The first time I heard about lucid dreaming, was from a friend who was trying to reach a level of self awareness far beyond imagination. The scientific validation of lucid dreaming represents one of the most underappreciated advances for psychological research.
No body talks about this enough, its crazy!!
Upon reading about it and hearing countless experience, I’ve realized how achievable and life changing lucid dreaming can be (provided you put the effort and NEVER GIVE UP!)
Personally for me, I’ve always had a tendency to stay awake and do more in the time that I have. Lately, the days have become shorter and the to-do list just keeps getting longer. Why sleep when I can get things done? Lucid dreaming allows me to do far more than I realize. I plan on going through with this and maybe one day i’ll write about it.
Enough chitchat, lets get into it!
So...
What is Lucid dreaming?
In contemporary usage, lucid dreaming means a dream in which one knows that one is dreaming.
One lucid dream may have nothing more than the thought, “I am in a dream,” while another may have extended activities in which the individual deliberately changes the dream or engages the dream in a dance of cause and effect.
The range and complexity of mental activities during certain kinds of dreams may be better described as “metacognitive” in their heightened qualities of consciousness. Metacognitive means thinking about thinking, reflecting on one’s own mental processes and emotional experiences.
Interesting enough, Snyder and Gackenbach cited a study connecting higher rates of lucid dreaming with an interest in yoga.
Intriguingly, they found evidence that frequent lucid dreamers tend to be people who perform well at nonvisual spatial tasks: “Visualization or imagery per se can therefore be said to not be essential for understanding the lucid process. Rather, selective nonvisual imagery in combination with internally oriented perspectives would appear to be keys for opening the portal to lucidity.”
Potential of Lucid dreaming:
1. Awareness of (spatial) orientation
2. Awareness of the capacity of choice/deciding/expectation/of being in charge
3. Awareness of memory
4. Awareness of identity —the “I” without which there would be no dialogue
5. Awareness of the dreaming environment
6. Awareness of the meaning of the dream
7. Awareness of (intense) concentration—a state of “flow”
Can Lucid Dreaming be learned?
Lucid dreaming is quite rare. Estimates of lucid dreaming incidence within the general population suggest that about 50 percent of people experience a lucid dream at least once in their lifetime and about 20 percent have lucid dreams regularly—once a month or more often. Only 1 percent of a representative German sample reported that they have lucid dreams several times per week.
Stephen Laberge, a well reknown psychophysiologist specializing in the scientific study of lucid dreaming, refers to lucid dreaming as a skill, yet skills are something that can be learned and, once mastered, they remain quite stable. This might not apply to lucid dreaming because it could be unlearned unlike for example riding a bike. Therefore lucid dreaming perhaps should be better considered not as a skill, but as an ability or a more innate individual capacity, like strength or endurance, that could be improved by training, but would decrease if training is discontinued.
How can Lucid Dreaming be Induced?
Paul Tholey, a German pioneer in lucid dream research, separated induction methods into 2:
(1) techniques for achieving lucidity
include reflection, intention, auto-suggestion, and their combination, help the dreamer to realize that he is dreaming.
(2) techniques for retaining lucidity.
(e.g., focusing on hypnagogic imagery or own body image) make it possible for the dreamer to remain conscious while falling asleep.
To break this down into 4 applicable phases:
Phase 1: Dream Journal
This journal should be kept by the bed, so that a person can record a dream immediately after an awakening, as details of the dream might fade from memory in a very short time. If no dream can be recalled after awakening, the person is advised not to move, keep the eyes shut, and try to recall even a small fragment of what was just happening in her mind.
After writing down a dream, it is useful to reflect on possible missed dreamsigns—those situations in the dream that might have served as a trigger to lucidity (e.g., seeing a flying cat or meeting a deceased relative).
Phase 2: Reality check
During the day it is advisable to practice reality testing (i.e., critically examine the environment for possible incongruences) on a regular basis. These could include looking at your hands and counting the number of fingers or blocking your nose then blowing through it.
