The Official Website For
International Lucid Dreaming Day
April 12th
April 12th - Lucid Dreaming Day
April 12th - International Lucid Dreaming Day
Every year on April 12th, lucid dreamers around the world unite to celebrate International Lucid Dreaming Day—a global event that honours both the science and wonder of conscious dreaming. Conceived as a unifying day for the community, it has grown into a worldwide tradition rooted in curiosity, creativity, and scientific discovery.
More than a date, Lucid Dreaming Day is a cultural movement that invites us to awaken not only in our dreams—but in our lives.
International
Lucid Dreaming
Day
The History of Lucid Dreaming Day
The Origins of Lucid Dreaming Day
Lucid Dreaming Day (April 12th) was founded by Daniel Love, who first proposed the concept in his bestselling book Are You Dreaming? in 2013.
His vision was to create a day where lucid dreamers from around the world could connect, educate, and celebrate their shared passion—a grassroots celebration that belongs to the entire community.
Since its creation, Lucid Dreaming Day has grown into the most widely recognized event in the lucid dreaming calendar, inspiring everything from online gatherings to public talks, art, music, and research events.
About the Founder
Daniel Love is a British lucid dreaming researcher, educator, and author best known for his evidence-based and no-nonsense approach to the science of dreams. With over two decades of experience in the field, he is the author of the bestselling book Are You Dreaming?, and the creator of the "Daniel Love" YouTube channel and platform.
"Lucid dreaming isn’t just a curiosity—it’s a tool for growth, creativity, and understanding what it means to be human."
– Daniel Love
A Tapestry of Dream Pioneers
Lucid Dreaming Day doesn’t belong to one person or one discovery. It honours a long and diverse tradition—one that spans continents, centuries, and cultures.
Lucid dreaming has long captivated the human imagination. While Lucid Dreaming Day marks a modern celebration, it is deeply rooted in a lineage of thinkers, researchers, and dreamers across cultures and eras.
Among the many influential figures who have shaped our understanding of lucid dreaming and lucid dreaming day:
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Marquis d’Hervey de Saint-Denys – Often considered the first true Western lucid dreamer, this 19th-century French scholar (1822–1892) coined the term rêve lucide and kept decades of detailed dream journals. In his 1867 book Les Rêves et les Moyens de les Diriger (Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them), he described techniques for inducing and controlling dreams with remarkable insight—long before the science of sleep or REM was understood. His work laid the psychological and methodological groundwork for all modern lucid dream research.
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Frederik van Eeden – Dutch psychiatrist who published his paper A Study of Dreams in 1913, introducing the English term lucid dream and popularising the concept within early psychology circles.
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Dr. Celia Green – In 1968, she published Lucid Dreams, one of the first modern scientific analyses of the phenomenon, linking lucid dreams to REM sleep and categorising related experiences like false awakenings.
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Dr. Patricia Garfield – Published Creative Dreaming in 1974, a bestselling book that helped bring lucid dreaming to public attention, especially focusing on its applications for creativity, healing, and personal growth.
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Dr. Keith Hearne –In 1975, he conducted the first documented experiment in which a lucid dreamer (Alan Worsley) sent a conscious signal during REM sleep using an electrooculogram (EOG). This was the first real-time demonstration that lucidity within a dream could be objectively recorded. However, his findings were initially published in a parapsychology journal, limiting their academic impact. Despite this, Hearne’s experiment laid essential groundwork and is widely recognized as the first recorded physiological evidence of lucid dreaming.
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Dr. Paul Tholey – A German Gestalt psychologist who, throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, developed cognitive models of lucidity, outlined rigorous criteria for lucid dreams, and promoted practical induction techniques such as the Reflection Technique. While not focused on physiological verification, his work offered a philosophical and psychological framework that deeply influenced European lucid dream research.
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Dr. Stephen LaBerge – On January 13, 1978, LaBerge conducted a similar eye-movement signaling technique at Stanford University, unaware of Hearne’s earlier findings. Crucially, he went on to publish his results in peer-reviewed scientific journals, gaining wide academic recognition. His work is considered the first widely accepted scientific validation of lucid dreaming. Through his research, popular books, and the founding of the Lucidity Institute, LaBerge helped bring lucid dreaming into both public consciousness and scientific legitimacy.
Lucid Dreaming Day honours these pioneers—and the many unnamed dreamers, mystics, scientists, and philosophers who have contributed to this remarkable human experience.
Why April 12th?
First Documented Signal - Dr Keith Hearne
April 12th marks a quiet yet meaningful turning point in the history of dream research.
On this day in 1975, a young doctoral student named Keith Hearne, working with his subject—a volunteer lucid dreamer named Alan Worsley—recorded the first documented signal from within a lucid dream using an electrooculogram (EOG).
“Suddenly, out of the jumbled senseless tos and fros of the two eye-movement recording channels, a regular set of large zigzags appeared on the chart.
Instantly, I was alert and felt the greatest exhilaration on realizing that I was observing the first-ever deliberate signals sent from within a dream to the outside.The signals were coming from another world—the world of dreams—and they were as exciting as if they were emanating from some other solar system in space.”
— Dr. Keith Hearne
This quiet experiment proved that lucidity in dreams was not just anecdotal—it could be objectively measured and scientifically studied.
However, because Hearne’s research was conducted quietly at Hull University in the UK and later published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research—a niche, "peer-reviewed" parapsychology journal—it received little recognition from the mainstream scientific community.
