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An effective lucid dreaming method by inducing hypnopompic hallucinations

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Most people experience lucid dreams (LDs), which are dreams in which the dreamer is conscious and able to perceive vivid perceptions. There are many ways to induce LDs, but their levels of efficiency are far from satisfactory. In this study, we analyze the efficiency of an LD method that was tested in commercial events with hundreds of groups over 12 years. The main feature of the method is that hypnopompic hallucinations are induced that allow an LD plot to start directly from the bedroom upon awakening, which makes the LD feel like an out-of-body experience. This method originated from the Tibetan dream yoga tradition and has been heavily modified according to a strict algorithm of specific actions. Data from 449 people, mostly newbies, who tried this method over the course of two nights indicated that 484 attempts were successful. This method might help ordinary LD enthusiasts to get efficient practice, as well as more research opportunities for studying lucid dreaming and the human brain.
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International Journal of Dream Research Volume 14, No. 1 (2021) 1
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Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
1. Introduction
Most people, either involuntarily or intentionally, experience
lucid dreams (LDs), which are dreams in which the dreamer
becomes conscious during a dream scene and can change
the plot of the dream (LaBerge, 1985). In a survey of 974
participants, 71% reported having experienced at least one
LD at some point in their life, and 23% reported having LDs
often (Raduga, Kuyava, & Sevcenko, 2020). This phenome-
non happens almost exclusively during REM sleep, but LDs
differ from common dreams in that they are characterized
by increased activity in the brain’s prefrontal zones in the
40-Hz band (Voss et al., 2009). LDs can occur during non-
REM sleep, but such cases are too rare to be considered in
the present work (Dane & Van de Caslte, 1984; Mota-Rolim
et al., 2015; Stumbrys & Erlacher, 2012).
The study of LDs relates to disciplines like psychology,
psychophysiology, and neurophysiology. Besides the sci-
entic research applications and positive emotions that LD
could provide, this phenomenon also has practical applica-
tions. For example, LD practices have been used to relieve
permanent nightmares (Zadra & Pihl, 1997). In one case, LD
helped remove chronic pain (Zappaterra, Jim, & Pangarkar,
2013). Movements made during LDs activate the correlat-
ed parts of the sensory-motor cortex (Dresler et al., 2011),
meaning that motor skills can be trained during an LD, with
observable results presenting themselves during wakeful-
ness (Stumbrys, Erlacher, & Schredl, 2016). These examples
show that we need to study LDs more, as it could lead to
useful discoveries and practical applications. Therefore, ef-
fective LD induction methods are necessary.
An LD can be perceived as an out-of-body experience
(OBE) if its plot starts in the bedroom. A few research
works have indicated that OBE and LD could be the same
phenomenon (Levitan et al., 1999; Mahowald & Schenck,
2005). Moreover, both phenomena share REM sleep and
consciousness (LaBerge et al., 1988; Nelson et al., 2007).
These two factors are also characteristics of false awaken-
ings (Barrett, 1991) and sleep paralysis (Dresler et al., 2012;
Terzaghi et al., 2012; Voss et al., 2009). Mahowald and
Schenck (2005) attempted to unite all states that share con-
sciousness and REM sleep under the umbrella term disso-
ciated REM states, but there is an alternative term with the
same meaning: phase state or simply phase (Raduga, 2004).
All LD techniques could be divided into three main cat-
egorical methods based on when actual LD starts. These
methods are the direct method or DM (applied upon falling
asleep without prior sleep), the indirect method or IM (ap-
plied upon awakening), and the actual lucid dreaming meth-
od or LDM (applied by becoming conscious while dreaming)
(Raduga, 2004). From this perspective, Stephen LaBerge’s
well-known WILD/DILD classication system has practical
limitations because it ignores the IM concept in general and
it aims only to LDM (LaBerge, Levitan, & Dement, 1986).
From a systematic review of 35 works on LD induction
methods and techniques (Stumbrys et al., 2012), it can be
seen that the majority of self-induction techniques (i.e.,
those without external help, drugs, or stimuli) are focused
on LDM and include different kinds of actions during wake-
fulness or before falling asleep. Some of the most well-
known features of these methods are rehearsing dreams,
visualizing becoming lucid, intention, autosuggestion, and
reality testing. In the above-mentioned meta-analysis, IM is
described as the re-entering of a dream and consists of try-
ing to get into LD without losing consciousness right after
awakening through various mental practices like counting
An effective lucid dreaming method by inducing
hypnopompic hallucinations
Michael Raduga
Phase Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
Corresponding address:
Michael Raduga, Phase Research Center. Moscow, Russian
Federation
Email: obe4u@obe4u.com
Submitted for publication: February 2020
Accepted for publication: January 2021
DOI: 10.11588/ijodr.2021.1.71170
Summary. Most people experience lucid dreams (LDs), which are dreams in which the dreamer is conscious and able to
perceive vivid perceptions. There are many ways to induce LDs, but their levels of efciency are far from satisfactory. In
this study, we analyze the efciency of an LD method that was tested in commercial events with hundreds of groups over
12 years. The main feature of the method is that hypnopompic hallucinations are induced that allow an LD plot to start
directly from the bedroom upon awakening, which makes the LD feel like an out-of-body experience. Also, this method
indirectly arouses consciousness in dreams. This method originated from the Tibetan dream yoga tradition and has been
modied according to a strict sequence of specic actions. Data from 449 people, mostly novices, who tried this method
over the course of two nights indicated that 484 attempts were successful. This method might help ordinary LD enthusi-
asts to get efcient practice and provide more research opportunities for studying lucid dreaming and the human brain.
Keywords: Lucid dreams, out-of-body experience, consciousness, REM sleep, hypnopompic hallucinations, induction
methods, techniques.
Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
International Journal of Dream Research Volume 14, No. 1 (2021)2
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and focusing on bodily sensations (Levitan, 1991). The rst
known IM description originates from the Tibetan dream
yoga tradition (Wangyal, 1998) and is described in modern
books (Monroe, 1985; Raduga, 2004).
