You’ve just been asked “how do I lucid dream” and you want to give the best answer possible. Perhaps the person has had a short but memorable spontaneous lucid dreaming experience, or maybe they’ve just heard of this practice. maybe they are a friend of yours and they’ve heard your stories and want to see what it is all about. The question “how do I lucid dream?” is a good one, and you want to tap into their interest and enthusiasm right away.
How can I lucid dream?
A cousin of the question “how do I lucid dream” is “how can I lucid dream”. This question often is asking not so much exactly what the techniques are, but whether lucidity is actually really possible. In this case you can relate your own stories, perhaps including your own 
hesitation and disbelief before you started. You can point them toward online forums and other places to get the lucidity stories of others. Maybe you can show them some of the lucid dreaming research you’ve read, and particularly point out that research done by sources they’ve heard of. “How can I lucid dream” is asking not only for the method but also for the assurance that it is possible.
Sometimes people are asking this question with an emphasis on the word “I”. In other words, they do believe that you or others have been able to do this, but they doubt their own chances. They may have tried some initial lucid dreaming steps, or maybe they do not generally remember their dreams. One way or another they are uncertain about whether the effort will be worthwhile for them, and in this case some reassurance about how they will likely see success as the work on things may be helpful. Relating your own challenges along the way, or again pointing them to forums and other sites where people write about overcoming their own initial challenges can be helpful.
Look for lucid dreaming stories
One of the best ways to build your confidence and affirmatively answer the question “How can I lucid dream?” is to read the stories of others whether here or on any number of online forums. You may also have friends and family that talk about their own lucid dreaming experiences.
How do I lucid dream tonight?
Of course one of the questions that people have has to do with how quickly they can master the art of lucid dreaming. So if you are asking yourself “How do I lucid dream tonight?” or “How do I lucid dream easily?” we also have an answer for you. First, you may want to combine any one of the best lucid dreaming techniques with lucid dreaming supplements such as Galantamine or Calea Z. These supplements will not lead to lucidity alone, but they can do things such as make REM sleep last longer, make dreams more vivid and memorable, or give you more REM periods. Any of these will increase your chances at both achieving lucidity and remembering the dream.
You can also combine your techniques with lucid dreaming music, including relaxing induction instructions played beneath soothing music or specific technologies such as binaural beats and isochronic tones. The latter two put you in a relaxed state that is conducive to dreams and dreaming. Many lucid dreamers have reported success when using these brain entrainment technologies. While combining lucid dreaming music and supplements is fine, you may want to try only one at a time so that you know exactly which one worked. Otherwise you may find it necessary to use both when perhaps only one would do.
How do I stay in the lucid dream?
If there is one question that constantly comes up for usit is how to keep from waking up as soon as the excitement of being lucid in a dream hits. Some feel that lucid dreaming supplements, by adding vividness to the dream, also make the possibility of waking up more likely. There is no easy answer to correcting this problem, but one technique that seems to work is to mentally rehearse (and even use verbal affirmations) not getting too excited when you realize you are lucid in a dream. Relatedly, it is good to practice moving slowly (not literally, but as far as what to do first) when you first realize you are lucid, as opposed to trying to run into an adventure right away.
Basically the problem of waking up during a lucid dream stems from our tendency to wake up when in a state of heightened arousal – it is a natural and protective reaction that would ensure that we would wake up if something urgent was going on around us. Unfortunately for the novice just learning how to lucid dream, there is no easy way, beyond practice, to try to shut down our natural tendency to wake up when overly aroused emotionally while asleep.
The Lucid Dreaming Center coined the term “passive lucid dreaming” to describe the idea that a person can be fully lucid but still let their unconscious drive the content of the dream. Given that there can be powerful and interesting meanings behind our dreams, being aware yet passive can be a way to learn more about your deep-seated hopes, fears, and desires. Passive lucid dreaming can also be beneficial to the lucid dreamer who is just starting out on their adventure, since many have reported that when they get too excited and try to do too much too soon in their lucid dreams they invariably wake up much sooner than they would have liked. It can also be good for those taking lucid dreaming supplements which make dreams very vivid and real.
A passive lucid dream may feel a little like being Dorothy in Oz. You are fully aware as you walk down a path, drive in a car, fly around, etc., but you have no idea what or who you will see or what adventures await. Make sure you have your dream journal ready so that you can write down every detail! The passive lucid dream experience can have many emotions – it may be scary, happy, or sad. It may lead to strange things, or unexpected twists and turns. But the passive lucid dream should accomplish two things: For the novice lucid dreamer the passive lucid dream should extend the lucid dreaming experience by correcting this problem of waking up, and for the more advanced lucid dreamer the passive lucid dream can unlock deeper meanings from their waking world.
How do I lucid dream often?
Once you have learned how to lucid dream, whether it came instantly or not, you will quickly want to know how to lucid dream more often. You’ll begin to ask yourself how to lucid dream tonight. You’ll want to know the best lucid dreaming techniques so the question “How do I lucid dream” goes away!