Lucid Dreams - how are they possible?

[Fiona]

I have lucid dreams frequently. I become aware that I am dreaming and make the conscious decision that I can do/say anything I want to as a result. My first concern is always to avoid waking because I want to control the experience of lucidity and to explore the dream environment for as long as I possibly can. Often times I can manage a reasonable length of time, enough time to interact with characters, explore places/rooms in detail and act. I notice things which I recognise as fragments of things in my conscious waking world, I pick up books and try to read them to see if my brain has the ability to create coherent text in a dream. I have all the mental capabilities, curiosity and critical questioning I have in waking life, and yet I am physically asleep, probably snoring:shrug: Maybe even dribbling :)

 

Does anyone know how this is possible? How can a body be asleep and yet consciously awake all at the same time? I don't understand much about brain functioning, or sleep and I have found it completely baffling.:shrug:

 

 

"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It doesn't work and annoys the pig"

[arkain101]

Strange how powerful our imagination is in our sleep..

 

I dont know much about dreams. But what I undestand is that no one really does know alot about them yet.

[tmaromine]

I've been able to have them for a short few seconds... or maybe that's just the time when you're very tired and dozing off, and wake yourself up. Either way, I'd like to have them.

 

I'm sure it takes practice, if that can even make them happen, but here's "instructions" to try and have them:

 

wikihow----/Special:LSearch?search=lucid+dream&fulltext=Search

 

(Add ".com" where hte dashes are for link...)

[Alluvia]

Hi Fiona,

I also experience lucid dreams. Without getting technical the best way to analyze a dream is to write the dream down the next morning in detail. In addition you may want to invest in a dream book which will lend definition to the major contents of the dream.

 

Alluvia /B]

[Fiona]

Thes best technique that worked for me was to get in to the habit of asking myself every so often if I was dreaming and answering the question. Once it becomes a habit you inevitably end up asking the same question of yourself when you are dreaming and 'bingo'!

 

When I was first experimenting with lucidity I had lots of lucid dreams, and found myself incredibly tired all of the time, so somehow it interfered with the quality of my sleep. I guess this might be a clue as to what is actually happening to the sleep/thought centres in the brain - but it is still pretty mysterious :)

 

 

"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It doesn't work and annoys the pig"

[InfiniteNow]

This is a fuzzy question and it's tough to answer. The basic concept that I hold to, however, is that the manifestation of reality in our consciousness is not really separate from the manifestations in our dreams. It's the same neural machinary at work, so although different areas may be more active than others, having a lucid dream is much like interpreting the world while awake.

 

Why is it difficult to explain or offer adequate definition? Because it's so tied up with the concept of consciousness, reality, and all manner of other concepts which are incredibly resistent to easy descriptions.

[Peter Parker]

I get lucid dreams now and then...though they arent like Fiona's. For example, if Im having a nightmare and a serial killer is chasing me, rather than going through the terrifying experiance Ill perhaps jump off a building and kill myself...knowing that Im dreaming (Im not suicidal :lol: )

 

I think it may have to do with the stages of sleep. I think there are three stages, REM being deep sleep. Being in the middle of both stages, REM and another may give you a sort of connection to the real world while you are still dreaming. Thus you know you are dreaming...but thats the way I think of it.

[Jay-qu]

REM - rapid eye movement, not deep sleep, and it is when you dream.

[Peter Parker]

REM - rapid eye movement, not deep sleep, and it is when you dream.

REM sleep can only happen in deep sleep, and I know its when you dream...which is why my theory of lucid dreams may be because of a strange change during the transition of stages

[TheBigDog]

I don't recall ever sleeping without dreaming. Even if I doze for just a moment, in that moment I am dreaming. No matter how light or deep the sleep is, when I let go of my concious mind, the brain starts to have a party.

 

Bill

[Peter Parker]

Psychologist theorize that we always dream when we sleep, we just dont remember them...I just think dreaming is cool and definetly backs up the psychoanalysis claim....which makes me think about slepwalking -shivers-...freaky

[Jay-qu]

REM sleep can only happen in deep sleep, and I know its when you dream...which is why my theory of lucid dreams may be because of a strange change during the transition of stages

 

REM does not happen during any kind of sleep, it is a kind of sleep on its own. And a very light form of sleep at that, when your mind is very active. Hence most of your dreams come from REM sleep.

[djemboy2]

hi

i did a lot of research into lucidity, and its basically possible because the brain acts like a very very complex VR computer, it uses several devices such as memory, imagination, emotion and 3D to convince you that what you are experiencing is real or as we all know it dreams, dreams are basically the same as watching a badly cut video, but with a lot more besides, the brain invokes most of your senses such as fear, touch, hearing, touch and sight to create a believable experience, this can be controlled but only with a lot of experience, there are devices available two that i have had experienve of are 'the novadreamer' and 'the mindlab' both work very well, altho the mindlab worked better, they both work by flashing LED lights in a pattern that is supposed to interact with the brains alpha beta gamma and theta waves, the novadreamer is more for lucidity, while the mindlab is more for exploring the brains potential while awake, had a really freaky experience with the mindlab, however the novadreamer worked twice, trouble is its like a sleep mask and i move around alot in my sleep, so i'd find it at the bottom of the bed most mornings, anyway basically these are devices that work on flashing lights, the nova dreamer has a sensor that detects motion so when you hit rem it starts flasshing LED lights which give you a cue in the dream that you are dreaming, and your supposed to then be able to control your dreams, the price tag is heavy i was in the UK at the time and it cost me 250 english pounds, im sure you could build one for about $40, hope this helps a little, it is worth learning to be lucid as the learning applications it has are amazing, not to mention the fun you could have re-enacting the matrix.

Michhael

[wine]

You can train yourself to beware.

 

Ask yourself throughout the day "Am I dreaming"

 

Prove to yourself you are dreaming. If you do it enough, you will do it in your dreams

and when you realize you are dreaming

you just have to focus,

remain aware.

Don't get lost in the infinite beauty.

Start off slow.

See your hands

your feet

the environment around you.

 

Then, once you've established awareness

You can manipulate everything.

Become a wolf

and fly to the moon.

Fight dragons with a fire sword.

hah, you can do anything. It's absurd and it's so fun.

 

http://www.dreamviews.com

 

will teach you everything you need to know.

 

There's this technique called "WILD" Wake induced lucid dreaming

that works for me everytime.

 

I highly advise you all to try it.