Hypnos and Thanatos, Sleep and His Half-Brother Death by John William Waterhouse

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of

Lucid Dreaming

A lucid dream is a dream in which the person is aware that he or she is dreaming while the dream is in progress, also known as a conscious dream. When the dreamer is lucid, he or she can actively participate in the dream environment without any of the inhibitions or limitations that otherwise would feel natural to persons who incorrectly believe they are in the "real" waking world. Lucid dreams can be extremely real and vivid depending on a person's level of self-awareness during the lucid dream.^[1] Image File history File links Waterhouse-sleep_and_his_half-brother_death-1874. ... Image File history File links Waterhouse-sleep_and_his_half-brother_death-1874. ... In Greek mythology, Hypnos was the personification of sleep; the Roman equivalent was known as Somnus . ... In Greek mythology, Thanatos (in Ancient Greek, θάνατος – Death) was the Daimon personification of Death and Mortality. ... John William Waterhouse. ... Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo-en. ... Wikibooks logo Wikibooks, previously called Wikimedia Free Textbook Project and Wikimedia-Textbooks, is a wiki for the creation of books. ... For other uses, see Dream (disambiguation). ... For the feeling that one is being watched, see self-consciousness. ...

A lucid dream can begin in one of two ways. A dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD) starts as a normal dream, and the dreamer eventually concludes that he or she is dreaming, while a wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) occurs when the dreamer goes from a normal waking state directly into a dream state with no apparent lapse in consciousness. Being awake is a metabolic state which is marked by catabolic processes and which is characterized by consciousness, the opposite of sleep, an anabolic process. ...

Lucid dreaming has been researched scientifically, and its existence is well established.^[2][3] Scientists such as Allan Hobson, with his neurophysiological approach to dream research, have helped to push the understanding of lucid dreaming into a less speculative realm. Dr. J. Allan Hobson // James Allan Hobson, M.D. (June 3, 1933 – 20--) is a Harvard psychiatrist and dream researcher who grew up in Hartford Connecticut. ... Neurophysiology is a part of physiology as a science, which is concerned with the study of the nervous system. ...

Scientific history

The first book on lucid dreams to recognize their scientific potential was Celia Green's 1968 study Lucid Dreams.^[4] Reviewing the past literature, as well as new data from subjects of her own, Green analyzed the main characteristics of such dreams and concluded that they were a category of experience quite distinct from ordinary dreams. She predicted that they would turn out to be associated with rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep). Green was also the first to link lucid dreams to the phenomenon of false awakenings. Celia Green. ... Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes. ... A false awakening is an event in which someone dreams they have awakened from sleep. ...

Philosopher Norman Malcolm's 1959 text Dreaming^[5] had argued against the possibility of checking the accuracy of dream reports. However, the realization that eye movements performed in dreams affected the dreamer's physical eyes provided a way to prove that actions agreed upon during waking life could be recalled and performed once lucid in a dream. The first evidence of this type was produced in the late 1970s by British parapsychologist Keith Hearne. A volunteer named Alan Worsley used eye movement to signal the onset of lucidity, which were recorded by a polysomnograph machine. Norman Malcolm (1911 – 1990) is an American philosopher. ... Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ... Keith Hearne (BSc. ... Polysomnographic record of REM Sleep . ...

Hearne's results were not widely distributed. The first peer-reviewed article was published some years later by Stephen LaBerge at Stanford University, who had independently developed a similar technique as part of his doctoral dissertation.^[6] Stephen LaBerge is a psychophysiologist and a leader in the scientific study of lucid dreaming. ... Stanford redirects here. ...

During the 1980s, further scientific evidence to confirm the existence of lucid dreaming was produced as lucid dreamers were able to demonstrate to researchers that they were consciously aware of being in a dream state (again, primarily using eye movement signals).^[7]

Additionally, techniques were developed which have been experimentally proven to enhance the likelihood of achieving this state.^[8]

Research on techniques and effects of lucid dreaming continues at a number of universities and other centers, including LaBerge's Lucidity Institute.

