How to get into a lucid dream: methods and techniques. The technique of lucid dreaming with an overview of alternative techniques

Lucid dreams are control of consciousness when the body is asleep. How to get into a lucid dream and is it possible to do it the first time?
Lucid dreaming is a state between the boundaries of wakefulness and the phase REM sleep. In such a dream, a person realizes that he is dreaming, but he is dreaming and can control the course of events. The state of lucid dreaming has not been scientifically proven, but interest in it began in the 20th century.
How to get to lucid dream Not many people know, so this topic is very interesting. The phenomenon fascinates and attracts people's minds, which explains their curiosity.

How to induce a lucid dream? Theory and practice.

Dreams in which you can influence the outcome of certain events are not so common. But every person who wants to take an active part in his own dream can fall into it intentionally. It is possible that you will not be able to experience a controlled dream the first time. Periodic practice will make it easy to bring consciousness into the desired state.
How to induce a lucid dream yourself? There are many answers to this question. Before moving on to the algorithm of actions, you need to study the theory lucid dreams.
In the REM sleep phase, the brain actively works: it studies what it sees, analyzes it. Human consciousness is disposed to perceive time and space. Dreams are remembered only in this phase, although people dream in the other four stages of sleep.
The boundary between the physical world and the realm of Morpheus projects lucid dreams. Science cannot explain the state of dream control, but esotericism has its own interpretation. Dreams are the exit of the mind into another dimension, astral world, with the help of which a person receives and exchanges information with other worlds.
No matter how fantastic the interpretation of lucid dreaming may be, the practice is quite real.
To enter controlled dreams, preparation is necessary:

  • Eliminate usage large quantity fluids before bed. The urge to go to the toilet can prevent you from achieving the desired result;
  • You can prepare a pen and notebook to write down your visions, feelings and emotions. Keeping a dream diary will allow you to analyze the smallest details and improve your skills in behavior in unreality;
  • Have a great desire and motivate yourself to achieve your goal.
Important! A tired person will not be able to experience lucid dreams. In this case, it is better to go to bed early, wake up around four in the morning and try to immerse yourself in dreams, where all actions are subject to control.
Stages of inducing a lucid dream:
  • The first sleep should be no more than six hours. The body will have to be awakened by an alarm clock;
  • It is necessary to wake up the brain: walk around the house (drink water, go to the toilet), while lying down, read the news from the phone for 20 minutes;
  • Lie on your back, relax as much as possible and close your eyes. The moment of falling asleep lasts several seconds, it needs to be controlled and not allow the brain to “switch off”;
  • If the consciousness remains awake, then the person is in a state of lucid sleep. You can check this by looking at your reflection in the mirror (during sleep it will differ from the real reflection) and other similar methods.
If the first time you couldn’t keep your consciousness under control and it fell asleep, you can try again after 2-3 hours. You can also try during the day when you are not very tired.

Is it possible to get into a lucid dream the first time? Success factors.



The first attempt to enter a lucid dream may be a failure. As a rule, a person is not prepared for such actions, but even a beginner has the opportunity to fall into a controlled sleep the first time.
What can be done for a successful experiment?
  • Accidentally waking up at night and closing your eyes again in a state of half-asleep, you can project a picture (for example, walking through a field of flowers). The first such attempts to enter a lucid dream are successful;
  • At the moment of falling asleep, you can imagine that the body remains lying in place, and the soul or body double (what you call it and how you present it is up to everyone) separates. There is no need to see yourself from the outside; you need to directly participate in the process. It is important not to move, otherwise you may wake up. This method can scare newbies into waking up;
  • Peering into the darkness of closed eyes, you need to try to see some object, mentally touch it. If you succeed in doing this, then the goal has been achieved and you can project a further dream.
Success factors for achieving lucid dreaming:
  • Rested body and mind;
  • Healthy state of the body;
  • Elimination of overeating;
  • Sleeping in a new place (the brain cannot completely fall asleep, which will be beneficial to those who want to have a lucid dream);
  • Falling asleep earlier.
All people are individual; for some it is easy to fall into controlled unreality, while others train for months to make it work. Getting into a lucid dream the first time is difficult, but it is possible. Desire and effort will allow even people without experience to achieve what they want.

What is the technique of lucid dreaming?



