While dreaming, for many, is in fact dreaming in colour, the title signifies a special kind of dreaming: lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming refers to the ability to
dream and know that you are dreaming. The experience parallels some of our most
enjoyable pleasures. It means that the reality of the dream can be controlled
with mere thought. You want to fly? Simply tell yourself you are going to fly.
Of course it's not quite that simple. Some practice is required. First you must
be able to remember your dreams, then you must be able to recognize that you are
dreaming, then you must be able to maintain that state once you have recognized
it, and then you must be able to wake up one demand so that you can transfer the
experience from your subconscious mind to your conscious mind. These four steps
are discussed here.
The Nature of dreams
During sleep we progress through a series of stages, or levels of
consciousness. There are four stages of sleep in which brain waves have
distinctive patterns, from an active brain pattern in shallow sleep to a slow
rhythmic pattern in deep sleep. Think of the surface of a lake as the dividing
line between sleeping and waking consciousness; below the surface your are
sleeping and above you are awake. Just below the surface you mind is still
affected by incoming stimuli such as the light and warmth from the sun, and the
movement of the water as the wind forms waves and currents near the surface. As
you sink deeper these stimuli are reduced until you hit the bottom of the lake
where it is pitch black and still.
We move up and down through the levels in a cyclical fashion through out the
night so that we may pass from surface to deep sleep four or five times during
a night. Figure 1 shows the progression through the stages of sleep. The
cycles are roughly 90 minutes in length. The first starts with a gradual dropping
off from waking to sleeping and then quickly drops off so that by 30 minutes or
so you are in a deep sleep. Dreams rarely occur in this deep state though it has
been shown that night terrors occur during this stage. It is not completely
understood why this is so. It is also at this stage that the body is maximally
rejuvenating. A quick nap that takes you to a state of deep sleep is an ideal way
to repower your body throughout the day, while sleeping in has little or no effect since
during the final hour of the night we may not go beyond shallow sleep.
You may also
dream as you progress from the waking state to one of sleeping, or what is referred to as hypnogogia.
Figure 1 Here
Once past that first drop to deep sleep we slowly begin to return to the
surface so that by the time the first cycle has past we are nearly awake again,
hovering just below the surface of the lake. It is here that dreams occur, and
rapid eye movement (REM) can be observed. People who are awaken during REM sleep
will almost always report that they were dreaming. At the end of the first cycle
this hovering near the surface may only last for five or ten minutes before we
drift back down into deeper levels of sleep. This time, however, we do not
get to as deep a sleep as we did during the first cycle. We may reach the third
level and then return to surface sleep. This time we get a little closer to the
surface at about the 70 minute mark and may stay there for anywhere from 15 to
30 minutes (it depends on how tired you were when you went to bed). REM sleep may
be occurring the whole time.
As the night progresses we go through these 90 minute cycles, each time
going a little less deep, and each time getting a little closer to the surface
and spending more time there. By the end of the night we may be in REM sleep for
an hour or more at a time. This is why we are much more likely to recall dreams
in the later periods of the night, or early morning. It is also at this time that
we are most likely to lucid dream. The mind wakes but the body remains sleeping.
While sleeping in has little effect on replenishing the body, it has a strong
effect on our ability to remember dreams and to lucid dream.
Remembering your dreams
We all dream. It's a physiological and psychological necessity. Studies show
that those who are deprived of dreams become psychotic and neurotic. Many
believe that dreams consolidate information that has been gathered throughout
the day with information stored in long term memory. For some
remembering dreams is very difficult. Many may not even realize they dream while
they sleep. For others remembering dreams is a trivial task, and they have no
difficulty remembering dreams on a regular basis.
To remember dreams you must convince your mind that you are going to do so
while you are drifting off to sleep. A ritual can help with the process. There
are several things you can do to improve your chances of recalling dreams. First
start a dream log. This can be a pad of paper with a pencil by the head of your
bed. The act of starting a dream log improves your chance of remembering dreams.
Secondly as you are drifting off to sleep tell yourself repeatedly that you are
going to remember a dream tonight. Imagine yourself waking in the morning with a
dream in your head. Imagine yourself writing down the events that occurred in
the dream. Repeat these affirmations to yourself several times then forget
about them and drift off to sleep.
When you wake remain still; moving has the tendency to cause the memory of
dreams to dissipate. Try to recall the last little bit of the dream you just
had. Your eyes remain closed and your mind is focused on recalling the events.
Recall the most recent event and bring it into focus. Push yourself backwards
into the dream. Events will trigger recall of earlier events. Step
back through the events of your dream, each time focusing on the event and
bringing it into your conscious mind. Within a few minutes you can work your way
back into a dream so that it is vividly recalled. At this point get up and write
the dream down in your log.
