Lucid dreaming is being aware of your own dreaming.
You have the capabilty to control the content of your dream, leading to an infinite number of possibilites and events, all under your control.
The subject still carries many unanswered questions. The term 'oneironauts' has been used for people who try to deliberatly peform lucid dreaming.
It is a topic inwhich many different groups of people are interested, including physcologists, new age groups, musicians and artists. Lucid dreaming is an area that is not heavily scientifically researched, and different people interpret the profound meaning behind lucid dreams differently.
People who have lucid dreams often describe these experiences as deeply profound, exciting, colourful and energetic.
It can feel like a religous experience, and are more memorable than normal dreams and nightmares. Often an idea or thought can be remembered from a lucid dream that resonates with your real life.
The most important part of lucid dreaming, is to actually realise your dreaming whilst dreaming. Not an easy task. If you recognise something out of the ordinary, you should perform a 'reality test'.
Many people experience lucid dreaming, by chance, however to regularly perform this at will is very uncommon. However there are techniques which have been developed to achieve a lucid dreaming state intentionally.
There are no reported cases of lucid dreaming causing on either the psychological or physiological level.
Dream recall (the ability to recall dreams) is vital to the lucid dreaming process. You do this by keeping a journal of all your dreams. This helps you recall dreams in future, and means you dont forget any detail, which you quickly forget otherwise.
The ability to experience lucid dreams depends on a few factors. Some people naturally have the ability within them. Meditation can really help, this aids your mind, your focus, your ability to focus within a more spiritual realm. Thirdly, induction techniques can help greatly in becoming lucid.
Reality testing is a method people use to detect wether or not they are dreaming. This involves performing an action that cannot occur in a dream state. Some examples are reading some text, looking away, and reading it again. In a dream, the text usually changes, in real life, obviously, it remains the same.
One could look at his watch, look away, and then see if the time is the same. Light switches often do not work in dream states, and mirrors often show blurred images. These are all indications you are dreaming.
Another way to detect wether one is dreaming is 'dream signs'. This could be noticing something impossible occuring. If a dog starts talking, you can be fairly sure your dreaming. If the place of the dream seems completly odd, your probably dreaming. If you notice charecters or objects in your dream changing shape, or is oddly formed, you can again be sure your in a dream state. Lastly, A peculiar thought, a strong emotion, an unusual sensation, or altered perceptions. In some cases when moving one's head from side to side, one may notice a strange stuttering or 'strobing' of the image. Notice this, and your dreaming.
In a dream state, these signs wont appear abnormal, but one can train their mind to detect these abnormalities. Sometimes it can occur by chance, too.
This is a technique where one attempts to induce lucid dreams at will. With this method, you fall asleep with the intention of recognising dream signs.
With this method, you go to sleep tired, and wake up 5 hours later.
Then, with all your thoughts on lucid dreaming, you stay awake for one hour, then go back to sleep.
Apparently the odds of having a lucid dream are much higher with this method, because REM cycles get longer as the night goes on, and this method takes advantage of the best REM cycle at night. It has been said lucid dreams are more vivid with this technique.
This is the most common method to induce lucid dreaming.
In this method, a person will go from being awake directly into a lucid dream.
For this method to work, one must detect the hypangogic stage. This stage is the border between being awake and asleep.
If a person is successful in staying aware at this point, this will eventually enter the dream state with full knowledge they are in a lucid dream state.
The three key elements:
Whilst lying down relaxed, you must keep your mind awake, by counting, or envisioning themselves climbing stairs, chanting, or other forms of concerntration.
One may experience sleep paralysis whilst performing this technique.
False awakening in lucid dreaming terminology is when a person dreams of being woken up. At this point, usually this makes the dreamer give up their awareness of being in a dream. However if one performs a reality check as above, one can go straight back into being lucid.
Rapid eye movement and communication during sleep. During sleep your eyes move more rapidly. This is because you are actually looking around in your dream and your body responds to this.
From this, there has been research to show that dreams may take place in real time, rather than in a flash of time.During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain.
If this didn't happen, you would actually be moving around as your dream took place.
This can lead to a situation where one feels physically frozen on their bed. Hallucinations can occur at this time.
This is the obvious one. In a dream, there is no gravity. So go have fun!
With practice one can do quite amazing flying in a lucid dream, such as flying round the earth!
A dreamer can transform themselves into an animal or made-up being and try sensory experiences impossible in waking life, such as 360 vision.
Hungry for more information? We've compiled a great list of sites you can visit on the subject of lucid dreaming