The technique of lucid dreaming involves understanding and feeling yourself in absurd events and circumstances, influencing your behavior.
By learning to fall into consciously controlled dreams, you can learn many useful skills:
  • Give vent to your emotions without harming others;
  • Achieve complete relaxation by swimming in your sleep, flying in the sky, or relaxing on different beaches around the world every night;
  • Some claim that by participating in lucid dreams, a person discovers supernatural abilities.
One of the main points of lucid dreams is to force yourself to doubt reality. You need to periodically ask yourself the question “Am I dreaming?” and find a positive answer. You can do this by looking at the same inscription or object twice; the first and second versions of what you see should be different. This is necessary in order not to confuse a lucid dream with reality. It sounds scary, but this question to oneself quickly becomes a sleeper’s habit.

Mask for lucid dreams - just marketing or something more


Masks and other devices that keep the mind awake while sleeping are gaining popularity. They cost a lot, so consumers want to figure out how effective they are.
Masks for lucid dreaming contain sensors that monitor the movement of the eyelids and eyes. When the movement is the fastest, the REM sleep phase begins. At this time, the LEDs turn on, which excite the consciousness, preventing the relaxed body from waking up - at this moment the person begins to see controlled dreams.

Today you rarely meet a person who, at least once in his life, has not found himself in or in something very close to it ( sleep paralysis, false awakenings, etc.). If you want to consciously influence yourself to be in a lucid dream, then this article is for you!

The Easiest Way to Induce a Lucid Dream

Also called lucid dreams are OS, phase, phase state, astral, etc.

1. We set ourselves 3 tasks of what we will do after we become aware. For example, fly, find out some information, meet someone. For your first experience, it is recommended that you set the first task to “look in the mirror.”

2. Before going to bed, set the alarm 6 hours from the time we plan to fall asleep.

3. We get up on the alarm clock and do something for 5 minutes (drink water, go to the toilet, remember 3 sleep tasks).

4. We go to bed again with the intention that after I wake up, I will practice entering a lucid dream.

5. We fall asleep and sleep until we wake up.

6. After waking up, we try not to move, but to immediately separate from the body. We do it confidently, aggressively and at all costs. If separation has occurred, congratulations, you are in phase!

7. If not, then we do 2-3 practices one by one until one of them works, but no more than 1 minute. There should be about 4 cycles. As soon as some practice starts to work out, we strengthen it and try to separate ourselves. Here are some of the techniques:

  • Concentration on phantom sounds (if we hear sounds that do not exist in reality, we amplify them).
  • We rotate around our axis in different sides alternately (without moving your body).
  • Phantom swing (we feel like we are leaving the body or pulling out parts of the body, for example, raising and lowering an arm without straining the muscles).
  • We imagine as if we are holding three palms against each other in front of our face (we try to see them, feel the friction).

8. If you succeed in splitting, congratulations, you are in phase! If we couldn’t get out within 1 minute, then we stop practicing and continue to sleep. It will be much more effective to continue the next time you wake up.

9. During the next awakening, regardless of whether it was possible to go into a lucid dream during the previous awakening or not, we repeat the entire cycle, starting from point 6. In one morning you can experience several “out-of-body” experiences.

- in the evening before the current practice, do not do the technique under any circumstances. You just need to lie down and sleep well.
- it is best to try to become lucid in a dream in this way no more than 2-3 times a week.
- come up with and write 3 sleep tasks right now on a piece of paper and before going to bed, put it under your pillow to read in the morning.

The method is very effective.

You can find out more about the technique in all the details and nuances in Mikhail Raduga’s book “PHASE. A practical textbook on out-of-body experiences" http://aing.ru/files/uchebnik.pdf All the subtleties are described there this method, typical mistakes practitioners, as well as a lot of other useful practical information on.

Many people have encountered such a situation when they realized that they were dreaming and this state is called lucid dreaming. The sensations can be barely noticeable, or they can expand and give the person the ability to control their visions. There are techniques that allow you to develop this ability.

Dreams have always interested people, so this topic has been carefully studied for many years. Lucid dream (LS) is a state of consciousness that occurs in the REM sleep phase and is extremely emotionally intense. It can occur spontaneously or initiated by the person himself, who can control it. For many years, scientists have been trying to figure out what lucid dreaming means, thanks to which many discoveries have been made. There are developed techniques for immersing and controlling such dreams.

