It is useless to attempt entering lucid dreaming using a direct technique by lying in bed and resolving neither to sleep nor get up until lucid dreaming occurs. Such coarseness in handling the delicate nature of the mind will produce nothing besides rapid emotional exhaustion.

Rigid timeframes apply while performing direct techniques before a sleep or in the middle of the night. Direct techniques attempts should only last 10 to 20 minutes. Longer durations inhibit sleepiness because the mind will concentrate too long on the techniques, and the desire to fall asleep will dissipate, resulting in insomnia that often lasts several hours. Overdone efforts negatively affect natural enthusiasm due to lost sleep and being tired the following day, which is compounded by the reality of a growing number of failed attempts.

If direct techniques produce no effect over the course of 10 to 20 minutes before sleep or in the middle of the night, then it is better to go to sleep with the thought that everything will work out another time. This is the positive outlook a practitioner ought to always maintain.

The Art of Dreaming (1993)

…I had a most unusual dream. It started with the appearance of a scout from the inorganic beings’ world. The scouts as well as the dreaming emissary had been strangely absent from my dreams. I had not missed them or pondered their disappearance. In fact, I was so at ease without them I had even forgotten to ask don Juan about their absence.

In that dream, the scout had been, at first, a gigantic yellow topaz, which I had found stuck in the back of a drawer. The moment I voiced my intent to see, the topaz turned into a blob of sizzling energy. I feared that I would be compelled to follow it, so I moved my gaze away from the scout and focused it on an aquarium with tropical fish. I voiced my intent to see and got a tremendous surprise. The aquarium emitted a low, greenish glow and changed into a large surrealist portrait of a bejeweled woman. The portrait emitted the same greenish glow when I voiced my intent to see.

As I gazed at that glow, the whole dream changed. I was walking then on a street in a town that seemed familiar to me; it might have been Tucson. I gazed at a display of women’s clothes in a store window and spoke out loud my intent to see. Instantly, a black mannequin, prominently displayed, began to glow. I gazed next at a saleslady who came at that moment to rearrange the window. She looked at me. After voicing my intent, I saw her glow. It was so stupendous that I was afraid some detail in her splendorous glow would trap me, but the woman moved inside the store before I had time to focus my total attention on her. I certainly intended to follow her inside; however, my dreaming attention was caught by a moving glow. It came to me charging, filled with hatred. There was loathing in it and viciousness. I jumped backward. The glow stopped its charge; a black substance swallowed me, and I woke up.

These images were so vivid that I firmly believed I had seen energy…

I woke up. I needed to go to the bathroom, but decided to ignore the need. I felt light vibrations and did forced falling asleep. I knew I was in lucid dreaming. I could feel myself moving, but the vibrations weren’t there anymore. I thought to myself, "that’s odd… oh well, just roll out!" So I did!

I was on my husband’s side of the bed and I couldn’t see properly. My eyes felt stuck together. After some straining, I could see out of my left eye fine and noticed a whole lot of pillows and blankets piled on the floor. I thought, "how did all that get there??"

I tried to open my right eye, but the eyelids were stuck together. I tried physically opening it with my fingers, but it was stuck like glue. I thought, "what if I rip my eyelid," but knowing full well I couldn’t. Then, I realized that the reason my eye was not opening was because I had to deepen! I closed my eyes and frantically started touching everything I could. I touched the walls, my husband’s bedside table, and knocked over everything. I could hear glass hitting the table. I’d knocked over a glass of water. I still couldn’t see! I sort of stalled, and didn’t know what to do.

Then, I remembered that while in lucid dreaming, I had wanted to stick my head out of my closed bedroom window, look out, and jump! (my bedroom is on the 2nd floor) I ran excitedly to the window and stuck my head out! Argh!! It works! So cool!

I jumped out, and before I hit the ground I said, "I want to fly." I took off and flew around my house and the others around it. Ahhh so this is what it feels like. It was amazing! Then all of a sudden – SPLAT! I fell out of the sky! How rude!

