Are You Dreaming?: Exploring Lucid Dreams: A Comprehensive Guide

by Daniel Love

'Just about everything you could possibly need to know about lucid dreaming. A thoroughly enjoyable, compendious and insightful guide for those interested in exploring their inner worlds.' - Dr Keith Hearne

Discover the Universe Inside your Mind

Astonishingly, there is around a 1 in 10 chance that you are dreaming at any given moment... including right now!

Every night, you adventure inwards to a universe made from the very fabric of your your dreams. Dreaming accounts for around 11% of your daily experience and, amazingly, each year you will spend an entire month dreaming. What if you could 'wake up' to this mysterious world, to learn to consciously explore the inner depths of your mind? Such an experience is indeed possible. It is called 'Lucid Dreaming'.

Isn't it time you woke up to your dreams?

Lucid dreaming is a scientifically verified and learnable skill by which you become aware that you are dreaming, whilst dreaming. Such knowledge imbues you with an almost unlimited control over your dreaming adventures. The power of lucid dreaming will also greatly enhance your waking life, opening new avenues of creativity, confidence, self-improvement, problem-solving, philosophical exploration and so much more. A universe of opportunity awaits you.

Master the art of lucid dreaming

In this deeply comprehensive and modern guide to lucid dreaming, expert lucid dreamer and oneirologist, Daniel Love, will aid you on your unique journey through the fascinating exploration of your mind. This book brings the subject of conscious dreaming fully up to date, including the latest discoveries, research, techniques and much more. It is the perfect guide to help you unlock the hidden potential of your dreams, catering for both beginners and advanced lucid dreamers alike.
'Are You Dreaming?' is a no-nonsense approach to this enthralling phenomenon and is simply one of the most thorough, accessible and in-depth contemporary guides to exploring and mastering lucid dreaming.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Spirituality, Science, Self Help, Occult

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Daniel Love is an internationally recognised lucid dreaming teacher specialising in consciousness, dreaming, and the psychology of sleep. He is the founder of The Lucid Guide and International Lucid Dreaming Day, and the bestselling author of Are You Dreaming? and its philosophical companion, Lucid: The Tao of Dreaming - widely regarded as essential books for anyone learning how to lucid dream.

His journey into lucid dreaming techniques did not begin with a spiritual calling, but with a practical need. From early childhood, Daniel experienced severe recurring nightmares and sleepwalking, and gradually learned to develop lucidity and dream control as a way of navigating his nights. That early experience led to over 40 years of personal investigation into dreaming, sleep, and consciousness, followed by more than 20 years of teaching lucid dreaming to students around the world.

Daniel teaches a clear, scientifically responsible approach to learning lucid dreaming grounded in psychology, philosophy, critical thinking, and direct experience. His work avoids pop-spiritual explanations in favour of methods that are realistic, testable, and applicable in everyday life. Many people are drawn to conscious dreaming because it feels significant long before they can explain why, and Daniel treats that pull with respect rather than dismissal or easy answers. At the heart of his teaching is a simple aim: to provide the kind of honest, reliable guidance he wished had existed when he was younger.

He is the creator of the Cycle Adjustment Technique (CAT) and the Artistic Response Test (ART), two foundational frameworks used by students and researchers worldwide to develop reliable lucid dreaming skills and improve nightmare-affected sleep. These and other proven methods form the core of his lucid dreaming courses and private tuition work.

Daniel’s authority is grounded in the history of lucid dream research itself. He is endorsed by Dr Keith Hearne, the scientist responsible for the first laboratory verification of lucid dreaming, who described Daniel as:

“The most authentic and comprehensive lucid dreaming teacher of our time.”

His expertise in sleep and consciousness has been featured by the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times, and he has worked as a dream science consultant on international media projects, including productions for Amazon Prime and Finite Films.

Alongside private tuition and ongoing research, Daniel runs the popular YouTube channel Daniel Love – Lucid Dreaming Teacher, where he challenges common myths and helps people move from vague ideas about lucid dreaming towards clarity, confidence, and genuine skill. His practical, evidence-based approach has helped thousands of people learn lucid dreaming through structured instruction.

He lives and works in Devon, England, where his days are split between teaching, reading, writing, and thinking about the mind (often out loud). When not working, he can usually be found walking near the coast or attempting to debate philosophy with his cat, Chikon, who remains unconvinced by most arguments.