The essential factors of IM efciency are hypnopompic
hallucinations, which are the opposite of hypnogogic hallu-
cinations. Hypnopompic hallucinations are sensory or emo-
tional perceptions that occur during the process of awak-
ening and don’t have a real physical basis (Cheyne et al.,
1999). They can be very stable and might be considered as
remnants of REM sleep. In theory, consciously experienc-
ing or inducing them through specic mental actions upon
awakenings could be a controllable way to experience LD.
From this point of view, it could be stated that the presence
of hypnopompic hallucinations is equal to the presence of
LD, at least in terms of its stages without full dissociation.
This exact statement was used when creating the specic
IM algorithm for this study.
Though academic studies on IM are very rare, it deserves
a signicant amount of attention. The rst reason for this is
that the LD experience is more controllable through IM than
through other methods because practitioners can achieve
it by maintaining consciousness, not by gaining conscious-
ness almost spontaneously in dreams, for example.
Second, IM might be one of the most accessible ways
to achieve LD. For example, in research on achieving pain
in LD and transferring it into wakefulness, 48% of volun-
teers reported LDM, 30% reported IM, and 20% reported
DM (Raduga et al., 2020). Obviously, now LDM is more
frequent, but this could be a side effect of IM and DM, as
both of these methods require creating intention during fall-
ing asleep, which is a crucial factor for LDM, as mentioned
above. This cross-correlation between methods will also be
investigated in this paper.
Third, despite the lack of IM usage in scientic studies,
ordinary LD practitioners from around the world use it and
have even given it different names. For example, among
English-speaking enthusiasts, IM is known as a “dream
exit-induced lucid dream” (DEILD) (“Dream Exit Induced
Lucid Dream,” 2007). This mimics LaBerge’s classication,
which neglects this type of method. Because the term IM
was published in a book a few years ago (Raduga, 2004), it
is a major term in the present article.
The goal of this study is to demonstrate that IM could
be effective and useful and that a specic IM algorithm can
work after just one or two nights. The secondary goal is to
show that practicing an IM routine could be an effective way
to induce LDM (as a side effect).
Conrmation of these ideas would lead to three notable
outcomes. First, it would improve the general understand-
ing of the brain, consciousness, and dreaming processes.
Second, it would produce an effective algorithm for LD re-
search because of the possibility of obtaining more frequent
or controllable results. Third, it would give LD enthusiasts
a new way to improve their practical skills and gain more
experience.
2. Methods
2.1. Research resource
The results from several commercial LD seminars were used
to explore the possibility of IM efciency. Only one specic
IM algorithm was used: a dissociation attempt followed by
cycling a few mental techniques for one minute upon awak-
ening (DCIM = Dissociation attempt and Cycling techniques
in Indirect Method).
At rst, the strict DCIM algorithm was written about only
for LD enthusiasts (Raduga, 2009) but not as research. Prior
to this publication, the algorithm has been widely used in
commercial LD events since 2007. During this period, doz-
ens of instructors have used it at hundreds of commercial
online and live events, often in the form of three-day semi-
nars with two nights of attempts. Most of these live events
have taken place in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belar-
us, but some seminars have been done in EU countries, the
USA, Malaysia, Thailand, and some other countries. DCIM
was effective for commercial use, as it led to quick results
even during just the rst night of attempts regardless of the
previous experience of participants or their predisposition.
As DCIM three-day seminars were not designed for
studying, not much data from them exists. However, in
some cases, photos of charts with the nal results were
taken and saved. All these charts were created during the
actual lessons in front of participants who were asked about
their success. The present study considered charts only if
(1) they showed the efciency of specic parts of DCIM, (2)
they were based on the article author’s seminars, (3) the
number of attendees and location of the event were known,
and (4) the contact information and names of most of the
attendees could be found. Only 12 charts satised all the
requirements (see appendix).
2.2. DCIM algorithm
Figure 1 is a schematic DCIM algorithm, which was used
with small deviations during seminars. In the narrative de-
scription, it consists of ve major steps and a few tips that
may substantially increase efciency.
Step 1: Intention during falling asleep. Any period of
sleep (e.g., daytime naps, nighttime or morning sleep) can
be used for DCIM attempts. The main problem with DCIM
is recalling the attempt upon awakening. To solve this prob-
lem, LD practitioners should induce the intention to use
DCIM while falling asleep before actual attempts are made.
To make this intention stronger, practitioners should men-
tally rehearse their actions before falling asleep and before
subsequent awakenings with attempts. At the same time,
they should think about their personal plan of action for LD.
In some cases, autosuggestion techniques could be used.
The goal of all of this is to have practitioners to create in-
tention as the last action (or one of the last actions) before
losing consciousness while falling asleep.
Step 2: Dissociation attempt upon awakening. If too
many physical movements are performed upon awakening,
this step can be skipped. Immediately after awakening, LD
practitioners should, without using their physical muscles,
try to dissociate by imagining or performing the following
actions: rolling over, getting up, levitating, climbing out, fall-
ing down, and imagining already being dissociated in some
place or at some object. All these actions are called separa-
tion techniques among LD practitioners, but in this article,
they are referred to as disassociation techniques. Practitio-
ners could use just one of them, but the practice is more
effective if two or three of them are used, with each disasso-
ciation technique being performed for three to ve seconds.
If dissociation is achieved, a practitioner should start a plan
of action for LD. If there is no result, the practitioner should
proceed to the next step.