How is a lucid dream different from a waking dream?

Numerous experiments have provided objective data that confirm that brain activity during OS it differs from other phases and from the state of wakefulness. They also differ from waking dreams, which are considered simple fantasies. The scientific and methodological value of OS lies in the fact that they can help reveal many secrets of human consciousness and understand the abilities of the brain. Science defines lucid dreaming as an opportunity to obtain material for self-knowledge and introspection. One of the first scientists to devote his life to this topic was S. Laberge.

How to get into a lucid dream?

Scientists assure that every person has the opportunity to develop the ability to get into OS. There are several directions you can take. The most important thing is to have desire find yourself in your own dreams. The technique of entering a lucid dream is described in many books, for example, the following popular authors are: R. Webster, M. Rainbow and R. Monroe. Another important advice– keep a diary where, immediately after waking up, write down the scenes you saw in every detail. It is important to practice regularly using different exercises. You don't need to count on quick results.

Techniques for getting into a lucid dream

The main condition for getting into the OS is maximum relaxation, but it is important to control yourself so as not to fall asleep. For this purpose, it is necessary to use relaxation and it is best to choose exercises to relax muscles and control breathing. The technique of lucid dreaming should be selected individually, since it affects each person differently. It is important to have some privacy by turning off your phone, and it is also recommended to close the curtains and sit in a comfortable position.

  1. Imagine and even mentally say how each muscle on the body relaxes, and you need to start with the smallest of them.
  2. Visualize yourself falling with high altitude. It is important to try to prolong this state as long as possible.
  3. Imagine yourself swinging on a swing or in a boat floating on the waves.
  4. Visualize yourself in a place you really like. It is necessary to present everything as accurately as possible in the smallest detail. Thanks to this, there is a possibility that a lucid dream will latch on to this picture.

There are a few more recommendations to achieve good result. Need to achieve complete absence movement, itching in the eye or nose area may occur. It is important to ignore all these urges. Special attention you need to pay attention to breathing, which should be close to the sleeping state, that is, even and deep. You can also use this technique: get up at 4-5 am, go to the toilet and drink some water, and this should take no more than 5 minutes. After this, you should go to bed and force yourself to fall asleep.

How to manage a lucid dream?

A person who is just starting to practice entering the OS often encounters different problems, which is associated with strong emotions. As a result, the dreamer wakes up only after achieving certain results. Many people simply forget that they were and controlled their actions in a dream, and this is due to the special functioning of the brain. To avoid this, it is necessary to check reality as often as possible, which will allow you to maintain awareness.

Controlling a lucid dream depends on the desired goal, for example, if a person wants to see a certain person or creature, then he should visualize it before going to bed. It is important to send requests to your subconscious, which will lead to results. Many newcomers, wanting to change the world, are faced with a mental block that prevents them from realizing their plans. To avoid this, you can do a simple exercise: imagine a door in front of you, behind which there is a place where you want to go. This door will be a portal through which you can reach your goal.

What can you do in a lucid dream?

OSes come in many different forms and many of them are completely tangible and vivid. This allows human brain regenerate completely different and even amazing things. This is due to the fact that everything happens in thoughts, where there are no boundaries. Thanks to numerous trainings, managing lucid dreams is possible, and if desired, it is easy to realize any of your fantasies and desires.

  1. Experiments have proven the ability to improve your physical indicators, thanks to skills processing in the OS.
  2. Visit various places, as well as time travel.
  3. The dream of many people is to learn to fly, and in their dreams it can be made a reality.
  4. Gaining creative inspiration by bringing ideas to life.
  5. Many psychiatrists use lucid dreaming to help a person cope with nightmares.
  6. An opportunity to meet and communicate with people who have already passed away.

Is it possible to die in a lucid dream?

OS not only have certain advantages and benefits for humans, since they also contain danger. On this moment There is no evidence that you can die in a lucid dream, but serious side effects have been identified. For example, a person may not notice severe pain, his memories disappear, he experiences a split personality and a loss of reality occurs. There is a serious danger of lucid dreaming for people who have psychical deviations and phobias, as well as diseases in which strong emotional impressions are undesirable.

Lucid dreaming - is it dangerous?

