Note: This list is not completed. I am still adding methods to this list. Also, if you know about another method, or you have your own personal method, send me a PM saying so, along with a link of a tutorial explaining how to do it. Thanks!
[i]Now, I’m not sure if there’s already a topic on this subject, but I thought I’d go through and create a list of all the methods I can find on this forum, kind of like a Method Glossary!
I’ll put a brief summary of each technique and some other information under each method name, though if you’d like to do extra research on the topic, you can click one of the resources I have listed for each technique as well. I highly recommend this if it sounds like a good technique for you.[/i]
If you need extra help finding the technique that’s right for you, go here.
ADA - All Day Awareness
Reference #1
This is a technique where, throughout your day, you practice being aware of your surroundings. Be aware of your breath filling up in your chest, and being released. Be aware of your blinking, and the weight of your clothes on your body. Be aware of the shadows, and small details in your surroundings you wouldn’t have noticed if you were daydreaming. Be aware of anything out-of-the-blue, or any small movements. Eventually, you’ll be able to do this naturally without trying, and you’ll end up being aware in a dream! You’ll realize something’s wrong, do a reality check, and become lucid. This method works because most of the time, the average human walks around with their head in the clouds, completely oblivious to everything around them.
CAT - Cycle Adjustment Technique
(I couldn’t find any references in the forum for this one. If you could find one for me, it’d be extremely helpful.)
This is a technique in which you adjust your sleep cycle to induce a lucid dream. This is very effective if you have a regular sleep cycle. If your sleeping pattern is completely out-of-whack, like mine, or you work different shifts every day, I wouldn’t recommend this.
CILD - Chakra Induced Lucid Dream
(I couldn’t find any references in the forum for this one. If you could find one for me, it’d be extremely helpful.)
This is a method in which you wake up after 4.5-6 hours of sleep, and fall asleep while concentrating on your third eye. It’s best to add in yogic techniques with this method, and sometimes concentrate on more than just one chakra. This technique could also cause false awakenings.
DEILD - Dream Exit Initiated Lucid Dream aka Chaining
Reference #1
Reference #2
This is a method where you wake up from a dream, then re-enter the same dream and become lucid again. Try to stay still and re-enter the previous REM cycle. This should take an extremely short amount of time. If you’ve been laying there for more than a few minutes, it’s either not going to work, or you’re already in a dream.
DILD/RCILD - Dream Initiated Lucid Dream or Reality Check Initiated Lucid Dream
(I couldn’t find any references in the forum for this one. If you could find one for me, it’d be extremely helpful.)
DILD is one of the most popular forms of becoming lucid. Throughout your day, you have to do things such as writing your dreams down in your dream journal, doing reality checks, and asking yourself things such as, “Am I dreaming?” It is very important that you practice this, or it most likely isn’t going to work. Eventually, you’ll end up doing a reality check in your dream, realize you’re dreaming, and become lucid.
Some reliable reality checks are:
-Pinching yourself
-Counting your fingers
-Looking at a mirror or clock, looking away, and looking back
-Closing your nose and trying to breathe through it
-Closing one eye and looking at your nose
EILD - Externally Induced Lucid Dream
(I couldn’t find any references in the forum for this one. If you could find one for me, it’d be extremely helpful.)
This is a method where you use cues such as devices and signals to induce a Lucid Dream. A popular cue would be NovaDreamer. I highly recommend to learn to lucid dream on your own before attempting to EILD.
FILD - Finger Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
This is a variant of the WILD method (seen below) where you wake up after 4.5-6 hours of sleep and move your index and middle fingers slowly and slightly as if playing the piano. After about 30 seconds of this, do a nose reality check. If it fails, you are in a dream, lucid! If it doesn’t, wait about two minutes and try again.
LILD - Letter Induced Lucid Dream
(I couldn’t find any references in the forum for this one. If you could find one for me, it’d be extremely helpful.)
