Psy Lucid Dreaming

Psychology States of Consciousness Supplemental Handout: Lucid Dreaming WHAT IS LUCID DREAMING? Lucid dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden who used the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream, such as flying or meeting the deceased. Sometimes people become lucid without noticing any particular clue in the dream; they just suddenly realize they are in a dream. A minority of lucid dreams (according to the research of LaBerge and colleagues, about 10 percent) are the result of returning to REM (dreaming) sleep directly from an awakening with unbroken reflective consciousness. The basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming. However, the quality of lucidity can vary greatly. When lucidity is at a high level, you are aware that everything experienced in the dream is occurring in your mind, that there is no real danger, and that you are asleep in bed and will awaken shortly. With low-level lucidity you may be aware to a certain extent that you are dreaming, perhaps enough to fly or alter what you are doing, but not enough to realize that the people are dream representations, or that you can suffer no physical damage, or that you are actually in bed. IS LUCID DREAMING THE SAME AS DREAM CONTROL? Lucidity is not synonymous with dream control. It is possible to be lucid and have little control over dream content, and conversely, to have a great deal of control without being explicitly aware that you are dreaming. However, becoming lucid in a dream is likely to increase the extent to which you can deliberately influence the course of events. Once lucid, dreamers usually choose to do something permitted only by the extraordinary freedom of the dream state, such as flying. You always have the choice of how much control you want to exert. For example, you could continue with whatever you were doing when you became lucid, with the added knowledge that you are dreaming. Or you could try to change everything--the dream scene, yourself, other dream characters. It is not always possible to perform "magic" in dreams, like changing one object into another or transforming scenes. A dreamer's ability to succeed at this seems to depend a lot on the dreamer's confidence. As Henry Ford said, "Believe you can, believe you can't; either way, you're right." On the other hand, it appears there are some constraints on dream control that may be independent of belief. See "Testing the Limits of Dream Control: The Light and Mirror Experiment" for more on this. WHY HAVE LUCID DREAMS? Upon hearing about lucid dreaming for the first time, people often ask, "Why should I want to have lucid dreams? What are they good for?" If you consider that once you know you are dreaming, you are restricted only by your ability to imagine and conceive, not by laws of physics or society, then the answer to what lucid dreaming is good for is either extremely simple (anything!) or extraordinarily complex (everything!). It is easier to provide a sample of what some people have done with lucid dreaming than to give a definitive answer of its potential uses, including Adventure and Fantasy Overcoming Nightmares Rehearsal Creativity, Problem Solving and others. CAN LUCID DREAMING BE DANGEROUS? The overwhelming majority of lucid dreams are positive, rewarding experiences. Moreover, lucidity in unpleasant dreams or nightmares can transform habitual fear into conscious courage. The simple state of lucidity is frequently enough to elevate the mood of a dreamer in a nightmare. In a study of the effect of lucid dreams on mood, college students reported that realizing they were dreaming in a nightmare helped them feel better about 60 percent of the time. Lucidity was seven times more likely to make nightmares better than worse. A parallel concern is that dying in a dream can cause death in reality. If this were true, how would we know?

Mr. Noble

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Psychology States of Consciousness Supplemental Handout: Lucid Dreaming Some people believe that dreams are messages from the unconscious mind and should not be consciously altered. Modern research on dreaming, suggests that dreams are not messages, but models of the world. While awake, sensory and perceptual information governs our model. While dreaming, our bodies are paralyzed and our brain builds a world model based on a secondary source; namely, our assumptions, motivations, and expectations. These biases are difficult to identify while awake, so a world based entirely on such biases, the world of dreams, can help us to recognize them. Thus, dreams are not messages, but are more like clues into the inner workings of our minds. The conscious and critical awareness that accompanies lucid dreams allows dreamers to thoughtfully interpret their dreams while they happen. CAN EVERYONE LEARN TO HAVE LUCID DREAMS? Lucid dreaming is a skill you can develop, like learning a new language. A few individuals may have an innate talent for achieving lucidity, yet even they can benefit from instruction and practice in making the most of their lucid dreams. Many more people experience lucidity as a rare spontaneous event, but need training to enjoy lucid dreams at will. The best predictor of success with lucid dreaming is the ability to remember dreams. This, too, is a skill you can develop. With specific techniques, you can increase the quantity and quality of your dream recall, which will in turn greatly increase your ability to have lucid dreams. HOW DO I LEARN TO HAVE LUCID DREAMS? The two essentials to learning lucid dreaming are motivation and effort. Although most people report occasional spontaneous lucid dreams, they rarely occur without our intending it. Lucid dream induction techniques help focus intention and prepare a critical mind. See the Lucidity Institute web site, and/or various sources, including A Course in Lucid Dreaming.

