How To Lucid Dream - An Easy Guide For Beginners

So you want to learn how to lucid dream, but you're confused with all the contradictory and slightly crazy-sounding information out there?

Well, fear not! We're here to declutter the nonsense and give you an accurate and honest look at the wonderful subject of lucid dreaming.

In this article, we'll be exploring the absolute basics of lucid dreaming, and offer a guide for beginners who want a no-nonsense and scientifically backed first step into the world of lucid dreaming.

1. What Is Lucid Dreaming?

If you've been on YouTube or TikTok, or have simply been browsing Google, trying to understand the subject of lucid dreaming, you'd be right to feel more than a little confused.

• Is lucid dreaming the ability to control your dreams?

• Is lucid dreaming just make-believe?

• Is lucid dreaming a spiritual practice?

• Can lucid dreaming be dangerous?

These and many other questions are probably running through your mind — and to get straight to the point, the answer to all of the above is a big, fat “NO”!

Lucid dreaming is simply the knowledge that you are dreaming, while you are asleep and dreaming. You "wake up" inside of the dream, and understand that everything that’s happening to you is all a dream.

This experience is liberating and entirely safe and natural, and has been validated by scientists around the globe.

What's even better, lucid dreaming is a learnable skill that anyone with dedication can experience!

2. Will Lucid Dreaming Let Me Control My Dreams?

The answer to this one is a little more tricky: Yes and no!

Dream control is a separate skill from lucid dreaming, but a lucid dream is required in order for you to learn how to control your dreams.

In other words: Once you have mastered becoming aware that you are dreaming, while dreaming, you’ll then be able to slowly learn how to control the content of the dream.

When you do learn to control your dreams, you will open up a fascinating world of exploration and adventure — you’ll get to experience first-hand what having magical abilities feels like (and we both know you know you've always wanted the ability to fly unaided!).

3. Is Lucid Dreaming Easy?

Like any complex skill, lucid dreaming will be as easy or difficult as the time and energy you are willing to invest into learning it. In comparison to other skills, learning how to lucid dream is akin to learning how to speak another language, or learning to play a musical instrument.

Of course, some people will have a natural aptitude, while others may find it a little harder than most.

But one thing is certain: If you're willing to be dedicated and diligent, you too can experience the joys of lucid dreaming.

However, there is one word of warning that every beginner lucid dreamer needs to heed: Do not trust those who claim that lucid dreaming is easy, can be learnt in a short period of time, has a "secret" that can be purchased, or that any "lucid dream induction devices" will make the process easier. None of these are true — the only route to learning how to lucid dream is through time and practice.

There are no shortcuts.

4. What Is the Best Way to Learn?

The first thing any would-be lucid dreamer should do is to become familiar with their dreams. This means keeping a detailed record of your dreams, known as a dream journal.

Your dream journal will help you to "map" the territory of your dreams, giving you a familiarity with the experience.

As you become more familiar with your dreams, you’ll start to notice inconsistencies that distinguish dreams from waking life — these are called "dream signs". A common dream sign for most people is that they will feel strong emotional states more regularly in dreams than in waking life — another is that technological devices tend to malfunction in the dream world.

Dream signs are like the fingerprints of dreams. As you learn your own personal signs, you’ll naturally start to notice them within your dreams — and often, this recognition will be enough to make you realise that you are dreaming.

This is the the simplest "lucid dreaming technique" that forms the foundations for all other approaches. However, lucid dreaming is a deep and broad topic, with many techniques and strategies. For a quick overview of the absolute basics, take a look at this lucid dream primer video below:

Another important skill required for lucid dreaming is known as the "reality test" (also known as a “reality check”).

This is simply learning to regularly question if you are awake or dreaming throughout your daily life. The idea is that this practice will develop an observant and critical mindset that, once habituated, will transfer into your dream world. Of course, when you perform such a test within a dream, you'll realise that what you’re experiencing is all a dream.

There are many different types of reality tests, but the most reliable are the nose pinch test and the digital watch test.

Watch the following video below to further understand reality tests.

5. Where Is the Best Place to Learn?

With so much to learn and so many places to choose from as your source of learning, it’s easy for an aspiring lucid dreamer to stumble into the less reliable areas of the internet and fall victim to a scammer or misinformed teacher.

To avoid making such a mistake, follow this simple rule of thumb:

If a teacher, product, or website claims that lucid dreaming is quick and easy, or that they have some special secret, then you can be entirely sure that you are dealing with someone untrustworthy.

If you are looking to learn how to lucid dream, the best place to start is to pick up a quality guidebook on the subject. Books offer an ideal way to immerse your mind in the subject, allow you to learn at your own pace, and are almost always far more reliable and well-researched than online articles and videos.

The most comprehensive book currently available is “Are You Dreaming?: Exploring Lucid Dreams: A Comprehensive Guide", which will offer you a well-rounded and complete introductory course to the subject. There are also many other quality books available — check out our list of recommended reading here.

With a quality book as your foundation, you can supplement your lucid dreaming education with additional tutorials.

Once again, there is a good deal of half-baked information available online, so it is always wise to research and be cautious of the credentials of any teacher. The YouTube channel Lucid Dream Tonight is run by the founder of The Lucid Guide, Daniel Love, and offers realistic and scientifically valid hints, tips, and tutorials on lucid dreaming.

You can watch Lucid Dream Tonight's videos for free on YouTube, by following this link.

6. How Long Will it Take to Learn?

Even with high-quality guides and tutorials, learning to lucid dream can be a life-long adventure. While many people report having lucid dreams within the first month of training, on average, most will require a good year of training before lucid dreaming becomes a regular event.

For those that struggle with the self-taught approach, you can also opt for professional lucid dream tuition.

Under the guidance of a seasoned lucid dream expert, lucid dream students can often avoid common pitfalls, find a tailored approach that suits their unique psychology, or simply find motivation that might be harder to come by when exploring the subject on their own.

Even after lucidity becomes a common experience, there is much to learn and explore: dream control, self-exploration, philosophy, artistic creativity, and the limits of the human mind are some of the many frontiers that lucid dreaming will lay before you.

A true lucid dreamer is someone who accepts that lucid dreaming is simply a doorway to a much larger adventure: an exploration into what it means to be human and to be conscious, and to explore the very fundamental questions of existence.

Of course, the adventure of lucid dreaming can also be a lot of fun — but once you get a taste for the freedom that lucid dreaming offers, it is likely you'll be drawn down the rabbit hole, and become a lifelong adventurer of the mind!