Subject: Dreams FAQ Pt.3/4: About Lucid Dreaming
Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2
Archive-name: dreams-faq/part3
Revision: version 1.5, last changed 1995/01/21 01:48:08
Posting-Frequency: biweekly
This is the third in a series of four postings of Frequently Asked
Questions for the alt.dreams and alt.dreams.lucid newsgroups. It is
the reproduction of an earlier regular posting on lucid dreams,
written by Lynne Levitan <lynx@psych.stanford.edu> and originally
titled: Answers to these frequently asked questions on lucid dreaming
brought to you by THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE.
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Subject: 6. Lucid dreaming +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Subject: 6.1. What is lucid dreaming?
A. The term "lucid dreaming" refers to dreaming while knowing that you
are dreaming. The "lucid" part refers to the clarity of consciousness
rather than the vividness of the dream. It generally happens when you
realize during the course of a dream that you are dreaming, perhaps
because something weird occurs. Most people who remember their dreams
have experienced this at some time, often waking up immediately after
the realization. However, it is possible to continue in the dream
while remaining fully aware that you are dreaming.
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Subject: 6.2. If you are lucid, can you control the dream?
A. Usually lucidity brings with it some degree of control over the
course of the dream. How much control is possible varies from dream to
dream and from dreamer to dreamer. Practice can apparently contribute
to the ability to exert control over dream events. At the least, lucid
dreamers can choose how they wish to respond to the events of the
dream. For example, you can decide to face up to a frightening dream
figure, knowing it cannot harm you, rather than to try to avoid the
danger as you naturally would if you did not know it was a dream. Even
this amount of control can transform the dream experience from one in
which you are the helpless victim of frequently terrifying,
frustrating, or maddening experiences to one in which you can dismiss
for a while the cares and concerns of waking life. On the other hand,
some people are able to achieve a level of mastery in their lucid
dreaming where they can create any world, live any fantasy, and
experience anything they can imagine!
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Subject: 6.3. Does lucid dreaming interfere with the function of "normal"
dreaming?
A. According to one way of thinking, lucid dreaming _is_ normal
dreaming. The brain and body are in the same physiological state
during lucid dreaming as they are in during most ordinary non- lucid
dreaming, that is, REM sleep. Dreaming is a result of the brain being
active, at the same time as the sense organs of the body are turned
off to the outside world. In this condition, typically during REM
sleep, the mind creates experiences out of currently active thoughts,
concerns, memories and fantasies. Knowing you are dreaming simply
allows you to direct the dream along constructive or positive lines,
like you direct your thoughts when you are awake. Furthermore, lucid
dreams can be even more informative about yourself than non-lucid
dreams, because you can observe the development of the dream out of
your feelings and tendencies, while being aware that you are dreaming
and that the dream is coming from you. The notion that dreams are
unconscious processes that should remain so is false. Your waking
consciousness is always present in your dreams. If it were not, you
would not be able to remember dreams, because you can only remember an
event you have consciously experienced. The added "consciousness" of
lucid dreaming is nothing more than the awareness of being in the
dream state.
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Subject: 6.4. Does everybody dream?
A. Everybody dreams. All humans (indeed, all mammals) have REM
sleep. Most dreams occur in REM sleep. [REM=Rapid Eye Movements - in
this sleeping stage the eyeballs move around like when awake.] This
has been demonstrated by awakening people from different stages of
sleep and asking if they were dreaming. In 85 percent of awakenings
from REM sleep, people report having been dreaming. Dreams are rarely
reported following awakening from other types of sleep (collectively
called non-REM sleep). REM sleep alternates with non-REM sleep in 90
minute cycles throughout the night. In a typical 8 hour night, you
will spend about an hour and a half total time in REM sleep, broken up
into four or five "REM periods" ranging in length from 5 to 45
minutes. Most dreams are forgotten. Some people never recall dreams
while others recall five or more each night. You can improve your
ability to recall dreams. Good dream recall is necessary for learning
lucid dreaming. There are two basic things to do to get started with
developing dream recall. Begin a dream journal, in which you write
everything you remember of your dreams, even the slightest
fragments. You will remember the most if you record dreams right after
you awaken from them. Before falling asleep each night, remind
yourself that you want to awaken from, remember and record your
dreams.
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Subject: 6.5. Why would you want to have lucid dreams?