It may take several attempts before you can actually recall a dream. Be
persistent. Once you have been successful, subsequent attempts will be much
easier. Repeat the ritual for remembering dreams for a few weeks or longer then
review your dream log for any patterns that seem to arise. Note any features of
dreams that seem to reoccur and make a list of them. This list can be used to
trigger lucid dreams.
Note who you are in the dream. Are you the main character? Are you actually
acting out an event or are you watching yourself act out an event? Are you
watching someone else in the dream and not actually part of the dream yourself?
What's happening?
There are several factors which affect your ability to recall dreams. First
is the amount of sleep you have been getting. If you have been deprived of sleep
you will have difficulty recalling dreams. Coversly however, If you have been
deprived of REM sleep for a period of time, your body/mind will rebound making
up for a shortage of dream time. The time you spend dreaming after being
deprived will increase to make up for lost time. When you begin the task of
recalling dreams ensure that you are not overly tired when you go to bed.
A second factor that will affect your ability to recall dreams is the length of sleep you receive in a night. If you wake after six
hours of sleep it will be much more difficult to recall dreams than it would be
if you were getting nine or ten hours of sleep. These numbers vary from
individual to individual with some requiring less sleep than others. A thirs factor is
your desire to recall dreams. If you are determined to remember your dreams you
are much more likely to recall them than if you have not set your mind to the task. You must
be persistent and determined.
Learning to Lucid Dream
Once you are recalling dreams on a regular basis and have assembled a list
of events or features of dreams that seem to reoccur, you are ready to begin
learning how to trigger lucid dreaming. Their are several techniques that can be
used to increase the chances of lucid dreaming. First is using the items in your
list. Like using suggestions while you are falling asleep to recall your dreams
in the morning, suggest to yourself that when you dream about a particular thing
you will realize that you are dreaming. One feature that often appears in my
dreams near the end of the night is bathrooms (a natural urge at that point of
the night). This pattern was discovered in my dream log. Repeating to myself
that if I dream of a bathroom I will ask myself if I am dreaming, and perform a
simple test. One effective test is to look at something printed, look away for a
moment, then look back and see if it says the same thing. If you are dreaming it
will most likely transform into something different, at which point you will
know for sure that you are dreaming. Don't use the "pinch myself method",
you can pinch yourself in a dream and feel it just like you would if you were
awake.
The first time you come to the realization that you are dreaming you will
become very excited. The sensation is very exhilarating and your adrenaline will
start pumping and you will wake up knowing exactly what happened. This is the
next hurdle: staying asleep once you have realized you are dreaming. Using the
lake analogy to describe the situation, in a lucid dream your mind has just broken the surface of
the water but your body remains below. You have woken up in a dream. It is a
balancing act to keep the two separated with your mind hovering just above the
surface and your body hovering just below. It requires a fair bit of
concentration to maintain this balance. The state is very fragile and is easily
broken, thus waking you up.
By learning to concentrate through meditation or through exercises such as The Two Minute Mind, it is possible to train your mind
to be calm and clear, a state required to maintain a lucid dream. If
you have difficulty staying lucid work on improving your concentration for a
while then try again. (no one said it was easy, but it's well worth the effort
once you've mastered the art).
Another technique that helps trigger lucid dreams are waking affirmations.
This is another ritual type activity. It involves acting out those things that
reoccur in your dreams. If bathrooms appear in your dreams regularly, everytime
you go into a bathroom during your waking hours test your state by performing a
little activity that will determine if you are awake or dreaming. Look at
something printed, look away, then look back. If the print is different you know
you are dreaming. If it's the same, you may still be dreaming (there are no
guarantees you will see something different while dreaming), but you are likely
awake. After performing these affirmations for a while, perhaps a few days or
maybe a few weeks, they will begin to appear in your dreams and help you realize
when you are in a dream state.
Another method can be applied in the final hours of sleep. This involves
waking from a dream then drifting back into it. When you wake in the morning go
through the exercise you would go through to recall a dream, except this time
don't get up and write it down. Instead try to drift back into the same dream.
Before you do, suggest to yourself that you will enter a lucid state when you
reenter the dream. Repeat the suggestion several times then bring the images of
the dream you were just in back into your mind. Slowly drift back in but hold that
state of concentration. With a little practice you can put your body back to
sleep but leave your mind awake.
It is helpful to set your alarm clock to wake you an hour or two before you
have to get up. Try to determine what stage of sleep you will be in when your
alarm goes off by calculating 90 minute cycles from the time you go to sleep. If
you go to bed at 11:00 P.M. and take 30 minutes to fall asleep, set your alarm
for 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning, six hours after you have fallen asleep, or at
the end of the fourth 90 minute cycle. Use an alarm clock that will not shock
you from sleep but rather ease you from the sleeping state to a waking state.