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Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
Step 3: Inducing hypnopompic hallucinations. At this
moment, the practitioner should try two or more hypnopom-
pic hallucination techniques (or hypnopompic techniques)
for three to 10 seconds each. The hypnopompic techniques
used must be two to four of the most familiar and most-
often practiced techniques. A full list of hypnopompic tech-
niques can contain dozens of options because it is easy to
create them (Raduga, 2014); many of these are presented
in Table 1. Although it’s possible to see which hypnopom-
pic techniques were used during analyzed seminars, this
data was skipped in this research because the techniques
were used in different combinations, making it impossible
to compare their efciency. AThe following hypnopompic
techniques were used the most often: phantom wiggling,
observing images, imagined rotation, forced falling asleep,
the swimmer technique, sensory-motor visualization, and
visualizing the hands.
Almost all hypnopompic techniques consist of different
kinds of mental actions that use motor skills, sensory per-
ceptions, emotions, the vestibular system, memory, inten-
tion, and imagination for inducing hypnopompic hallucina-
tions of any kind. Once a hypnopompic technique works
(i.e., when stable hypnopompic hallucination appears),
there are two possible outcomes: either a practitioner
needs to use a disassociation technique again to nalize
dissociation, or the practitioner spontaneously appears in
an LD scene. If a disassociation technique doesn’t work,
the practitioner needs to go back and use a reliable hypno-
pompic technique, amplify it, and then try the disassocia-
tion technique again. If dissociation is achieved during this
step, practitioners should start their plan of action for LD.
If no result occurs, the practitioner should proceed to the
next step.
Step 4: Cycling of hypnopompic techniques. After un-
successfully trying to achieve hypnopompic hallucinations
using two or more techniques, one should repeat them for
one minute following the instructions given in Step 3. Very
often, a hypnopompic technique doesn’t work on the rst
attempt but yields LD on the second, third, or any other cy-
cle. If dissociation is achieved during this step, practitioners
should start their plan of action for LD. If no result occurs,
they should proceed to the next step.
Step 5: Finishing unsuccessful attempts. If none of the
above steps have resulted in LD after one minute but there
is a possibility of getting more sleep, a practitioner should
fall asleep with the intention to make the same attempts
during all next awakenings. This step helps the practitio-
ner to make many controllable LD induction attempts in one
night, morning, or daytime nap.
Useful tips. Several tips can be followed to improve
DCIM efciency. Some of them are as follows:
Fewer physical movements should be made upon
awakening and before attempts are made.
More DCIM attempts should be made during the most
appropriate time. It’s best to wake up to an alarm ap-
proximately two hours before the nal awakening, stay
awake for ve to 60 minutes, and then fall asleep again
with the intention of making more attempts upon the
next awakening (LaBerge et al., 1994).
Attempts should be made on weekends, when people
generally have more time for sleep and better opportu-
nities to concentrate on their LD practice.
Practitioners should imagine themselves in a different
bodily position before and during attempts.
If any hypnopompic hallucination appears immediate-
ly after awakening or during an attempt, practitioners
should skip other actions and start to amplify these
hypnopompic hallucinations and then try disassocia-
tion techniques.
If a practitioner is too awake during an attempt, DCIM
should be performed passively as a way to fall asleep,
and disassociation techniques with hypnopompic tech-
niques should be extended to 10 seconds or even more.
Figure 1. A schematic DCIM algorithm (DT = disassociation techniques; HPHT = hypnopompic techniques).
Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
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Table 1. Types and Description of Hypnopompic Techniques.
Type Name Description
Based on
movement
Phantom wiggling
technique*
A person tries to move some part of the body (e.g., an arm, a leg, a shoulder, the head,
or even the jaw) without moving a muscle and without imagining or visualizing anything.
When movement arises, the main aim is to increase the range-of-motion as much as
possible, but not necessarily the speed of movement or the portion of the body part
being wiggled.
Imagined movement
technique
A person tries to feel some realistic movement by simply imagining that they are doing
it. For example, this could be swimming, running, walking, ying, or peddling with the
legs or arms.
Involving sight Observing images
technique*
A person peers into the void before the eyes without opening them. As soon as the per-
son begins to see any imagery, the person tries to discern it better by defocussing sight,
as if looking beyond the imagery. This makes it become steadier and more realistic.
Technique of
visualization
A person tries to realistically see and discern an object no more than six inches from
the eyes.
Technique of
creating vision
He tries to see actual surroundings without opening their eyes.
Based on
vestibular sense
Technique of
imagined rotation*
A person tries to imagine that their body is rotating along the head-to-toe axis. The goal
is to replace imagined sensations with real ones. Rotation may generally take place on
any plane, but one should not try to visualize it or try to see oneself from the side, as the
main emphasis is on one’s own vestibular sensations. Turning the eyes to the side of the
rotation will signicantly increase the effectiveness of the technique.
Swing-set technique A person tries to feel that they are riding on a swing-set or that their body itself is rock-
ing with the same range of motion. The primary goal is to achieve the realistic sensation
of swinging and make 360-degree revolutions.
Involving
hearing
Technique of
listening-in
A person listens inside their head, trying to hear if there is any noise or background
static. If a sound is heard, one must try to amplify it as much as possible through the
same kind of passive listening.
Technique of
forced listening-in
A person actively tries to hear sounds or background static inside their head with all
their might. If this works, the person tries to amplify the sounds as much as possible
using the same kind of active listening.
Technique of
imagining sounds
A person tries to hear some specic sound inside ther head. Someone’s voice, familiar
music, and the sound of one’s own name being called work best of all. If a sound arises,
then the practitioner tries to make it as loud as possible.
Based on
tactile sensations
Smartphone
technique
A person tries to feel some object in their hand (e.g., a smartphone, an apple, a TV
remote control) while trying to achieve realistic sensations in full detail.
Technique of
imagined sensation
A person tries to feel tactile sensations on the body, starting with the sensation that
someone or something is lying on the body and ending with the feeling of touching
someone or something.
Straining the
brain technique
A person tries to strain their brain, either spasmodically or continually as if it were a
muscle. This brings a feeling of real strain inside the cranium, in addition to pressure,
noise, and vibrations.
Technique of
straining the body
but not the muscles
A person tries to strain the body, but not the physical muscles. This causes internal
tension, noise, and vibrations.
