that you are, indeed, dreaming—will allow you to live out fantasies, stop nightmares,

and even road test some solutions to real life problems. You will need A dream journal

and an alarm clock. Step 1. Keep a journal and a pen next to your bed so you can immediately

record everything that happens in your dreams. You’ll begin to see patterns, and that will

help you realize when you’re actually in the middle of a dream. Step 2. Look intently

at mirrors, book titles, and your watch face several times a day. In dreams, these images

are always blurred. Looking at them while awake will increase their appearances in your

dreams, helping you recognize when you are dreaming. Pinching yourself when you’re

awake is another good way to train your brain to recognize when you’re dreaming, because

when you pinch yourself in a dream you feel no pain. Step 3. Tell yourself as you drift

off to sleep that you’re going to have a lucid dream. Research shows that simply instructing

your brain to realize you’re dreaming—especially when you’re in the suggestible pre-sleep

phase—helps boost your odds of doing so. Step 4. Set your alarm half an hour earlier

than normal. When it rings, stay awake 30 to 60 minutes, then go back to sleep. Because

you likely interrupted dream-intense REM sleep, you’re now 20% to 50% more likely to have

a lucid dream. So George Clooney is about to kiss you and you feel like you’re starting

to wake up? Pretend to spin around in circles. This keeps the dream going 96% of the time.

Step 5. Once you’re attuned to the fact that you’re dreaming, start altering the

action. Fly over mountains. Tell off your mother-in-law. Have a “dream” date. You

can also test problem-solving scenarios, practice sensitive confrontations, and speak to loved

ones who have passed. Did you know Lewis Carroll was inspired to write _Alice in Wonderland_

after having a lucid dream.