HOW QUICKLY CAN I LEARN LUCID DREAMING? The speed with which you develop the skill of lucid dreaming depends on many individual factors. How well do you recall dreams? How much time can you give to practicing mental exercises? Do you use a lucid dream induction device? Do you practice diligently? …etc. Case histories may provide a more tangible picture of the process of learning lucid dreaming. Dr. LaBerge increased his frequency of lucid dreaming from about one per month to up to four a night (at which point he could have lucid dreams at will) over the course of three years. He was studying lucid dreaming for his doctoral dissertation and therefore needed to learn to have them on demand as quickly as possible. On the other hand, he had to invent techniques for improving lucid dreaming skills. Thus, people starting now, although they may not be as strongly motivated as LaBerge or have the same quantity of time to devote to it, have the advantage of the tested techniques, training programs, and electronic biofeedback aids that have been created in the two decades since LaBerge began his studies. Lynne Levitan, staff writer for the Lucidity Institute, describes her experiences with learning lucid dreaming: "I first heard of lucid dreaming in April of 1982, when I took a course from Dr. LaBerge at Stanford University. I had had the experience many years before and was very interested to learn to do it again, as well as to get involved in the research. First I had to develop my dream recall, because at the time I only remembered two or three dreams per week. In a couple of months I was recalling 3 to 4 or more per night, and in July (about three months after starting) I had my first lucid dream since adolescence. I worked at it on and off for the next four years (not sleeping much as a student) and reached the level of 3 to 4 lucid dreams per week. Along the way, I tested several prototypes of the DreamLight lucid dream induction device and they clearly helped me to become more proficient at realizing when I was dreaming. During the first two years that we were developing the DreamLight, I had lucid dreams on half of the nights I used one of these devices, compared to once a week or less without. In considering how long it took me to get really good at lucid dreaming, note that I did not have the benefit of the thoroughly studied and explained techniques now available either, because the research had not yet been done nor the material written. Therefore, people now should be able to accomplish the same learning in far less time given, of course, sufficient motivation."

