For most people, dreams are mysterious ‘mini movies’ that play in their minds while they’re sound asleep, seemingly without their control, with some being rather pleasant, and others, not so much. However, we now know that it is actually possible to make dream control a complete reality, bringing about what is known as lucid dreaming.
What exactly is lucid dreaming though? How can you start using dream control? Are there benefits associated with being able to sit in the directors chair for your dreams? In this article, well look at how dream control works and what it can do for you.
What Is Dream Control?
Dream control, or lucid dreaming is when you are completely aware that you are dreaming while you are doing so; and in control of the events which take place within your dream. Even while your body is sound asleep, your mind knows that you are dreaming and you are in the directors chair for the proceedings.
Dream control can be a great help to people who suffer from recurring nightmares. The simple, yet powerful technique of lucid dreaming can enable these people to get a full nights sleep.
Common Methods of Inducing Lucid Dreaming
A newer and very effective method of bringing about lucid dreaming is binaural audio. Binaural audio involves listening to two different frequencies at the same time. The effect of this listening is to tune the listeners brainwaves into the proper frequency to achieve the state needed for lucid dreaming, REM sleep.
Before this use of modern technology was discovered and available on CDs or DVDs for the purpose of dream control, self hypnosis and meditation were the most widely used techniques for lucid dreaming, although many people report finding it too difficult to achieve this state using these two particular means of dream control.
Other than these methods, many others have been used by psychologists and sleep researchers. However the mind is trained to assert dream control, the object is the same; to enable the dreamer to realize that they are dreaming and to begin taking the reins of their dreams.
This kind of metal training begins, of course while we are still fully awake. The aim is to give yourself a cue; either an action or a word which when performed in your dream, will serve as your signal that you are dreaming; which lets you start exerting dream control.
It’s often a simple matter of telling yourself, just before going to sleep, that you will be dreaming soon and in that dream you will remember to do or say something specific, and when that happens, you will instantly realize that it is a dream.
This method of learning dream control was developed by scientist Dr. Stephen LaBerge and is known as MILD (sort for mnemonic induction of lucid dreams). This technique can let you control the course of events in your dreams; you are only limited by your imagination!
You can also achieve lucid dreaming by means of keeping a dream diary. Youll write down everything you can remember about your dreams immediate after awakening; this will train you to start remembering your dreams and being able to start using dream control. Youll find that after using this technique for a while, youll be able to replay a recent dream; except this time, youll be in control.
You can beat back those nightmares, go anywhere, do anything and talk to anyone you want in these dreams. There are no limits except for your imagination to your dreams once you have mastered the techniques of dream control.
The experts say do that there is, however, one potential drawback to lucid dreaming, as much like anything in life, too much of a good thing can actually have the opposite effect. The main reason for this being that one of the most valuable aspects of dreaming ‘naturally’ is that it often tell us important things about ourselves that otherwise would have remained hidden forever. So enjoy dreaming lucidly. It really is an amazing experience, but remember to give yourself a few nights off!

