So now we've come to the payoff. In order to make this material more user-friendly, the information has been divided into four categories, and there will also be an summarized outline at the end of the manual. By getting an overview at a glance, it may be easier for you to thoroughly learn, absorb and internalize all the information. Hopefully, it will help tighten all the concepts into one working whole.

The Process
Section One - The Six Basic Steps
Section Two - Other methods
Section Three - General tips
Section Four - Tools and Tactics

All these sections have one objective - teaching you how to become lucid in your dreams. After you've learned the process, methods, tips, tools, and tactics, we'll cover the more advanced techniques that you will need to know once you become lucid.

The Process

There are many techniques and methods that you can use for inducing lucid dreams, but there are basically two different ways of becoming lucid. You can either have dream-induced or wake-induced lucid dreams. Stephen LaBerge coined the term D.I.L.D. (Dream Induced Lucid Dream) for dreams in which you become lucid while within a dream. By training your awareness, you will somehow realize that you are dreaming while you are dreaming. This is by far the most common way of having a lucid dream, but it is also possible to directly enter a lucid dream from a waking state. These Wake Induced Lucid Dreams, or W.I.L.D.s, are far more rare, but as LaBerge so aptly labeled them, they are quite an experience. While covering the basics we will be dealing primarily with dream induced lucid dreams. When we move beyond the basics, we will be dealing with the more
advanced techniques that will include inducing W.I.L.D.s. There are many methods to induce lucid dreams, but there is an underlying process behind most if not all of them. I've broken this underlying process down into six basic steps that will serve as our beginning regime. Once you absorb these steps and start following them, it is only a matter of time before you have your first lucid dream. In case you are wondering how long it will take for you to have you first one, just follow through with the steps and have faith that you will have one.

According to statistics, the time it takes for someone to have their first lucid dream averages from three weeks to two months, but yours may be tonight so don't be discouraged if you try for a while and don't succeed. There seems to be an obsession in our society for instant results. If you are one of these people, realize that this is one of your first obstacles to overcome. Only one thing is certain - If you never stop trying, you are guaranteed to succeed.

The Six Basic Steps

1) Doing the Mental Prep-Work - see Electric Dreams 7(4) April 2000
2) Increasing dream recall -FOCUS THIS MONTH
3) Keeping a dream journal
4) Becoming familiar with your Dreams
5) Adding Awareness to your Waking Consciousness
6) Linking your Awareness to your Dreams

Step Six) Linking your Awareness to your Dreams

This last step is rather simple and easy compared to the previous steps, and due to its simplicity you should have no problem incorporating it into your daily regime. But before we move on, let's review where you should be at right now. At this point, you have done the mental prep-work, you have been increasing your dream recall, and you have been keeping your dream journal. You are becoming familiar with your dreams, noticing your dreamsigns, and exercising your awareness by meditating and doing your reality checks consistently.

The final step is to combine what you have learned about your dreams with what you have learned about your awareness. Put simply, you need to merge your reality checks with your dreamsigns so that whenever you encounter one of your dreamsigns you automatically start doing reality checks. If you dream of classrooms or beaches or driving fast in a car, whenever you see a classroom or a beach or whenever you are driving in a fast car you will be programmed to do a reality check. The end result will be this: Inevitably you are going to dream about one of your dreamsigns (that is why they are your dreamsigns) and eventually you are going to remember to do a reality check and ultimately you are going to realize that you are dreaming.
It is helpful to stay updated on your current dreamsigns and dream themes. If you have been having dreams of being chased for the past week, you need to activate a trigger onto the idea of being chased so that whenever you are being chased you will realize that you need to do a reality check. By becoming intimately acquainted with your dreamsigns and linking reality checks to these dreamsigns, you will be laying the foundation for future lucid dreaming adventures.

As you can see, these six steps are all interwoven into one basic process. Leaving out just one step will diminish the effectiveness of all the other steps, and in turn, it will decrease the actual results of the entire process. Almost all of the other techniques and methods for inducing lucid dreams that will be mentioned are based on this overall process to a certain extent. Often, the methods and techniques are offshoots of this process or are limited versions of one or more of these six basic steps. Study them and internalize them. Practice them diligently and consistently and your subconscious will become engrained with them. Eventually these habits will carry over into your dreams, and hopefully the final payoff will be when you say, "Yes, I am dreaming!"

By simply following these six steps, you will inevitably have a lucid dream, but to maximize your progress, let's go over several other methods that you can use in conjunction with these six steps. By experimenting with these steps and with the following methods, you will discover which techniques work best for you.

There are many different methods and techniques but since everyone is usually rather individualized the method that works best for you may depend on YOU. I suggest trying them all. I have had lots of luck using brainwave entrainment audio as well as using the Sleep-Wake-Back to Bed Method.
For more information about lucid dreaming, brainwave entrainment and if you would like to get involved in some group lucid dreaming research, please surf your way over to my lucid dreaming website at http://how.to/luciddream . Check the link to The Dream Initiative website for info on getting involved. We are always on the lookout for a few good dreamers, and even if you're not so good at it yet, it certainly helps to have the support and input from others who are interested.