Research and clinical applications

Neurobiological model

Neuroscientist J. Allan Hobson has hypothesized as to what might be occurring in the brain while lucid. The first step to lucid dreaming is recognizing that one is dreaming. This recognition might occur in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is one of the few areas deactivated during REM sleep and where working memory occurs. Once this area is activated and the recognition of dreaming occurs, the dreamer must be cautious to let the dream delusions continue but be conscious enough to recognize them. This process might be seen as the balance between reason and emotion. While maintaining this balance, the amygdala and parahippocampal cortex might be less intensely activated.^[9] To continue the intensity of the dream hallucinations, it is expected the pons and the parieto-occipital junction stay active.^[10] Neuroscience is a field of study which deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system. ... Dr. J. Allan Hobson // James Allan Hobson, M.D. (June 3, 1933 – 20--) is a Harvard psychiatrist and dream researcher who grew up in Hartford Connecticut. ... // Where is it? Brodmann area 46, or BA46, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. ... This article is about part of the human brain. ... For other uses, see Pons (disambiguation). ... The parietal lobe is a lobe in the brain. ...

Treatment for nightmares

People who suffer from nightmares would benefit from the ability to be aware they are dreaming. A pilot study was performed in 2006 that showed that lucid dreaming treatment was successful in reducing nightmare frequency. This treatment consisted of exposure to the idea, mastery of the technique, and lucidity exercises. It was not clear what aspects of the treatment were responsible for the success of overcoming nightmares, though the treatment as a whole was successful.^[11] Australian psychologist, Milan Colic, has explored the application of principles from narrative therapy with clients' lucid dreams to reduce the impact not only of nightmares during sleep, but also depression, self-mutilation, and other problems in waking life. Colic found that clients' preferred direction for their lives, as identified during therapeutic conversations, could lessen the distressing content of dreams, while understandings about life - and even characters - from lucid dreams could be invoked in 'real' life with marked therapeutic benefits.^[12] The current usage of the term nightmare refers to a dream which causes the sleeper a strong unpleasant emotional response. ... Narrative Therapy was initially developed during the 1970s and 1980s, largely by Australian Michael White (Dulwich Centre) and his friend and colleague, David Epston, of New Zealand. ...

Perception of time while lucid dreaming

The rate that time passes while lucid dreaming has been shown to be about the same as while waking. In 1985, LaBerge performed a pilot study where lucid dreamers counted out ten seconds while dreaming, signaling the end of counting with a pre-arranged eye signal measured with electrooculogram recording.^[13] LaBerge's results were confirmed by German researchers in 2004. The German study, by D. Erlacher and M. Schredl, also studied motor activity and found that deep knee bends took 44% longer to perform while lucid dreaming.^[14]

Near-death and out-of-body experiences

In a study of fourteen lucid dreamers performed in 1991, people who perform wake-initiated lucid dreams (WILD) reported experiences consistent with aspects of out-of-body experiences such as floating above their beds and the feeling of leaving their bodies.^[15] Due to the phenomenological overlap between lucid dreams, near death experiences, and out-of-body experiences, researchers say they believe a protocol could be developed to induce a lucid dream similar to a near-death experience in the laboratory.^[16] Use of the word phenomenology in modern science is described in the separate article phenomenology (science). ... A near-death experience (NDE) is the perception reported by a person who nearly died or who was clinically dead and revived. ... An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE), is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, perceiving ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ...

Cultural history

Even though it has only come to the attention of the general public in the last few decades, lucid dreaming is not a modern discovery.

• A very early example of lucid dreaming is in a letter written by St. Augustine of Hippo in 415 AD.^[17]

• As early as the eighth century, Tibetan Buddhists were practicing a form of yoga supposed to maintain full waking consciousness while in the dream state.^[18] This system is extensively discussed and explained in the book Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light.^[19] One of the important messages of the book is the distinction between the Dzogchen meditation of Awareness and Dream Yoga. The Dzogchen Awareness meditation has also been referred to by the terms Rigpa Awareness, Contemplation, and Presence. Awareness during the sleep and dream states is associated with the Dzogchen practice of natural light. This practice only causes lucid dreams as a byproduct—in contrast to Dream yoga which is explicitly aimed at lucid dreaming. According to Buddhist teachers, the experience of lucidity helps us to understand the unreality of phenomena, which would otherwise be overwhelming during dream or the death experience.

• An early recorded lucid dreamer was the philosopher and physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605–1682). Browne was fascinated by the world of dreams and stated of his own ability to lucid dream in his Religio Medici: "... yet in one dream I can compose a whole Comedy, behold the action, apprehend the jests and laugh my self awake at the conceits thereof;"^[20]

• Marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys was probably the first person to argue that it is possible for anyone to learn to dream consciously. In 1867, he published his book Les Reves et les Moyens de Les Diriger; Observations Pratiques (Dreams and How to Guide them; Practical Observations), in which he documented more than twenty years of his own research into dreams.

