Have you heard about lucid dreaming but have no idea how to go about it? Or maybe you have tried and failed in the past and are looking for a method that is highly likely to induce lucid dreaming? Then you’re in the right place! Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming (FILD) is a fantastic method that can have you lucid dreaming in 30 seconds. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself! Though I can’t guarantee that it will work the first time, it’s a simple method for beginners to use to enable them to experience the wonderful world of lucid dreaming.
First, we’re going to go into how you can prepare for lucid dreaming, and then we’ll get into the nitty-gritty details of the finger induced lucid dreaming method. Right, let’s get to it!
How to prepare
9. Keep a Dream Journal
Before you are able to use any lucid dreaming technique, you must have at least an average level of dream recall. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t recall much about your dreams, you might need to devote some time to improve your memory of your dreams. Don’t be disheartened though, we’re going to tell you how you can do this and get you on your way towards lucid dreaming!
One of the best ways to increase your dream recall is to keep a dream journal. It’s efficient, it’s easy, it’s free, and it can be a pretty interesting window into your subconscious mind (at least Freud thought so anyway, and who am I to argue with him?)
First, you’ll need to find a suitable dream journal medium, such as an app, a Word doc, or an old-fashioned journal. The only requirement that you should keep in mind when choosing your journal is that you will need to have it to hand as soon as you wake up, so whatever format you go with, it has to be able to spend the night by your bedside.
When you wake up, start jotting down what you can remember of your dreams. Start with the general narrative or even any flashes of detail that you remember. As you recall your initial memories of your dreams, you’ll notice that the story of your dream becomes clearer and more detailed as you write, and what might have been just a flash of an image can turn into an exciting adventure that you wouldn’t have otherwise been aware of.
If you didn’t dream or don’t remember the contents of the dream, you should write this down too. Just the practice of trying to recall your dreams will boost your recall!
Once you have written a few journal entries, start looking for details that are recurrent in your dreams, such as locations, themes, or emotions. These will be super helpful when you begin to gain more control of your dreams, as these situations may trigger you to suddenly become aware that you are asleep, allowing you to take control of your dreams.
It’s crucial that you document when you went to sleep and woke up, and whether or not you tried to induce lucid dreaming. If you did, record what method you tried, and whether you were successful (or unsuccessful).
Over time, you’ll start to notice that you become more and more adept at remembering the contents of your dreams, and one step closer to mastering the skill of lucid dreaming!
8. Get to know your sleep cycle.
Another crucial step in getting yourself ready to be a successful lucid dreamer is becoming familiar with your sleep cycle. When using the Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming Method, you will need to wake up during the night (we’ll go into this in a little bit), and you will need to wake up during a REM phase. Let’s take a second to go into what that means.
So, while sleeping may just seem like closing our eyes, dreaming (or not), and waking up, it’s not quite that simple. Our brain isn’t resting, it’s cycling through different types of sleep stages that all serve different functions. These stages can be broadly divided into REM and non-REM sleep, but we’re only interested in the REM stage for lucid dreaming.
REM sleep is the final stage of the sleep cycle and is when the majority of our dreaming occurs. We cycle into this phase around 90 minutes after falling asleep, and it generally lasts for about 10 minutes. The REM stage lasts longer upon the completion of each cycle, so the longer that you’ve been asleep for will lead to longer REM stages.
As we do most of our dreaming in our REM sleep, it’s wise to record in your dream journal when you’ve been roused from a dream, and how long it was after you fell asleep. This will allow you to establish when you’re most likely to be in REM sleep, which will come in really handy in a little while.
7. Reality Checks
Though our dreams seem real when we’re in them, there are some signs that we’re sleeping if we know what to look for. It is essential that you know if you’re awake or asleep when learning how to achieve a state of lucid dreaming and to understand how to check your state of consciousness. This can be done through reality checks, which are simple things you can test when you’re awake to make sure that you’re actually experiencing reality, which carries over to our dream world.
For example, when you’re dreaming, you may be able to press your finger into your palm and actually push through the skin to the other side. This is a simple check that you can do throughout the day, and an easy habit to form. Another test may be to try to read a piece of text, look away, and look back to the text. If you’re dreaming, that text will have changed, become blurry, or the page may have changed color. Find a reality check that works for you, and don’t forget that they must be actions that you can do periodically throughout your day.
