capacities.136 It hypes us up and relaxes us simultaneously: this is healthy stress, the

precise recipe for lucid dreaming.

Need another reason to try ritual drumming? It improves immune response,

elevates self-esteem, and facilitates group bonding. Drumming is a fantastic activity

for a lucid dreaming group, but make sure to choose a location that doesn’t bother

your neighbors.

The Lucid Diet The Lucid Diet is one more way to deepen your immersion by cleansing the body

in preparation for powerful dreaming. This advice may be more relevant for those

who have lucid nightmares and initiation-style lucid dreams. Still, some basic

dietary considerations beyond the advice in Book One are advised for supporting

the ego-stretching—and sometimes ego-shattering—that comes with greater

lucidity.

Aesclepius Revis i ted

The ancient Greek dream incubation rites described in Chapter 3 are more than a

useful metaphor. The priests were the doctors of the time; in fact, both Hippocrates

and Galen, the fathers of modern medicine, came out of the Aesclepian tradition.

Health in this era was seen as a harmony between the soul and the body. Patients

who came to the temples were fed a simple diet to cleanse their bodies and

prepare for the dreams to follow. Historical sources suggest the foods were

basically whole grains, fruits and olives, and other fresh and seasonally available

foods. After the dreamer was called to the primary chambers to sleep on the kline,

they entered into an intense period of fasting, prayer and chanting, followed by

ritual sleeping. This would continue until they procured a healing dream or vision.

We don’t only have to look to Aesclepian rituals, of course, to see the advice of

purifying the diet when embarking on a period of turning inward and seeking

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dreams. Cleansing and fasting are a crucial prerequisite for Native American vision

quests. In modern European and American retreat centers, such as Esalen, the

wholesome diet is also strongly emphasized alongside immersion in natural

settings. We know this intuitively. Thankfully, more hospitals and cancer wellness

centers every year are setting up healing gardens and outdoor sanctuaries to

facilitate the healing process.

What happens when we don’t cleanse? Expect trouble when undergoing an intense

period of dream-calling. I’ve already discussed Ken Kelzer’s warning about creating

a safe container for psychological reasons. When I didn’t prepare properly, my

effects were physical. I went through an intense period of indigestion in the middle

of a lucid dreaming immersion in 2007, when I was incubating dreams for my

thesis. Full disclosure (or TMI): after a series of difficult dreams, my digestive system

essentially seized. I had pronounced indigestion, bloating, and a merciless cycle of

constipation and diarrhea.

This took me by complete surprise. Under counsel of an advisor who has seen this

pattern before, I immediately reduced the stimulants in my diet (coffee and soda).

Even with these changes, a week of extreme discomfort followed. I began a new

level of dietary restriction, dropping all

processed foods, animal products and refined

sugars. Finally, I did a four day cleanse,

drinking only ginger tea and lemon-infused

water, ending with a saltwater flush. After this

process, my digestion returned to normal and

I was able to reintroduce food. Interestingly,

the final series of lucid dreams after this

sickness contained resolutions to previous

dreams that came before. Perhaps I was finally able to digest what was happening?

Descartes got this part wrong; the mind and the body are connected. Mental stress

has physical symptoms, and each of us carries stress in different parts of the body. I

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Cleansing and fasting are a crucial

prerequisite for Native American

vision quests.

am a belly-worrier, but it’s possible your symptoms of an incomplete lucid

container could manifest as aches and pains, anxiety, or a series of migraine

headaches.

Save yourself the trouble and prepare a modified diet as part of the immersion. This

is especially important if your lucid immersion goals involve confronting old

challenges from childhood and facing current fears.

How To Eat In The Lucid Immersion

Even if you don’t alter your diet, you can still make meals a part of the lucid

immersion by encouraging mindful consumption.

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Fiber rich foods, dark greens and fresh fruit play an important role in the Lucid Diet.

Eat sitting at a table, not on the couch

or standing up.

Eat without watching TV or reading.

Focus on the taste of the food.

Chew your food slowly. Chew each

bite five times, as digestion begins

with saliva, not in the stomach.

Full Cleansing

Three days of fruit juice, lemon-water,

or a fruit diet can profoundly clarify

your lucid intent. It makes for an

inexpensive and possibly life-altering

“stay-cation,” provided you have the

social space at home for retreat.

Be warned, though: there may be side

effects in terms of your focus, sleep

patterns, and emotional sensitivity. I

only recommend full dietary

cleansing for serious lucid dreamers

who have the time and support in

their lives for this process. Cleansing

is also not recommended if you have

blood sugar irregularities or currently

are taking pharmaceuticals for any

health condition.

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Lucid Diet Tips

Reduce or eliminate:

★ alcohol ★ oils, starches and sugars★ enriched grains like white

bread★ meats and animal

productsIn general, stay away from processed foods, foods high in carbs and fat.

Meanwhile, eat:

★ fresh fruits and vegetables★ dark greens, like kale,

spinach and mustard greens.

★ whole grains whenever possible.

And drink lots of water and herbal teas.

