The method of immersing oneself in a lucid dream by becoming aware within the dream involves a process of self-discovery inside the dream so that it can be transformed into a full-fledged phase experience. Contrary to popular belief, the way to enter an out-of-body state by lucid dreaming does not fundamentally differ from other methods, including lucid dreaming techniques without waking up.
Becoming aware within the dream—the general principle of Technique 17
The result of this approach is similar to a dissociative state (i.e., full self-awareness and separation from the physical body). The realism of lucid dreaming by becoming aware within the dream is comparable to other techniques and, with proper deepening, can even surpass everyday perception.
When sudden awareness arises in a dream, accompanied by the thought “I’m sleeping!”, this is already a lucid dream, not an ordinary one.
Beginners often confuse the state of becoming aware within the dream with a guided dream. A guided dream is a dream on a specific theme in which awareness is absent. Also, not everyone understands that full awareness within a dream differs from usual awareness. Although consciousness is present in any dream, the same level of awareness as in the waking state is required. This means that a full understanding of what’s happening in a dream allows a person to abandon the plot and do what they truly desire. Upon awakening, such actions shouldn’t seem absurd or inexplicable.
It’s important that the actions taken in a lucid dream are meaningful and aimed at achieving a qualitative experience. Therefore, after becoming aware within the dream, it’s necessary to immediately proceed to using deepening, maintaining, and other methods used in both direct and indirect techniques, such as the lucid dreaming finger technique or the lucid dream hand technique.
Methods of becoming aware within the dream differ significantly from other approaches and are often considered separately from astral projection practices and out-of-body journeys. Nevertheless, the final results of this technique differ little from those of other methods.
With this method, you are not required to perform any specific actions at the moment of awareness to achieve an immediate result. The bulk of the work occurs outside of immediate awareness because it’s impossible to achieve the desired effect without awareness and understanding that you’re in a dream. All efforts are aimed at making this awareness suddenly arise.
An Interesting Fact
Even if the practitioner doesn’t focus on techniques of becoming aware within the dream, every third lucid night will still occur through awareness within the dream if they use direct or indirect methods. This statistic has been confirmed by data from the School of Out-of-Body Travel seminars.
Many strive to achieve awareness not only during individual dreams but throughout the entire night; however, this is almost impossible due to physiological limitations. Sleep and dreams are an important part of human life, allowing the body and consciousness to rest and process the information accumulated during the day.
The time required to achieve the desired result is difficult to predict due to the uncertainty of actions. Nevertheless, intensity and purposefulness certainly play a role. Becoming aware within the dream can occur immediately after falling asleep, or it might require several weeks or even months of daily effort. However, this method offers higher chances of success compared to direct methods and comparable chances to indirect ones, differing only in speed and the amount of effort expended.
It’s not recommended to combine various techniques with becoming aware within the dream since it’s better to focus on one method during a specific period. Interestingly, with the regular practice of any other method of entering a lucid dream, awareness within the dream almost always happens spontaneously, and it’s important to know how to act in such a case.
Lucid Dreaming – Books by Authors-Practitioners
Recommended reading
Lucid Dreaming and the Retention Technique
How to wake up from sleep paralysis
