Wouldn't it be wonderful to have complete control over entire universe? Would you defeat your enemies? Gain great treasures? Just take a long vacation? Well, all of this is possible within a lucid dream. In a lucid dream, you are completely aware of the fact that you are dreaming, and with a little practice you can take control of what happens in your dream.

There are two types of lucid dreams, those in which you realize that you are dreaming right from the beginning and those in which you realize that you are dreaming only after the events in your dream don't add up to a logical conclusion. It is possible to go to sleep with the intention of having a lucid dream. Some people have been able to train themselves to enter an almost hypnotized state of complete relaxation, moving seamlessly from the conscious to the dream state.

Lucid dreams are also commonly associated with out of body experiences. Have you ever had a dream that you were a ghost? Perhaps you were floating above your body, or you left it behind while you went to visit your sleeping friends or relatives? This is sometimes called astral projection or spirit walking. These dreams are likely caused by a confusion of signals in your brain. Your mind is seeing the dream, seeing what was around you as you went to sleep, but then your mind can also feel that you are not moving in your bed. In order to make sense of these confusing signals, your brain creates a world in which there are two of you, one which is moving and one which is not. These feelings often create dreams of falling or floating because your body has created an illusion of movement without the restriction of gravity.

One way that lucid dreams can be very beneficial is for those who suffer with nightmares. Learning lucid dreaming techniques can help those with nightmares to literally face their fears in a dream state. Battle the monster, confront your tormentor, and end recurring torment. This kind of self-control can also build self-confidence, not just battling the dream monster but also battling real emotional monsters such as anxiety, self-doubt, or guilt. While it may not have been possible for you to identify the meaning or cause of your nightmares in order to overcome them, it is possible to use lucid dreams as a shortcut. To conquer your demons in dream form can alleviate inner turmoil within your subconscious.