February 28, 2024

Why You Can’t Fly In Your Lucid Dreams & How To Fix It

Lucid dream flying

So you’ve cracked the hardest part of lucid dreaming and find that you are consciously aware in the dreamworld. Now it’s time to exert those omnipotent powers associated with lucid dreaming and take to the skies.

But as you try to lift off you find that your feet remain stuck to solid ground and the sky remains as elusive to you as it is in the real world. You think to yourself, “wait a minute I’m consciously aware that I’m dreaming, I’m in a lucid dream, so why can’t I fly?

Why You Can’t Fly In Your Lucid Dreams

Being unable to fly in a lucid dream can have 1 of several causes.

You may be experiencing a normal uncontrolled lucid dream where you can’t control anything in the dreamworld that you can’t control in real life.

Alternatively, you may harbor some doubt that flying is possible or may be trying too hard.

There are techniques you can employ to fix this. 

Lucid dream flying

There are usually three basic reasons for not being able to fly in a lucid dream.

Three reasons you can’t fly in a lucid dream:

  1. You are not in a controlled lucid dream but actually experiencing an uncontrolled lucid dream.
  2. In lucid dreams what we believe becomes true. If you have doubts that you can fly then you won’t be able to.
  3. Trying too hard to fly can stop you from flying. If you feel you have to force flight then you are actually harboring some doubts that it is possible. Lucid dreaming flying should be effortless.

I will cover the 3 reasons for being unable to fly in a lucid dream as we progress through this article.

However, the first thing you must determine is if you are having a controlled lucid dream or an uncontrolled lucid dream.

In the article why can’t I control my lucid dreams I covered the two different types of lucid dreams; controlled lucid dreams and uncontrolled lucid dreams.

If you find that you cannot fly in your lucid dreams it could be that you are having an uncontrolled lucid dream. This is just as natural and common a phenomenon as a controlled lucid dream.

Not all lucid dreams are controlled dreams.

Not sure which type of lucid dream you usually experience?

Ask yourself if it is only flying that you have a problem with or do you find it impossible to alter anything in your lucid dreams.

If you cannot control any aspect of your lucid dreams except your own actions then you need to read the aforementioned article.

That information explains why you can’t fly and why you can’t exert any control over the dreamworld while giving you tips to overcome those challenges.

It also shows you how to change an uncontrolled lucid dream into a controlled lucid dream.

If you find that you can exert some control over your lucid dreams but do not have the ability to fly (and do certain other things) then continue reading.

Why it’s great to fly in a lucid dream

Lucid dreaming offers many benefits from better studying and improved IQ to real-world skill development and, of course, fantasy fulfilment because you can do anything you want in a controlled lucid dream.

Apart from hooking up with your celebrity crush the other most experienced lucid dreaming adventure is flying and for good reason.

Flying without wings (or with wings if that is your bat) under your own power is an exhilarating experience that never gets old.

The feeling of weightlessness as you speed across the landscape high in the sky, or just inches above the ground, is the closest feeling I can personally get to true freedom.

And I’m not alone. It seems that when we fly in our dreams, both lucid and non-lucid, the accompany feelings are one of freedom, joy and control.

Having a flying dream where you take to the sky like superman can have a positive and long-lasting emotional effect on you long after you have woken in the real world.

So, wanting to have a flying dream, especially in a lucid dream where everything feels real, is a worthwhile goal to have.

How To Fly In Lucid Dreams

To do anything in a lucid dream you must think you are able to do it and capable of doing it and then you must expect it to happen.

In lucid dreams our thoughts and beliefs tend to materialize. The more effortless the thought or desire the easier it manifests in a lucid dream.

When those effortless thoughts are twinned with expectation there is nothing that we cannot have, be or do within a lucid dream.

Intent and belief, plus expectation, creates things in lucid dreams.

This mean all your desires can manifest in an instant without any conscious willpower being involved. Unfortunately though, this also applies to our doubts.

Our doubts can just as easily be manifested in a lucid dream.

Woman flying in lucid dream

If you want to fly in a lucid dream but doubt that you can do it then your doubt will instantly manifest as an inability to fly or as obstacles that get in your way when you take to the air.

Trying too hard can also cause lucid dreaming flight problems.

Trying too hard is an indication that you actually doubt that you can do it. After all you don’t try hard to walk or talk because these abilities feel natural to you.

If flying felt just as natural to you in a lucid dream as walking and talking does then you wouldn’t have to try hard to do it – you would just do it.

So we must get to the stage where flying in a lucid dream feels just as natural as talking does in the real world. We are going to do this is stages.

You can learn how to fly by first learning how to hover, then to float and eventually to fly.

Start by learning how to hover

Rather than trying to jump into the air or push yourself off from the ground in order to fly around start by allowing yourself to simply float up in the air and hover there.

Then you can allow yourself to float from place to place.

Before you begin the exercises given below, as best you can just believe that you can hover above the ground.

Then expect to hover above the ground.

Then same applies to floating and eventually flying when you get to those stages.

