What is ‘dream control’? My 2006 PhD research identified four main methods of engaging with a lucid dream:
Passive Observation
If you stop in a lucid dream and just watch, the dream will continue to create, morph and flow, without you ‘willing’ anything. The leaves on the dream trees will move realistically in the breeze, yet you’ll see a stag pass by and notice that its hooves aren’t touching the forest floor. Watching the scene, it seems that none of this has come from you: the dream seems to be amusing itself, playing and creating under its own steam. It’s a fascinating way of learning more about your dreaming mind.
Passive Participation
Lucid dreamers often choose to go with the flow of action in the dream. If you become lucid paragliding over a mountainous vista, rather than deciding to teleport to a nightclub and find a movie star to have sex with, you continue to hang in your paraglider enjoying the view, and remain open to whatever the dream chooses to create. This method is wonderful as you are fully immersed in the multi-sensory world of the dream while remaining lucid and able to marvel at the complexity and fabulousness of the dream.
Sporadic Control
This is when an impulse is given to the lucid dream, such as asking a question (What should I do with my life?) or making a request (Fly me into outer space!), and then simply seeing what happens and going with the flow. This can be incredibly creative, as the dreamer and the dream respond to each other. I’ve used this to help me with specific creative projects such as writing my novels, by asking to meet my novel characters or experience the world through their eyes.
Continuous control
Continuous controlA lucid dreamer is free to experiment with dream control, but even in the most lucid of lucid dreams, it seems very rare for the dreamer to have control over every aspect of the dream. The colour of the sky, the feel of the sand, the Pterodactyl that unexpectedly flies past are often ready-created background elements or what I call ‘dream furniture’. The dream continues to create dream furniture regardless of whether the lucid dreamer is trying to control the main action or not. So a continuous control lucid dream means a dream where the lucid dreamer is continually exerting their will to guide and shape events: ‘Now I’m going to dive into the ocean (splash!). Now I’m going to meet a hump-backed whale and ride on its back (wow!). Now I’m going to turn myself into a sea-horse…’
How to guide lucid dreams
- If you want to guide a lucid dream, first take a deep breath and stabilise the dream scene.
- Clear, firm thoughts work best when making lucid dream requests, as do those with strong emotions behind them. ‘Show me the most beautiful landscape!’ will work best if you feel excited anticipation as you state your request.
- You don’t need to speak your questions or requests aloud as the dream will hear your thoughts anyway, but sometimes this can help to add power – try shouting, or singing!
- Be respectful of the dream – try not to force things as this rarely works. If a particular desire, such as flying, doesn’t seem to be working out for you, relax and see what the dream offers instead! There’s no point in persisting with a failing plan and waking up frustrated – why waste precious lucid time?
- Try picturing a new scene and feel yourself being pulled there, or it materialising around you.
- Open a door: this is a simple lucid dream trick to get something to appear. Look around in the dream for anything that could serve as a portal – a window, a large rock to look behind. Then say, ‘behind that rock I will find…’ Fully expect to find what you’re looking for.