Some people, having become interested in this topic, do not know how to properly enter and use the OS, which can become a source serious problems V Everyday life. One of the main dangers is that a person becomes dependent on them and loses awareness of reality. To avoid this, it is important to notice in time that thoughts about the events seen in night visions displace reality. To understand the dangers of lucid dreaming, it is necessary to consider other possible consequences.

  1. Inadequacy. If a person has poorly learned to be controlled by OS, then he can transfer many things into real life, which will be perceived by others as inappropriate behavior.
  2. Destabilization. There are situations when the boundaries between consciousness and subconscious are blurred, which leads to a loss of reality.
  3. Mystical. In a lucid dream, a person encounters various creatures and forces that lead to a waste of energy, which affects the person’s condition.

Lucid dreaming is when you realize while you are dreaming that you are dreaming. This awareness can range from a subtle understanding to a significant expansion of the images seen in the dream. Lucid dreams usually begin with a person in the middle of normal sleep suddenly realizes that he is dreaming. This is called lucid dreaming caused by imagination. Awakening-initiated lucid dreaming occurs when you move back from the awakening stage to the sleep stage without lapses in consciousness. In any case, in such dreams everything seems more bizarre and emotional than in ordinary dreams. And most importantly, to have lucid dreams, you must have at least some skills of control over “yourself in a dream”, as well as over your environment.

Steps

Using lucid dreaming techniques

    Keep a dream journal. At night, keep it by your bed so that immediately after waking up you can record your dream or the emotions and feelings that you felt when you woke up. This will teach you to remember more content from your dreams, which is very important for lucid dreaming. Besides, if you immediately forget everything by the morning, there is no benefit to managing your dreams.

    Do reality checks often. During the day, every few hours, ask yourself the question: “Am I dreaming?” – and do one of the following reality checks. With enough practice, you will begin to follow this habit even in your sleep, which will make you aware of the fact that you are dreaming.

    Every time before falling asleep, until you pass out, repeat:"I will be aware that I am dreaming." You can also use any other similar phrase. This technique is called mnemonic lucid dream induction. Mnemonic entry means that you are using a "memory property" or, in this case, a mechanically memorized phrase that triggers dream lucidity and turns it into an automatic habit.

    • Some people like to combine this step with a reality check in the form of examining their hands just before falling asleep.
  1. Learn to recognize the signs of your own dreams. Regularly re-read your dream diary and pay attention to “signs” that repeat in your dreams. These will be recurring situations or events that you may notice in your own dreams. Remember them, and you may recognize them in your next dream, which will make you realize that you are dreaming.

    • You probably already know some of your dreams. Frequently occurring dreams include dreams of teeth falling out, being chased by someone huge, or appearing in public place naked.
  2. Try taking a nap again after waking up from sleep. When you wake up and remember the dream, write it down in your journal, then close your eyes and focus on the dream again. Imagine being in a dream, noticing an inherent sign or corresponding reality check result, and realizing that it is a dream. Try to hold on to this thought until you begin to drift off; the result may be a lucid dream.

  3. Consider purchasing a light alarm clock. Go online and buy a light alarm clock instead of a sound one, or even a special “dream alarm clock” designed to stimulate lucid dreams. Set your alarm to go off 4.5, 6, or 7 hours after you fall asleep, or set it to go off every hour if possible. Although auditory, tactile, and other stimulation during REM sleep (when the eyes move rapidly while you sleep) can make a sleeper aware that they are dreaming, one study found that the most effective stimulus is light.

    • You don't actually need to wake up (unless you want to use the timely awakening technique described below). Keep the lighted alarm clock out of reach of your own hands and away from the bed and/or cover it with a sheet or set it to a dimer light.
  4. Consider taking galantamine. Galantamine is a drug synthesized from snowdrops that may be the most effective medication inducing lucid dreams. For optimal results, take 4-8 mg of galantamine in the middle of the night. Taking medication before bed may impair sleep quality and cause unpleasant dreams. Due to this feature and the bad ones listed below side effects galantamine is recommended for use only occasionally as an adjunct to other methods.

    • Please consult your doctor first to see if you have any health problems. Galantamine may worsen conditions such as asthma or heart problems.
    • This medicine increases the chance of sleep paralysis, which is harmless but terrible condition when a person wakes up and cannot move his muscles for several minutes.
  5. Consider taking periodic B vitamins. Vitamins B5 and B6 can make dreams more vivid, bizarre and emotionally rich, which can lead to lucid dreaming. However, to notice the effect you will need to take a dose of 100 mg. This is significantly more than recommended for daily intake dose, and if you take the vitamin in such volumes for long period time, this can cause damage to peripheral nerves. Use the vitamin only for special occasions and at your own peril and risk.

