Can You Learn Lucid Dreaming?

“Not all lucid dreams are useful but they all have a sense of wonder about them. If you must sleep through a third of your life, why should you sleep through your dreams, too?”

— Stephen LaBerge, psychophysiologist specialising in the scientific study of lucid dreaming

Have you ever had a lucid dream? That moment when you realise you are dreaming and suddenly everything changes—you are in control, the impossible becomes possible.

I used to have lucid dreams a lot when I was younger. If I was having a nightmare, I would recognise it as a dream and know I could take control. I would crouch close to the ground, launch myself into the air, and ‘swim’ breast stroke through the sky, soaring higher and higher, delighting in the views and the freedom.

Somewhere along the way, as I grew up, I stopped lucid dreaming.

Recently, someone asked me if I could help him learn to lucid dream using hypnotherapy. I never over-promise, so I explained I had not tried it before and there were no guarantees — but there was potential. The subconscious mind is highly responsive, and post-hypnotic suggestions can help nudge it towards new behaviours, including lucid dreaming. After all, dreams reside in the realm of the subconscious.

So I began researching. Lucid dreaming isn’t as widely studied as you might expect, but the studies that exist are encouraging.

Common Lucid Dreaming Techniques

Across studies, simple interventions, like playing a recording of the phrase “You are dreaming” during the night, can increase lucid dream frequency. Techniques like MILD, SSILD, WBTB, and NALDIS all leverage intention, awareness, and repeated practice.

Reality Testing (RT)Train yourself to question whether you are dreaming throughout the day. Simple checks, such as looking at your hands, reading text, or trying to push a finger through your palm, can carry into dreams, triggering lucidity.

Wake Back to Bed (WBTB)Wake after 4–6 hours of sleep, stay up for about 20 minutes, then go back to sleep. Your brain is alert while your body is still primed for REM sleep, increasing your chances of entering a lucid dream.

Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)As you fall asleep, repeat a phrase like “Next time I’m dreaming, I will realise I’m dreaming,” while visualising yourself becoming lucid in a recent dream. This programmes your mind to recognise the dream state.

Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD)Focus on your senses as you drift off — sight, hearing, and touch — cycling through them 3–4 times. This sensory mindfulness heightens awareness, making it more likely you’ll notice when you’re dreaming. Unlike MILD, SSILD doesn’t rely on verbal intention or memory. Many combine it with WBTB for better results.

Nighttime Awareness Lucid Dream Induction System (NALDIS)An organised method combining timed awakenings with strong intention. You wake briefly during the night, set a clear intention to become lucid (similar to MILD), and return to sleep. Repetition strengthens the habit and increases your chances of success.

How Hypnosis Can Help

Hypnosis can be used to directly lodge these commands into the subconscious. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility. Suggestions given during hypnosis, known as post-hypnotic suggestions, can influence behaviour, even while asleep. A suggestion such as “Next time I’m dreaming, I will realise I’m dreaming”, “When I see someone smile in a dream, I will know you are dreaming” or “Every time I touch my hand in a dream, I will consciously recognise that I am dreaming”, for instance, can be used in hypnosis to powerfully lay the groundwork for lucid dreamed, along with imaginal visualisation of dreaming and achieving lucid dreaming — visualising success beforehand helps us to achieve it.

Hypnosis can also support adherence to techniques like MILD, SSILD, or WBTB, creating a hybrid approach tailored to the individual.

What the Research Shows

Studies have explored using hypnosis to induce lucid dreams. For example, one laboratory experiment found that of 15 women given a post-hypnotic suggestion to become lucid, 14 reported lucid dreams that night. While replication has been inconsistent, these results are promising. More research is needed.

Lucid dreaming often relies on autosuggestion, which is convincing yourself you will become lucid.   And this is why it stands to reason that hypnotherapy can play a part in teaching you to lucid dream. Other factors, such as general dream recall, also play a role. A large study found that people who remember their dreams more frequently tend to experience lucid dreams more often.

Let's dream...

Lucid dreaming is not guaranteed, and some techniques work better for some people than others. But exploring these methods can be fun and creatively inspiring. After all, who wouldn’t want to explore the frontier of the mind while asleep? We can dream—so why not dream consciously?

To find out more please book a consultation or contact me.

References

Peters, E., Erlacher, D., Müller, F. et al. Using hypnotic enhancement with auditory suggestion for lucid dream induction. Somnologie 27, 198–205 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-023-00414-7

Jay Adventure‑Heart, D. Findings from the International Lucid Dream Induction Study. School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

LaBerge, S. Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Being Awake and Aware in Your Dreams.