This ability of ours has always accompanied us, influencing us all the while. But it wasn’t until now that we have looked in the right direction and finally seen this elephant in the room, a hitherto secret phenomenon confounding the minds of millions. Isn’t it time we recognized its due and logical role as the common denominator of a long list of phenomena that had until now always seemed unrelated? Wouldn’t the world become simpler, and wouldn’t we then understand ourselves much better?

As it turned out, certain commonalities of several completely different, but hitherto uncompared, phenomena became clear and straightforward to me, thanks to both my activities and personal experience in the field. I couldn’t but conclude that there was some common denominator at work.

Man has extraordinary ability to adapt and is constantly evolving. Although it’s hard to imagine now, just several thousand years ago our consciousness and self-awareness looked totally different. They simply did not exist in their now familiar form. What is going on today can be alternatively interpreted as either natural evolution or social (cultural) evolution.

It’s entirely possible that conscious awareness, once having developed and then having proceeded to consume our entire waking life, is actually evolving into those states of consciousness where it would seem to have been impossible: those occurring while our body is asleep. To put it bluntly, consciousness ran out of room in our waking mind and continues its expansion into the brain. There is only one piece of evidence of this process: half of all people report experiencing 100% conscious awareness flaring up into their dreams.

Meanwhile, another take on the origin of the out-of-body phenomenon looks to fundamental transformations in science and culture. Even three or four hundred years ago, the average level of intelligence was hardly one-half of what it is today. Thanks to modern education systems, enormous floods of information, and lightning-fast communication, our conscious minds have had to use their resources to their full capacities. Perhaps those capacities are not enough. Our craniums are overfull, and perhaps that’s why consciousness is overflowing to where it seemingly wasn’t meant to be or couldn’t have been. With the overloads introduced by modern society, it simply has nowhere left to go. That’s why spontaneous dissociation when awakening and throughout dreaming occurs increasingly often. It also happened in the past, but rarely. But now it’s taking on an incessant nature.

By all accounts, we are now at the breakthrough stage of a new era: the entrenchment of a new state of mind and consciousness, which has become the next logical outcome of human evolution.

Children, with their predisposition for out-of-body experiences, deserve special attention. Most adults simply forget that having out-of-body experiences was the norm for them during early childhood. I’ve met many people over the course of my practice who remember how often it happened for them at an early age. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with children who maintain that they were able to do it on command before they could even speak, but that later it started happening increasingly rarely with age and that they gradually forgot about it. This speaks either for the natural evolution of consciousness, or, conversely, for regression…

Either way, we may turn our attention to this new state of consciousness that we have. And it has possibly just begun to develop. If earlier we only had three primary and completely different states – wakefulness, REM sleep, and non-REM sleep – then now we have something in-between wakefulness and REM that includes features of both. The first steps in scientifically proving the existence of this state were taken by Stephen LaBerge at Stanford University in the beginning of the 1980s. A successful experiment was conducted regarding consciousness while dreaming. Meanwhile, today it is clear that the experiment’s result has implications for a far greater number of phenomena. It has become fully apparent that consciousness while dreaming is practically the same thing as out-of-body travel, but that it occurs as a result of different method. And we have already identified spontaneous exit from the body in a whole slew of phenomena.

However, when you see the word “dreaming” in the context of all of the above, don’t think that experiencing the phenomenon itself feels like being in a dream. We have identified a whole number of cases in which super-realistic sensations made people think that they were dying, seeing God, or encountering aliens. The term “hyper-realism” is often brought in to describe the experience: in most exits from the body, every sensation is so heightened that the physical world seems like a faint dream in comparison.

I have no interest at all in discussing where we actually go when we leave our bodies. My task is only to inform people of the opportunity to do so and to teach them how to take advantage of it. Meanwhile, practitioners can decide for themselves what is actually going on. Some believe that they are travelling in spirit form through the physical world. Others hold that their soul travels about parallel worlds. Still others consider it all to be only a mental state.