    • Consult your doctor if you are currently taking other medications or if you have any bleeding, stomach, bowel, or heart problems.
    • This drug may cause some people to wake up in the middle of the night, so it may be counterproductive if you are a light sleeper.
  • Lucid dreaming is a skill that needs to be learned, and even those people who regularly have lucid dreams only have them 1-2 times a month. Be patient and continue to practice the above techniques and you will gradually increase your chances and frequency of lucid dreaming.
  • If you periodically experience “false awakenings” during sleep, get into the habit of doing a reality check (for example, trying to read a book) immediately after waking up. Otherwise, a false awakening can turn a lucid dream into a completely ordinary one.
  • When experiencing a lucid dream, consider intentionally waking up a few minutes later. This will increase the chances of remembering the dream.
  • Don't drink anything within an hour before bed. Waking up to need to go to the toilet is the last thing you want when successfully experiencing a lucid dream.
  • If your sleep is not going as you would like, “close your eyes” while you sleep, and then forcefully open them. Repeat until you wake up.
  • If you think you are losing control of your sleep, shout very loudly what you want to happen next, and do this until you regain control of your sleep or until what you wanted happens.

Warnings

  • If you become very agitated during a lucid dream, you may suddenly wake up. To try to return to sleep, close your eyes and concentrate on it. If you are only half awake but still "in a dream", turn around or rub your palms together.
  • A lucid dream can cause sleep paralysis, in which, when you wake up, you remain conscious and aware of your surroundings, but find yourself unable to move your muscles. This is harmless, but often frightening, especially when combined with hallucinations of someone's presence in the room. Sometimes some muscles are less susceptible to paralysis than others, so concentrate on trying to wiggle your toes or swallow and remain calm until your hallucination stops.

Our lives represent the intersection of the waking and sleeping worlds, the periods of daytime activity and nighttime rest. This is a natural phenomenon, and each part of it is important in its own way.

For many, reality has greater significance compared to dreams. But if you look at it, sleep can be valuable not only for those processes that are necessary for the body, provide positive influence on its functioning and, in general, on the entire state of the human body and mind.

Dreams and its types

Dreams can be so different in their nature and plot, emotions, characters... They can reflect the events of the previous day or contain certain signs oriented towards the future, they can be unusual for specific person and completely fantastic. Some people have a unique gift: they can see prophetic dreams that can come true. Absolutely special kind- conscious dream. But is it possible to have full consciousness in a dream? How to induce a waking dream?

The concept of lucid dreaming

A simple dream - not controlled and not realized by the person himself, a mixture of imagination and facts real life. Only after waking up can we say with certainty that we had a dream. Lucid dreams (or lucid dreams) involve a slightly different process. In this case, with more or less certainty comes the understanding that everything that happens is in our inner world, and outside we are just lying on the bed with eyes closed and show no activity.

A person in lucid dreams ceases to be a hostage to the immediate plot that unfolded for one reason or another, and ceases to be drawn into activities and communication with the inhabitants of his own dream. He, as it were, distinguishes himself and self-identifies, turning into a subject who is able to act independently. home distinctive feature such dreams - in the presence of meaningfulness where, it would seem, only the subconscious can exist.

Skeptical views

At first, the possibility of a lucid dream seems like some kind of illusion, a mirage. It is difficult for people to perceive, believe in the very existence of such things and try to seriously answer the question of whether it is actually possible to induce a lucid dream. Paying attention to your dreams is not accepted in our society and is neglected by most.

For some reason, our other life, that is, life in a dream, is not considered real. Despite the fact that it is full of mysteries, unexplored and mystical secrets, apparently, she is just as frightening, so not everyone dares to show interest in her. We can only advise you to be open to this new experience and to be open-minded about the information you receive. This will help you gain knowledge about another level of our existence, about yourself, and even, if desired, learn how to induce a lucid dream.