Once established, the habit of critical reflection will be transferred to dreams as well. You might test your dream by blocking your nose amd blowing through it only to realize that you can breathe normally.
Phase 3: MILD (Mnuemonic induced lucid dreaming)
Repeating to oneself firmly, “Tonight I will be lucid in my dream,” while being in a relaxed state. This is probably the most effective method tried
Phase 4: Wake in bed or WILD
(Wake induced lucid dreaming
This has been known as an advanced technique not for the faint of heart. The dream induced is required to wake 4 to 5 hours after going to bed and stay away fro 15-30 minutes. This method allows the person to move into a dream state while conscious because of the activated prefrontal cortex which is responsible for logical thinking and awarness.
These methods have been tried and proven so I suggest they become a habit in your every day life to be really able to lucid dream often.
■ Another "not quite so common" method is the: Lucid daydreaming
A recommended technique for the ones that want to get away both during the day and night.
This requires practitioners to:
(1) notice any daydream during the day without disrupting its course
(2) visualize themselves recognizing the daydream within the ongoing daydream experience (e.g., “Hey, this is a daydream!”)
(3) lucidly continue the daydream by visualizing themselves acting out their desired lucid dream intentions, and
(4) when completed, return from daydreaming to ordinary wakefulness and firmly state their intention to remember to recognize the next daydream as a sign of dreaming.
Present and Future clinical applications:
While we might think lucid dreaming would be an enjoyable experience for fun of it but in reality it could change lives for the better.
Here are a few applications in medicine:
• Nightmare Reduction
• Depression
• Performance Enhancement
Lucid dreaming may eventually serve as an aid to substance abuse rehabilitation.
Or going for the gold in various sport activities.
■ Lucid dreamers can take advantage of its practical possibilities as follows:
• Healing of emotional issues (going beyond recurring nightmares to include waking phobias, anxiety, and other disorders)
• Directing healing intent on physical ailments for rapid physical healing
• Improving physical skills through lucid practice
• Performing spiritual practices while lucid dreaming
• Directly accessing unconscious creativity for art, music, literature, problem solving, and science
Finally, The Five Stages of Lucid dreaming:
Stage 1: Personal Play, Pleasure, and Pain Avoidance
Its the kind of escape we all dream of having ( see what I did there). Its the initial stage of a beginner going into lucid dreaming.
Stage 2: Manipulation, Movement, and Me
This is where we forfeit all human logic and learn to fly.
Stage 3: Power, Purpose, and Primacy
Here they gain the power to make significant changes to their environment
Stage 4: Re-reflection, Reaching out, and Wonder
Making sense of all the lucid dream lessons even the ones with perplexing events, independent dream figures, and inexplicable happenings. Its exactly the stage my friend wanted to reach when it came to self awareness.
Stage 5: Experiencing Awareness and Non-duality
A world molded by trial and error. Beliefs are swapped, expectations, focus, intent and will changed and a new reality comes to fruition. Naturally this stage comes with a set of questions
Does something exist behind experienced reality? What happens when you no longer attach yourself to the experience? What happens if you let go of beliefs, expectations, focus, intent, will, and even self-concepts? What constitutes the essential source of this incredible creativity?
In many respects, Stage 5 of lucid dreaming shares characteristics with the near-death experience inasmuch as the ego self faces the process of letting go.
Conclusion:
We have greatly underestimated the power of lucid dreaming and what it is capable of making us achieve.
Matthew Walker, scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, quoted in a podcast with Tim Ferris that the 20% of avid lucid dreamers are the forefront of human evolution.
"We shouldn’t be worried about AI, we should be worried about these lucid dreamers."
This summary was constructed from Lucid Dreamimg by various authors that I recommend you learn more from.
If I added even a slight more information to your world of knowledge make sure to follow me for more. ☺
