6 Steps to Better Dreams

I've always been a fan of things that feel a little magical, like they might provide some kind of insight towards what I should be doing with my life. Tarot cards. Horoscopes. Dream guides. So if someone says that I can actually learn to harness my dream-state subconscious and use it for my own personal greater good-yeah, I'm game to try.


A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming (Workman), is written by a trio of writers and filmmakers, Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, and Thomas Peisel, who also happen to be longtime self-proclaimed "nocturnal explorers." They aim to turn readers into oneironauts-pronounced "oh-nigh-ro-nots," the term is derived from a Greek word that means "dream navigator." This isn't about learning how to interpret nightmares about, say, losing teeth or missing a flight, it's about becoming aware of the fact that you're dreaming while you're dreaming, and then getting into the driver's seat of that dream. I have some pressing questions. How long does this take to learn? What, exactly, is the point of it? And can one summon certain muscular actors to these dream frolics?

According to Zeizel, Peisel, and Tuccillo, advanced dreamers can learn to harness their dreams and use them to benefit their waking life. Need closure on a past relationship? One lucid dreamer describes how speaking with the dream version of an ex brought enormous emotional relief that remained when she woke. Trying to make a career decision? Speaking with a dream character might lead you to a surprising resolution-you're literally tapping into your subconscious to get at the answer that was there all along. It's better than astrology.

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Here, six steps to mastering your dreams.

1. Set a bedtime routine.
As in most sleep-related how-tos, A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming suggests establishing a pre-bed ritual. Light your favorite Dyptique candle, settle into a steaming bath, and let your mind focus on the dreams to come.

2. Question reality.
Scattered throughout Field Guide are small illustrations of compasses. Each time you reach one, you're asked to question whether you're dreaming, even as you read. Strange? Certainly. In theory, if you spend enough time asking yourself whether you're dreaming while you're awake, your subconscious will learn to ask the same question while you sleep. To make sure you're doing this on a regular basis, the authors advise you to ask yourself if you're dreaming every time you turn on a light, hear a dog bark, or open a door.

3. No mind-altering substances.
Prepare to abandon your vices. Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine can mess with your REM stage-Rapid Eye Movement, the elusive dream-time in your sleep cycle-and disrupt sleep. So console yourself with visions of consciously created dreamscapes when you step away from the Starbucks counter post 2PM.

4. Keep a dream journal.
You can't control your dreams if you can't remember them. Each morning, upon waking, immediately write down what you can recall from the night's mental wanderings. The dreamworld is a very weird place, and these entries are fun to revisit when you're more awake, after your first-or third-early morning dose of caffeine.

5. Have an intention.
Yes, the authors believe you can literally will yourself into your desired dreams. Just as the lucidity enthusiast is advised to constantly question reality, it's a good idea to mentally recite dream goals on a fairly regular basis. And there are a lot of options out there, so creative intentions are encouraged. "Flying and having sex seem to be the first activities of the novice lucid dreamer," the authors write. But, apparently, there is so much more. Meet your long-dead idols, practice important presentations, travel to lands of your own creation-this world, the reader is reminded, is limited only by your own imagination.

6. Remember that this takes time.
And patience. Rome wasn't built in a day (although apparently it can be built in a night if the dreamer works hard enough.) My own first week didn't lead to any elective subconscious adventures, but I've been remembering my dreams more clearly, which is interesting, (to me, if not my roommate.) Usually prone to insomnia, I've actually been sleeping better, too. Maybe I've been brainwashed; maybe something's working. The book has whole sections for things to do after lucidity is mastered, like time travel and conjuring and other Hogwarts-esque activities, so there's that to look forward to. And of course, I'm still holding out for really great, um, conversations with Tom Hardy.

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