Now, obviously it’s much easier for me to tell you to just believe and expect something to happen than it is to actually believe and expect it to happen. But with practice, and by following the steps below, you will get there and will master lucid dreaming flight.

So, you will begin with small steps and first learn how to hover in your lucid dreams before moving on to flying.

Here are steps to take to master lucid dreaming hovering:

  • Believe that you can hover above the ground. Expect to hover above the ground.
  • Tell yourself that when you say the word “hover” you are going to gently float and hover in the air for a few seconds before landing back down.
  • Say the word “hover” out loud. Allow yourself to hover above the ground.
  • Once you’ve succeeded at hovering a few times (and perhaps over a few dreams) tell yourself that when you say the word “forever hover” that you’ll float into the air and stay there in the same position hovering above the ground without coming down.
  • Expect this to happen.
  • While suspended in the air tell yourself that when you say the words “never hover” that you’ll gently land back on the ground.
  • Say “never hover” and allow yourself to gently land back on solid dream ground.

Now that you can successfully hover and land at will it’s time to take it up a notch.

Float to different places

Once you have mastered the art of hovering in one spot it’s time to float from one place to another.

Here are steps to take to master lucid dreaming floating:

  • Believe that you can float. Expect to float.
  • Take up a hovering position.
  • Tell yourself that when you say the word “float straight ahead” you are going to gently float through the air in a forward motion for a few feet.
  • Say the word “float straight ahead” out loud. Allow yourself to float forward.
  • Once you’ve succeeded at floating forward (again perhaps over several lucid dreams) tell yourself that when you say the words “float to the back instead” you’ll float in reverse and move in a backwards motion for a few feet.
  • Expect this to happen.
  • Once you have succeeded at moving in reverse tell yourself that when you use the words “float to the right” or “float to the left” that you will move in that direction.
  • Expect this to happen.
  • You can now float in any direction you want.
  • When you stop floating simply go into hover mode and land.
  • You should experiment with floating to different places i.e. float from where you are hovering to a specified point such as a nearby house or whatever happens to be in your dream scene. Merely intend yourself to float there or say out loud “float from here to there” keeping in mind your destination.
  • Practice floating to different locations forwards, backwards and sideways.

Use floating to launch into flight

Below are the steps you can take to move from floating to flying.

Here are steps to take to master lucid dreaming flying:

  • Believe that because you have mastered the art of hovering and floating that you can also master the art of flying.
  • Take a hovering position by using the word “forever hover” or simply hover in the air if you no longer need this audible aid.
  • Tell yourself that when you clench your fist and say the words “take off” that you you will immediately start to fly upwards.
  • Clench your fist like superman and say “take off”.
  • As you shoot upwards bring your head down and lean forward thus allowing your body to straighten so you are moving horizontally to the ground rather than heading up into outer space.
  • While in flight tell yourself that when you unclench your fist and use the words “touch down” that you will immediately start to descend until you find yourself hovering over the ground.
  • Once hovering you can land by saying “never hover” or simply lower yourself if you no longer need this audible aid.
  • Practice flying from one spot to another.
  • You can also make the intention that the tighter you clench your fist the faster you will fly. Practice using this technique.

While you perform the above steps try to bear in mind that you are in a lucid dream where the laws of physics do not apply to you unless you want them to.

Practice, practice practice!

The more you perform the steps given above the better you will get at doing them and the quicker you will master dream flight.

Once you have mastered all the above steps experiment with your new skill.

Lucid dream floating

The more you fly the better you will get at flying.

What’s more, once you master the art of flight you will not just have tamed your dream skies but you will have sent a very strong message to your subconscious mind that you are in charge.

This will mean that anything will be possible for you in a lucid dream.

Soon you will be capable of some truly amazing lucid dreaming feats.

Consider Advanced Flight Training

Many oneironauts never really embrace all the truly amazing experiences that are available to them in the state of dream lucidity.

This is simply because they are either self taught lucid dreamers or natural lucid dreamers that have never been introduced to advanced lucid dreaming techniques.

All you have to do is trawl the online forums to see that most untrained lucid dreamers have only limited control over their lucid dreams. These untrained oneironauts never really fulfil their lucid lucid dreaming potential.

The lack of dream control they openly discuss is a direct result of their lack of training.

Some even continue in bad practices that give them regular bad results.

Lucid dreaming is a skill and like any skill you get better at it with practice but only when you practice the right way.

Practicing something the wrong way just makes you better at doing that thing wrongly!

Get proper training!

Many of untrained lucid dreamers don’t have the ability to even induce a lucid dream at will never mind actually take 100% control of a lucid dream.

Of course they still get benefit and enjoyment from their lucid dreams but they are missing out on a huge opportunity to go much further and enjoy their experiences on a much deeper level.

So, I urge anyone who is having any type of trouble with lucid dreaming, or that is experiencing challenges within their lucid dreams, to consider getting some professional training such as the lucid dreaming bootcamp.

I even encourage seasoned lucid dreamers to get more advanced training.

Signing up for a lucid dreaming training course can greatly improve anyone lucid dreamers night skills and make their lucid dream time much more productive and enjoyable.