• The term lucid dreaming was coined by Dutch author and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in his 1913 article "A Study of Dreams".^[21] This book was highly anecdotal and not embraced by the scientific community. Some consider this a misnomer because it means much more than just "clear or vivid" dreaming.^[22] The alternative term conscious dreaming avoids this confusion. However, the term lucid was used by van Eeden in its sense of "having insight", as in the phrase a lucid interval applied to someone in temporary remission from a psychosis, rather than as a reference to the perceptual quality of the experience which may or may not be clear and vivid.

• In the 1950s, the Senoi hunter-gatherers of Malaysia were reported to make extensive use of lucid dreaming to ensure mental health, although later studies refuted these claims.^[23]

Augustinus redirects here. ... Tibetan Buddhism[1] is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan regions, which include northern Nepal, Bhutan, India (Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Sikkim), Mongolia, Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva) and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... For other uses such as Yoga postures, see Yoga (disambiguation) Statue of Shiva performing Yogic meditation Yoga (Sanskrit: योग Yog, IPA: ) is a group of ancient spiritual practices designed for the purpose of cultivating a steady mind. ... This article refers to the primordial state as considered in Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. ... Sir Thomas Browne (October 19, 1605 – October 19, 1682) was an English author of varied works that disclose his wide learning in diverse fields including medicine, religion, science and the esoteric. ... Religio Medici (The Religion of a Doctor) is a book by Sir Thomas Browne, which sets out his spiritual testament and a psychological self-portrait. ... The marquis Léon dHervey de Saint-Denys (1822-1892) is a French sinologist best known for his introspective studies on dreams. ... For other uses, see Psychiatrist (disambiguation). ... Frederik van Eeden (born Haarlem, Netherlands, 1860) was a late 19th century and early 20th century Dutch writer and psychiatrist. ... For other uses, see Psychosis (disambiguation). ... The Senoi are a Malaysian hunting and gathering people who were reported to make extensive use of lucid dreaming to ensure happiness and mental health. ...

Induction methods

Many people report having experienced a lucid dream during their lives, often in childhood. Children seem to have lucid dreams more easily than adults. Although lucid dreaming is a conditioned skill,^[24] achieving lucid dreams on a regular basis can be difficult and is uncommon^{[citation needed]}, even with training. Over time, several techniques have been developed to achieve a lucid dreaming state intentionally. The following are common factors that influence lucid dreaming and techniques that people use to help achieve a lucid dream:

Dream recall

Dream recall is simply the ability to remember dreams. Good dream recall is often described as the first step towards lucid dreaming. Better recall increases awareness of dreams in general; with limited dream recall, any lucid dreams one has can be forgotten entirely.

The main technique used to improve dream recall is to keep a dream journal, writing down any dreams remembered the moment one awakes. An audio recorder can also be very helpful^[25]. It is important to record the dreams as quickly as possible as there is a strong tendency to forget what one has dreamt.^[26] It is suggested that for best recall, the waking dreamer should keep eyes closed while trying to remember the dream, and that one's dream journal be recorded in the present tense^[25]. Describing an experience as if presently in it can help the writer to recall more accurately the events of their dream.^{[citation needed]} A dream journal is a journal in which one writes down his or her dream experiences. ...

Dream recall can also be improved by staying still after waking up.^[26] This may have something to do with REM atonia (the condition of REM sleep in which the motor neurons are not stimulated and thus the body's muscles do not move). If one purposely prevents motor neurons from firing immediately after waking from a dream, recalling said dream becomes easier. Similarly, if the dreamer changes positions in the night, they may be able to recall certain events of their dream by testing different sleeping positions.^{[citation needed]} Rapid eye movement (REM) is the stage of sleep characterized by rapid saccadic movements of the eyes. ...

Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD)

The MILD technique is a common technique developed by Dr. Stephen LaBerge used to induce a lucid dream at will by setting an intention, while falling asleep, to remember to recognize that one is dreaming or to remember to look for dream signs when one is in a dream. Stephen LaBerge is a psychophysiologist and a leader in the scientific study of lucid dreaming. ... A dream sign is a commonly occurring theme found within a persons dreams. ...

