To ensure that dream consciousness leads to a fully developed phase experience, one of three specific actions must be taken.

The best is the technique is deepening, which should be immediately applied once dream consciousness occurs. Deepening must be performed within the dream episode before all other techniques. Doing so virtually guarantees entrance to the phase. The choice of actions that follow deepening is dependent upon a practitioner's predetermined course of plan in the phase.

When becoming conscious while dreaming, it is quite dangerous to try to return to one's body in order to roll out of it right away unless one has deepened beforehand. This could result in a situation where, after having easily returned to one's body, one would not be able to separate from it, as the phase becomes significantly weaker when physical sensations coincide with the position of a real body. If one is to employ such an option, then in order to return to one's body one should simply think about it, which is often sufficient to make the transition occur almost immediately.

Another option is the use of translocation techniques to arrive at a desired place within the phase world. It is also dangerous to employ this variation without first deepening; translocating in a shallow phase makes a return to the wakeful state very likely. Translocation is often accompanied by a substantial decrease in the depth of the phase state.

Strategy For Action

To achieve dream consciousness, constant practice is highly necessary because sporadic practice will fail to develop the requisite background thought processes.

As a rule, employing phase entry techniques within the context of dream consciousness produces results after several weeks, and the effects of the techniques are increasingly pronounced with time. If there are no results within a month or two, refrain from these techniques for a period of time, take a break for a week or two, and resolve to assume a fresh start later.

Practitioners often stop using these techniques after initial results as later effects become elusive and the frequency of dream consciousness rapidly declines. These techniques should not be abandoned after first yielding results, though a gradual decrease in practice is generally acceptable.

Typical Mistakes When Practicing Becoming Conscious While Dreaming

· Perceiving the state of dream consciousness as a non-phase state even though this phenomenon is one and the same with the phase.

· Attempting dream consciousness while performing other phase entrance techniques when it is better to focus on dream consciousness alone.

· When falling asleep, lacking sufficient desire to experience conscious dreaming even though this is critical.

· Continuing to yield to the plot of a dream even after achieving dream consciousness, whereas subsequent actions must be independent and based on free will.

· Incorrectly answering the question "Am I dreaming?" while dreaming.

· Forgetting to immediately begin deepening techniques when dream consciousness has been achieved.

· When exercising memory development, recalling the most vivid dreams instead of every dream.

· Inconsistent concentration while practicing dream consciousness techniques.