Reviews

[Jimmy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many things on the topic of lucid dreaming, and I have found this book to be an outstanding and foundational read for anyone approaching the subject. Daniel Love weaves together an exciting view of what lucid dreaming is, how to develop and hone in this skill, and what the future possibly holds. He writes with an intelligent stroke of the pen and strips away the esoteric mist that surrounds the subject leaving the spirit to shine (even in the deep depths of our night life). This book is a must for anybody even remotely curious. I will be adding this book into my core library on conscious dreaming and there will be multiple rereads. Thank you Daniel Love for writing an up-to-date book on lucid dreaming.

[Ada Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are You Dreaming was the first book I ever read on the subject of lucid dreaming, and is by a very large margin my favorite. Daniel’s writing style is very accessible and down-to-earth, which is sometimes difficult to come by in the hippy-dippy New Agey world. The book is also very well organized, with a lot of great information that is easy to reference back to.

Before Daniel gets into the heart of the matter – namely, how to have your own lucid dream experience - he spends a fair bit of time discussing the history of lucid dreaming, referencing some big names in the field and their contributions. I’m not too keen on historical information, but it was still very readable and I’m sure some people will get a kick out of that. He also spends some time talking about the science of sleep cycles, specifically REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-REM) states and how they relate to lucid dreaming. REM sleep is when almost all dreams occur, so there is much discussion on how to find the best time to lucid dream – generally after at least five hours of sleep, since your body goes through longer REM cycles as morning approaches.

Another prelude to the main topic of lucid dreaming is the importance of dream recall, and he includes some good tips for improving this ability, including the classic ‘write down your dreams’ approach, but with more details, like what time you went to bed and woke up, what the last meal you ate was, your mood, etc. Another logical and important idea is to lie still when you wake up, without getting out of bed or thinking about your day, just letting your mind wander until you remember your dreams. This was especially useful to me, since sometimes it takes a few minutes before I can access dream memories, and in the past I didn’t wait to see if that would happen – I just hopped out of bed and got on with my day.

Daniel includes a large amount of information on preparing for lucid dreams, both in your regular waking life (performing reality checks) and in your sleeping life (trying different techniques to induce lucid dreams). The most important chapter, in my opinion, is one where he details a dozen induction techniques, including step-by-step information on how to do them, and their pros and cons. He also provides a couple chapters on what to do when you actually experience a lucid dream (fly, have sex, explore hobbies, etc), and how to stay lucid without waking up or drifting back into a non-lucid dream.

For those interested in the brain chemistry of lucid dreaming, he includes a little bit of information on supplements, though his approach is cautious and tempered with reason – he says several times that he prefers to lucid dream naturally, since it’s free the way nature intended – though he has experimented with supplements successfully.
If you’re only going to read one book on lucid dreaming, it should be this one. There’s enough information in here to keep your sleeping life busy for a year or more, if you employ these techniques and practice regularly. Perhaps most importantly, this book gave me a big boost of inspiration and motivation on my lucid dreaming journey, and I know I’ll refer to it regularly.

Pros:
-Book is well-organized
-Written recently (2013), up to date information
-Engaging writing style, a page-turner
-Includes a fair amount of scientific information (without being dry and too technical)

Cons:
-None

[Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well rounded, insightful and comprehensive guide to lucid dreaming, one of the very best available. The author has obviously gone to painstaking lengths in his research. It's a very human book with a steady head, exploring the science and spiritual aspects of lucid dreaming without promoting or dismissing either. The authors diplomatic and balanced approach makes a refreshing change. Not only is the content very thorough it is written with an inspiring tone. This and Exploring Lucid Dreams by LaBerge are my firm favourites.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many books about LD and I think this is a must-have. His writing style is scientific and diplomatic.. a little dry (similar to Laberge's, it can get difficult to stay focused) and not as open-minded as Waggoner. Very spiritual people will not like everything he's saying, on the other hand he does write a few chapters which will put you in a philosophic mood. The last chapters actually made me look at the sky. :) I think for beginners it's also important to get an introduction about the difference between low and high lucids. How to stay motivated. Morality, sleep cycles, stuff like that. He writes about all of it. Also, this book is a perfect reference for techniques. He shares a few of his own which I haven't heard of before. I've started lucid dreaming in 2008 and even after hundreds of LD's I still learned a few things from this book. Highly recommended!

