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I've only lucid dreamt twice. Both times were accidental. I realised I was dreaming and unusually this didn't end the dream but it continued into a lucid dream.
I could have sought to explore lucid dreaming but my heart wasn't into it, but here's a few ideas.
In dreams you don't really have new choices but mostly old ones. Choices you've made before. You purely react in dreams, not act. Dreams represent you're highest representation of unconscious thought.
There are a few ways around this I know. Some harder than others. Which one works for you depends on you.
1) Pre-choice.
The way to do this is to simply choose before the dream. You have to be very clear and precise for this to work. It has to come from the heart. What you do is say to yourself, "if I come across this situation, this is what I will do." Then actually make the choice to do it once that condition is met. When you reach that point in the dream, if you've made the choice sincerely, you'll do it in the dream.
For example, "the next time I realise I'm dreaming, I won't wake up. I'll have a lucid dream." Commit to this decision absolutely. A bit like deciding that the next time you see someone you'll say hello, then no matter how nervous you are, you do it.
2) Technological trickery
Another way is to buy a device that is timed to flash your eyes after you reach REM sleep. Either based on a timer or a delta wave monitor. When you see the flash in your dream you'll remember it means you're dreaming and can trigger a lucid dream. It might take several nights before it doesn't wake you and you become accustomed to it.
You can simulate this yourself by setting an alarm on your phone so go off 4 hours after you go to bed. When it wakes you up go immediately back to sleep but note you are dreaming. Done right you'll slip back into the dream you were having but realise you're dreaming and trigger a lucid dream. I've heard this can take months of practice until you get it right.
3) Enlightenment
This is the hardest to achieve. Dreaming is by nature unconscious. Lucidity is by nature very conscious. Doing both is a challenge to say the least. As you raise your waking consciousness this is retained during sleep meaning you're more likely to be able to sustain consciousness there.
Imagine that consciousness is like a castle and unconsciousness is like chaos. We all live in a castle in our waking life that is beset on all sides by chaos. When we sleep (or die) we leave this castle and merge with the chaos. The trick is to build a castle in the chaos so that when we leave our waking castle we still have a lucid place to reside in.
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