Wake-back-to-bed (WBTB)

The wake-back-to-bed technique is often the easiest way to encourage a lucid dream. The method involves going to sleep tired and waking up five to six hours later. Then, focusing all thoughts on lucid dreaming, staying awake for an hour and going back to sleep while practicing the MILD method. A 60% success rate has been shown in research using this technique.^[27] This is because the REM cycles get longer as the night goes on, and this technique takes advantage of the best REM cycle of the night. Because this REM cycle is longer and deeper, gaining lucidity during this time may result in a lengthier lucid dream.^[27]

Cycle adjustment technique (CAT)

The cycle adjustment technique, developed by Daniel Love, is an effective way to induce lucid dreaming. It involves adjusting one's sleep cycle to encourage awareness during the latter part of the sleep. First, the person wakes up 90 minutes before normal wake time until their sleep cycle begins to adjust. After this, the normal wake times and early wake times alternate. On the days with the normal wake times, the body is ready to wake up, and this increases alertness, making lucidity more likely.

Wake-initiation of lucid dreams (WILD)

The wake-initiated lucid dream "occurs when the sleeper enters REM sleep with unbroken self-awareness directly from the waking state".^[28] There are many techniques aimed at entering a WILD. The key to these techniques is recognizing the hypnagogic stage, which is within the border of being awake and being asleep. If a person is successful in staying aware while this stage occurs, he or she will eventually enter the dream state while being fully aware that it is a dream. For the feeling that one is being watched, see self-consciousness. ... Being awake is a metabolic state which is marked by catabolic processes and which is characterized by consciousness, the opposite of sleep, an anabolic process. ... Hypnagogia (also spelled hypnogogia) describes vivid dream-like auditory, visual, or tactile sensations, which are often accompanied by sleep paralysis and experienced when falling asleep or waking up. ... For other uses, see Sleep (disambiguation). ...

There are key times at which this state is best entered; while success at normal bedtime after having been awake all day is very difficult, it is relatively easy after sleeping for 3–7 hours or in the afternoon during a nap. Techniques for inducing WILDs abound. Dreamers may count, envision themselves climbing or descending stairs, chant to themselves, control their breathing, count their breaths to keep their thoughts from drifting, concentrate on relaxing their body from their toes to their head, or allow images to flow through their "mind's eye" and envision themselves jumping into the image to maintain concentration and keep their mind awake, while still being calm enough to let their body sleep.

During the actual transition into the dream state, one is likely to experience sleep paralysis, including rapid vibrations,^[15] a sequence of loud sounds and a feeling of twirling into another state of body awareness, "to drift off into another dimension", or the feeling like passing the interface between water into air face-front body first, or images or sceneries they are thinking of and trying to visualize gradually sharpen and become "real", which they can actually "see", instead of the fuzzy indefinable sensations one feels when trying to imagine something when wide awake. The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ...

Induction devices

Lucid dream induction is possible by the use of a physical device. The general principle works by taking advantage of the natural phenomenon of incorporating external stimuli into one's dreams. Usually a device is worn while sleeping that can detect when the sleeper enters a REM phase and triggers a noise and/or flashing lights with the goal of these stimuli being incorporated into the dreamer's dream. For example flashing lights might be translated to a car's headlights in a dream.

A well-known dream-induction device is the NovaDreamer, designed in 1993 by experienced lucid dreamer Craig Webb, now an international speaker/trainer and executive director of The DREAMS Foundation^[29]. The NovaDreamer has been discontinued as of 2006. However, a newer version is being worked on, but as of now is not available.^[30]

The REM Dreamer is a cheaper and more widely available version of the NovaDreamer. It has one motion sensor in the right eye that is best at recognizing horizontal movement of the eyes. When it picks up the eye’s movement it goes through a series of flashing LED lights that filter through into the person’s dream and triggers lucidity. Combining this with MILD can be incredibly effective.^[31]

Additional techniques

• Reality tests (as below) practiced in waking life can lead to a test taking place within a dream, leading to the realization that one is dreaming.
• Meditation and involvement in a conscious focusing on activities can strengthen the ability to experience lucid dreams by making the person more susceptible to noticing small discrepancies of their surroundings.^{[citation needed]}
• There is good reason to believe hypnotic suggestion may help one achieve lucidity.^[32] Michael Katz referenced using simple hypnotic induction for the purpose of initiating lucid dreams in his introduction to the first edition of the book Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light. From the early 1980s, he went on to use this "guided nap" technique during dream yoga and lucid dream training. He conducts training internationally and maintains an archive of examples.^[33]

For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Michael Katz (1951 - ) is a psychologist, former yoga instructor, author, photographer, and long time student of contemporary masters of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. ...

