Lucid dreaming is a state of sleep whereby you realize you are in a dream and have the ability to consciously control what happens next. It is like a built in Virtual Reality Unit in your head. Researchers at University of Adelaide have have recently studied how to induce these conscious dream states with some very simple techniques. This utilizes what is called prospective memory. This is not a memory to recall a past event, but rather a reminder set in the brain for a future event. This is like when you really have to be up early the next day, and you awake just before the alarm clock goes off. You have remembered to to something in the future. Using three very simple prospective memory techniques, the team were able to induce a high rate of lucid dreaming in 47 subjects, increasing the rate of lucid dream experiences to 47 per cent. To find out how to achieve lucid dream states click here.