A. The laws of physics and society are repealed in dreams. The only
limits are the reaches of your imagination. Much of the potential of
dreams is wasted because people do not recognize that they are
dreaming. When we are not lucid in a dream, we think and behave as if
we are in waking reality. This can lead to pointless frustration,
confusion and wasted energy, and in the worst case, terrifying
nightmares. It is useless to try as we do to accomplish the tasks of
waking life in dreams. Our misguided efforts to do so result in
anxiety dreams of malfunctioning machinery, missed deadlines,
forgotten exams, losing the way, and so on. Anxiety dreams and
nightmares can be overcome through lucid dreaming, because if you know
you are dreaming you have nothing to fear. Dream images cannot hurt
you. Lucid dreams, in addition to helping you lead your dreams in
satisfying directions, enjoy fantastic adventures, and overcome
nightmares, can be valuable tools for success in your waking
life. Lucid dreamers can deliberately employ the natural creative
potential of dreams for problem solving and artistic
inspiration. Athletes, performers, or anyone who gives presentations
can prepare, practice and polish their performances while they
sleep. This is only a taste of the variety of ways people have used
lucid dreaming to expand their lives.
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Subject: 6.6. How do you have lucid dreams?
A. There are several methods of inducing lucid dreams. The first step,
regardless of method, is to develop your dream recall until you can
remember at least one dream per night. Then, if you have a lucid dream
you will remember it. You will also become very familiar with your
dreams, making it easier learn to recognize them while they are
happening. If you recall your dreams you can begin immediately with
two simple techniques for stimulating lucid dreams. Lucid dreamers
make a habit of "reality testing." This means investigating the
environment to decide whether you are dreaming or awake. Ask yourself
many times a day, "Could I be dreaming?" Then, test the stability of
your current reality by reading some words, looking away and looking
back while trying to will them to change. The instability of dreams is
the easiest clue to use for distinguishing waking from dreaming. If
the words change, you are dreaming. Taking naps is a way to greatly
increase your chances of having lucid dreams. You have to sleep long
enough in the nap to enter REM sleep. If you take the nap in the
morning (after getting up earlier than usual), you are likely to enter
REM sleep within a half-hour to an hour after you fall asleep. If you
nap for 90 minutes to 2 hours you will have plenty of dreams and a
higher probability of becoming lucid than in dreams you have during a
normal night's sleep. Focus on your intention to recognize that you
are dreaming as you fall asleep within the nap.
External cues to help people attain lucidity in dreams have been the
focus of Dr. Stephen LaBerge's research and the Lucidity Institute's
development efforts for several years. Using the results of laboratory
studies, they have designed a portable device, called the DreamLight,
for this purpose. It monitors sleep and when it detects REM sleep
gives a cue -- a flashing light -- that enters the dream to remind the
dreamer to become lucid. The light comes from a soft mask worn during
sleep that also contains the sensing apparatus for determining when
the sleeper is in REM sleep. A small custom computer connected to the
mask by a cord decides when the wearer is in REM and when to flash the
lights.
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Subject: 6.7. Is there a way to prevent yourself from awakening right after
becoming lucid?
A. At first, beginners may have difficulty remaining in the dream
after they attain lucidity. This obstacle may prevent many people from
realizing the value of lucid dreaming, because they have not
experienced more than the flash of knowing they are dreaming, followed
by immediate awakening. Two simple techniques can help you overcome
this problem. The first is to remain calm in the dream. Becoming lucid
is exciting, but expressing the excitement can awaken you. Suppress
your feeling somewhat and turn your attention to the dream. If the
dream shows signs of ending, such as the disappearance, loss of
clarity or depth of the imagery, "spinning" can help bring the dream
back. As soon as the dream starts to "fade," before you feel your real
body in bed, spin your dream body like a top. That is, twirl around
like a child trying to get dizzy (you probably will not get dizzy
during dream spinning because your physical body is not spinning
around). Remind yourself, "The next scene will be a dream." When you
stop spinning, if it is not obvious that you are dreaming, do a
reality test. Even if you think you are awake, you may be surprised to
find that you are still dreaming!
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Subject: 6.8. How can I find out more about lucid dreaming, or get involved
in lucid dreaming research?
A. Contact the Lucidity Institute, an organization founded by lucid
dreaming researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge to support research on lucid
dreams and to help people learn to use them to enhance their
lives. The Lucidity Institute's mission is to advance research on the
nature and potentials of consciousness and to apply the results of
this research to the enhancement of human health and well-being. The
Lucidity Institute offers a membership society, whose quarterly
newsletter, NIGHTLIGHT, discusses research and development in the
field of lucid dreaming, and invites the participation of members in
at-home experiments. Workshops and training programs are available
periodically. The Institute sells books, tapes, scientific
publications and the DreamLight.
Write or call:
The Lucidity Institute
P.O. Box 2364
Stanford, CA 94309
(415) 321-9969
Or email: lynx@psych.stanford.edu
For additional information:
LaBerge, S., LUCID DREAMING (Los Angeles: Ballantine, 1985).
LaBerge, S. & Rheingold, H. EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING
(New York: Ballantine, 1990).
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To be continued ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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