Actions. Most people are aware of the so-called placebo effect that occurs when sugar-pills administered instead of real pharmaceuticals work just as well as drugs about one quarter of the time. In lucid dreaming, this feat can be pulled off much more impressively and with much greater effectiveness, as not only may any pill (or other dosage form) be generated, but its effects can also be felt immediately. The physical body simply has no other choice when it is given a pill with ascribed properties. All of this forces the physical body to react to the events taking place in lucid dreaming and recreate the effect in every possible way in the practitioner’s real-life organism. This is a great method.

The physical body is totally fooled, and forced to work in a one way or another, solve a specific problem, or complete a certain task. The key to understanding how this occurs lies in the following fact: the physical body reacts to all experiences in lucid dreaming state as if they were actually occurring in reality, and attempts to physically adapt to lucid dreaming events by trying to create the needed and hitherto insufficient effect.

This is made clear by the following simple lab experiment: when observing a practitioner who is running while in lucid dreaming, changes in breathing patterns are recorded, as is increased heart-rate, elevated blood-pressure, and even blood rushing to the legs. And these are only external indicators. Along with them come the same internal endocrine secretions that would occur if the practitioner were actually running a race. These internal processes can be understood through the following example: taking a shot of vodka in lucid dreaming. One not only smells and tastes the vodka, but also instantly feels the corresponding effect of having a shot, which may partially linger on after having returned to the waking state. But the vodka may have no influence if the practitioner focuses on it having the same properties as water. That is, the vodka itself can thus lose its natural properties. And so, when taking medicine in lucid dreaming, one ought try right then and there to feel its effect, and as intensely as possible.

For a long time, there was no explanation as to how taking medicine in lucid dreaming in the form of placebos could be effective and work. This is especially considering that the practitioner knows that he is taking a placebo, no matter how vivid the sensations and reactions that accompany it. The answer came in late 2010 when yet another test on placebos was performed at Harvard Medical School on patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. The experiment was unique in that the patients knew that they were taking a placebo – that is, a sugar pill. Nevertheless, the group taking the pseudo-medicine experienced nearly twice the symptom reduction as the control group not given anything. And in a 2008 Duke University experiment on placebos, people were given fake pain relievers of supposedly different price ranges. It turned out that the "expensive" pain-killers worked on 85% of test subjects, while the "cheap" ones were effective only for 61 percent. It is interesting to note not only the difference in effectiveness between the same sugar pills, but also that they were so effective to begin with. This experiment demonstrates that it’s actually better to take well-known, well-advertised, and expensive drugs in lucid dreaming in order to obtain maximum effect.

The procedure for self-healing in lucid dreaming through taking medicine is as follows: the practitioner must find (using the techniques for finding objects) specific medicines or create them, and then take them in the usual way, actively trying right then and there to immediately feel the corresponding effect. If it is not possible to feel the primary effect of a medicine, then the most strongly associated side effects ought be felt. The medicine or healing substance itself may take any form: tablets, pills, drinkable infusions, balsams, potions, etc. When a person takes these substances in lucid dreaming, the body will begin to reproduce their effect and associated sensations. In addition, a corresponding reaction will occur at the level of internal bodily functions – the same effect that the medicinal substance was to have brought about. This is all quite simple.

Of substantial significance is the ability to create one’s own remedies with the desired set of healing properties. For example, one can create and take a pill that has been programmed with the finding objects technique to simultaneously treat two or more diseases, even if no such drug exists in the physical world. Meanwhile, it is worth noting the regularity with which invented substances are less effective than existing or well-known ones – this phenomenon is due to practitioners having psychological blocks.

Of course, in most cases it is not enough to take a single dose of a medicine while in lucid dreaming. Therefore, it’s a good idea to go on a kind of treatment regime, taking doses at regular intervals, just as if with a real pharmaceutical prescription. In some complicated situations, it is necessary to take medicine regularly in lucid dreaming over one’s whole life – just as in the physical world.

It is worth mentioning one important item on the subject of dosage: it is in fact possible to still obtain a desired effect without taking any medicine in lucid dreaming. However, it is difficult for a practitioner to make his organism work in the desired way without a supporting anchor. The medicines themselves are what greatly facilitate the activation of the desired self-healing program by acting as anchors. As it turns out, the dosage amount does not have any importance at all. However, it’s better to follow established norms at the beginning of one’s practice, as this activates subconscious programming correlating quantity with quality. Nonetheless, an overdose may have adverse effects. Once a practitioner learns to independently reproduce the effect of medicines on his body, it will be possible to use preparations in minute amounts.

