Lucid Dreaming

[Jade Tigress]

I saw this topic being discussed on another forum and was wondering if anyone here practices lucid dreaming and what your thoughts on it are.

I have had one or two lucid dreams, not intentionally. I know there are ways you can *train* yourself to have lucid dreams but I have not pursued it.

I knew a guy who practiced lucid dreaming who told me a hilarious story about getting busted by the *dream police*. I'll retell this the best I can as he told me the story a couple years ago.

He used to make himself have lucid dreams with the girls he found attractive. One time he dreamed he was walking through a mall and decided he was just going to go around putting his hands on all the nice round butts walking around. Then the *dream police* approached him in the mall and told him to stop doing what he was doing before he got into serious trouble. He stopped. lol

It sounds fascinating, I wonder if there are any detriments to training yourself to have lucid dreams.

 

[Jonathan]

Lucid dreaming... you mean where you are in (more or less) control of yourself in the dream?

 

[Jade Tigress]

Lucid dreaming... you mean where you are in (more or less) control of yourself in the dream?

Yes, lucid dreaming is when you are aware you are dreaming and can control your dream.

Check out this link.
http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html

 

[Rich Parsons]

I saw this topic being discussed on another forum and was wondering if anyone here practices lucid dreaming and what your thoughts on it are.

I have had one or two lucid dreams, not intentionally. I know there are ways you can *train* yourself to have lucid dreams but I have not pursued it.

I knew a guy who practiced lucid dreaming who told me a hilarious story about getting busted by the *dream police*. I'll retell this the best I can as he told me the story a couple years ago.

He used to make himself have lucid dreams with the girls he found attractive. One time he dreamed he was walking through a mall and decided he was just going to go around putting his hands on all the nice round butts walking around. Then the *dream police* approached him in the mall and told him to stop doing what he was doing before he got into serious trouble. He stopped. lol

It sounds fascinating, I wonder if there are any detriments to training yourself to have lucid dreams.

I practiced this a lot back in the early 80's when I was in High School. I read an article on it and also how they were sure you would wake up before hitting from a fall of significant height. Well I kept practicing, until I got the impact. I also have used it in a form to help we relax and then go to sleep. The problem is when I am worried or thinking about something hard and I do it with out thining about it and then wake up tired as I ran all night or worked all night on the problem. The good news is that I have solved some tough Calculus problems this (* Wake up and write the answer of the last problem I was studying and could not solve before bed *) and also working on training certain techniques. It does help me with the visualization.

 

[mrhnau]

The good news is that I have solved some tough Calculus problems this (* Wake up and write the answer of the last problem I was studying and could not solve before bed *) and also working on training certain techniques.

I've actually done that with physics homework from time to time. Wish it happened more often!

 

[Rich Parsons]

I've actually done that with physics homework from time to time. Wish it happened more often!

Yes it can be applied to just about anything, but the case I remember is that one day in class I had the solution to a problem that no one else did and the high school instructor was surprised that I said I had it as well. (* Note: I was most definitely not the curve setter in this class *) I was chosen to post my solution and while I had worked it both backwards and forwards I ended up unable to make the two parts meet. After I woke I wrote down an intermediate step and it worked, but was not obvious from the class. It was one of those problems thrown in to show the students that there are ones that are just out of your league right now. The instructor was impressed as on either side of the intermediate step I had written, were pages and pages of proofs and theorems, which we had no exposure to. When asked how I got the answer and this was way before the internet so they knew I had not gone there for the answer, I told them I woke up and wrote it down. It made the teacher upset (* not in a bad way *) that I could do this, so he then went over the work of just one side for the next couple of classes. the only problem as you said it did not happen often enough for the next time I did not get the answer.

 

[crushing]

I had a few lucid dreams when I was younger. It was quite a feeling. The first time it happened I was like "Holy smokes, I'm dreaming. I can do whatever I want." In my dreams I would fly around because it was a cool experience and walk through trees and stuff. Now that I'm older I would probably do some things differently in the dreams. I don't know if I would walk a mall playing the GUESS? jeans game.

The times it happened I didn't do it on purpose, and I read a little bit about it after it happened to me. It's not like you can control every aspect of your dream, at least for me it wasn't. That must have been where the dream police came in with his dream.

 

[elder999]

Well, I was very sick and often feverish as a child. I spent a lot of time in bed, most of 1st and 2nd grades. I've probably been a lucid dreamer ever since then, though not all my dreams are actively lucid (not much point to that) though I don't generally have nightmares. It helps a great deal with visualization, anxiety (I think it's another reason I can disassemble some of the things I disassemble), and, yes, studying. I'm certain that I wound up skipping 4th grade not just because I spent so much of my waking time (when sick) in bed studying, but because I spent a fair amount of it studying in dream time....never mind when I got to college.....

 

[Rich Parsons]

Well, I was very sick and often feverish as a child. I spent a lot of time in bed, most of 1st and 2nd grades. I've probably been a lucid dreamer ever since then, though not all my dreams are actively lucid (not much point to that) though I don't generally have nightmares. It helps a great deal with visualization, anxiety (I think it's another reason I can disassemble some of the things I disassemble), and, yes, studying. I'm certain that I wound up skipping 4th grade not just because I spent so much of my waking time (when sick) in bed studying, but because I spent a fair amount of it studying in dream time....never mind when I got to college.....

Yes I have found the nightmares are pretty much a thing of the past. This is a very good point.

As to disassmble, I agree fitting the pieces together and understanding is also improved with this type of mental training. Another very good point.