I jumped up and tried again. I didn’t take off, but sort of hovered and then fell again. I did this twice, and on the third time I took off. I flew down the road. I still couldn’t see out of my right eye, and thought, “I wonder if I can make it rain?” I said, "I want it to rain," and it started raining! As soon as it had started raining, I could see out of both eyes. I wiped my face. There were beautiful cool rain drops as I was flying! It was so peaceful. I didn’t want it to end.

It did however end, and I found myself sitting on the side of the road a block over from my house. I realized I needed to go to the bathroom! Damn it! I woke up.

This was the coolest thing I have ever experienced in my life – so much fun! I can’t wait for more OBE’s – bring it on!

Testing Individual Effectiveness. Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Observe the blank space before the eyes for 3 to 5 seconds and try to locate recognizable pictures, images, or symbols. If nothing appears during this exercise, the technique should be substituted. If something appears, continue to passively observe the images. Meanwhile, the images will become increasingly realistic, literally enveloping the practitioner. Do not aggressively examine the details of the image, or it will vanish or change. The image should be experienced as a panorama, taking everything in. Observe the images as long as the quality and realism increases. Doing so yields two possible results: the practitioner becomes part of the surroundings, and has achieved lucid dreaming, or the image becomes borderline or absolutely realistic, and separation from the physical body is possible.

Training. To train the use of this technique, lie down in the dark, eyes closed, and observe the blackness for several minutes, identifying any specific images that may arise from simple spots or floaters, and then gradually transition to whole pictures, scenes, or scenarios. With practice, this technique is very easy and straightforward. A common mistake made during practice of this technique is when the practitioner aggressively attempts to conjure images versus passively observing what is naturally presented.

The ambition to create a device that facilitates quick and easy lucid dreaming entrance has led to the appearance of assorted technologies that claim to fulfill such a role. As already stated, none of these devices has been proven effective.

The most famous of these is the Hemi-Sync system, which purports to synchronize the two hemispheres of the brain. Hemi-Sync was developed by Robert Monroe, an American esotericism expert and researcher. The idea behind Hemi-Sync is that out-of-body sensations may be induced by achieving synchronization of the brain’s two hemispheres. However, this type of approach yields a paradox for the lack of scientific (or pseudo-scientific) evidence that hemispheric synchronization influences sensory perception. Actually, it is the cerebral cortex and constituents that are primarily responsible for sensory perception. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became clear that the key roles in sensory processes are played by varying levels of inhibition and activity in the cerebral cortex. Synchronization devices have no effect on the operation of the cerebral cortex.

The idea of using sounds of various frequencies to induce a specific level of electrical activity in the brain is, so far, considered impossible. Thus, the sounds and noises used to assist separation from the body cannot directly affect the process, but merely serve as cueing signals. Such a system works only after having been used for a long time, if it works at all. Moreover, it might only work once or twice. Usually, it never works at all. Nevertheless, synchronization systems are able to help practitioners reach a free floating state of consciousness since the systems prevent sleep or induce wakefulness, providing fertile ground for direct lucid dreaming entry.

The idea of inducing various lucid dreaming states through sound has gained wide attention. Many other programs and technologies have appeared as a result, including, for example, the Brain Wave Generator (BWG), which allows the practitioner to independently experiment with a wide array of sounds and frequencies and various methods of transmission. The effect is the same: cueing during sleep or the maintenance of a transitional state. Thus, there is no noticeable difference between using machines and listening to similar sounds or musical compositions.

Inasmuch as the devices described above have not delivered notable result, the search for new technologies continues unhindered. The number of ideas for exerting noninvasive influence over the brain and its constituent parts is increasing. For example, there is a theory that lucid dreaming experiences may be induced by electromagnetically stimulating the left angular gyrus. However, this, like all other non-autonomous methods, is strictly based on theory. At present, consistent, focused, and unassisted practice is the simplest and only guaranteed means to achieving lucid dreaming entrance.