I doubt there is any need for me to tell you about the many benefits that lucid dreaming offers, as you are obviously interested in learning how to lucid dream effectively and regularly. In this article I will disclose to you the reasons why you are finding it so difficult to have lucid dreams and share with you ways to make lucid dreaming easier. First, I will answer the question, “why is it so hard to lucid dream?”.
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Is Lucid Dreaming So Hard To Learn For Some People?
Many people can lucid dream on their first or second try. For most people though it takes about 30 days to learn this skill. But for a small percentage of people lucid dreaming is a hard skill to attain.
Why is this?
There are 2 common causes that make it so hard to lucid dream.
1. You are not using proper induction techniques and doing reality checks.
2. You are not using those techniques and checks consistently and regularly.
The good news is that having your first deliberate lucid dream is the hardest. It gets easier after that.
Most of use already know the many benefits that lucid dreaming offers.
So, I will not go over those benefits here as I can assume that you are already aware of them or at least most of them as you clearly want to learn to make lucid dreaming easy.
You’re problem obviously lies in the difficulty you are having entering the state of lucidity when you dream; lucid dreaming is hard for you.
So, I will address the common causes for experiencing difficulty when trying to induce a lucid dream.
Once you understand why lucid dreaming is so hard for you I will give you the fixes you need to implement so the results you get from your lucid dreaming efforts will be much better.
In other words, once you understand why lucid dreaming is so hard for you, you can take steps to avoid those pitfalls and make lucid dreaming much, much easier to experience.
Please don’t be tempted to skip the explanations given below and jump straight to the advice for making your lucid dreaming easier.
The foundation you gain from understanding why it is difficult for you to lucid dream will greatly help you in overcoming those difficulties!
There are two main reasons for lucid dreaming being difficult:
- Not using proper induction techniques and reality checks.
- Not be persistent and consistent in using those techniques and checks.
It takes time and persistence to teach your brain to awaken you consciously in a dream.
You must be willing to invest that time and be prepared to consistently perform the necessary actions required to train your brain to lucid dream.
Let’s take a closer look at these two common causes for experiencing difficulties when trying to induce a lucid dream, to see how we can counteract their effects.
Not using induction techniques & reality checks can make lucid dreaming hard
There are proven lucid dreaming induction techniques that, if followed diligently and correctly, will allow anyone to have a lucid dream.
Doing reality checks in conjunction with these techniques makes having a lucid dream enviable.
If you have been finding it difficult to enter the state of lucidity while you dream, i.e. becoming conscious that you are dreaming, then the biggest cause is usually the lack of the implementation of the correct induction technique.
If you are not lucid dreaming then you must likely are not using a proven induction technique or you are not using one at all.
In this article I outline the top 5 induction techniques that work for most people.
Be aware that it may be necessary for you to try each technique separately until you find one that works for you.
Not even experienced lucid dreamers will have success with every technique.
So, it is important to experiment with each technique until you find the one, or ones, that work best and most consistently for you.
I promise you that if you continue to experiment in the use of proven lucid dreaming induction techniques you will find one that works for you and that allows you to induce lucid dreams regularly.
This also applies to reality checks. Reality checks are an essential component to any lucid dreaming course because they are such a powerful way to induce lucid dreams.
If you have not been using reality checks then you are putting yourself at a major disadvantage.
You increase your likelihood of having a lucid dream exponentially by using this simple mental technique.
However, there is a very important caveat to using both lucid dreaming induction techniques and reality checks though!
Lack of persistence using those techniques can also make lucid dreaming hard
If you have been using proven lucid dreaming induction techniques and reality checks but are still finding it very difficult to experience lucid dreams, then it is the second most common cause that may be to blame.
Another very common reason for experiencing difficulty when trying to induce a lucid dream is a lack of persistence and consistency when using lucid dreaming induction techniques.
As I pointed out above, not even experienced lucid dreamers can get every induction technique to work for them.
Experienced oneironauts usually have one or two induction techniques that they use regularly to enter the state of dream lucidity.
You should note that for most of those trained lucid dreamers it took time for them to discover which techniques worked best for them.
Because it can take up to 2 weeks before you know for sure that a specific lucid dreaming induction technique will not work for you, it can take some time to try every technique until you discover the one that works for you.
You should try each technique for at least 2 weeks before moving on to the next one.
Although you can take a break from trying to lucid dream between using each technique you must be persistent in using your chosen technique every night.
That means using the same induction technique every night for at least 2 weeks.
If you miss a night you should start over. You are training your brain to act in a specific way and you must be persistent in your efforts.