Reality testing

Reality testing (or reality checking) is a common method used by people to determine whether or not they are dreaming. It involves performing an action with results that will be different if the tester is dreaming. By practicing these tests during waking life, one may eventually decide to perform such a test while dreaming, which may fail and let the dreamer realize that they are dreaming.

Common reality tests include:

• The nose reality check: Pinch your nose and if you are able to breathe without using your mouth, it's a dream^[34]
• Try to stick your finger through the palm of your hand^[35]
• Looking at one's digital watch (remembering the time), looking away, and looking back. As with text, the time will probably have changed randomly and radically at the second glance or contain strange letters and characters. (Analog watches do not usually change in dreams, while digital watches have great tendency to do so.)^[36]
• Flipping a light switch. Light levels rarely change as a result of the switch flipping in dreams.^[37]
• Looking into a mirror; in dreams, reflections from a mirror often appear to be blurred, distorted or incorrect.^[37]
• Looking at the ground beneath one's feet or at one's hands. If one does this within a dream the difference in appearance of the ground or one's hands from the normal waking state is often enough to alert the conscious to the dream state.^[38]

Dream signs

It has been suggested that Dream sign be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Another form of reality testing involves identifying one's dream signs, clues that one is dreaming. Dream signs are often categorized as follows: Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... A dream sign is a commonly occurring theme found within a persons dreams. ... A dream sign is a commonly occurring theme found within a persons dreams. ...

• Action — The dreamer, another dream character, or a thing does something unusual or impossible in waking life, such as being able to fly, being able to walk through walls, being able to change the setting illogically, or noticing photographs in a magazine or newspaper becoming three-dimensional with full movement.
• Powerlessness — There may typically be a sensational loss of bodily strength.
• Context — The place or situation in the dream is strange and includes fictional characters or places.
• Form — The dreamer, another character, or an object changes shape, is oddly formed, or transforms. This may include the presence of unusual clothing or hair, or a third person view of the dreamer.
• Awareness — A peculiar thought, a strong emotion, an unusual sensation, a loss of normal logic, or an altered perception. In some cases when moving one's head from side to side, one may notice a strange stuttering or 'strobing' of the image.
• Cohesion — Sometimes the dreamer may seem to teleport to another location in a dream, without a noticeable transition.

Supplements

Several drugs have been shown to improve the probability of a lucid dream occurring and/or increase the length of such a dream:

• Galantamine is a nootropic that can substantially increase the odds of success when used along with a lucid dream or out-of-body experience induction technique.^[39][40][41] Choline bitartrate or Alpha-GPC can be used with Galantamine to increase its effectiveness.^[42]

• An amino acid blend made up of 2000 mg L-aspartic acid, 4000 mg L-glutamine, and 300 mg L-theanine can greatly increase the odds of having a lucid dream.^[43]

• 5-HTP can increase the chances of success of having a lucid dream by taking advantage of the REM rebound effect.^[44]

• Melatonin has been shown clinically to increase the time spent in REM sleep in the morning hours (as the dose is wearing off). It is theorized that this phenomenon is due to a REM rebound effect.^[45]

• Vitamin B6 can increase dream vividness when taken with tryptophan. This is due to the role this vitamin plays in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.^[46]

Galantamine (trade name Razadyne®) is a medication used in the treatment of Alzheimers disease. ... Nootropics, popularly referred to as smart drugs, smart nutrients, cognitive enhancers and brain enhancers, are substances which claim to boost human cognitive abilities (the functions and capacities of the brain). ... An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE), is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, perceiving ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This article is about the class of chemicals. ... Aspartic acid (abbreviated as Asp or D; Asx or B represent either aspartic acid or asparagine[1] ) is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH2CO2H. The L-isomer is a protonated varient of one of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids, i. ... Glutamine is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code. ... L-theanine Whilst both tea and coffee contain the stimulant caffeine, tea drinking tends to have a more relaxing effect than coffee. ... 5-HTP (5-Hydroxy-tryptophan) is decarboxylated to the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) by the enzyme aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase. ... Melatonin, 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine, is a hormone found in all living creatures from algae[1] to humans, at levels that vary in a diurnal cycle. ... Pyridoxine Pyridoxal phosphate Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin. ... Tryptophan (abbreviated as Trp or W)[1] is one of the 20 standard amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, and an essential amino acid in the human diet. ... For the professional wrestling stable, see Ravens Nest#Serotonin. ...

Prolonging lucid dreams

One problem faced by people wishing to lucid dream is awakening prematurely. This premature awakening can be frustrating after investing considerable time into achieving lucidity in the first place.