Keep one letter (such as A or B) or object (such as a dog or TV) in mind, and every time you see that letter or object, do a reality check. There’s a chance you’ll end up doing this in a dream, and become lucid.
LILD - Lucid Dream Initiated Lucid Dream
(I couldn’t find any references in the forum for this one. If you could find one for me, it’d be extremely helpful.)
Write a note in a lucid dream saying something like, “You’re dreaming!” If you see it in your next dream, you’ll think something like, “Oh, hey! I’m dreaming!” and become lucid. Though, you could also ask a DC to appear in your next dream and give you the exact same message, which also works, too. This works because your subconscious mind will remember the note, or to have that DC appear in your next dream.
MILD - Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
Reference #2
MILD is a simple method, where you repeat a mantra in your head throughout your day, and even more-so as you fall asleep. Some popular mantras include things like “Tonight, I will realize I’m dreaming,” or “I have lucid dreams every night!” It’s important to remember that this is kind of like an add-on to other techniques. Don’t try to become lucid with just this technique. This technique is not only used to help become lucid, but to improve dream recall as well.
NILD - Nightmare Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
This is a method where you give yourself a certain frightened mindset, increasing your chance of having the nightmare of the thing you were thinking about earlier in the day. You’ll notice this in your nightmare, do a reality check, and become lucid. Do this at your own risk!
PILD - Picture Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
This is basically the same thing as a VILD, except you tighten and loosen your muscles repeatedly before starting.
SILD - Sitting Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
This is an easy technique that anyone can try. The best time to do this is when you’re exhausted. If you fall asleep sitting in an upright position, your body, being exhausted, will fall asleep. Though, your mind will sense that you’re in an upright position, therefore remaining aware. This increases your chance of lucidity, and can be combined with other techniques.
SSILD - Sensory Initiated Lucid Dream
Reference #1
Reference #2
This is a method where you use your senses to become lucid. Begin by looking at the moving lights behind your eyes. Don’t strain them, though. Try to notice any patterns or designs. Next, pay attention to the buzzing in your ears and try to hear it more clear - it should sound like a faint, vibrational humming sound. If you don’t hear it, this is okay. After all of this, try to feel any weird sensations in your body. Do each of these steps for 15-20 seconds, and go through them 4-5 times and fall asleep. The faster you fall asleep, the better. If this technique works, you should become lucid.
VILD - Vibration Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
This is a technique where you wear a VibraLITE 3 vibrational alarm watch and set it to go off every 42 minutes. You wear this throughout the day and do a reality check every time it goes off. It will vibrate every 42 minutes until you tell it to stop, which is why you need this specific watch. You’ll feel this vibration in a dream, do a reality check, and become lucid!
VILD - Visually Incubated Lucid Dream
Reference #1
This is a technique in which you imagine yourself in a dream doing a reality check as you fall asleep. Imagine yourself in an empty room (Except for a door, which should be positioned directly in front of you,) with “REALITY CHECK” written all over the walls in different sizes and styles. Next, imagine yourself doing a reality check, failing the reality check, and walking out the door. Repeat this visualization in your mind until you drift off to sleep. This works best for people with good visualization skills.
WBTB - Wake Back To Bed
Reference #1
This is a simple method that works well for most people. Wake up after 4.5-6 hours of sleep, and get up and move around for 20-60 minutes. Just long enough to wake up a bit, but not so long that you won’t be able to fall back asleep. If this doesn’t work for you, try changing the duration a bit!
WILD - Wake Induced Lucid Dream
Reference #1
Reference #2
Basically, you just have to lie in bed, preferably on your back, and try your best to move as little as possible. The most difficult impulses to ignore, in my opinion, would be swallowing a buildup of saliva in your throat, and not moving your eyes, though some people claim that it’s okay to do these things. Eventually, you will fall into Sleep Paralysis, or SP, where you’ll see hallucinations. Some people see frightening hallucinations during SP, and some see things as simple as cats. Though, it’s all about expectation. If you don’t expect the hallucinations to be scary, they probably won’t be. Any HH you see is due to your expectation.