Because there are 5 powerful induction techniques, it can take up to 10 weeks to find the one that works for you.
As I’m sure you can now tell, this can be a lengthy process for some people.
You may be one of those people who has to go through 4 of the techniques before you find out that it is the last one works for you.
Even if you have not been able to lucid dream after trying 4 of the 5 techniques stick with it because everyone can learn how to lucid dream.
If you have been finding it very difficult to lucid dream after putting in a lot of effort it may be that you are not using reality checks on a daily basis and/or may not be doing them often enough.
Although lucid dreaming may be rare for you it is natural and has completely natural and normal causes and is much more common than you may think.
And, although some people will naturally lucid dream without even having to try, anyone can learn how to do it deliberately and consistently.
There is also some really good news: It is your first lucid dream that is the most difficult one to have. After that first lucid dream, lucid dreaming gets easier.
As I will outline later in this post, there are many, many reasons to learn how to lucid dream that go way beyond mere fantasy fulfillment.
So, rest assured that it is well worth the effort and persistence it takes to experience that first lucid dream.
Why Some People Lose The Ability To Lucid Dream
I am often confronted with the question, “why can’t I lucid dream anymore?”.
This is usually asked by people who were natural born lucid dreamers and experienced exciting lucid dreams as children but who have lost the ability as they grew into adulthood.
What does it mean if you could once lucid dream but can no longer do it?
As I pointed out in a previous article at least 55% of the population have experienced at least one lucid dream and up to 35% of people will lucid dream at least once per month.
It may be that you once fell into that second category but now find that you can no longer lucid dream.
This phenomenon is most common among people who only experienced lucid dreams when they were young and who have since lost the ability as they grew older.
Many spontaneous lucid dreamers, who lucid dream naturally, lose the ability to lucid dream as they grow older.
It is unknown exactly why this happens but it seems the answer may lie in specific brain activity during dreams.
This dreaming-brain-activity can change in some people as they grow older.
The good news is that you can reteach your brain how to lucid dream.
Read this article for more information on the causes of lucid dreaming and the brain functions associated with it.
As you read that article you will learn that lucid dreamers tend to be more focused and alert during the waking state.
This greater focus during the day causes specific brain activity which leads to heightened consciousness (being more aware of our surroundings and internal dialogue).
This brain activity is then carried over into sleep and dreams, triggering the dreamer to become conscious that they are dreaming – all that is necessary to become lucid and take control over the dreamworld.
Sometimes as we grow older and start to conform more to our societal “norms” we get caught up in everyday life and “cruise” through the day on autopilot.
This means we become less focused and less conscious of everything around us and our own thought processes.
Thus the brain functions associated with lucid dreaming are not active during the waking state and thus no longer transfer over into sleep and the dream state.
In turn the person will then lose the ability to lucid dream.
Luckily, this can be reversed. And, in fact, it is much easier for someone with previous lucid dreaming experience to re-learn how to lucid dream than it is for someone who never did it before.
Joining a good lucid dreaming community, with a proven lucid dreaming course, is probably the fastest way to regain your ability to lucid dream.
Lucid dreamers are not special
Lucid dreaming is both something you can learn to do and something that happens naturally to some people.
So are lucid dreamers special?
With 55% of the population having had at least one lucid dream and 37% having at least one lucid dream per month it seems that lucid dreamers are not that special.
Also, because anyone can learn how to lucid dream this means you don’t have to be special to do it.
Although there is specific brain activity that occurs during a lucid dream, that does not occur in a regular non-lucid-dream, there is nothing special or extraordinary about lucid dreaming.
The brain activity that is evident in lucid dreams is completely normal and natural it is just not as common.
Everyone is capable of experiencing lucid dreams. All it takes is proper lucid dreaming training and persistence on your part.
It is possible to make yourself have a lucid dream at will
Is it possible to make yourself have lucid dreams or do you need to be lucky enough to have them spontaneously?
It is possible to make yourself have a lucid dream whenever you want but it does require training.
Once you train your brain to enter the state of dream lucidity you can lucid dream whenever you want.
It takes time and patience initially to learn this skill but once you attain it, you can lucid dream regularly.
As I continually outline on this website, anyone can learn how to lucid dream as long as they follow a proven path and are prepared to put in the work.
Although learning how to lucid dream is certainly not difficult, it does require persistence and dedication.
There are proven techniques that can be used to induce the state of dream lucidity, and also advanced trainings that exist to help the lucid dreamer gain complete control over the entire dreamworld, but you must learn how to use them and be prepared to use them consistently until you achieve success.