LDS: Lucid Dreaming SupplementsThe use of supplements for inducing lucid dreams has increased exponentially in

the last few years. Much of the interest is due to the tutelage of Thomas Yuschak

and his book Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power Of Supplements, as well as the

Youtube video mentoring of supplement extraordinaire Scot Stride. Together these

two researchers developed the Lucid Dreaming Supplements (LDS) methodology.

In the past, I have been hesitant to recommend supplements for beginners, due to

fact that powerful psychotropic effects can jolt the dreamer into some pretty intense

scenarios, such as sleep paralysis and awareness during slow wave sleep, both of

which can be disorienting and alarming. Dream supplements also increase dream

bizarreness, particularly violent and emotional dream content.

Taking a pill doesn’t automatically make you an “advanced lucid dreamer,” but it

could make you a lucid dreamer with a profound headache.

However, many of my issues with promoting supplements are diminished with the

immersion method because we’ve already controlled for set and setting. If you

establish a bedroom sanctuary, a community support network, and are also doing

mental and physical practices

for lucid dreaming, the

supplements will most likely

be a helpful ally.

Below is a brief rundown of

the most effective lucid

dreaming supplements for

which we have solid

research. Those who are

currently taking medications

for depression, anxiety or

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Cholinergics temporarily prevent acetylcholinesterase from breaking down acetylcholine, leading to increased memory function, dream recall and lucidity.

sleep-related conditions should steer clear of lucid supplements, as these

nootropics alter your brain’s biochemistry and may work against your treatment

plan. Not recommended for pregnant women either.

Do your homework and be safe.

Cholinergic Supplements

This class of synthesized botanical materials induces changes in the brain’s

chemical state by preventing the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

As discussed in Book One, many dream researchers believe acetylcholine is the

biochemical backbone to REM sleep. To quickly review, REM is not a necessary

condition for dreaming, but most reported lucid dreams have been shown in the

lab to occur in REM. Cortical activation of some kind seems to be the precursor of

dreaming, and the cholinergic system surely fits this bill much of the time.

Supplements that support acetylcholine and are strongly correlated with lucid

dreaming include galantamine, nicotine, and Huperzine A. All of these can be

found without a prescription, but be careful, as galantamine and Huperzine A are

not regulated in the US and many other countries.

I trust you can find some nicotine

without much of a hassle, as it’s one

of the world’s most widely used

psychotropic drugs. Interestingly, we

think of tobacco as a daily habit, but

for many indigenous people in the

Americas, tobacco was taken

ritually, in large doses, to induce

visions. But acute nicotine

intoxication is not the goal of

nicotine-assisted lucid dreaming. It

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Caffeine is an easy way to jumpstart lucidity simply because so many of us already have access to it.

bears repeating: nudge your circadian rhythms—don’t blast them to pieces. Also

consider alternatives to smoking such as nicotine gum, and avoid the carcinogens.

Focus On Galantamine

Of all the lucid supplements, I have had the most success with galantamine. I came

across this natural supplement for the first time in 2005. A lucid dreaming

researcher and friend of mine had been conducting bioassays and reported a huge

increase in his lucid dreams per week as well as higher lucidity levels in waking

life too. I took him up on the offer to try it myself, but first he gave me stern

warnings about following his instructions exactly.

The next night, I took a galantamine extract pill before bed. This is exactly what I

had been warned NOT to do, but I was too

lazy to wake up in the middle of the night

and take the pill as instructed.

What resulted was one of the weirdest and

most uncomfortable sleep experiences in

my life. I woke up a couple hours after

going to bed wrestling with dark forces. It

felt like my brain was being drawn and

quartered; I was disoriented, dizzy and felt a little drunk. I kept falling back asleep

into these bizarre dreams that I can only describe as my head being scraped against

the bottom of a submerged iceberg.

When the night was over, I realized that I had experienced an unpleasant series of

sleep paralysis. I told my friend what happened and he shook his head and said, “I

told you so…”

A year later, I got up the nerve to try galantamine again and this time I took the

dosage in the middle of the night. Of those four nights I took the supplement, I had

It felt like my brain was being drawn

and quartered.

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3 lucid dreams, much more than my usual once every two weeks or so. These

dreams were filled with bizarre imagery, including some strange kinesthetics that

felt like my body was being stretched, as well as some violent imagery and vivid

colors. Since then, galantamine has routinely resulted in lucid dreams for me when

I combine it with some other lucid dreaming rituals like preparing for sleep

mindfully.

Here is my recommended source for galantamine, mixed with choline and vitamin

B5.

Amino Acids

These supplements can be easily found over-the-counter at drugstores and

groceries. Amino acids are brain food, providing the building blocks for

neurotransmitters. Choline, for example, helps the brain synthesize acetylcholine.

It’s cheaply found as a Lecithin supplement, but is also present in some common

foods such as bananas, onions, soybeans, potatoes and plantains.

Choline is believed to elongate dreams, as well as help with remembering them.

Choline and galantamine taken together make a solid cocktail for promoting

lucidity.

