I was caught in the middle of a volcanic eruption a while ago. I was standing in the middle of a random dream city and I sensed danger. Everything was shaking violently and it was so loud. It felt like the world was coming to an end and nothing would ever be the same.

I didn’t see the volcano, but I could sense an indestructible force coming my way. For some reason I knew it was a sea of lava and nothing was going to stop it. So I did what any normal person would do. I ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction because I thought I could beat it.

I didn’t ask myself why a powerful sea of lava was flowing through a city I’d never been in before. I thought it was real. Our minds go blank when we dream, but there is a way you can take messages into the dream world.

(Reader Story, by Adam Palmer)

An intention is a message you plant in your subconscious mind. Just thinking, “I will become lucid tonight,” sets a very basic intention. In theory, you’d get this message while you were dreaming and you would become lucid.

Once you’ve set an intention you can strengthen it. What separates a strong intention from the thousands of wild thoughts passing through your mind every day? The more you reaffirm your intentions, the more energy you give them, and the more powerful they become.

Strengthen your intention

These exercises all increase your chances of becoming lucid and by dedicating yourself to practice, you’re going to see results.

Exercise 1 – Reality checks

Perform reality checks while asking yourself, “is this a dream?” Try to poke your finger through the palm of your opposite hand. Pinch your nose and try breathing through it. Examine your surroundings very carefully and look to see if anything is out of place.

Recommended time: 30-120 seconds, regularly.

Exercise 2 – Mantra

Sit comfortably, shut your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Slowly and calmly repeat the mantra, “I am lucid dreaming,” inside your head. Each time you notice you’ve lost concentration, just return to the mantra.

Recommended time: 5 minutes, regularly.

Exercise 3 – Immersion

Review popular online lucid dreaming forums. Read other people’s experiences. As you’re reading you must visualize and experience each one as if you were living it.

Recommended time: 5-20 minutes, in the evening.

Exercise 4 – Visualization

Sit comfortably, shut your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Either relive an experience from your dream journal, or just use your imagination to conjure up your own dream scene. The key to this exercise is to pretend you’re inside a lucid dream.

Recommended time: 5-20 minutes, before bed.

Depending on how much time you have available, these exercises can be used all at once, or in part, and in combination with daily meditation. With repetition and effort your intentions will become stronger and they will manifest inside your dreams.

Combine with meditation

Meditation reduces the level of mental noise in your head. As your mind become quiet and focused you can drill down on one particular thought, thereby creating a strong intention. With practice, a single thought held for a duration of time will become very powerful.

Fear and Self Sabotage

Throughout the exercises, subconscious issues may come up. Usually, fear and a lack of confidence will be the ultimate saboteur of your intentions and efforts. This is completely normal. It’s not a sign of weakness, or a lack of ability, it’s just something that takes effort and patience to overcome.

If you set lucid dreaming aside for a moment, I’ve never met a single person who didn’t have aspirations, wishes and desires. Very few of them go on to realize greatness as they fall at the first hurdle. “It will never work,” is the only thing their subconscious mind will ever hear.

The one who succeeds is rarely the one with the greatest ability; it’s the one with the greatest confidence and drive. With practice, awareness and dedication, your negative thoughts will pass.

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Adam Palmer has been consciously practicing lucid dreaming and exploring the out of body state for over 10 years now. Now he wants to share his experience with others and you can find his work over at Astral Zen.