Too many people give up too soon on their goals simply due to a lack of persistence and that goes for everything in life, not just learning how to lucid dream.
If you want to learn how to lucid dream, and also how to gain full and total control over your dreams and everything in them, then you should consider getting a lucid dreaming course, like this one, that also has a community of lucid dreamers attached to it.
This is the fastest way to learn how to induce lucid dreams and also develop your lucid dreaming skills.
It is possible to lucid dream every night
How hard is it to lucid dream every day? Can we learn to lucid dream every night?
Although it is possible to train yourself to have a lucid dream every night even experienced lucid dreamers find this difficult.
It is more common to lucid dream 3 – 5 times per week.
However, some spontaneous lucid dreamers lucid dream every night naturally.
As we have up to 7 dreams per night it is possible to have multiple lucid dreams in the same night though.
Having a lucid dream every night may not be as great as it sounds anyway.
Sometimes it is best to take a break from your lucid dreaming activities.
Although science still does not fully understand the role that dreams play in the psyche, it is understood that they are vitally important for maintaining a healthy mind and body.
So, it may be advantageous to simply allow your subconscious mind to dream interrupted from time to time.
Some spontaneous lucid dreamers experience the state of lucidity every night without trying.
Many of them consider this to be a problem more than a blessing. They will actually learn how to stop lucid dreaming so they can control the number of lucid dreams they have and also so they can dictate when and where they have them.
How to increase your chances of having a lucid dream
There are several things you can do to increase your chances of having a lucid dream.
Here are 11 things you can do to increase your chances of having a lucid dream:
- Perform reality checks continually throughout the day.
- Use one proven induction technique for at least 2 weeks before trying a different one.
- Make an audio recording on your phone of lucid dreaming statements (like “tonight I will lucid dream”) and listen to it during the day.
- Use a lucid dreaming course.
- Immerse your mind in information about lucid dreaming.
- Watch lucid dreaming tv programs and movies.
- Watch YouTube videos about lucid dreaming.
- Read stories about lucid dreaming.
- Listen to podcasts, interviews or audible books that center on lucid dreams.
- Talk about lucid dreaming to others.
- Place lucid dreaming posters around your home or workplace.
As you can see from the bullet list above, one of the most powerful ways to help you have a lucid dream is to immerse your mind in the subject.
As we tend to carry over our daytime routines into sleep and dreams, the more you immerse yourself in the subject of lucid dreaming during the day, the more chance you will have of thinking about it in your dreams.
Thinking about lucid dreaming while you are in a dream is often all that is needed to become “conscious” in the dream.
At the very least thinking about lucid dreaming while you are asleep will remind you to perform a reality check in the dream, which will then result in full lucidity.
This is why it is vitally important for you to be persistent in your use of reality checks.
Reality checks are by far the easiest thing to use, and the most powerful way, to train your mind to become lucid during your dreams.
You should also consider joining a community of people who have used a proven lucid dreaming course to learn how to lucid dream.
Having communion with, and using the same techniques as, other people who had to learn how to lucid dream can be very helpful when learning this skill yourself and when developing your dream powers.
Joining such a community will greatly increase your chances of having consistent lucid dreams much more quickly than just trying to do it on your own.
You will also learn tips and tricks for making your lucid dreams better, more fulfilling and longer lasting.
Why you should keep trying to lucid dream
We all know how amazing lucid dreaming can be used for experiencing our deepest desires and innermost fantasies.
Due to the fact that lucid dreams feel real there is no VR on the planet that can compare to them.
How real do lucid dreams feel? As real as your world feels right now as you read these words!
In a moment remove your eyes from whatever device you are reading these words on and take a quick look around taking in as much of your surroundings as you can.
Then come back to this post.
Everything you have just seen around you can be replicated within a lucid dream down to the smallest detail – and what’s more, you can do anything you want in it with anyone you choose to do it with.
Therefore, because you can do anything you want in a lucid dream the state of dream lucidity offers us endless opportunities to do things we could ever do in the real world.
And, because you cannot get hurt in a lucid dream you can do some truly awesome things.
You are only limited by your own imagination as absolutely every type of experience you can think of is open to you.
But the benefits of lucid dreaming go way past fantasy fulfillment and mere play!
Are you aware that you can actually affect reality through lucid dreaming? Honestly, it’s true and you can do it in some truly amazing ways.
You are probably totally unaware as well that lucid dreaming can also help to make you smarter as well as offering you help to study better.
So, I urge you to learn this amazing night skill so that you too can experience the wonderful world of lucid dreams.