This technique is also helpful for recalling your dreams in the early stages of
learning to lucid dream when your main concern is recall, rather than entering a
lucid state.
Another method is to recall your dream as you would in the first exercise,
write the dream down, and get up out of bed. Wake up completely. Spend about 15
or 20 minutes waking up, going through the events of your dream during the
process and suggesting to yourself that you will fall back to sleep with that
dream in your mind. Then go back to bed and try to drift back into the dream.
So What Happens When I Lucid Dream?
The experience of lucid dreaming is an exhilarating one. It is one of
control, fantasy, creativity, and insight. The realization comes after you ask
yourself "Am I dreaming?". Like a snap of a finger that dream scene
will become crystal clear; sounds, images, depth, and the feeling of self will
become very vivid, or lucid. During your first lucid dreams the excitement will
overcome you and you will wake up with your heart and adrenaline pumping
furiously. It takes practice to control this and until you do you will
experience nothing more than that feeling (though that feeling is quite
pleasurable).
When you have your concentration under control while in the lucid state let
the dream progress without interference. Don't try to alter the events of the
dream, just let it proceed. In the early stages, if you can stay lucid for
fifteen second or more you will become familiar with the feeling very
fast. After you have mastered watching the dream proceed, then try to alter the
events. In your daily affirmations, say when you are in a bathroom, test to see
if you can fly. This sounds silly, but in a lucid dream it is very possible.
When you realize you are dreaming think to yourself that you want to fly and let
yourself lift from the ground. Don't jump into the air. Drift into the air
instead. Remember the state is a fragile one and your activities should be
smooth transitions from one to another. Any sharp changes will wake you.
So What can I Do with a Lucid Dream?
Lucid dreams have several purposes, the first of which is one of shear
pleasure. Do it just for the sake of being able to. You spend approximately one
third of your life sleeping so why not make that time productive. Enjoy it.
Another purpose is to solve problems that you are having difficulty with in
your waking life. This is called incubation. Many famous inventors, writers, artists,
and athletes attribute their creations to events of their dreams. Hemingway for
example attributed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde to a dream
experience. Fredrich Kekule attribute his discovery of the structure of the
benzene molecule to a dream. Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner attribute much of
their creativity to inspirations which came to them in their dreams. The list
goes on throughout history.
To incubate an idea or problem fill your mind with as many aspects of a
problem as you can before going to bed. Think about them for five or ten minutes
then forget about them and go to sleep. Have you got a particular physics
problem that has you stumped? Make plans to meet with Albert Einstein at a dream
meeting place. Are you having trouble with your golf swing. Make plans to meet
with Jack Nicklaus. The possibilities are endless and limited only by your
imagination.
Another possibility for lucid dreams is to conquer fears or eliminate
nightmares. Face your fears in your dreams. If you know you are dreaming, you
know the fear can't hurt you. Confront the dream antagonist and put him in his
place. You will never be faced with that nightmare again. Do you have a fear of
snakes, spiders, flying in an airplane, or perhaps driving on a freeway. Face
these fears in your dreams without the fear of harm. The experience will carry
over into your waking life and help remedy those anxieties that prevent you from
living life to the fullest.
Lucid dreams can also be used to heal. The cancer patient can imagine a
tumour being eradicated. A person with a broken arm can imagine the bone
regenerating. If you have a cold you can imagine your body battling the germs or
virus destroying them. Again, only your imagination stands in the way of the
possibilities.
Further Reading
Delaney, G. (1991) Break Through Dreaming: How to Tap the Power of Your
24-Hour Mind . Bantam Books: Toronto.
Delaney, G. (1994) Sensual Dreaming: How to Understand and Interpret the
Erotic Content of Your Dreams. Fawcett Columbine: New York.
Dotto, L. (1990) Asleep in the Fast Lane. Stoddart Pubishing:
Toronto.
Gackenbach, J. & Bosveld, J. (1989) Control Your Dreams.Harper
and Row: Toronto.
Harary, K. & Weintraub, P. (1989) Lucid Dreams in 30 Days: The
Creative Sleep Program. St. Martins Paperbacks: New York.
Krippner, S. (1990) Dreamtime & Dreamwork: Decoding the Language of
the Night. Tarcher: Los Angeles
LaBerge, S. & Rheingold, H. (1990) Exploring the World of Lucid
Dreaming.Ballentine Books: New York.
Langs, R. (1988) Decoding Your Dreams: A Revolutionary Technique For
Understanding Your Dreams . Ballentine: New York.
Morris, J. (1985) The Dream Workbook: Discover the KNowledge and Power
Hidden in Your Dreams. Fawcett Crest: New York
Sockin, B. S. (1990) Dreamlog: Your Complete Guide to Personal Dream
Study, Recording and Interpretation. Warner Books: New York.
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