from Psychology Today, October 1989, p.32 ----------------------------------------- LEARN HOW TO LUCID DREAM ------------------------ Researchers and dream enthusiasts have developed a number of techniques for inducing lucid dreams. The simplest of them involves nothing more than writing the letter *C* (for *consciousness*) on the palm of your hand. Each time you notice it, ask yourself "What is real?" or "Is this a dream?" Look about and deliberately test the reality of the place in which you find yourself. By practicing this regimen many times each day, you will become more likely to ask yourself the same question and make the same reality test while asleep and dreaming. This may eventually enable you to recognize that you are dreaming -- to turn lucid. Psychologist Paul Tholey, who has studied lucid dreams since the 1950s, says it is important to question the solidity of your surroundings as frequently as possible, especially in situations that seem dreamlike. "If," Tholey explains, "a subject develops while awake a critical-reflective attitude toward his momentary state of consciousness by asking himself if he is dreaming or not, then this attitude can be transferred to the dream state." Ask the questions as close to sleep-onset as possible. Here is an abbreviated description of Tholey's lucid-dream induction method. Although there is no way of insuring that his techniques will work for you, they have effectively introduced a large number of individuals to the vivid world of the lucid dream. 1. First and foremost, keep a dream journal. Lucid dreamers tend to recall their dreams more than most people, and the best way to improve your dream recall is by keeping a journal. 2. Ask yourself "Am I dreaming or not?" five to ten times a day. 3. At the same time, try to imagine, as intensely as possible, that you are in a dream, that everything you perceive, including your own body, is merely a dream figment. 4. While asking yourself "Am I dreaming or not?" concentrate not only on contemporary occurrences but also on events that have already taken place. 5. In every situation that is at all dreamlike -- that is, whenever something improbable occurs, or whenever you experience powerful emotions -- ask yourself, "Am I dreaming or not?" 6. If your dreams exhibit reoccurring elements -- frequent feelings of fear, for instance, or regular appearances of a dog -- then ask whether you are dreaming whenever you are awake and find yourself in a threatening situation or see a dog. 7. If you often have dream experiences that never or very rarely occur in a waking state, such as floating in air, then try to imagine while awake that you are having the same experience, telling yourself all the while that you are dreaming. 8. Before drifting off to sleep, don't try to will lucidity; simply tell yourself you are going to be conscious in your dream. This method is especially effective if you wake up in the early morning and feel as though you are falling back to sleep. 9. Resolve to carry out a simple action while dreaming: drink a glass of water, or tie your shoes. Note: Steps 8 and 9 may be facilitated by concentrating on visual images and/or bodily sensations as you drift off to sleep.