Technique of
bodily perception
A person tries to authentically feel that the body is being stretched apart, compressed,
inated, deated, twisted, or otherwise distorted.
Wind technique A person imagines that the body is in a stream of strong wind and tries to feel how the
air ows around either the entire body or just part of it.
Based on
real movements
and sensations
of the physical
body
Technique of
eye movement
A person makes abrupt left-to-right or up-and-down eye movements. The eyes are kept
closed the whole time. When the technique is performed properly, vibrations will occur.
Forehead dot technique Without opening the eyes, a person directs their gaze towards a dot on the center of
their forehead. This is not to be a forced or excessively aggressive movement.
Technique of breathing A person focuses on the process of breathing and all of its aspects: the expansion and
contraction of the chest cavity, the lungs lling with air, and the passage of air through
the mouth and throat.
Raised hand technique A person raises a forearm from the elbow while lying down and simply falls asleep. Once
the practitioner fades out of consciousness, the forearm will drop, indicating that disas-
sociation techniques or other hypnopompic techniques can be performed.
(continued)
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Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
Table 1. Types and Description of ... (continued).
Type Name Description
Based on
real movements
and sensations
of the physical
body
Technique of
forced falling asleep*
A person mimics falling asleep naturally while maintaining consciousness and then ei-
ther employs other hypnopompic techniques or immediately tries disassociation tech-
niques at the last second before fading out of consciousness. This technique can be
used either on its own or in combination with other techniques.
Technique of
intention
A person enters LD solely through an intense and focused intention of immediately
experiencing LD. Alternatively, this experience can be a calm, but desire must be felt
constantly throughout the day.
Based on
intention and
feelings
Technique of
recalling the state
When attempting LD entrance with or without techniques, a person tries to recall – and
thus induce – the sensations of a previous LD experience.
Technique of
recalling vibrations
In order to induce vibrations, a person tries to simply recall the sensation of them in as
much detail as possible. Intensely desiring vibrations can also induce them.
Technique of
translocation
A person immediately tries to employ the translocation technique in a stubborn and
self-assured manner without using disassociation techniques.
Technique of motivation In order to have an LD entrance occur spontaneously or get techniques to work better,
a person creates a very interesting and important plan of action to achieve an LD no
matter what.
Technique of fear A person tries to recall something as scary or awful as possible and imagines it right
next to the body – this is meant to evoke pure terror and horror, which will elevate to LD
at the right moment.
Technique of ight A person tries to conjure the sensation of ying right from the bed.
Technique of counting In order to enter LD, a person counts down from 100. Depending on the hypnopompic
techniques followed, the person should either try to keep attention focused on counting
or try to achieve lapses in consciousness.
Technique of dotting A person moves their attention either to points on the skin atop of the largest joints of
the body or to inside the joints themselves. The person should pause at each point for
several seconds or breaths, trying to feel them as distinctly as possible.
Swimmer technique* A person tries to imagine the process of swimming in as much detail as possible, trying
to feel all of the physical sensations of the process and even feel the water surrounding
the body. Any swimming style may be used.
Sensory-motor
visualization technique*
A person should try to imagine as actively as possible that has already dissociated and
is employing a technique for deepening LD, including the intensication of every sensa-
tion possible. The person should imagine that they are walking inside a room, scrutiniz-
ing everything from a close distance, touching something, and so on. That is, the person
should immediately deepen the LD without obviously entering the LD.
Rope technique A person imagines that a rope is dangling above the body and that they are climbing
it. Meanwhile, one should try to feel one’s own arm movements, the touch of the rope,
and the sensation of height. Visualization of the process may occasionally be added.
Other and
mixed
Technique of
visualizing the hands*
A person tries to feel their hands rubbing together as if trying to warm them. Meanwhile,
it is important to try to feel the movement of the hands, the feeling of them coming into
contact, and the sound of them rubbing together and to then try to see the whole pro-
cess. The imagined hands should be rubbed at a distance of no more than six inches
from the eyes.
Alien abduction technique A person imagines that aliens have invaded the bedroom and are grabbing their ankles,
pulling them out of the physical body. Alternatively, the person imagines being pulled
out of bed by a beam emanating from a spaceship.
Sex technique A person tries to feel the intimate sensations of the copulative act in as much detail as
possible.
Toothbrush technique A person tries to feel brushing the teeth. The person tries to feel the movement of the
hand, the sensation of the brush in the mouth, and the taste of toothpaste. The person
can also try to add to the sensation by imagining himself standing in front of a mirror in
a bathroom.
Whispering pillow
technique
Lying with an ear to the pillow, the person tries to hear sounds, melodies, and voices
coming from it. The person can try to hear specic sounds or simply passively listen in
to what’s there.
Hyperventilation technique During an attempt upon awakening, a person takes several dozen quick and deep
breaths, upon which disassociation techniques may work or the practitioner may be
thrown into LD.
Note. * = techniques mostly used during analyzed seminars..
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If a practitioner is too sleepy during an attempt or has
often fallen asleep during previous attempts, DCIM
should be performed very actively; also, disassociation
techniques with hypnopompic techniques should be
shortened to three seconds.
The whole DCIM algorithm can be separately rehearsed
for 10 to 20 minutes during the day over a few days or
weeks.
No analysis should be performed during DCIM, as the
practitioner should be fully concentrated on the actions
themselves.
If a practitioner cannot remember DCIM upon awaken-
ing or if awakenings are too rare, interval alarm clocks
or apps can be used to gently wake up the practitioner
every 20 to 60 minutes (an audio instruction to start an
attempt could be used instead of melodies).
New practitioners should perform attempts no more
than two to three days per week, and they should stick
to weekends if possible. For practitioners with a high
percentage of effective attempts (apx. >50%), this point
can be ignored.