Stephen LaBerge proposed two ways to prolong a lucid dream. The first technique involves spinning one's dream body. He proposed that when spinning, the dreamer is engaging parts of the brain that may also be involved in REM activity, helping to prolong REM sleep. The second technique is rubbing one's hands. This technique is intended to engage the dreamer's brain in producing the sensation of rubbing hands, preventing the sensation of lying in bed from creeping into awareness. LaBerge tested his hypothesis by asking 34 volunteers to either spin, rub their hands, or do nothing. Results showed 90% of dreams were prolonged by hand rubbing and 96% prolonged by spinning. Only 33% of lucid dreams were prolonged with taking no action.^[47]

Once the initial barrier of lucidity is broken, the dreamer’s next obstacle is the excitement of being conscious within a dream. It is key that the dreamer immediately relaxes upon becoming lucid. There are many methods that work, but in general saturating any of the senses with stimuli from the dream is important. Vision is usually the first sense to fade away, with touch commonly being the last. If the dream starts to fade, you can grab a hold of anything close by, making sure to feel the tactile sensation. Other techniques include shouting in a loud and clear voice, “INCREASE LUCIDITY!” inside the dream. People are often reluctant to do this, but it significantly stabilizes the dream and increases its vividness. The well-known author, Carlos Castaneda, suggests that the dreamer touch their tongue to the roof of their mouth, an action that greatly increases the realness of the dream.^[48]

Other associated phenomena

REM Sleep. EEG highlighted by red box. Eye movements highlighted by red line.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (821x601, 999 KB) Summary This is a screenshot of a polysomnographic record representing Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (821x601, 999 KB) Summary This is a screenshot of a polysomnographic record representing Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. ... Rapid eye movement (REM) is the stage of sleep during which the most vivid (though not all) dreams occur. ...

Rapid eye movement (REM)

When a person is dreaming, the eyes move rapidly. Scientific research has found that these eye movements correspond to the direction in which the dreamer is "looking" in his/her dreamscape; this has enabled trained lucid dreamers to communicate whilst dreaming to researchers by using eye movement signals.^[13]

False awakening

In a false awakening, one suddenly dreams of having been awakened. Commonly in a false awakening, the room is similar to the room in which the person fell asleep. If the person was lucid, they often believe that they are no longer dreaming and may start exiting the room and so forth. A false awakening is an event in which someone dreams they have awakened from sleep. ...

This can be a nemesis in the art of lucid dreaming, because it usually causes people to give up their awareness of being in a dream, but it can also cause someone to become lucid if the person does a reality check whenever he/she awakens. People who keep a dream journal and write down their dreams upon awakening sometimes report having to write down the same dream multiple times because of this phenomenon. It has also been known to cause bedwetting as one may dream that they have awoken to go to the restroom, but in reality are still dreaming. A dream journal is a journal in which one writes down his or her dream experiences. ...

False awakenings can be a great vehicle toward lucidity. The makers of induction devices such as the NovaDreamer and the REM Dreamer recommend doing a reality check every time you awake so that when a false awakening occurs you will become lucid. People using these devices have most of their lucid dreams triggered through reality checks upon awakening.^[49]

Sleep paralysis

During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain in order to prevent the movements, which occur in the dream, from causing the physical body to move. However, it is possible for this mechanism to be triggered before, during, or after normal sleep while the brain awakens. This can lead to a state where a person is lying in his or her bed and he or she feels paralyzed. Hypnagogic hallucination may occur in this state, especially auditory ones. Effects of sleep paralysis include heaviness or inability to move the muscles, rushing or pulsating noises, and brief hypnogogic imagery. Experiencing sleep paralysis is a necessary part of WILD, in which the dreamer essentially detaches his "dream" body from the paralyzed one. The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... Hypnagogia (also spelled hypnogogia) describes vivid dream-like auditory, visual, or tactile sensations, which are often accompanied by sleep paralysis and experienced when falling asleep or waking up. ... A hallucination is a perception in the absence of a stimulus that the person may or may not believe is real. ...

Out-of-body experience

An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body (autoscopy). About one in ten people has had an out-of-body experience at some time in their lives.^[50] Scientists know little about the phenomenon.^[51] An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE), is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, perceiving ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ... Physical Features of the Human Body The human body is the entire physical structure of a human organism. ... Autoscopy is defined as an experience in which a person while believing to be awake sees her/his body and the world from a location outside her/his physical body. ...