[Jimmy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many things on the topic of lucid dreaming, and I have found this book to be an outstanding and foundational read for anyone approaching the subject. Daniel Love weaves together an exciting view of what lucid dreaming is, how to develop and hone in this skill, and what the future possibly holds. He writes with an intelligent stroke of the pen and strips away the esoteric mist that surrounds the subject leaving the spirit to shine (even in the deep depths of our night life). This book is a must for anybody even remotely curious. I will be adding this book into my core library on conscious dreaming and there will be multiple rereads. Thank you Daniel Love for writing an up-to-date book on lucid dreaming.

[Iona Stewart]

I´m extremely interested in lucid dreaming, but I only got halfway through this book. I just didn´t find it particularly exciting or readable, though I might have persevered more with it, had the library not been pestering me to return it.

But I concede that the author writes well and gives us a comprehensive and detailed account of the various aspects of the subject, including an interesting “brief history” of lucid dreaming.

One of the aspects the author finds important is reality testing. We are instructed that if we keep testing whether or not we are awake or dreaming in our everyday waking life, then this will eventually affect our dreams, so we will find ourselves doing these checks there too, with perhaps a positive result, i.e. provoking lucidity.

Though, as far as I´m concerned, it all seems rather ludicrous, since when I´m awake I always know that I am, since my dreams are always very vague and “dreamy”; In dreams I rarely see anything clearly or focus on people´s faces. I had a dream the other day featuring the well-known American physician, Dr. Mercola. I had some coconut oil with me in a gym, and he suddenly came over and started using it without asking my permission; I didn´t see his face, just knew it was him. I did see the coconut oil, first in one place, then in another. Daniel Love has various strange, but presumably effective, tests, morphing text test, digital watch test, and the nose pinch test, he advises us to use several times throughout the day.

He declares that the reality test is the “core of lucid dream practice”.

He divides lucid dreams into two categories, DILDs and WILDs.

DILDS (Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams) are by far the most common form. The experience is of discovery that you are dreaming whilst dreaming. “ – they are triggered by the dreamer noticing an inconsistency (a dreamsign) during the dream, which brings them to the realization that they are dreaming”. Ha, ha, I can dream about all sorts of strange things, but they all seem perfectly normal to me in dreams, and I certainly don´t realize I´m dreaming for this reason. Last night I dreamt that I was sitting at the back of a minibus with Bill Clinton and Helen Mirren sitting together at the front, It didn´t seem strange to me that I was in a little bus together with these famous people.

WILDs (Wake initiated lucid dreams) are more elusive, and are experiences where you fall asleep “consciously directly into a dream”. You slip “with full awareness into a dream world”.

He informs us of the substance galantamine which can help to elicit lucid dreams. The net tells me that it is a substance given to Alzheimer`s patients!; I´m not sure how safe it is to take, or where I would get hold of it. Fortunately, I´m not sure that my doctor would give me a prescription for it!

He doesn´t mention guayusa tea, which can apparently help tremendously, if you drink enough of it. It is also marketed under the name “lucid dreaming tea”. It hasn´t helped me at all, but then I only drink a single cup of it, since it contains a lot of caffeine, and I don´t want to have to keep drinking it so as to avoid withdrawal symptoms. However, I have found that drinking a single cup of mugwort tea greatly improves dream recall.

I found the chapter on lucidity techniques rather boring and this is where I got stuck in the book.

I can´t recommend the book, though readers who persevere may well find many interesting and helpful things in it.

[Gladiatrix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately the book has been a disappointment for the greater part, which is a shame because it would have had the potential to be great.

On the positive side, the book has very solid scientific footing, explaining all about sleep cycles and the different phases of sleep. It starts out with a history of lucid dreaming, including recommendations of books by other authors who have written about lucid dreaming in the past.
Various techniques for the induction of lucid dreams, many of them rather novel and previously unheard of, are outlined in meticulous detail. Many of the methods certainly require an extraordinary amount of dedication, but this is not something I mean to criticize, in the contrary, it reassures me that the fact that I have had only some sporadic lucid dreams, like just some few per year, doesn't mean there's something wrong with me or that I haven't been trying hard enough but that it simply is harder than many other sources might have made believe.