Peer-reviewed, journals in the parapsychology field are widely regarded as lacking the methodological rigor and credibility expected of conventional science. Often associated with speculative subjects like ESP and telekinesis, they tend to fall outside the bounds of respected academic discourse and are typically far easier to publish in than established scientific outlets.
In this context, Hearne’s decision to submit such important work to a fringe journal—rather than pursuing more rigorous or widely-read platforms—was arguably a pivotal mistake. Understandable, perhaps, given the publishing climate of the time, but one that all but ensured the study would be met with skepticism and overlooked. In hindsight, it likely delayed wider recognition of his contribution.
Mainstream Scientific Validation – Dr. Stephen LaBerge
Just under three years later, on January 13, 1978, Dr. Stephen LaBerge independently conducted a similar experiment at Stanford University—this time using himself as the test subject. During REM sleep, he successfully became lucid and performed pre-agreed eye movements to signal his conscious awareness from within the dream.
But LaBerge’s research went far beyond a single test or subject. Unlike Hearne, he employed full polysomnographic monitoring—including EEG to confirm brainwave activity, EOG for eye movements, and EMG to measure muscle atonia—ensuring that all signals were sent during verified REM sleep. In subsequent studies, he expanded the experiments to include multiple trained lucid dreamers, all of whom successfully repeated the signalling under the same rigorous conditions.
By 1981, he succeeded in publishing the first peer-reviewed scientific paper verifying the phenomenon.
Unlike Hearne, LaBerge persisted in submitting his results to major scientific journals. After initial rejections from Science and Nature, his findings were eventually published in Perceptual and Motor Skills (1981). This milestone provided the first mainstream scientific validation of lucid dreaming—helping shift the phenomenon from fringe curiosity to a credible subject of academic inquiry.
An Appreciative Nod of Respect
With many possible dates available, Daniel Love chose April 12th to help draw attention to this historical first step—reviving an overlooked milestone and using it to represent something more:
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That even quiet, underappreciated discoveries can shape the future.
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That lucid dreamers should always investigate their sources.
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And that the journey toward truth is often built on the forgotten work of those who came before.
His intention was to build a symbolic bridge—linking the early days of dream science with today’s global exploration of lucidity.
It is a date that reminds us of humble beginnings—and how far we can still go.
Lucid Dreaming Day isn’t about one man, one moment, or one experiment.
It’s a celebration of all the quiet steps forward that brought us here—and all those still to come.
Why Not January 13th?
While January 13th (LaBerge’s first eye-signal experiment) is also historically significant, April 12th was chosen for its symbolic value, and because it had been largely forgotten—it marks the quiet first step, a fitting metaphor for the inner world of lucid dreaming itself. It’s a celebration of the moment humanity first reached out from a dream and proved it was conscious.
A Day For Lucid Dreamers - Not Just Scientists
While Lucid Dreaming Day is a well deserved nod to a historic milestone, it's far more than a date on the calendar or a tribute to one moment in research.
Above all else, it’s a celebration by lucid dreamers, for lucid dreamers—a chance to come together, share our passion, and inspire a global movement of conscious exploration.
We’re proud to mark the day that science first confirmed a new tool to demonstrate the reality of lucid dreaming. But this celebration isn't just about the past—it’s about what’s possible.
Lucid dreaming is no longer a fringe curiosity—it's entering the mainstream.
From film and music to neuroscience and mental health, lucid dreaming is finding its place in culture, science, and personal growth. But this is just the beginning.
With greater awareness, more people will:
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Begin their own lucid dreaming journey
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Enter the fields of dream science and sleep research
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Create new tools and induction technologies
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Use lucid dreams for healing, creativity, and self-discovery
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Solve problems and innovate from within the dream world
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Develop art, music, and literature born from lucidity
The potential is limitless.
As interest grows, so too will our collective ability to harness lucid dreaming as a force for creativity, wellness, scientific inquiry—and perhaps even connection.
A New Path for Humanity?
Imagine a world where lucid dreaming is as common as meditation or exercise.
A world where each night offers insight, inspiration, and renewal. Where inner exploration is as valued as outer achievement.
Lucid Dreaming Day is a small step toward that future—one where awareness, imagination, and empathy are part of the cultural foundation.
We believe lucid dreaming has the power to change lives—individually and globally.
So whether you’re just starting your journey or have been lucid for years, remember:
This is your day. The future of dreaming begins with you.
Make The World Lucid!
How to Celebrate Lucid Dreaming Day
Lucid Dreaming Day is open to everyone. There are no rules—only intentions.
Here are a few ways to participate:
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Share your lucid dreams or dream art on social media using #LucidDreamingDay
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Join a live stream, talk, or dream circle
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Host a dream-inspired gathering or group meditation
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Attempt to become lucid that night with renewed focus
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Watch or participate in events on Daniel Love’s YouTube channel
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Honour a dream pioneer by inviting them into your dreams
Whether in solitude or with a global community, your participation makes this tradition real.
Head over to Daniel Love's YouTube Channel—the central hub for this year’s celebrations.
Join the Movement
Lucid Dreaming Day was founded by Daniel Love to shine a light on the overlooked power of conscious dreaming.
It reminds us that sleep isn’t the end of awareness—it’s a beginning.
Mark your calendar: April 12th
Join the celebration. Share your dreams. And most of all—
Make the world lucid.
#LucidDreamingDay