How to induce a lucid dream? Instructions for Beginners

To have an idea of ​​how to induce a lucid dream, you need to know some basic conditions that stimulate this process. Yes, there is criticism of such activities, some will consider it dangerous, but for all lovers of the unknown and familiar with this topic, the following practical recommendations will be useful:

  • you should keep a dream diary;
  • training in visualization is necessary;
  • planning and intention;
  • respect.

Let's talk about everything in order.

Dream Diary

The first and very important point is keeping a diary, in which you need to write down all your dreams in detail. All people dream, but they may simply not remember them. When our memory automatically discards everything we saw, heard, felt during the night, there can be no talk of a lucid dream.

Mastering mnemonics and awareness in a dream are closely related. In this case, it is advisable to indicate the date of the dream and then conduct a small analysis of what the dream could mean, what sensations it ultimately caused and what feelings it awakened.

Visualization

Visualization or imagining the desired place, the landscape in a dream, the people around and their actions brings you closer to understanding how to induce a waking dream - you are not yet sleeping, but your dreams are already taking you far away. This feeling will be very close to the state of sleep, half-asleep. This is also a good mental training for what a person will do in his dream, which in turn is useful for further exits into a lucid dream. By practicing this before falling asleep, you relax and gradually move from reality to dreaming. Over time, this process will be more controlled, and the imaginary picture will become a direct dream situation. This can be considered a deliberate movement towards what we are trying to achieve - to understand how to induce a lucid dream.

Planning and Intent

The best option would be not just dreams, but drawing up a specific action plan in a dream, that is, what exactly you would like to do there: just go out of the house and go for a walk, fly, talk to someone, etc. After preparation, you can go to rest. We definitely do this with the intention and thoughts of how to induce a waking dream. And then your imagination comes into play, and you can set off on your journey along the intended route. It is important to imagine everything as realistically as possible, even the physical sensations that might arise.

Respect

Like any business you do, the world of dreams requires proper treatment. If it is really important to you to understand how to induce a lucid dream, and you are striving for this, then respect for own dreams, no matter what they contain, - necessary condition. The more you trust them, the more wisdom you can gain. Dreams are a subtle area of ​​knowledge, the pursuit of which does not tolerate negligence and obtaining mercantile gain.

How quickly can you achieve success?

How to induce a lucid dream the first time? Is this real? Of course, many, having heard that this is possible, would want to quickly achieve awareness in a dream, but it is better not to rush with this. Beginners should be prepared for the fact that there may not be immediate results. Practice and compliance with the requirements described above are of considerable importance here.

If you want to have a lucid dream on the first night, then you need a fairly strong desire to do it and constant self-motivation. The mood will be strengthened by reading relevant literature this evening. You can also use it during the day good welcome: periodically ask yourself whether you are dreaming now or not (“reality testing”). Particular attention should be paid to morning dream, since, according to the results of dreamers, it is at this time of day that vivid, memorable and lucid dreams are more likely.

Caution when working with lucid dreams

Lucid dreaming is not “fun” for everyone. This will require quite deep knowledge and experience. You should accept your dreams completely - all the events within them, all the emotions they evoke. To a certain extent, they can and should be controlled, because some moments can be dangerous. For example, a person must immediately assess how prepared he is for stress and for meeting something or someone scary and unfamiliar. For habitual perception, such experiences can be simply wild, phobias will arise, and the sense of reality will be lost. The integrity of the entire person may be at risk. It is also impossible for dreams to become a substitute for reality. Sleep will fully cope with the role of an assistant in solving everyday problems, but it will not automatically get rid of them. Life both in reality and in dreams equally requires attention; there is no need to neglect any of them.

conclusions

Night gives us the chance to plunge into its microcosm. Some people use sleep to relax, others live life to the fullest, as soon as the sun sets beyond the horizon, and the other in dreams sees a path for development. This path begins from the moment when a person wonders whether and how it is possible to induce a lucid dream. Reviews on this issue can be very contradictory - from enthusiastic responses from young dreamers to stories about dark entities lower level astral plane, told by experts.

It won't be difficult to find a ton of resources describing how to induce a lucid dream. "VK" and others social media contain all kinds of video and audio materials; forums are being created where people of different social strata, professions, from different countries exchange dream experiences. All this information is of great benefit - it allows you to understand what dreams are. Theory is important in any field, it provides the basis, but only after experiencing personal experiences in an independent lucid dream, everyone can choose for themselves whether they need it. Has here great importance own opinion formed in individual practice.