Lucid dreaming may occur intentionally or quite by accident. Many often have a lucid dream by accident and realize they can control the destiny of their dreams. A lucid dream occurs when the dreamer realizes he's asleep and dreaming and takes control of the dream. It may be to solve a problem in waking life, control a problem within the dream or simply direct the dream to an enjoyable experience. Athletes, actors and dancers often practice their avocation during a lucid dream.

Everyone has had a lucid dream at least once in a lifetime. Some people learn very early that they can control their dreams and later use them for problem solving, control of nightmares or visualizing a course of action for the next day.

One subject realized early in life there was a possibility of lucid dreaming. As a child, a reoccurring nightmare plagued her when she slept. One of the nightmares involved a scene from a battleground. Hundreds of people, men women, children and babies were trying to escape the battlefield but they had to climb a steep icy slope to get to safety. Night after night, she watched in her dream as people would almost reach the top and slide back down the slope to the bottle. She'd awake in tears, beads of perspiration speckling her forehead as she saw babies attempt to climb to safety and slide back down to the abyss of danger as their parents, grappled and ended in the same fate.

After almost a month, she decided to create an ending for the dream that saved the people. Up until that time, she was the omniscient viewer. Now, it was time to take an active participation in the dream. The dreamer created an ending to her dream. One where she joined the people, had planes awaiting that dropped lines to pull the people up and away from the war. She actively participated in the dream and after several nights, the nightmare no longer occurred. At that point, she learned to control other nightmares she had and eventually use dreaming as a problem solving method.

Most people don't record their dreams immediately upon waking. By the time they've had their morning shower, most of the details of the dream are fuzzy at best. People who use lucid dreaming as a method of solving problems, however, are different. Often they implant the problem in their mind before they go to sleep and tell themselves they'll find an answer.

They direct their dreams to the problem at hand; look at the solutions provided in their subconscious and upon awakening, immediately record the results of a dream. While the first attempt may not bring an immediate solution, it often brings them closer to their goals. The dreamer may not control the dream but simply watch, fully aware that it's a dream and use the information during the waking hours.

Lucid dreaming can occur without previous training. At some point in the middle of the dream, the lucid dreamer suddenly realizes he or she is in a dream and there's nothing to fear. From that moment, the nightmare ceases being scary or the pleasant dream becomes even better. People learning new physical or mental skills often use lucid dreaming to practice routines, learn the material or solve problems they couldn't during waking hours. It is a tool everyone, with a little practice, can use to improve his or her life.