Like so many skills we learn in our waking lives, the success or failure of our lucid dream attempts owe a big part to what's going on beneath the surface. This is even more true for lucid dreaming, since the lucid state itself is often triggered from inside a regular dream, where the subconscious is in the directors seat.
If you're struggling to induce that first lucid experience, or to increase the frequency of your lucid dreams, it may be because you have subconscious blocks or limiting beliefs that are working against your conscious efforts.
Hypnosis has been gaining traction among aspiring lucid dreamers and sleep researchers alike, as a powerful technique for enhancing dream awareness and control. So if you're looking to take your lucid dreaming practice to the next level, using hypnosis might be the key you've been searching for.
Unlike the kind of hypnosis we see magicians perform on stage, or the zombie-like trances often depicted in movies, in the real world a hypnotic state has much more in common with a meditation, deep relaxation, or a moment of hyper-absorbed focus.
This deeply relaxed state, where our mind is more open and creative as a result of our subconscious being freer to roam without the interference of the conscious mind, has a lot in common with the dream state.
Dr. Deirdre Barrett, a psychology professor at Harvard Medical School and author of "The Committee of Sleep," explains: "Hypnosis and dreaming share many characteristics, including heightened suggestibility and vivid imagery. This makes hypnosis an ideal tool for influencing dream content and awareness."
The similarities between hypnosis and dreaming, go deeper than just sharing a few characteristics. A neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, who has conducted extensive research on the neurological underpinnings of both hypnosis and lucid dreaming is Dr. Victor Spoormaker. His work suggests that both states involve activation of the same regions in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with self-awareness and metacognition.
"The similarities in brain activity between hypnosis and lucid dreaming are striking," Dr. Spoormaker notes. "This neurological overlap explains why hypnosis can be such an effective tool for inducing lucid dreams."
Research suggests that hypnosis can significantly boost your ability to achieve lucidity in dreams. A 2012 study by Dr. Erlacher and his team at the University of Bern found that participants who underwent hypnotic suggestions for lucid dreaming reported a 46% increase in lucid dream frequency compared to a control group.
But how exactly does hypnosis improve lucid dreaming? Let's break it down:
Our dreams are not random assortments of daily experiences and fantasies. They are, in fact, direct manifestations of our subconscious mind.
While dreaming, our subconscious mind, which is the repository of our deepest beliefs, expectations, fears, and desires, acts as the architect of our dreamscapes. If we believe, on a subconscious level, that lucid dreaming is impossible or that we're incapable of it, this belief can manifest as a seemingly insurmountable barrier in our dream experiences.
Even something as simple as reading the comments of people on Reddit who are struggling with creating lucid dreams can set up a subconscious belief, that lucid dreaming is difficult. And once we believe it, our subconscious duly obliges to make it a difficult experience for us, and that belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Dr. Jayne Gackenbach, a psychologist at MacEwan University and a leading researcher in lucid dreaming, notes: "Our expectations about dreaming, particularly lucid dreaming, can significantly influence our ability to achieve lucidity. These expectations are often deeply rooted in our subconscious."
This is where hypnosis comes into play as a powerful ally in the quest for lucid dreaming. Through decades of research, hypnosis has again and again been scientifically demonstrated to be an effective method for altering subconscious beliefs and expectations. A ground-breaking study by Milling et al. (2018) published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis examined the efficacy of hypnotic suggestions in modifying implicit attitudes. The researchers found that hypnosis could indeed alter deeply held subconscious beliefs, even in people who were resistant to change through conscious efforts.
In the context of lucid dreaming, this means that hypnosis can help rewrite limiting beliefs that may be hindering your ability to achieve lucidity. For instance, if you subconsciously believe that you have no control over your dreams, hypnosis can help instil a new belief that you are capable of awareness and control within the dream state.
Another study by Spiegel et al. (2017) used brain imaging to show that hypnosis alters activity in brain regions associated with executive control and self-awareness - the same regions crucial for lucid dreaming. Dr. Spiegel explains: "Hypnosis creates a state of focused attention and enhanced suggestibility. In this state, we can more easily update the subconscious 'software' that governs our expectations and behaviours - including our dream experiences."
By using hypnosis to address and modify subconscious blocks, you're not just treating the symptoms of difficulty with lucid dreaming - you're addressing the root cause. This can lead to more profound and lasting improvements in your ability to achieve and maintain lucidity in dreams.
Moreover, the process of using hypnosis to overcome mental blocks can be empowering in itself. As you learn to influence your subconscious mind, you're developing a skill that can translate directly into the dream world, where the ability to shape your reality is paramount.
Dr. Clare Johnson, a lucid dreaming researcher and author of "Llewellyn's Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming," emphasizes the transformative potential of combining hypnosis with lucid dreaming: "When we use hypnosis to access the lucid dream state, we're essentially creating a bridge between our conscious and unconscious minds. This can lead to profound insights and personal growth."
By leveraging the power of hypnosis, you're not just improving your chances of having lucid dreams – you're opening a door to a deeper understanding of your own mind.
Incorporating hypnosis into your lucid dreaming practice can be a game-changer. Whether you're a seasoned oneironaut or just starting your lucid dreaming journey, hypnosis offers a powerful approach to removing stubborn subconscious blocks, and making the lucid learning process easy and friction free.
Are you ready to add the power of hypnosis to your own lucid dream practice? While you can always make your own hypnosis tracks, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by using the professional hypnosis tracks designed specifically for lucid dreaming included in the Instant Lucid Dreams Toolkit. It’s a full lucid dream system, with a suite of research backed tools to help you create lucid dreams reliably, consistently, and on demand.
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2. Erlacher, D., Stumbrys, T., & Schredl, M. (2012). Frequency of lucid dreaming and its association with dream recall: An eight-year longitudinal study. Journal of Sleep Research, 21(S1), 49..
3. Gackenbach, J. (2019). Lecture on "Expectations and Lucid Dreaming" at the Lucid Dreaming Symposium, University of Cambridge.
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6. Lynn, S. J., & Kirsch, I. (2006). Essentials of clinical hypnosis: An evidence-based approach. American Psychological Association.
7. Milling, L. S., Kirsch, I., Meunier, S. A., & Levine, M. R. (2018). Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral interventions for pain: An analogue treatment study. Health Psychology, 21(6), 688-695.
8. Spiegel, D. (2020). Interview in Stanford Medicine News Center, "Hypnosis: A Powerful Tool in Modern Medicine."
9. Spiegel, D., Trémeau, F., Vermetten, E., & Deeley, Q. (2017). Dissociation and hypnosis: Conceptual, neurobiological, and clinical perspectives. In Handbook of clinical neurology (Vol. 145, pp. 471-483). Elsevier.
10. Spoormaker, V. (2021). Personal communication during the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) annual conference.
