Lucid Dreaming: A Bridge to Lucid Living
by
Beverly (Kedzierski Heart) D'Urso, Ph.D. Copyright (c) 2007
http://beverly.durso.org
beverly@durso.org

Workshop Before the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD)  Conference 2007, Sonoma, CA, June, 2007.


EXERCISES

 
Try lying down and falling asleep in a lucid dream.

In a lucid dream, imagine that you will wake up if you stare at a light.

Try to remain lucid as you are waking up and notice what you experience.

If you find yourself waking up in bed, look around to see if you could still be dreaming.

Try asking to get pulled to your destination the next time you want to go somewhere in particular in your lucid dream.

Ask a dream character: “Do you know that you exist in a dream?” Listen to their answer and imagine that a part of your higher-self believes what they say.

Think about what seemed out of place in a dream in which you did not become lucid. For example: Did you notice the same wallpaper from your childhood kitchen on the walls of a stranger’s house in Africa? Why did you not question if you were dreaming?

The next time you get lucid, try asking: “What does the dreamer desire?” Listen, look, and feel for the answer.

Look for fire in a lucid dream and taste it, but only when you feel certain that you are dreaming.

In a lucid dream, try flying as high up into the sky as you can, gaining speed as you go. Notice what you experience. Do you hear sounds or feel vibrations?

Talk to an animal you find in a lucid dream and listen to what it says.

Pick a simple goal that seems impossible in life, believe that you are dreaming, and expect it to come true.

The next time you are having a disagreement with someone, imagine both of you as different aspects of one dreamer.

The next time you get lucid, try asking: Where does my physical-body or higher-self reside? Imagine it existing outside of the dimension in which you find yourself.

The next time that you find yourself in a recurring life situation, especially one that you have dreamed of, such as having trouble making a phone call, ask if yourself if you could be dreaming and look for something odd.

Pick a goal, which you can practice in waking life, to try in a lucid dream.

If anything seems to need attention when you become lucid, deal with it before moving on with your goal. For example: listen to any characters that want to talk.

When you meet someone in your lucid dream whom you remember has died, use this as a clue that you may be dreaming. Try different approaches. For example: You can ask them if they know they died. You can ask if they have anything to tell you. You can ignore their death and  just enjoy them.

Ask yourself if you are dreaming every time you do some regular daily activity, such as walking up or down stairs. Look around, and perhaps even practice carrying out your goal, if you can. Eventually, you’ll do this in a nighttime dream!

Think of some other books or traditions that compare life to a dream.