Why we are not always lucid in dreams

Puzzling to many people, given the frequent bizarreness, illogic and dislocation of dreams, is why dreamers are not lucid all of the time. How can our dreaming selves accept as real so many settings, images and events that in waking life, we assume, would immediately jolt us into disbelief? The answer to this has been approached in three categories of investigation.

• Depth psychology: the thrust of personality and psychotherapeutic approaches to this issue suggest that the unconscious “dream-work” is repressing or inhibiting critical evaluation of the dream in order to perform its salutary function. “Belief” in the dream symbols and experience is required for healing, personality integration or catharsis to take place. Lucidity can only arise if a person is relatively free of un-reconciled conflicts which form barriers.^[52]

• Physiology: “seeing is believing” to the brain during any mental state. Even waking consciousness is liable to accept discontinuous or illogical experience as real if presented as such to the brain. ^[53] Dream consciousness is similar to that of a hallucinating awake subject. Dream or hallucinatory images triggered by the brain stem are considered to be real, even if fantastic. ^[54] The impulse to accept the evident is so strong the dreamer will often invent a memory or story to cover up an incongruous or unrealistic event in the dream. “That man has two heads!” is usually followed not with “I must be dreaming!” but with “Yes, I read in the paper about these famous Siamese twins.” ^[55]

• Developmental psychology: this approach suggests that the dream world is not really “unnatural” after all, since we were all dreaming as children long before we learned of all the physical and social laws that train the mind to a “reality.” Fluid imaginative constructions may have preceded the more rigid, logical waking rules and continue on as a normative lifeworld alongside the acquired, waking lifeworld. The dreaming “I” basically accepts its world as natural as does the waking “I” its world. Dreaming and waking consciousness differ only in their respective level of expectations, the waking “I” expecting a stricter set of “reality rules” as the child matures. The experience of “waking up” normally establishes the boundary between the two lifeworlds and cues the consciousness to adapt to waking “I” expectations. At times, however, this cue is false—a false awakening. Here the waking “I” (with its level of expectations) is activated even though the experience is still hallucinatory. Incongruous images or illogical events during this type of dream can result in lucidity as the dream is being judged by waking “standards.” ^[56]

• We are not always lucid dreaming because our body has developed a protection against this form of virtual reality. Since we can apparently do anything, we would always be sleeping and that would be the end of our species.^[57]

Depth psychology is a broad term that refers to any psychological approach examining the depth (the hidden or deeper parts) of human experience. ... Psychotherapy is a set of techniques believed to cure or to help solve behavioral and other psychological problems in humans. ... Look up Unconscious in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Catharsis is the Greek Katharsis word meaning purification or cleansing derived from the ancient Greek gerund καθαίρειν transliterated as kathairein to purify, purge, and adjective katharos pure or clean (ancient and modern Greek: καθαρός). // The term in drama refers to a sudden emotional breakdown or climax that constitutes overwhelming feelings of great... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... A hallucination is a false sensory perception in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus. ... The brain stem is the lower part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Social coordination or regulation occurs by means of shared beliefs and values; in the lifeworld, individuals draw from custom and cultural traditions to construct identities, negotiate situational definitions, coordinate action and create social solidarity. ... A false awakening is an event in which someone dreams they have awakened from sleep. ...

Lucid Dreaming in Popular Film

• The Good Night (2007)
• The Science of Sleep (2006)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• Waking Life (2002)
• Vanilla Sky (2001)
• The Matrix (1999)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) (Particularly part 3: Dream Warriors)

The Good Night, a romantic comedy, is the first movie written and directed by Jake Paltrow. ... The Science of Sleep, or (literally The Science of Dreams), is a 2006 surrealist film, written and directed by Michel Gondry. ... Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an Academy Award-winning 2004 American romance film by director Michel Gondry. ... Waking Life is a digitally rotoscoped and animated film, directed by Richard Linklater and made in 2001. ... For the Italian band, see Vanilla Sky (band). ... This article is about the 1999 film. ... A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American horror film directed and written by Wes Craven. ...