All this is good and well, however... on a personal, spiritual side the book sadly fails completely. To avoid misunderstandings, of course I don't mean spiritual in some stupid religious sense but in regard to simply your spirit, the human soul. Because I'm not a robot but a living being with a soul - no, I don't mean a "soul" but an actual soul! The only time the author uses the word soul, toward the end of the book, he actually puts it in quotation marks which I find pretty much offensive - to be a living creature means to have a soul, and to deny the soul degrades us all to senseless automatons! It appears as if he does indeed see us in just that way, as he repeatedly compares the human mind to a computer. I wouldn't have minded his comparing of lucid dreaming to the perfectly realistic virtual reality worlds of the holodeck in Star Trek, I've been a Star Trek fan myself and the comparison is suitable up to some degree. But to go so far and say that your mind is like the starship's computer that creates just an illusion is simply going too far. "It's all just in your mind" is something that is usually said to people who are deemed mentally ill, and the notion that "all this is really taking place on the inside of your skull" is a hideously claustrophobic and utterly depressing idea.

Ironically he goes on to mention that many lucid dreamers will carefully select what they allow into their minds while waking and suggests it be best to avoid watching horror movies in order to not have such scenery coming up in vividly realistic and potentially gory detail in one's lucid dreams, which strikes me as an oddly new-agey, wimpy attitude you would expect from some deeply religious person, and in stark contrast to the
cold and barren materialist view displayed over and over elsewhere. I have always enjoyed my horror movies and always will, it's all a matter of personal choice. And if I don't mind a little input from the darkside then I can't see why a soulless robot would...

The book may have been meant to avoid a new-agey feel and to try and align the subject of lucid dreaming more with the mainstream views of the scientific community which is so tragically afflicted with the materialist dogma. But I would preferably try to keep my dreams free of both dogmatism and materialism - as much as the rest of my life!
The bottom line is, as much as I'm in favor of the scientific study of just about every aspect of life and of learning as much as possible about everything, the world of dreams should never be stripped of life and soul lest it become a barren and lifeless world. If you don't consider your dreams as another living world, just as alive as your waking world and peopled with creatures and persons to encounter, to engage and possibly befriend with... then why would you first care about your dreams at all? Why, if you see it as all just an irrelevant illusion generated by your lifeless robot brain... that's the very sad impression I got from this book. It fails to inspire and engage due to this bleak and depressing point of view.

[Summera · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stupendous source of information (and just as important, motivation) to further my own attempts of gaining lucidity in the newly discovered (to me), previously doubted, yet now VERY "real" (I still can't get over it!) universe of LD. There are some deeply enthralling ideas presented in this book. It has only helped me reaffirm some personal beliefs and connections I've made in regard to human consciousness, and the frailty of it. There are of course subjective undertones, but the author makes it known for the book to be read with an objective mindset.

[Dennis Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Covers about everything you need to know about lucid dreaming. I found some of the author's ideas easy to use than other books because he suggests coming up with your own techniques.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book spends too much time on the history and philosophy of lucid dreaming. I think it should have focused more on the techniques themselves.

[Barbora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Love is definitely very serious about lucid dreaming, which means that for anyone with a casual interest in the topic, his book might seem a little over the top. Indeed, if one were to follow all the steps of Love’s manual to reach lucid dreaming, they wouldn’t be doing anything else in their life. Unfortunately, few of us mortals have the luxury of so much free time at hand. But that is probably the case with any “hobby” or interest.

That being said, I still rather appreciate the depth of detail and devotion to the topic this book offers. It is almost unbelievable the level of technicality and practical approach that Love assumes in his book. For the analytic types among us and anyone worried about the intangible nature of dreams in general, this will definitely be a positive surprise - there actually is what seems to be a step-by-step manual to achieve lucid dreaming with success almost guaranteed over a very short period of time!

However, what I did not appreciate was the author’s undermining of sleep itself in favor of reaching the goal of lucie dreaming. I’m pretty sure one can achieve that without neglecting a proper sleep hygiene, which seems to be increasingly important and overlooked in our chaotic modern world. To be fair, Love does mention the importance of good-quality sleep somewhere in the book, but at the same time he guides the reader into lucid-dream-induction techniques that are quite obviously sleep-disruptive. I mostly agree with the author about the importance and potential of lucid dreaming in our society, but I’m pretty much convinced in cannot and should not be performed at the expense of our mental and physical health.

[Jake McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading for lucid dream aspirants

I have most of the available lucid dreaming books in my library. I didn’t expect to gain anything new from this book, and in some ways I haven’t. However the importance of this book is not how much it can teach a lucid dreamer, it’s about how much it can teach someone who is curious about lucid dreaming: and that’s a lot!

This book is less about the nuts of bolts of how to lucid dream. Rather it is about what lucid dreaming is, and isn’t. It does a great job of covering a wide range of LD topics without getting lost in the woods.