When choosing among various medicines, the question may arise as to whether or not the side effects that many of them have will also occur in lucid dreaming. It can be confidently stated that the incidence of side effects is reduced here by 50 to 100 percent, because as far as the subconscious mind is concerned, any medicine should heal first and foremost. Meanwhile, the body may not be programmed to produce side effects. Given this situation, it is better not to use medicines whose side effects are well known, as in that case side effects may not only arise, but also be dominant when certain technique-related mistakes are made. That is, the medicine may do more to cause harm than to heal in lucid dreaming.

Therapeutic indications. Therapeutic indications for taking any medicine in lucid dreaming know practically no limits. As with obtaining information, lucid dreaming can be employed towards accomplishing any objective or tackling any illness.

Example. Suppose a practitioner catches a bad cold, resulting in the symptoms of headache, runny nose, cough, and fever. He enters a deep stage, and, using the technique for finding objects, finds on the nightstand a box of well-advertised cold relief medicine, the kind that is dissolved into a glass of water. He then goes into the kitchen and drops a tablet into a glass of water, which starts fizzing and dissolving. As soon as the tablet dissolves, he drinks down the entire glass, trying at the same time to immediately feel its effect: warmth courses through his body, a certain feeling of well-being arises, his temperature goes down, post-nasal drip eases, and so on. After returning to the physical world, the practitioner either immediately feels better, or the relief comes gradually from that point on. The procedure is then carried out several times over the course of the next several days. The practitioner may then separately implement a preventative course of treatment, making future colds milder and much less frequent.

Of course, the technique for finding objects can be employed towards a variety of ends. For example, you may find a glass with a cold-relief tablet already dissolved into it, and thus save time.

Effectiveness. For the novice, the effectiveness of taking medicine in lucid dreaming as a means for healing ranges from approximately 50 to 70 percent. That is to say, in the majority of cases there is a clear and stable effect. Considering that pills, for example, are rarely this effective in real life, it turns out that in many cases this is the best of all available ways to heal oneself. For experienced practitioners, effectiveness reaches 90 to 100 percent. It is necessary at times to adjust the regularity with which medicines are taken while in lucid dreaming, as dosage increments are often crucial to optimizing the effect.

Difficulties. There are no substantial difficulties with taking medicine in lucid dreaming. Required here are the basic skills of finding objects and the ability to reproduce medicine’s effect when taking it – this is accomplished by simply deepening one’s desire for this to happen. If this is not achieved on the first try, then it will work by the second or third attempt.

Accessibility. Medicines are the basic means of influencing the organism while in lucid dreaming state. As this technique is both accessible and easy to master, even for novices, one should add it to one’s repertoire right away and try to achieve results from the very first attempts. This is especially true, in view of the technique’s high level of effectiveness.

Questions

Are techniques based on breathing be considered non-autonomous methods of entering lucid dreaming?

Which non-autonomous and non-chemical means allow lucid dreaming entrance after the first attempts?

Why is it still not possible to create a device that causes lucid dreaming entry?

Are cueing technologies beneficial to overcoming difficulties with conscious awakening?

What happens if a practitioner uses cueing technologies for seven days in a row?

Can cueing technologies make use of light signals?

Can feasting on peanuts before sleep help the process of lucid dreaming entry?

Will putting a tight rubber band around an ankle promote lucid dreaming entry?

While working in a pair, are both practitioners required to enter lucid dreaming?

Can the helper be compared to a cueing device while working in a pair?

When should the helper give the signal that the active practitioner is dreaming?

Would a hypnotist making suggestions about entering lucid dreaming be helpful to every practitioner?

Why do lucid dreaming-inducing technologies sometimes work, even though these are based on flawed theories?

What is absent in a lucid dream induced by chemical substances?

There is a well-known and widespread of fallacy that supposes that dreams do not occur for some people. Everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams. Even those who actively dream remember only a small fraction of these nightly excursions. Hence, one should not think that it is impossible for someone who does not remember dreams to become conscious in one. Such a person should simply try to use the techniques.