Caffeine

Remarkably, a moderate dose of caffeine before bed can indirectly increase the

chance to lucid dream. Caffeine decreases time spent in deep sleep, and may

impair REM sleep in the short term.137 So caffeine’s effect on increasing lucid

dreams may be related to a REM rebound effect as well as its reliable effect of

increasing cortical arousal. My advice is two-fold: for those with a habit, and those

without.

For non-habitual users, Thomas Yuschak recommends caffeine in conjunction with

a dream enhancer like galantamine.138 Roll out this mild brain kicker deliberately

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and infrequently, otherwise you will simply gain tolerance for the substance.

For habitual users, there’s an even easier solution, although it may hurt a little. The

trick is to suspend your habit, depriving yourself of caffeine for the day (or long

enough that you feel the symptoms of withdrawal), and then drink a cup of coffee

in the middle of the night. This method, known as caffeine withdrawal induced

lucid dreaming (CWILD), has been pioneered by the moderators of the forum

Mortal Mist, who claim a high effectiveness rate.

Serotonin Enhancing Supplements

Another method of inducing lucid dreams is through a counter-intuitive practice of

repressing REM sleep in order to promote a REM rebound in the second part of the

night. These supplements may also increase dream bizarreness, which can increase

the likelihood of realizing lucidity. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter being targeted

here. When serotonin levels are high, acetylcholine levels drop, and vice versa.

High levels of serotonin in sleep are associated with non-REM sleep, including

healthy levels of deep sleep. Some supplements that temporarily increase serotonin

levels in the brain include melatonin, 5-HTP and L-tryptophan.139

Personally, my experimentations with 5-HTP did not lead to lucidity, but increased

night sweats. The serotonin class may not be my ally, but plenty of others report

positive effects in regards to vivid dreams. As with all supplements, do your

homework and, if possible, use placebo testing. L-tryptophan packaging has come

under fire for contamination, and none of these supplements are carefully

regulated. There can be dangerous side effects such as the possibility of overdose,

also known as serotonin syndrome.

Ethnobotanical Dream Supplements

The last class of dream supplements does not have much clinical data behind it,

and in many cases we do not know their mechanisms of action. The source

material for the use of these herbs, roots and extracts for dreaming are drawn from

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ethnographic reports from anthropologists.

Calea zacatechichi: Known as the dream herb, Calea z. is from

Oaxaca, Mexico. The dried leaves have been smoked for centuries by

Chontal shaman/dreamers as a cure-all and a “voyaging” aid.140 Calea

zacatechichi appears to heighten the vividness of imagery in

hypnagogia. Ingestion of the plant also increases the amount of time

spent in the light non-REM stages of sleep.141

Lucid dreams may be experienced in these non-REM states, but

because the herb also increases micro-awakenings and disturbs sleep,

there are more chances to

promote lucid dreaming

from sleep onset. It most

likely produces a REM

rebound effect like

serotonin agonists, but the

psychoactive compounds

are largely unknown. A

final note about Calea z:

among the Chontal

peoples, some samples are

known to not have an

effect, suggesting that

different samples may have variations in chemical composition.142

Silene capsensis: Anthropologist Manton Hirst first reported the use

of this root from South Africa, known as African Dream herb.143

Historically, the Xhosa people have used Silene c. during initiation

rites. Women initiates take the root, and then report their dreams to

diviners. Unfortunately, its active compounds have not been analyzed

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Calea z. has been used as a divination aid for centuries in Mexico.

yet.144 In the West, Silene has had a mixed reputation, with many

reporting no effects whatsoever.

When it comes to dream herbs, I recommend Dreamer’s Blend, a tea that combines

Calea zacatechichi with African dream herb, wild lettuce and Mexican Tarragon,

all of which have anecdotal evidence for increasing dream vividness. It has a

pleasing aroma and can be burned as incense too. Drinking tea before bed has a

ritual context, making it a natural time to set an intention.

Dosage And Use Of LDS

Rather then repeating the careful work of LDS pioneers, I will encourage you to

check out their work for dosages, timing, and other topics, such as common

contraindications, desensitization and tolerance issues.

Supplements can be catalysts to greater lucidity, but they don’t do the work for you.

Without foundational preparation for lucidity, it can just give you some weird

dream experiences, including increased negative dream content, nightmares and

bizarro bouts of sleep paralysis.

Instead, treat supplements with respect, as sacraments. Use them ritually as part of

your hour-long process of going to sleep. In my experience, LDS also clusters well

with wake-back-to bed methods, dramatically increasing the odds of a wake-

initiated lucid dream (WILD).

For example, wake up at 4am, take galantamine paired with B6, and then read for

15 minutes, followed by saying the Ho'oponopono affirmation. Settle back to sleep

with a strong intention and an open heart. This example touches the physical,

emotional and the cognitive, setting the stage for a holistic surge of lucidity.

I also encourage placebo testing of supplements, backed by a sleep measurement

tool such as Zeo. This way you can control for expectation and see how your sleep

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