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The most important thing is that there is a lapse of consciousness into sleep before implementing the techniques. Indirect techniques are the easiest techniques to practice, which is why many practitioners use them to enter the phase. Sleep naturally provides the mind with deep relaxation, which is often difficult to acquire by other methods. Since sleep is required to perform indirect techniques, it is a convenient, oft-occurring means to conduct experiments with the phase. Novice practitioners benefit greatly from the use of indirect techniques, and learn firsthand the possibility of phase entrance. Dream consciousness is acquired by techniques that allow entrance to the phase through what is commonly referred to as lucid dreaming. In this case, the phase begins when the awareness that a dream is occurring happens within the dream itself. After becoming conscious while dreaming, several types of actions can be performed, including deepening or returning to the body and rolling out, which will be described later. When deepening techniques are applied in the context of a conscious dream, the sensory perceptions of the phase surpass those of normal wakefulness. Techniques that facilitate dream consciousness are usually categorized separately from methods used to perform out-of-body travel; in practice, however, it is apparent that the characteristics of dream consciousness and out-of-body travel are identical, which places both phenomena directly in the phase. These practices are difficult because, unlike other techniques, they do not involve specific actions that produce instantaneous results. A large measure of preparatory steps must be observed that require time and effort without any guarantee of results. However, dream consciousness techniques are not as difficult as direct techniques. Moreover, the majority of practitioners, whether using indirect or direct techniques, experience spontaneous awareness while dreaming without having to apply techniques aimed at dream consciousness.