Lucid Dreaming

It's a peculiar thing. Does anyone here ever get them? I had one last night where I was chilling at my university. Didn't even question why it looked completely different on the dreamscape, even though in the dream I was still convinced it was my university. The spectacular times when I get these dreams I am always so immersed I always characterize the things I see as real. Meet real people, fight real zombies, go real places. Although these objects actually hold no sentiment in my waking, conscious life. Thoughts?

I recall reading something about what the brain does during dreams. Remember, your brain is a neural network and it refines it's algorithms to become more efficient... mainly while you sleep. It shuts down certain parts to allow chemicals to flush out and not build up... It fires up dormant parts to prevent atrophy...

I was taught how to enter lucid dreaming intentionally to control my nightmares, but it's been so long since I've done it. It's kinda cool when you can do it intentionally. Like flying.... flying is so much fun.

Sounds like you had an interesting dream, ChillBroBaggins.

Yes, I used to be really into lucid dreaming. Occasionally, I still find myself experiencing them (maybe once a month?), but when I was practicing lucid dreaming techniques regularly and keeping a detailed dream journal they were much more frequent.

There are two excellent books on the subject that I'd recommend if you haven't read them.

Stephen LaBerge's Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming
& Patricia Garfield's Creative Dreaming

Each book takes a different approach to explaining lucid dreams, the history of lucid dreaming, techniques for practice, and practical or spiritual applications. The LaBerge book is a little more academic and scientifically minded with a focus on getting results, whereas Garfield's book delves deeper into psychology, mysticism, and cultural interpretations of lucid dreams.

I've found both books useful over the years. Hopefully, you (and maybe others) will too.

I don't mean to be contradictory, but I thought a lucid dream was when you're aware you're asleep and are able to take control.

Anyway, yeah, I haven't had one in ages.

me too Jacen

like sleeping awareness at night being the same as by day

i liken it to thinking while sleeping
or creating while sleeping
versus sleeping being an altered state

it seems to be a natural bi-product of learning to balance the physical, mental and spiritual . .

Dream's are something I've been working on for a long time - they are just so curious!!! I've had some good success with lucid dreaming this last year, but it got to a point where it turned into an out of body experience. That was a bit confronting and I think it set me back a bit. I'm slowly working up again to just try to settle into a lucid level only. I define a lucid moment as when I achieve both self awareness and control within the dream. What seems to work best is when I can consciously adjust the rate of dreaming, because my mind is already controlling the content at various levels of conscious and subconscious. By framing perception as a measure of time I feel I can get good reachback of awareness into deeper control of the dream.

Edit; By 'control' I mean control of the content within the dream.

Maybe the brain employs so many higher cognitive functions to process the vivid dreams that control is necessary. Just a thought, but perhaps the perception of control is really illusory. The brain might utilize 'controlled thinking' to keep the mind safely at ease while the dream realigns whatever cognitive functions that need realignment.

I had to listen to this 5x before I understood it but it's true. He says that after you do lucid dreaming for a while you'll eventually wind up dreaming your life as it is now.

ChillBroBaggins wrote: Maybe the brain employs so many higher cognitive functions to process the vivid dreams that control is necessary. Just a thought, but perhaps the perception of control is really illusory. The brain might utilize 'controlled thinking' to keep the mind safely at ease while the dream realigns whatever cognitive functions that need realignment.

It sounds possible, though conscious control can only be knowingly exerted over that content which is being experienced (dream content) or imagined within that embodiment of consciousness (ie; thought during the lucid dream) anyway. What is outside those things seems unknown, and I'd bet a lot of it remains outside of conscious reach.