Lucid dreaming is the art of becoming more aware of ourselves in our dreams. Although lucid dreaming has been practiced for centuries, it was recognized only recently by science, in the late 1970s. Recently, lucid dreaming has gained even more popularity thanks to some popular herbal supplements that claim to increase the ability to realize that its ringing. Known as “lucid dreaming pills,” these supplements make promises, but they’re actually not the fastest or most effective way to learn how to lucid dream. I’ll discuss why in this article and make suggestions for learning how to lucid dream naturally.
Lucid Dreaming Supplements: A Quick Review
galantamine is by far the most popular lucid dreaming supplement today. This is a chemical synthesized from a few plant sources, notably the red tiger lily. Galantamine is a legal supplement and appears to work by modulating brain chemicals that, in turn, modulate our sleep and wake cycles.
calea zacatechichi is another highly regarded lucid dreaming supplement. The leaves of this flowering plant have been used as a panacea medicinal herb in Mexico for centuries. Recent blind studies show that calea significantly increases dream recall, which is an important part of inducing lucid dreams. While there is as yet no scientific evidence of calea’s effect directly on lucid dreaming, there have been many self-reports claiming a correlation.
vitamins for the brain In general, modern medicine provides a cocktail of vitamins that are touted as increasing mental activity during sleep and also improving concentration, mood and even anti-aging. This long list includes the B vitamins, as well as certain enzymes and proteins. Some supplements provide raw materials for neurotransmitters, which aid in cell-to-cell communication, and others, such as antioxidants, scavenge free radicals, promoting the growth of healthy brain cells.
Taking the red pill is not enough
However, newcomers to lucid dreaming may be disappointed to learn that taking a pill will not make them more “aware.” Galantamine and the other onirogens (dream-promoting drugs) can affect brain chemistry in a way that promotes self-reflection, but they themselves act primarily as placebos.
And here’s why: Becoming self-aware isn’t a switch that you “flip” when you take a pill. Like the performance-enhancing drugs known in the sports world, lucid dreaming pills can improve your skills… but you still have to go to practice every day.
Self-awareness and the ability to realize “hey, I’m experiencing this moment right now” is the product of mental discipline. If we don’t tune into our daily waking life with powerful moments of self-awareness, why do we expect to have such epiphanies in our dreams? Waking life is a dream itself, after all, in which we go about our daily habits and routines, spending most of our time engaged in tasks or “reviewing.”
Taking a lucid dreaming pill isn’t going to do much for those of us who aren’t used to self-inquiry, meditation, or routine consciousness checks. Developing the mind
Learning to lucid dream is easy if approached from the simple truth that in order to become more self-aware, we have to train our mind. This is how Tibetan Buddhists and Hindu yogis viewed lucid dreaming over a thousand years ago. For these masters of consciousness, lucid dreaming was simply a sign that their mental exercises were paying off.
Similarly, many indigenous peoples around the world, including some Native American groups and South American shamans, practice lucid dreaming as a technique to develop the mind’s power of concentration and imagination. Some of these groups also use supplements; the difference is, of course, that the supplements are just that: supplements for a mental practice.
There are many sources for learning how to lucid dream on the internet, and I won’t go into too much detail about specific practices. The undisputed authority site for learning lucid dreaming is Dr. Stephen LaBerge. Briefly, here is my personal list of the most effective ways to develop self-awareness in waking life for more lucid dreaming. These practices, along with judicious use of herbal supplements, are an effective way to expand the dreaming mind.
7 Ways to Naturally Promote Lucid Dreaming Without Supplements
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reality checks
Develop a “habit” of becoming self-aware. Some use a stopwatch on their watch so that every hour they think: “I am aware right now. This is happening, and I am not my emotions, not my hunger, not my irritation of my boss during this boring meeting.” ” I’m a big fan of using doors. Every time you walk through a door, try to remember “I am aware, I move from one room to another.” This practice is harder than it sounds! However, very soon the practice it will seep into your dream life and you’ll think, “I’m aware… hey, this is weird, why am I in my high school cafeteria? This must be a dream!” -
sleep signs
If you have a recurring dream, teach yourself that the next time you experience the plot of that dream, you are dreaming. This works well with wacky dreams, like looking in the mirror and having to pull out a tooth because it’s loose. As adults, this just doesn’t happen often in waking life! You will soon pick up many “dream signs” that will guide you to the dream state. -
Meditation
Without a doubt, the safest and most direct way to learn to lucid dream is to engage in a formal mindfulness practice, such as sitting meditation. These days, it’s easy to find introductions to sitting meditation, also known as mindfulness meditation, no matter what your experience. -
Body Practice
Statistically lucid dreamers have an excellent sense of balance. Therefore, developing your body’s balance through yoga or tai chi is a great way to tune your mind and body at the same time. This is also important for general mental health; lucid dreaming is just one of the benefits of having a regular body practice. -
read at night
One of my most effective lucid dreaming tricks is to wake up in the middle of the night, turn on the light, and read something interesting for 10-15 minutes. This practice stimulates the parts of the brain that also handle self-awareness. Try meditating for 10 minutes in the middle of the night as well. I recommend getting out of bed for this practice! When I go back to sleep, I usually immediately fall into a lucid dream. -
Alcohol Chorus
Alcohol can dampen the state of sleep; scientists have noticed this for years. Even one alcoholic drink at night can statistically kill all your lucid dreaming efforts. And taking some brain meds after a drunken night will only give you a nasty headache on top of your hangover. -
Take a nap!
Usually, an afternoon nap helps us catch up on the sleep of our dreams. So the chance of having a lucid dream is quite high if you go to sleep with the intention of knowing that you are dreaming.
So, as I suggested above, lucid dreaming supplements aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. At best, they should be carefully employed in conjunction with these classic lucid dreaming tactics. A much safer and more sustainable path to lucid dreaming is to focus on developing the mind, the old-fashioned way.