able to remember many more of your dreams with a much better clarity.

But what does all this have to do with lucid dreaming and ultimately controlling your dreams? The answer is simple. How will you ever know if you were able to control your dream if you can’t remember it?

Once you are better able to remember your dreams, you might start to see some common themes and events emerging from your notes that you’ve been making. Once you spot the trend, the idea is that you’ll be more likely to notice it when it happens again in your dream.

Upon noticing that certain event in your dream, you should start to come to the realization that you are indeed dreaming, and then you can start to look for other things that indicate you are asleep.

Other things to keep an eye out for while you are dreaming are things that obviously cannot happen in real life. This can include things like the appearance of a dragon, or animals speaking in an actual language.

Another good idea is to keep a close eye as to where you are in your dream. If you find yourself in another country or on another planet, the chances are pretty good that you are in the middle of a dream. Once you’ve trained yourself to notice these things while you are asleep, you will be able to start lucid dreaming.

The best way to stay dreaming once you’ve realized you have reached lucidity is to remain calm. If you can, try and give yourself verbal reminders about staying calm. This may sound a bit silly, but it does work. All you need to remember is that it takes work, so if you don’t gain control upon your first ‘this is only a dream’ realization, don’t give up. Try again. It only gets easier.

Something else to consider is that you might not want to try for control over your dream right away. Just aim for the realization that you are dreaming at this point. Once you get a good grasp of that, then you can try and experiment with things like changing the location where you are or perhaps flying. I’d say the sky is the limit, but really, there are no limits, so I’ll have to leave it there.

By Nessiee, a freelancer