3. Results
Twelve charts met all the requirements, and their outcomes
were digitalized for analysis. The data show that 449 semi-
nar participants intended to make attempts throughout the
course of two nights and achieved 484 LDs (262 during the
rst night and 222 during the second night). For an average
seminar with 37 participants, 40 LDs were achieved over
two nights (22 during the rst night and 19 during the sec-
ond night) (Table 2).
The data reveal that 116 (24%) LDs were achieved
through LDM, with an average of 10 LDMs every two nights
for 37 participants. Also, 226 (47%) LDs were achieved only
through disassociation techniques upon awakening (before
applying hypnopompic techniques), with an average of 18
successful disassociation techniques every two nights for
37 participants. Furthermore, 142 (29%) LDs were achieved
through hypnopompic techniques, with an average of 12
successful cases of hypnopompic techniques usage every
two nights for 37 participants.
A total of 98 participants were able to accomplish their
predetermined plan of action in LD after the rst night, and
64 were able to accomplish their predetermined plan after
the second night (on average, seven of 37 participants per
night (19%)). The average ratio of LDs per participant per
two nights was 1.1, with a minimum of 0.5 and a maximum
of 2.1 (Table 3).
4. Discussion
The main steps used in this study to investigate the effec-
tiveness of achieving LD upon awakening were based on
the DCIM algorithm. Specically, these were disassociation
attempts and cycling hypnopompic techniques for one min-
ute right after waking up. An analysis was carried out on the
results of 12 seminars that met the inclusion criteria.
Research goals
Although the analyzed results cannot be compared with
those related to other LD methods and there was no control
group, the main idea of IM efciency has been conrmed
as it pertains to at least one algorithm. DCIM can yield sub-
stantial results after just one or two nights of attempts. The
secondary goal has also been achieved: the results show
that IM attempts lead to unintentional LDM. This might work
as a strong side effect of IM.
4.1. Reasons for IM efciency
A theoretical basis for IM efciency is REM sleep close-
ness or its remnants upon awakening (Waters et al., 2016),
which, when paired with mental actions, can lead to imme-
diate results. With most other methods, the primary goal is
to activate consciousness during REM sleep when IM prac-
titioners had already achieved consciousness in REM sleep
or very close to it. All that is left to do, then, is to use this
opportunity, which often presents itself automatically upon
Table 2. Results of 12 Seminars by DCIM Parts and Total LD.
Event Students
(N = 449, ¯x = 37)
LDM
(N = 116, ¯x = 9
(24%))
DT
(N = 226, ¯x = 19
(47%))
HPHT
(N = 142, ¯x = 12
(29%))
Total LD (Day 1/2)
(N = 484, ¯x = 40)
1 55 15 (33%) 12 (27%) 18 (40%) 45 (20/25)
2 34 9 (23%) 23 (59%) 7 (18%) 39 (22/17)
3 31 3 (9%) 22 (63%) 10 (29%) 35 (22/13)
4 29 5 (33%) 4 (27%) 6 (40%) 15 (7/8)
5 35 9 (20%) 19 (41%) 18 (39%) 46 (28/18)
6 39 11 (14%) 50 (63%) 19 (24%) 80 (41/39)
7 72 28 (35%) 22 (28%) 29 (37%) 79 (43/36)
8 32 8 (21%) 18 (46%) 13 (33%) 39 (23/16)
9 35 6 (19%) 14 (45%) 11 (35%) 31 (14/17)
10 38 12 (32%) 21 (57%) 4 (11%) 37 (22/15)
11 20 5 (26%) 10 (53%) 4 (21%) 19 (8/11)
12 29 5 (26%) 11 (58%) 3 (16%) 19 (12/7)
Note. Event = # of the seminars; Students = number of participants of the seminars; DT = disassociation techniques; HPHT = hypnopompic techniques.
International Journal of Dream Research Volume 14, No. 1 (2021) 7
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Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
awakening. In other words, humans naturally get very close
to experiencing LD upon awakening, and LD practitioners
can effectively use this fact to achieve LD.
4.2. Achieving predetermined goals in LD
This study shows that LD induced by DCIM could have
been of sufcient quality and duration to accomplish a pre-
determined plan of action (e.g., nd somebody, translocate,
experience an event). All of the seminars’ participants were
instructed to create a personal plan of action and follow it
once they found themselves in LD, and this action was al-
ways counted per person, but not by achieved goals. This
means that DCIM could be effectively used for more in-
depth LD research in which practitioners will need to ac-
complish specic actions.
4.3. Limitations
Because of the type of analyzed data, this study aimed to
explore possible IM efciency in general; the aim was not
to determine exact efciency ranks. Many uncontrolled fac-
tors could have inuenced the outcomes either positively or
negatively. The most notable of these factors are described
in the following paragraphs.
The rst major limitation of the study is that the results were
reported only as narrative data. No apparatus (e.g., EEG)
was used to verify the actual appearance of consciousness
during REM sleep. This means that the actual result might
differ from the reported ones. Also, due to physiological fac-
tors, some reports could be made up. Another noteworthy
limitation is related to the differences in volunteers’ motiva-
tion from laboratory studies. In this case, commercial events
were taken as a basis, and this might have potentially inu-
enced participants’ motivation to perform tasks, as well as
the quality and credibility of the reports.
Another issue is that a single participant could have expe-
rienced many LDs each night by using different DCIM steps
and then counted them separately. This is why the data
could not be analyzed in terms of the number of people who
achieved LD; instead, only the total number of LDs could
be counted.
When looking at the DCIM outcomes separately, it should
be kept in mind that hypnopompic techniques might have
manifested signicantly more prominently if no disassocia-
tion techniques had been used at the beginning of the algo-
rithm, which accounts for almost half of the efciency due
to its usage at the most proper moment (i.e., during the rst
few seconds after awakening). This means that hypnopom-
pic techniques could lead to a much greater fraction of LD
outcomes in other IM algorithms.