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Psychology States of Consciousness Supplemental Handout: Lucid Dreaming WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST LUCID DREAMING TRAINING? The Lucidity Institute offers electronic devices that help people have lucid dreams. They were developed through laboratory research at Stanford University by LaBerge, Levitan, and others. The basic principle behind these devices is as follows: the primary task confronting someone who wishes to have a lucid dream is to remember that intention while in a dream. One of the best ways to increase a person's chances of having a lucid dream is to give a reminder to the person during REM sleep. In the lab, we found that flashing light cues worked well in that they tended to incorporate into ongoing dreams without causing awakening. You may have noticed that occasional bits of sensory information are filtered into your dreams in disguised form, like a clock radio as supermarket music or a chain saw as the sound of a thunderstorm. This is the same principle used by our lucid dream induction devices: the lights or sounds from the device filter into the user's dreams. In cases of very deep sleepers, we found that it was sometimes necessary to use sound as well as light to get the cues into dreams. The dreamer's task is to notice the flashing lights in the dream and remember that they are cues to become lucid. Because we could not possibly accommodate everyone who wants to come into the sleep lab for a lucid dream induction session and most people would rather sleep at home anyway, we worked for several years to develop a comfortable, portable device that would detect REM sleep and deliver a cue tailored to the individual user's needs. The NovaDreamer The NovaDreamer lucid dream induction device works by giving flashing light or sound cues when the user is dreaming. The SuperNova Software Package The recent advent of the SuperNova NovaDreamer software package enables NovaDreamer owners to add flexibility and power to their NovaDreamers. Combined with the SuperNova interface box which connects to the NovaDreamer, the software enables the NovaDreamer user to keep complete records of sleep data, including timing of REM periods, cues, settings, results and dream reports. Data can be compiled to show trends. HOW WELL DO LUCID DREAM INDUCTION DEVICES WORK? The Lucidity Institute's lucid dream induction devices are designed to help people achieve lucidity by giving them cues while they are dreaming and also by providing a reliable means of testing one's state of consciousness. They do not make people have lucid dreams any more than exercise machines make people develop strong muscles. In both cases the goal, strength or lucid dreams, results from practice. The machines accelerate the process. WHAT ARE THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING MORE ABOUT LUCID DREAMING? LUCID DREAMING: By Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D., (Ballantine, 1986) EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING: by Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. and Howard Rheingold (Ballantine, 1990) A COURSE IN LUCID DREAMING: by Stephen LaBerge and Lynne Levitan (Lucidity Institute, 1995) CONSCIOUS MIND, SLEEPING BRAIN: edited by Jayne Gackenbach, Ph.D. & Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. (Plenum, 1988) OUR DREAMING MIND: by Robert L. Van de Castle (Ballantine, 1994) LUCID DREAMS: by Celia E. Green (Hamish Hamilton, London, 1968) DREAMS AND HOW TO GUIDE THEM: edited by Morton Schatzman, M.D. (Duckworth, London, 1982) PATHWAY TO ECSTASY: THE WAY OF THE DREAM MANDALA: By Patricia Garfield, Ph.D. (Prentice Hall, 1989) CONTROLLING YOUR DREAMS: by Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. (Audio Renaissance Tapes, Inc., 1987) THE LUCID DREAMER: by Malcolm Godwin (Simon & Schuster, 1994) TRANCE INDUCTION OF LUCID DREAMING: by Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. (The Lucidity Institute, 1993, 40 minutes)

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Psychology States of Consciousness Supplemental Handout: Lucid Dreaming

WHAT IS THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE? The Lucidity Institute is a small business founded and directed by Dr. LaBerge. Its goals are to make lucid dreaming known to the public and accessible to anyone interested, to support research on lucid dreaming and other states of consciousness, and to study potential applications of lucid dreaming. WHAT QUALIFIES THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE TO WRITE THIS FAQ? On the Internet, anyone can play "expert", and there are several FAQs on dreaming and lucid dreaming. Which FAQ is authoritative? What qualifies the Lucidity Institute to write this FAQ? Why should readers take its contents any more or less seriously than those of other FAQs? These are all reasonable questions to ask. This FAQ was written by LI staff (primarily Lynne Levitan) and Stephen LaBerge. Dr. LaBerge has had more than 20 years of relevant personal and professional experience, having received his Ph.D. in Psychophysiology from Stanford University for his pioneering laboratory research on lucid dreaming. WHAT ARE THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE'S CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS? The Lucidity Institute's research currently has three foci. These are: • mapping of brain activity during the initiation of lucidity, The goal is to identify which brain areas are activated during the onset of reflective consciousness in the REM sleep state. With this knowledge, we may be able to develop methods of easily and reliably inducing lucid dreams whenever desired, using biofeedback or direct stimulation.

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the study of Tibetan Dream yoga methods of inducing and manipulating lucid dreams, and The study of Tibetan Buddhist techniques of lucid dreaming is aimed at making use of the thousand years of experience accumulated by this tradition.

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the development of expert explorers of states of consciousness. The third aspect of our work is part of the long-term goal of the Lucidity Institute to foster understanding of all types of higher states of consciousness. The purpose of this project is to assemble and train a group of individuals with extensive experience in meditation, lucid dreaming, hypnosis, and other altered states to facilitate study of these states' mind-body relations and potential applications and benefits.

Selected FAQs/information courtesy: The Lucidity Institute

Mr. Noble

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