At the same time, there is a direct correlation between the number of dreams remembered and the probability of becoming conscious while dreaming. That is why developing the ability to remember dreams is crucial. In essence, the ability to achieve dream consciousness rests with the conscious mind, which is very much interconnected with memory-related processes.

Consciousness is naturally inherent in dreams, but it lacks rapid, operative memory. Dreamers may know who they are, their names, how to walk, and how to talk, but may not know how surrounding events are related, or the nature of their significance.

By increasing the frequency of remembered dreams, short-term dream memory becomes more developed, which enables more realistic dream experiences followed by a higher probability of dream consciousness.

There are three techniques dedicated to increasing the number of remembered dreams.

The first is to simply recall the details of dreams upon awakening. Within the first few minutes of waking up, try to remember as many dreams from the night before as possible. This should be done with a great amount of attention and diligence because this exercise strengthens the memory. If possible, during the day, or, better yet, before going to sleep at night, recall the previous night’s dreams once again as it is highly beneficial.

Writing dreams down in a special dream journal is much more effective than simple recall. Record dreams in the morning while memories are still fresh. The more details recalled when recording the dream, the better the ultimate results. This is a very attentive approach that demands a higher awareness than simple recollection. Writing dreams in a journal significantly increases awareness of actions and aspirations.

Another way of remembering dreams is to create a map of the dream world. This is called dream cartography and is similar to keeping a journal, though an enhanced level of awareness is developed by connecting dream episodes on a map.

First, record one dream, describing locations and events, which are plotted on the map. This cartographic process is repeated with each subsequent dream, and after several dreams an episode will occur that is somehow related to the location of a dream that has already been recorded. The two dreams that took place near each other are plotted next to each other on the map. Over time, more and more interrelated dreams will occur and the map will become increasingly concentrated rather than disconnected. As a result, the frequency and realistic quality of remembered dreams will increase, and the dreamer will increase the ability to achieve consciousness while dreaming.

It is best to set remembered dreams to memory after temporary awakenings versus waiting until morning. To accomplish this, it helps to have a pen and a piece of paper nearby so that a practitioner may quickly jot down a lucid dream or several key words from the plot of the dream before falling back asleep. Using this information, the majority of dreams are quickly and completely recalled.

The initial result from exercising these techniques is a rapid increase in the number of remembered dreams. When this number becomes significant (anywhere between five and ten per night), dream consciousness follows on a regular basis.

The techniques described below are but a drop in the ocean of their myriad possible variations. It suffices to say that practically every lucid dreamingr will come up with some technique elements independently and be successful at using them in practice. Considering the many variations of certain techniques and the fact that several of them can be used at the same time, the total number of possible techniques numbers in the thousands. However, all of them only differ in several fundamental ways, and knowing how they differ will allow you to easily create as many techniques as you want on your own. Moreover, understanding the principles of creating techniques makes it substantially easier to conceptualize and understand the techniques themselves.

A table for creating techniques is presented below, but it is not to be overused – after all, technique is in the end a matter of secondary importance when it comes to entering lucid dreaming. The most important thing is to understand how lucid dreaming state arises, and then all of the techniques will work. Otherwise, you could know dozens or hundreds of them, but to no practical end.

Table for Creating lucid dreaming Entrance Techniques and How They Work in Practice
	A	B	C
Active (sensory perception)	Active (imagined)	Passive (detection)
1	Sight	Observing images (hint)	Visualization	Observing images
2	Hearing	Noise (hint)	Imagining sounds	Listening in
3	Kinesthesia	Phantom wiggling	Imagined movement
4	Vestibular sense	Real rotation	Imagined rotation
5	Tactile sensation	Vibrations	Cell phone
Examples of mixed techniques: Visualizing the hands technique Swimmer Technique Alien Abduction Technique Rope Technique Sensory-Motor Visualization Technique	1A, 3B, 2B(C); 3B, 5B(C); 4B, 5B; 1B, 3B, 4B, 5B; 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B;

Notes: This table does not include the sense of smell due to its rare use, nor emotional sensations due to difficulty in conjuring them. Meanwhile, some other elements are also left out.