waiting to be revealed to us, and when we start to do
mind-training work such as meditation, self-hypnosis,
energy work and, of course, lucid dreaming, we begin
to get an idea of just how deep the iceberg goes.”
So, what are the benefits of lucid dreaming? When
you’re within a lucid dream, you’ve accessed a refined
state of consciousness. It’s a bit like a state of
hypnotherapy, only more powerful, and you’re totally
in the driving seat. Anything you do within a lucid
dream is said, by Buddhists, to be seven times more
powerful than if you were to do the same thing within
a waking state. That’s because neural pathways are
being laid down and your brain switches to ‘gamma
brainwave frequency’, which offers the state of
‘feeling blessed’ – a state often experienced by high
level meditators, such as monks and nuns.
Whether you regularly remember your dreams or
not, we can all learn how to have a lucid dream. When
in a lucid dream state, you can decide what it is you
would like lucid dreaming to help you with. This could
be to solve problems you’re facing at work; as a tool
to help find inspiration on a project; to practise a skill
you want to perfect; to develop your spiritual path by
meeting your teachers; to find your joy; or simply just
to sleep well and awake feeling rested.S
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Leah Larwood
A clinical hypnotherapist, Leah is one
of 17 therapists in the UK to recently
complete the first-ever training for
therapists in mindfulness of dreams
and sleep with world-renowned
teacher Charlie Morley. Connect
with Leah at themoonlab.netThe approach is simple. The core ingredients
include: having a dream plan or goal for your
nocturnal adventures, simple mindfulness
techniques and a strong intention. Use the
hypnogogic, lucid dream and hypnopompic
states to recite sankalpas (a Sanskrit term for
an intention, used in yoga), affirmations,
visualisations and intentions and the results
will be heightened. Try these steps:Goal setting: Start by making a list of the
areas or relationships in your life in which you
would like to cultivate more joy. Most things
you choose to work with will undoubtedly
impact your joy.Intention: Motivation and intention will play
a vital part in your success so it’s important
to make sure you feel into your body and
really tap into a strong motivation before
you embark.Create a ‘sankalpa’ or affirmation: It’s
important to use the first person ‘I’ and the
present tense; eg. 'I feel joy in my life; I am
abundant with feelings of joy'.Hypnogogic: This state is a great place to
recite affirmations as you drift off to sleep.Lucid dream: If you become lucid within your
dream, call out to the dream to meet joy.
You might be faced with some beautifully
surprising ways your psyche sees joy. This in
itself will be pretty powerful but you may also
like to ask it questions: What does it need to
thrive? What is holding it back? You can also
call out your affirmation to the dream. This is
a powerful way to evoke change: remember
you’re in a really refined state of
consciousness when lucid.Embrace love: End the dream by embracing
your manifestation of joy – either literally give
it a hug or leave an offering such as flowers,
a candle or another object that is significant
to you. Your subconscious will recognise your
kind intentions and this will have a beneficial
impact on your experience and joy.HOW TO HARNESS JOY
WHILE YOU SLEEP