Would you learn to lucid dream if you could?

Would you learn to lucid dream if you could? Neuroscientists say people can be "trained" to recognize when they're dreaming — in other words, lucid dreaming may be an acquirable skill. During dreams, bizarre scenes you encounter can seem as tangible as reality; you feel as though you're really flying through the sky or being chased through a jungle of bright-purple trees. But in special cases, people realize they're in the midst of a dream as it's unfolding. Called lucid dreaming, this phenomenon occurs when we suddenly regain our capacity for metacognition, or thinking about our own thoughts, in the middle of a dream. Lucid dreamers can sometimes even control the content or trajectory of their dreams. Now, researchers claim that they've found a way to "train" people to lucid dream by having them meditate and complete virtual-reality-augmented exercises while they're awake. In a study involving a few dozen participants, the scientists found that repeating this training twice a week for a month significantly increased how often participants experienced lucid dreaming. They say the approach could have practical applications as an intervention for people with nightmares, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder — but those applications are theoretical, for now. If you could learn how to lucid dream, would you? Let us know in the poll below, and add your thoughts in the comments. Nicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She is a recipient of the 2026 AHCJ International Health Study Fellowship, with a project focused on antibiotic stewardship practices in Japan and the U.S. They hold a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Beyond Live Science, Lanese's work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other outlets. Based in NYC, she also remains involved in dance and performs in local choreographers' work. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.