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I've always been spiritually inclined and interested in altered states of conciousness or, in this case unconsciousness. Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated by dreams, and a couple of years later I learnt the importance of their meaning, after all, they are a raw expression of your subconscious.

In my everlasting journey of understanding myself better, I deemed essential to be able to control my dreams or, at least, being able to stare at them consciously in real time and draw conclusions from them. After a period of time where I've became obsessed with them, I've successfully managed to have a few short lucid dreams in my life, and these were one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had.

For some reason (I guess the novelty wore off?) I stopped trying to lucid dream, but now that I think about it, this desire comes to mind every time I'm going through turbulent stages of my life, like now, in hopes of gaining some clarity that could aid my situation. Once again, here I am.

Step #1: Dreaming

If you know anything about lucid dreams, you already are aware of all the different methods that can help you achieve them; WBTB, MILD, WILD, etc., but all of this is meaningless if you can't recall your dreams because, how can you even have lucid dreams if you can't remember your normal ones? So the first step is journaling, doesn't matter how or where, as long as you put some effort to keep track of your dreams, your brain will think that it is something important and will pay more attention to them. In return, you will have more vivid dreams full of details (in reality, you are just remembering all the dreams you would've had anyways). Plus, you will have something to read when you are bored :P

Step #2: Being aware

This is the most difficult part. Sometimes it will happen by accident, sometimes no matter how much you try or how many techniques you try, it won't happen. But one thing is for certain, it is only a matter of time until you start being aware that you are dreaming. You can speed this up by trying different methods, like those I mentioned earlier, but all things considered, it takes time, see: Consistency. The one thing I like doing that really helps, not only to lucid dream but life in general, is mindfullness, a type of meditation where you pay very close attention to your current state of mind.

My ultimate goal with lucid dreaming is being able to speak to my own subconscious through characters I encounter in my dreams, but on the road to get there, I might as well explore the limits of my creativity and gain more time in this busy world we live in. Peace out.

P.S.: don't be afraid of sleep paralysis