 

[Ceicei]

I've always been a lucid dreamer for as long as I can remember. Practically every night, and sometimes during the days with uninterrupted moments. I think it is surprising when I find out that some other people don't. I had sort of assumed every one can do that sometimes. :idunno: It is a very rare night when I may not recall what I dreamed at all. The best part is I can manipulate these dreams. Some of them can be rather surreal, feeling so realistic, that I have to wake up to be sure I am definitely awake and that the dream wasn't reality.

Before tests (especially when it is of a physical nature), I tend to go into "intense lucidity" thinking over all the requirements. If I am especially stressed, it could be equivalent to being awake all night, even though I "slept".

- Ceicei

 

[Jonathan]

I can't force myself into it, but I've had one, after my father passed away. I was in the house in which I grew up, coming from the family room into the dining room. My father was sitting at the table, but not in his normal seat. He was smoking, as he was wont to do, wearing his typical grey PEPCO uniform.

I start shaking my head, as I knew this was a dream. I was conciously trying to wake myself up.

He takes a drag, looks at me, smiles, and says, "You've almost got it all figured out." I'm still not sure to what he was referring, but it made me feel good, nonetheless.

 

[terryl965]

In my dreams that I control I've lost 65 lbs and grew 5 inches but damm when I wroke up I'm the same. Those dreams are worthless.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Yes I have found the nightmares are pretty much a thing of the past.

Unfortunately not so for me. The majority of my dreams are nightmares. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had a "good" dream.

I've always been a lucid dreamer for as long as I can remember. Practically every night, and sometimes during the days with uninterrupted moments. I think it is surprising when I find out that some other people don't. I had sort of assumed every one can do that sometimes. :idunno: It is a very rare night when I may not recall what I dreamed at all. The best part is I can manipulate these dreams. Some of them can be rather surreal, feeling so realistic, that I have to wake up to be sure I am definitely awake and that the dream wasn't reality.

Before tests (especially when it is of a physical nature), I tend to go into "intense lucidity" thinki ng over all the requirements. If I am especially stressed, it could be equivalent to being awake all night, even though I "slept".

- Ceicei

That's pretty cool Ceicei. I often can recall my dreams, and they are often very, very vivid, but not lucid in the sense that I am aware of my dream state and/or direct the events. Though it has happened a few times. There have also been occasions where I was trying to wake up from a dream and couldn't.

I can't force myself into it, but I've had one, after my father passed away. I was in the house in which I grew up, coming from the family room into the dining room. My father was sitting at the table, but not in his normal seat. He was smoking, as he was wont to do, wearing his typical grey PEPCO uniform.

I start shaking my head, as I knew this was a dream. I was conciously trying to wake myself up.

He takes a drag, looks at me, smiles, and says, "You've almost got it all figured out." I'm still not sure to what he was referring, but it made me feel good, nonetheless.

That is what I would describe as a lucid dream. People can train themselves to dream more lucidly and gain more control of the dream. There's alot about it online, just do a search on it. I heard another person who dreams lucidly all the time say that you ask yourself three times everyday, "Am I dreaming?". Then eventually you will ask yourself that in a dream and realize you are dreaming. From there, you can progress to controlling the events of the dream. Don't know if it works, but it sounds like it would.

In my dreams that I control I've lost 65 lbs and grew 5 inches but damm when I wroke up I'm the same. Those dreams are worthless.

:lfao:

 

[mrhnau]

Yes it can be applied to just about anything, but the case I remember is that one day in class I had the solution to a problem that no one else did and the high school instructor was surprised that I said I had it as well. (* Note: I was most definitely not the curve setter in this class *) I was chosen to post my solution and while I had worked it both backwards and forwards I ended up unable to make the two parts meet. After I woke I wrote down an intermediate step and it worked, but was not obvious from the class. It was one of those problems thrown in to show the students that there are ones that are just out of your league right now. The instructor was impressed as on either side of the intermediate step I had written, were pages and pages of proofs and theorems, which we had no exposure to. When asked how I got the answer and this was way before the internet so they knew I had not gone there for the answer, I told them I woke up and wrote it down. It made the teacher upset (* not in a bad way *) that I could do this, so he then went over the work of just one side for the next couple of classes. the only problem as you said it did not happen often enough for the next time I did not get the answer.

LOL sounds nice! My experience was the same. Normally homework for that class took 20 hours. one week I had spent about 40 hours on a set of homework, but had one left that noone in our group could get. Spent a few all nighters on it. The night before I dreamed I was writing down the solution. I woke up, wrote it down and handed it in. Was the only one in the class to get it right LOL... go figure Gotta love quantum

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

In my dreams that I control I've lost 65 lbs and grew 5 inches but damm when I wroke up I'm the same. Those dreams are worthless.

:rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl:

 

[crushing]

I don't know if it was because of this discussion a couple weeks ago, but I had a lucid dream last night. . . .kind of.

I actually had a dream where I was having a lucid dream. In my dream's dream I knew I was dreaming and even pronounced it. It was really quite strange. I don't really consider it a lucid dream, because it didn't really seem to be me as the dreamer.

I'm probably not explaining it very well.

Anyway, has anyone else had dreams within dreams?

 

[lulflo]

Just reading the post and thought of a great book I read by Carlos Castaneda called "The Art of Dreaming" If you haven't read it and this stuff is interesting to you, it is a must read.

Farang - Larry

 

[Blotan Hunka]

My problem with it has been that you can only seem to do it in a shallow/semi-conscious sleep. Just when I seem to get in control I wake up or drift out of the dream state.