See also

• Astral projection
• Dream argument
• Dream question
• Hemi-Sync
• List of published dream diaries
• Pre-lucid dream
• The Art of Dreaming

This article is about the paranormal concept. ... While people dream, they usually do not realize they are dreaming (in non-lucid dreams). ... A dream question (Hebrew: Sheelat Halom) is a practice of divination whereby a person attains a prophetic state while dreaming, receiving a divine answer to a question meditated on before sleep. ... Hemi-Sync is a trademarked brand name for a process developed at the Monroe Institute, used to create audio patterns containing binaural beats, which are commercialized in the form of audio CDs. ... This is a list of published diaries devoted specifically to dreams. ... A pre-lucid dream is one in which the dreamer considers the question, ‘Am I asleep and dreaming?’ He or she may or may not come to the correct conclusion. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Notes

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche (Tibetan: ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ནམ་མཁའི་ནོར་བུ་) (born 8 December 1938 in Dege, Eastern Tibet) is a teacher and master of Dzogchen, one of the teachings of Buddha. ... Michael Katz (1951 - ) is a psychologist, former yoga instructor, author, photographer, and long time student of contemporary masters of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. ... Religio Medici (The Religion of a Doctor) is a book by Sir Thomas Browne, which sets out his spiritual testament and a psychological self-portrait. ... Susan Jane Blackmore (born July 29, 1951) is a British freelance writer, lecturer, and broadcaster, perhaps best known for her book The Meme Machine. ... G. William (Bill) Domhoff is a Research Professor in psychology and sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) was founded in 1967 and originally named the Ohio College Library Center. ...

Further reading

• Austin, James (2000). [5]Zen and the Brain: Toward and Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness. ISBN 978-0-262-01164-8. 
• Brooks, Janice; Vogelsong, Jay (2000). The Conscious Exploration of Dreaming. ISBN 1-58500-539-8. 
• Castaneda, Carlos. The Art of Dreaming. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
• Conesa-Sevilla, Jorge (2004). [6]Wrestling With Ghosts: A Personal and Scientific Account of Sleep Paralysis--and Lucid Dreaming. ISBN 978-1413446685. 
• Conesa-Sevilla, Jorge (2003). Sleep Paralysis Signaling (SPS) As A Natural Cueing Method for the Generation and Maintenance of Lucid Dreaming. Presented at The 83rd Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, May 1-4, 2003, in Vancouver, BC, Canada.. 
• Conesa-Sevilla, Jorge (2002). [7]Isolated Sleep Paralysis and Lucid Dreaming: Ten-year longitudinal case study and related dream frequencies, types, and categories. Sleep and Hypnosis, 4, (4), 132-143.. 
• de Saint-Denys, Hervey (1982). Dreams and How to Guide Them. ISBN 0-7156-1584-X. 
• Gackenbach, Jayne; Laberge, Stephen (1988). Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain. ISBN 0-306-42849-0. 
• Garfield, Patricia L. (1974). Creative Dreaming. ISBN 0-671-21903-0. 
• Godwin, Malcom (1994). The Lucid Dreamer. ISBN 0-671-87248-6. 
• Green, Celia (1968). Lucid Dreams. ISBN 0-900076-00-3. 
• Green, Celia; McCreery, Charles (1994). Lucid Dreaming: The Paradox of Consciousness During Sleep. ISBN 0-415-11239-7. 
• LaBerge, Stephen (1985). Lucid Dreaming. ISBN 0-87477-342-3. 
• LaBerge, Stephen (1991). Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. ISBN 0-345-37410-X. 
• McElroy, Mark (2007). Lucid Dreaming for Beginners: Simple Techniques for Creating Interactive Dreams. ISBN 978-0-7387-0887-4. 
• Wangyal Rinpoche, Tenzin (1998). Tibetan Yogas Of Dream And Sleep. ISBN 1-55939-101-4. 
• Warren, Jeff (2007). "The Lucid Dream", The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness. ISBN 978-0679314080. 
• Yuschak, Thomas (2006). Advanced Lucid Dreaming - The Power of Supplements. ISBN 978-1-4303-0542-2. 

For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... Carlos Castaneda (December 25, 1925/31? – April 27, 1998) was a Peruvian- or Brazilian-born American author. ... The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... The marquis Léon dHervey de Saint-Denys (1822-1892) is a French sinologist best known for his introspective studies on dreams. ... Jayne Gackenbach is an writer and dream researcher whose focus is lucid dreaming and other higher states of consciousness. ... Celia Green. ... Stephen LaBerge is a psychophysiologist and a leader in the scientific study of lucid dreaming. ... Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is a lama of the Bön Tibetan religious tradition. ...

External links

• MindSneeze Share your Dreams
• Astral Society Lucid Dream(LD) Discussion, Information, and Community
• Lucid Dreams at the Open Directory Project
• Wikia has a wiki on this subject: Lucid dreaming