A small fraction of the results on seminars was achieved
during DCIM practice directly during the lessons (without
prior sleep) or before falling asleep at home. These results
should have been counted as DMs, but they were mixed
with all other outcomes in the charts. As there was no way
to separate these DMs from the other outcomes, they were
considered as IM in this study. From another point of view,
these rare results could be counted as a side effect of DCIM
because they can happen during its rehearsal.
Not all participants could be asked about their results.
Therefore, people who weren’t asked might have expe-
rienced LD but did not record it. There was not always
enough time to ask everybody about their experiences, and
some people were too shy to share their personal experi-
ences publicly. Furthermore, people did not always under-
stand exactly what had happened to them, and they could
not share their experiences for this reason.
The total number of participants each day was lower
than the number counted. Most participants were counted
only on the rst day, which is when DCIM instructions were
presented. For almost all seminars, some people missed
the second or third lesson, which is when the results were
gathered. Experienced and new practitioners alike attended
the seminars. In theory, more experienced people could
have had more chances to successfully implement DCIM,
but there is no data to conrm this. Although newcomers
weren’t counted in the data, they made up the majority of
participants for all seminars. Due to the commercial nature
of the seminars, it was possible to count only visible results
that could satisfy participants’ expectations. Technically, LD
was achieved much more often in the forms of semi-dis-
sociation or sleep paralysis, but the study did not consider
these outcomes.
Although the DCIM algorithm doesn’t look complicated at
rst glance, people very often don’t follow it precisely be-
cause they misunderstand parts of it or they forget some
steps upon awakening. As a result, they skip steps, perform
steps at the wrong time, or spend too much or not enough
time on some steps. For this reason, the outcomes of this
study do not represent actual DCIM implementation but the
overall intention to perform it.
The overall results from any particular seminar were
strongly dependent on emotions and motivation, which the
speaker could inuence. There is no specic data on this
matter, but from speakers’ subjective points of view, there is
always a direct correlation between the number of attempts
and the achievement of positive outcomes. For this reason,
the true effectiveness of DCIM is hard to calculate, as it
could vary depending on participants’ moods.
Table 3. Results of 12 Seminars by Ratio and Accomplished
Plan of Action for LD.
Plan for LD
Event Ratio
(¯x = 1,1)
Day 1 (N = 98,
¯x = 8)
Day 2 (N = 64,
¯x = 5)
1 0,8 7 2
2 1,1 8 8
3 1,1 9 7
4 0,5 4 4
5 1,3 9 4
6 2,1 16 11
7 1,1 18 5
8 1,2 8 6
9 0,9 4 5
10 1,0 7 3
11 1,0 2 6
12 0,7 6 3
Note. Event = # of the seminars; Ratio = total amount of achieved LD
divided by quantity of participants; Plan for LD = predetermined in wake-
fulness plan of action for LD.
Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
International Journal of Dream Research Volume 14, No. 1 (2021)8
DIJoR
When considering the results of the study, it must be
noted that seminar participants made attempts for only two
consecutive nights. Surely, the results could be more dra-
matic if people tried DCIM for a week or for a month.
Some LDs achieved during the seminars were very short
or blurry, but they were still counted as positive results. Al-
though full dissociation while maintaining consciousness
was achieved, those experiences could not be used for im-
plementing the predetermined plan of action, which should
be considered as a benchmark for a high-quality LD.
4.4. Conclusions and Directions for Future Research
The results show that DCIM and IM, in general, could be
considered as perspective methods for achieving LD. The
results of the study cannot be compared with the efciency
of other methods, and there was no control group. Never-
theless, the results describe the potential of IM to induce LD
even during the rst night of attempts.
It appears that the Tibetan dream yoga tradition has a
practical basis of regularly inducing LD with a high level of
control. It is quite interesting to see that ancient spiritual
practices could be so relevant in the modern world and in
science. This conclusion should open our minds to other
spiritual or ancient practices, as some of them could con-
tain relevant yet unknown ideas that can make life better.
Although the results of the present study help us to bet-
ter understand the brain, consciousness, dreaming, and
sleeping processes, we still need to research IM more. To
this end, we need to x all the problems apparent in this
study (e.g., insufcient data for individual participants, un-
clear descriptions of the quality of achieved LD, absence of
a control group, no comparison with other methods). Most
importantly, further studies should compare IM or DCIM
with other methods. We also need more research to im-
prove IM algorithms. Eventually, IM could become not only
a useful tool for LD enthusiasts, but it could also make LD
more achievable and controllable when studying the phe-
nomenon, its nature, and its application. DCIM looks like a
potential tool for LD and brain research.
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Inducing Lucid Dreams by Hypnopompic Hallucinations
Appendix
seminar #1
(Moscow, started on
March 25, 2011)
seminar #2
(Moscow, started on
February 28, 2014)
seminar #3
(Moscow, started on
September 12, 2014)
seminar #4
(Moscow, started on
October 24, 2014)
seminar #5
(Moscow, started on
March 20, 2015)
seminar #6
(Moscow, started on
June 26, 2015)
seminar #7
(Moscow, started on
August 31, 2018).
seminar #8
(Moscow, started on
November 9, 2018).
seminar #9
(St. Petersburg, started on
November 30, 2018)
seminar #10
(Moscow, started on
January 19, 2019)
seminar #11
(Moscow, started on
March 15, 2019)
seminar #12
(St. Petersburg, started on
March 28, 2019)
... Within each cycle, participants focus firstly on their visual perception, secondly on their auditive perception, and finally on their bodily sensations (Aspy, 2020). Other authors have described different self-induction techniques that may facilitate wakeinitiated lucid dreams, such as focusing on counting, visual imagery, or the body image while falling asleep (LaBerge, 1980;LaBerge & Rheingold, 1991;Raduga, 2021;Tholey, 1983). ...
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... If PACM are detected during non-REM sleep, it supports the abovementioned fact that LD may occur in non-REM sleep stages. Moreover, the indirect LD-induction method requires awakening before the actual LD experience, which occurs within a few seconds and often looks like an out-of-body experience [66]. This method shows that it is not obligatory to experience low muscle tone before each LDdthus, PACM can be used to detect such LDs. ...
