The core skill of a successful lucid dreamer isn’t flying in dreams—it’s having that “Eureka!” moment when you suddenly realize everything around you is just a game being played by the mind. A group of scientists from Switzerland and Italy, led by Federico Seragnoli, professed that by training this “Eureka!” feeling, people can increase the frequency and quality of their lucid dreams. The well-known exercise involves regularly counting the fingers on your hands throughout the day while paying attention to their number and appearance. If you repeat this exercise in a dream and discover that you have more or fewer fingers, this will signal that you have achieved lucidity.
Interestingly, similar mechanisms work in other altered states of consciousness, for example, under the influence of psychedelics. The authors do not promote this, but perhaps the ability to control metacognitive processes in a dream will help a person navigate the psychedelic experience and derive more benefit from it—for example, when used in therapy. This isn’t just about controlling hallucinations; it’s also about gaining awareness of your thoughts and emotions, analyzing them, and finding new perspectives.
Therefore, in addition to learning to “wake up” in a dream, researchers also advise people to develop their metacognitive skills—namely, to train lucidity, notice details, and analyze their thoughts and feelings. After all, according to scientists, these abilities open the door to lucid dreams and a deeper understanding of the workings of one’s mind.
Have you developed these skills? What specific methods have you used?
The article was published in March 2025 in Cognitive Therapy and Research.
Drugs and plants may have side effects and should only be used in consultation with a doctor. This article does not call for independent experiments.
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