While it might seem silly to check if you’re awake when you rationally know that you’re awake, it’s essential that you cement that habit. The more you consolidate this action, the more likely it’ll be that you will remember to do it when you’re sleeping from a combination of muscle memory and habit. If your reality check fails when you’re sleeping and it turns out that you are, in fact, dreaming, then you can hijack your dream and take control!
The FILD Method
6. Set your alarm!
So, let’s get into the finger induced lucid dreaming method itself. Before you drift off into the world of slumber, set your alarm for between 4-6 hours after you reckon you’ll fall asleep. This will, of course, depend on how long it takes for you to fall asleep, and this is something that you should also try to keep track of. There are a number of apps that can help you with this, but the average person takes about 15 minutes to drift off.
Try to fall asleep as you normally would. If you listen to music or a podcast before sleeping, then put that on. At this stage of the process, you want your night to be just like any other.
Once your alarm goes off, you’re going to need to force yourself to wake up and stay awake. I know that it will be very tempting to go back to sleep, especially if you were having a dream that you really want to know how it ends. This is entirely natural, and I’m sorry, but you will need to fight this urge. Don’t worry, though, it’ll be worth it.
5. Reeeelax.
Once you wake up from your slumber, turn off your alarm and relax. If you are a fan of meditation, use this time to clear your mind and relax your body. Focus on any tension in your limbs and push away any stressful thoughts. The main goal right at this point is to gain control over your cognitive functions, as this focus will act as a vehicle into your dreamland.
This step should put you into a really chill state, and you’ll start to feel drowsy – but don’t fall asleep just yet, it’s time for the main event!
4. Ever Played the Piano?
Once you feel like you’re about to fall asleep, it’s time to start the FILD technique.
Lie in a position where you are both comfortable and able to rest your hand on a flat surface. Take a second to assess how your fingers are positioned. They should be relaxed and unbent, and your grip should be soft and flexible. You should also make sure that no other part of your body is moving or tense. You want your whole and undivided attention to be focused on your fingers.
Start to make the motions of piano playing with your index and middle finger. Move your index finger down, and then raise your middle finger, then lower your middle finger and lift your index finger back up. Keep repeating these actions. Don’t press down hard or move too quick; your movements should be very, very slight, peaceful, and relaxing.
3. Try not to move!
Once you’ve got the rhythm down, start to reduce the amount of movement your fingers are making. With each movement, lift your fingers less and less, until they are completely still. It is essential that even when your fingers have stopped moving, you must continue to imagine that your fingers are still going. This will keep your mind alert and in control.
2. Okay, what now?
If you do not feel anything, don’t worry – that’s completely normal. Just keep imaging the movement, and be patient. If you are still awake after a couple of minutes, you should just go back to sleep and try again another night. You’ve got every night of the rest of your life to master this skill, there’s no need to rush!
In less than a minute, the effects will start to kick in. You will notice changes in your body’s natural rhythms, such as your breathing and heart rate, and you may see strange shapes, colors or visions on your eyelids. Try to let these pass you by and do not react. If you do respond, you may lose the trance-like state and have to start the process all over again. Only react once you are sure that you have entered a dream state.
1. Perform a reality check
After around 30 seconds, you should try a reality check to see if you have entered a dream state. You should try to do one that does not require movement, as any sudden actions could disrupt your dream state. I would recommend biting your tongue, though try to find one that works for you. If you don’t feel any, or relatively little, pain, then congratulations, you’re lucid dreaming!
You should perform the reality check at least twice, or try a couple of different reality checks, as sometimes our brain can play tricks on us, especially when we really want something to be true.
Conclusion
If you were successful – congratulations! What are you going to do now? If you weren’t, don’t be disheartened, have a good night’s sleep, and try again tomorrow. If the FILD method isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to try one of our 7 best ways to lucid dream tonight. You can always combine techniques too.
The finger induced lucid dreaming method is an excellent technique for beginners to dive into the world of lucid dreaming, and I think that with practice, most people can use this method to gain control over their dreams. Don’t forget to fill out your dream journal if you are successful and record the fantastic adventures that you went on during the night. Good luck, and sleep well!