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Lucid dreams (LDs) occur when people become aware that they are dreaming. This phenomenon has a wide range of possible applications from the perspectives of psychology, training physical movements, and controlling computers while asleep, among others. However, research on LDs might lack efficiency because the standard LD verification protocol uses polysomnography (PSG), which requires an expensive apparatus and skilled staff. The standard protocol also may reduce LD-induction efficiency. The current study examines whether humans can send phasic signals through submentalis electromyography (EMG) during muscle atonia via pre-agreed chin movements (PACM). This ability would manifest both REM sleep and consciousness, which are the main features of LDs. In laboratory conditions volunteers were instructed to open their jaws three times while in an LD right after the standard verification protocol to achieve the research goal. Results: 4 of 5 volunteers proved to be in an LD using the standard protocol, and then all of them made PACM. The outcomes show that dream signals cannot be blocked in the submentalis area during muscle atonia. Also, this finding can be considered to develop a simplified, reliable LD protocol that needs only one EMG sensor. The cost of this protocol could be only a small percentage of the current protocol, making it more convenient for researchers and volunteers. It can also be used remotely by inbuilt in wearable gadgets. Considering PACM could speed up LD research and provide many discoveries and new opportunities. Also, it can be used in sleep paralysis studies.
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осознанные сновидения определяются как сны, в которых человек осознаёт, что спит, и при этом продолжает видеть сон. Прошло 11 лет с момента публикации предыдущего обзора эффективности методов индукции осознанных сновидений, поэтому настоящее исследование было направлено на обзор публикаций за последние 11 лет. Вторая цель состояла в повышении методологического качества исследований, включённых в обзор, путём использования только публикаций в рецензируемых научных журналах. Всего в настоящий обзор включено и проанализировано 17 исследований, из которых выявлено 12 методов индукции осознанных сновидений, причём 3 из этих 12 методов отсутствовали в предыдущем обзоре: метод осознанного сна, вызванного выходом из сна (dream exit induced lucid dream) (DEILD), метод осознанного сна, инициированного органами чувств (senses-initiated lucid dream) (SSILD), и снижение стресса на основе осознанности (mindfulness-based stress reduction) (MBSR). Наиболее эффективным оказался метод мнемонической индукции осознанных сновидений (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) (MILD). Также выявлены 3 перспективных метода, для подтверждения эффективности которых требуются дальнейшие исследования: метод осознанного сна, вызванного выходом из сна (dream exit induced lucid dream) (DEILD), метод осознанного сна, инициированного органами чувств (SSILD), и комбинированная техника Толея (Tholey). lucid dreams are dreams where the person is aware that they are dreaming, which allows them to fully control the contents of the dream. Lucid dreams are being used increasingly more in psychology as a means for combating depression, developing self-confidence, and improving one’s overall psychological well-being. There are various methods for becoming aware of oneself in a dream, and new ones continue to be developed. The previous review of the effectiveness of various methods was published in 2012 and summarised information from publications prior to 2011, including data from non-peer-reviewed publications. This review summarises and analyses 17 studies published only in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2011 to 2023 that report on the effectiveness of one or more methods for inducing lucid dreams. 12 methods were identified in total, 3 of which were not included in the 2012 review: dream exit induced lucid dream (DEILD), senses-initiated lucid dream (SSILD), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). The most effective method was the mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD). In addition, 3 promising methods were identified that require further research to confirm their effectiveness: dream exit induced lucid dream (DEILD), senses-initiated lucid dream (SSILD) and Tholey’s combined technique.
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During lucid dreaming, people experience vivid perceptions and emotions that may have a psychophysiological impact after the person awakens. The goal of this research is to test whether it is possible to create pain during lucid dreaming and maintain it upon awakening. For this study, 151 volunteers completed a task in which they needed to achieve pain during lucid dreams (LD) and then wake up. They then checked whether the pain from the dream remained after they awoke and, if so, they reported how long the pain lasted. Of the participants, 74% experienced pain during LD and 28% of them continued feeling the pain after waking. Our results may lead to new pain treatments and a better understanding of the nature of pain, LD, and hypnopompic hallucinations.
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During REM sleep we normally experience dreams. However, there are other less common REM sleep phenomena, like lucid dreaming (LD), false awakening (FA), sleep paralysis (SP), and out of body experiences (OBE). LD occurs when one is conscious during dreaming, and FA occurs when one is dreaming but believes that has woken up. SP is characterized by skeletal muscle atonia and occurs mainly during awakening or falling asleep. OBE is the subjective sensation of ‘leaving the physical body’. Since all these phenomena happen during REM sleep, their frequency is probably connected. The goal of this research is to explore how these phenomena are connected to each other in terms of frequency. We surveyed 974 people on the streets of Moscow and found significant correlations between the phenomena. Of those surveyed, 88% have experienced at least one of the phenomena of interest (i.e., LD, OBE, FA, and SP), which appeared to be closely correlated to each other. Furthermore, 43% of respondents stated that they often experience at least one of these phenomena. We found that the recurrence of these phenomena correlated with sleep duration and dream recall frequency. The results of the survey provide better understanding of the nature of REM sleep dissociative phenomena. Cross-correlations between REM sleep dissociated phenomena, like lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, out-of-body experiences, and false awakening, revealed by a survey
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Motor practice in lucid dreams is a form of mental rehearsal where the dreamer can consciously rehearse motor skills in the dream state while being physically asleep. A previous pilot study showed that practice in lucid dreams can improve subsequent performance. This study aimed to replicate those findings with a different task (finger-tapping) and compare the effectiveness of lucid dream practice (LDP) not only to physical but also to mental practice (MP) in wakefulness. An online experiment was completed by 68 participants within four groups: LDP group, MP group, physical practice (PP) group and control (no practice) group. Pre-test was accomplished in the evening, post-test in the next morning, while the practice was done during the night. All three practice groups significantly improved their performance from pre-test to post-test, but no significant improvements were observed for the control group. Subjective sleep quality was not affected by night practice. This study thus corroborates the previous findings that practice in lucid dreams is effective in improving performance. Its effects seem to be similar to actual PP and MP in wakefulness. Future studies should establish reliable techniques for lucid dream induction and verify the effects of LDP in sleep laboratory conditions.
