Lucid dreaming, the art and the science of becoming conscious within a dream, is so realistic that it is difficult to discern from waking life.
Some people lucid dream naturally and understand the freedom, and exhilaration that a dream like this entails. Most people, though, have never experienced a lucid dream. This happens because most people don't remember their normal dreams, making it virtually impossible to remember a lucid dream.
This type of dreaming is not a talent few are born with, it is a human ability, which has been studied by different groups all over the world for hundreds of years.
Dr. Stephen LaBerge is a researcher at Stanford Universitie's sleep laboratory who has studied lucid dreams since the 70s. In his book "Lucid Dreaming" he says, "We possess undeveloped, undreamed-of capacities. Like conscious thought, lucid dreaming is an ability that can be gained or improved by training ... In order to recognize that you are dreaming, you need first of all to have a concept of what dreaming is."
It is crucial to remember dreams in order to have lucid dream. Becoming familiar with the process will make remembering them more natural.
According to LaBerge, people have about four dreams a night. This means those who think they don't dream are mistaken, they just don't remember their dreams.
During a lucid dream anything is possible, from flying to making things appear out of thin air. This sort of dreaming enables people to confront problems in waking life that manifest themselves into dreams of anxiety or fear.
Mike Beath, associate professor and director of Cognition and Behavior for the ASU psychology department believes that facing your fears during sleep can be beneficial.
"Your dreams are a reflection of your waking consciousness. If you can conquer your fears in your dreams, than you are probably more able to do that in your waking state," he says.
Having a lucid dream can be very interesting according to personal accounts from LaBerge and Beath. Flying over a city or walking through a world that you know is "just" a dream, is freeing and exhilarating.
One of LaBerge's subjects in "Lucid Dreaming" "felt himself possessed of a sense of freedom 'as never before;' the dream was suffused with such vital animation that 'the darkness itself seemed alive.' At this point, a thought presented itself with such undeniable force that he was driven to declare: 'I have never been awake before.'"
Amazing experiences like this have left many dreamers with a common philosophy according to Dr. Celia Green, psychologist, physicist and one of the forefront researchers on lucid dreaming.
She says that many lucid dreamers feel if people can become lucid during sleep, there might be a possibility that they can also become lucid in waking life.
Philosophy or no, lucid dreaming does happen and is possible -- often with entertaining results.
"I think there are lots of things that seem crazy to us that might be true and it's difficult to assess, based just on our own personal experiences," says Beath "I encourage people to keep an open mind about it."
How to have a Lucid Dream
1. Remembering your "garden-variety" dreams is the first step towards lucid dreaming. Creating a dream diary helps because it forces you to think about your dreams. Write down what you remember of your dreams as soon as you wake up.
2. Questioning reality is another important way to developing a lucid dream. Ask yourself if you are dreaming and imagine the world around you as a dream several times a day. This creates a habit of questioning reality that will kick you into awareness during sleep.
3. Right before sleep tell yourself; "I am going to have a lucid dream tonight." Repeat as many times as you deem necessary. This prepares your mind for lucid dreaming.
4. A great tip for those who fall asleep quickly is to count your self to sleep. For example: "One, I am dreaming, two, I am dreaming etc." During sleep you will say this to yourself out of habit and realize that you are indeed dreaming.
For more information about lucid dreaming visit www.lucidity.com Information gathered from Dr. Stephen LaBerge's "Lucid Dreaming", Celia Green's "Lucid Dreaming": The Paradox of consciousness during sleep, and Jayne Gackenbach's, Stephen LaBerge's and many contributors' "Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain."
Reach the reporter at thomas.throssell@asu.edu.