There is a whole chapter on a wide range of induction methods though, so don’t think he avoids the “how” all together. Really it’s not possible to have a book that covers all aspects of this amazing tool that we can use to discover what we actually are, but he walks the fine line between leaving you wanting more, and drowning you in too much detail.

I think this might be the only lucid dreaming book I would rate at 5 stars. It is the first book I would hand to someone who is serious about knowing more about lucid dreaming.

[Ayu Rem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like the lab manual to Waggoner's dream temple. no fluff, no mystic fog-just clean, smart, deeply researched lucid dreaming breakdown. and still, somehow, it had soul.

love doesnt mess around. he maps out techniques like a precision engineer: reality checks, WBTB, MILD, dream journaling-all sharpened with nuance. and he explains why they work. not just “do this”, but “here’s what’s happening in your neurology and sleep cycles.” that science-backed clarity made it click hard.

what made it powerful for me? the tone. daniel respects the process. he knows people chase dream control like a video game, but he always brings it back to awareness. growth. presence.
this aint a flex manual. its a consciousness toolkit.

i remember refining my practice using his tips-stuff like cognitive cues during the day, better dream recall structure, pre-sleep affirmations. i leveled up fast. not just in frequency, but in depth. like my lucid dreams were nt just happening-they were evolving me.

read this if you are serious. like, serious serious. this is the lucid dreamer's field guide, not the tourist brochure.

[Axel Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for anyone interested in lucid dreaming. I think the most important aspect of this book is that it is both accessible AND scientific.
The author seems to be open minded but only focus on ideas that are logical or straight up proven.
This book offers a perfect introduction to everything that the lucid dream community as to offer: from induction technics to supplements and lucid dream devices.
It also presents an interesting and quick summary of the history of lucid dreams in the western world.
My favorite thing about this book might be the author philosophy. I can feel the influence of great scientific minds such as Carl Sagan and Bertrand Russel in his writing and the influence of eastern thinkings such as Buddhism.
I highly recommend it if you are interested in dreams, the human mind or the universe as a whole.

[ELAINE FENTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read quite a few books on lucid dreaming and along with LaBerges Exploring the world of lucid dreams this is a very practical no nonsense book. I refer to it often, as a guide and a motivator. I also highly recommend Daniel Loves Youtube channel and website if you are serious about this subject. It's thanks to this book and Mr Loves expert guidance that I have become a regular lucid dreamer. Highly recommend.

[Z N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll update when I find out if this book and its practices actually worked lol

But fr, super comprehensive and goes in depth about all the basics you need. While a little boring at times, the scientific background for everything really validated what you read about, and helps you understand how everything comes together in order to achieve lucid dreaming

[Sumit Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything, every single thing you need to know to master lucid dreaming. I highly recommend it.

Awesome, the detail practical solution is awesome. Daniel love is really a master in this. I highly recommend it to all those enthusiastic lucid dream practitioners.

[Esteban Ducoing Riojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, I'm a beginner in the field and I just knew some stuff about lucid dreaming from videos in Youtube and things I searched online; this book addresses all of that plus more including the pillars of the practice and the "risks" it has.

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good

A solid down to earth account of the practice of lucid dreaming. And it is a practice. Tips for the novice. Good coverage of the basics. And no supernatural superstitious nonsense.

[Austin Gunnerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about sleep and sleep stages as well as how the brain and body works throughout these phases. TONS of tactical advice on lucid dreaming. Had 2 lucid dreams in 2 weeks when I was reading this.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains some novel ideas. but a little to heavy on the history of lucid dreaming and gets off topic at points. I did not enjoy the philosophical part of the book. Gets pretty dry at times. Not in my top favorites of lucid dreaming books.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Refreshing new information, and super helpful!

[Jeremy O'Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is the best book on lucid dreaming that I’ve come across. Practical, detailed and with lots of fascinating philosophical ideas as well.

[André · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. No pseudoscience mumbo jumbo.

[James Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good gateway into lucid dreaming. Comprehensive guide to techniques.

[Matt Edgington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy is a definite expert on lucid dreaming. Lots of information in here. Felt a bit repetitive through out. Started out really hot and then lost steam as it went on.

[Aeon Renn · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and very practical on the how and why of lucid dreaming (controlling your dreams).

[Bill Gathen]

Interesting and inspiring

Plenty of techniques to get your lucid dreaming practice started, along with many interesting suggestions on what to do once you've woken up inside your dreams.