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Lucid dreams – dreams in which the dreamer is aware that is dreaming – most frequently occur during REM sleep, yet there is some evidence suggesting that lucid dreaming can occur during NREM sleep as well. By conduct- ing a sleep laboratory study on lucid dreams, we found two possible instances of lucidity during NREM sleep which are reported here. While lucid dreaming during NREM sleep seems to be much rarer and more difficult to achieve, it appears to be possible and is most likely to occur during N1 sleep, somewhat less likely during N2 sleep and yet to be observed during N3 sleep. Future studies should explore induction methods, underlying neural mechanisms and perceptual/dream content differences between REM and NREM lucid dreams. Furthermore, a consensus agreement is needed to define what is meant by lucid dreaming and create a vocabulary that is helpful in clarifying variable psychophysiological states that can support self-reflective awareness.
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Reports of lucid dreaming (i.e., dreaming while being conscious that one is dreaming) were verified for 13 Ss (aged 21–51 yrs) who signaled by means of voluntary eye-movements that they knew they were dreaming while continuing to dream during REM sleep. Physiological analysis of the resulting 76 signal-verified lucid dreams (SVLDs) revealed that elevated levels of automatic nervous system activity reliably occurred both during and 30 sec preceding the onset of SVLDs, implicating physiological activation as a necessary condition for reflective consciousness during REM dreaming. It is concluded that the ability of proficient lucid dreamers to deliberately perform dream actions in accordance with presleep agreement makes possible determination of psychophysiological correspondence during REM dreaming. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Studied the association between lucidity and flying dreams in 1,910 dreams from 191 Ss. Flying dreams were likelier to be reported by Ss reporting lucid dreams or any of 3 related categories: prelucid dreams, dreams of sleep, or false awakenings. When flying and lucidity occurred in the same dream, lucidity preceded flight rather than being triggered by it. Possible bases for this relationship of lucid and flying dreams are discussed in terms of their psychological and physiological commonalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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To investigate the neural correlates of lucid dreaming. Parallel EEG/fMRI recordings of night sleep. Sleep laboratory and fMRI facilities. Four experienced lucid dreamers. N/A. Out of 4 participants, one subject had 2 episodes of verified lucid REM sleep of sufficient length to be analyzed by fMRI. During lucid dreaming the bilateral precuneus, cuneus, parietal lobules, and prefrontal and occipito-temporal cortices activated strongly as compared with non-lucid REM sleep. In line with recent EEG data, lucid dreaming was associated with a reactivation of areas which are normally deactivated during REM sleep. This pattern of activity can explain the recovery of reflective cognitive capabilities that are the hallmark of lucid dreaming.
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Morning naps provide us highly favorable circumstances for inducing lucid dreams. Two important factors are at work here: timing and wakefulness during sleep. (The term "nap" indicates that the target sleep period is immediately preceded by a period of wakefulness; "morning" indicates the relevant time-of-day.) A series of NightLight experiments exploring the relationships between napping, length of sleep, continuity of sleep, biological rhythms, and lucid dreaming, have repeatedly demonstrated a strong relationship between taking morning naps and increased likelihood of lucid dreaming. (1, 2, 3, 4) Working from the premise that lucid dreaming is associated with increased REM propensity and REM intensity, both of which are typically at or near their peak late in the morning, the first of our nap studies, "The Best Time for Lucid Dreaming," (1) compared the following sleep schedules: a. Taking a two-hour nap two hours after getting up two hours early (i.e., taking a nap at the normal waking time) and b. Taking a two-hour nap starting four hours after getting up two hours early (i.e., taking a nap two hours later than the typical rising time) to assess their relative value in promoting lucid dreams. Overall, lucid dreams were 10 times more likely in the naps than the preceding nights. More lucid dreams per total dreams occurred in the two-hour delayed nap than in the four-hour delayed nap (an average of one lucid dream out of each two dreams versus one lucid dream out of each three dreams, respectively). Although the number of subjects in this study was not large enough for the differences between the two napping conditions to be statistically significant, it was very encouraging that these nap schedules showed much more effect on lucid dreaming than any of our previous studies of lucid dream induction by mental exercises. Our second nap study, "Get Up Early, Take a Nap, Be Lucid," (2) compared three different sleep schedules, one each night. In the first schedule, Condition A, participants awakened 90 minutes before their normal waking time, stayed up for 90 minutes, and did a special MILD exercise for 10 minutes before falling back to sleep for a 90-minute nap. In the second sleep schedule, Condition B, participants also awakened 90 minutes prior to their normal waking time, but then went right back to sleep after doing the MILD exercise for 10 minutes to finish a "normal" night's rest. In the third sleep schedule, Condition C, subjects slept their complete normal sleep time, woke up and did the MILD exercise, then returned to sleep for 90 extra minutes. In Condition A (delayed nap), 8% of participants had lucid dreams in the night, and 67% in the nap; none of the participants had lucid dreams in the night portion of Condition B ("normal" sleep with MILD), and 33% in the nap; 17% of participants had lucid dreams in the night portion of Condition C (prolonged sleep), and 8% in the nap. In other words, Condition A (which included the delayed nap) was, by far, the sleep schedule most conducive to lucid dreaming, with a full two-thirds of participants recording lucid dreams under these circumstances. The results of this study indicated that there was something about the delayed sleep that greatly improved lucid dreaming ability, as the prolonged sleep in Condition C, which happened in the same time of the morning as the Condition A nap, was not associated with these elevated levels of lucidity.