I was wondering what you think of the paper, if there anything missing or stuff that needs to be added, also does the flow seem good?
Lucid Dreaming Research Paper
The Road to Lucid Dreaming – Learning to Recall Dreams
General Info
Everybody dreams
REM (Dream) periods occur approx. every 90 minutes
We have built in “Dream Erasers” that cause us to forget dreams if we don’t make an effort to recall them (Wikipedia 2004)
Why Remembering Dreams is Important
First off, you can fail to remember lucid dreams as easily as normal ones, that said if you don’t remember normal dreams you won’t remember lucid ones (Wikipedia 2004)
Secondly everybody’s dreams are different, you have personal dream signs in your dreams that are characteristic to you
In my case paths that are made of concrete are often more like tile floor
If you learn to recognize these signs then you can become lucid (Wikipedia 2004)
Finally it will help you get used to the feel of a dream versus the feel of reality. (Wikipedia 2004)
How to Remember Dreams
The Dream Journal
The first step is to keep a dream journal
As soon as you wake up and remember a dream immediately write it down no matter what the time is, if you don’t you will probably forget or not remember as much
The first thing you ask upon noticing that you’re awake is “What was I dreaming about?”
Write down anything and everything you can remember even if it is just a mood or a smell
Keep the dream journal near your bed and make that the journals only purpose
Lastly, title the dream if you remember most of it (Bouchard, 1996)
Developing Recall
Even with a dream journal you will still have to put in something, having a dream journal won’t automatically increase recall
Go to sleep and as you go to bed tell yourself that you want to wake up from a dream and remember it
If you have trouble set your alarm either 6 or 7.5 hours from the time you go to sleep because that will awaken you from a REM period and make dream recall easy (Bouchard, 1996)
Once you remember at least 1 dream a night you are ready to learn how to have LD’s (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Learning to Have Lucid Dreams – The Autosuggestion Route (DILD)
General Info
There are two major categories of lucid dreams DILD (Dream Induced Lucid Dream) and WILD (Wake Induced Lucid Dream) (Wikipedia 2004)
DILD
DILD is a lucid dream in which you realize you are dreaming while in the dream
Tends to be most effective with those who take a medium to long time to fall asleep
Can be uses to have lucid dreams on demand (at will) (Wikipedia 2004)
WILD
WILD is a lucid dream in which you fall asleep while staying awake, that sounds confusing but it is keeping your normal consciousness as you fall asleep
Most effective with those who fall asleep rapidly
Tends to yield LD’s with a higher degree of lucidity
Can also be used to LD at will (Wikipedia 2004)
Methods of DILD
Dreamsign Recognition
Not an actual induction technique
This is recognizing in a dream that something is happening that isn’t possible and thus you must be dreaming (i.e Fire Breathing Dragon in parking lot)
Relatively low success rate, will yield the occasional LD (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
“Reality Checks”
A reality check is a test done to discover whether or not you are dreaming
Examples
Letter Check – look a piece of paper with words or writing an then look back, in a dream they will almost always have changed and often won’t even be recognizable, can also be done with digital clocks
Breath Through Nose – Plug your nose and see if you can breath right through it, if you can chances are that you’re dreaming (Wikipedia 2004)
Purpose/How it works
To enable you to tell if you’re dreaming
Perform like 20 a day until they become habitual, they will then carry over into your dreams and with any luck you will perform one and realize that you’re dreaming (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Autosuggestion
Done by suggesting to yourself that you will have a lucid dream
Should not be forceful, do not say “Tonight I will have a lucid dream” but rather “Perhaps I will have a lucid dream tonight”
Genuinely expect that you will have a lucid dream
Most effective for those who are highly susceptible to hypnosis
Can have a decent success rate, up to about 1 per night (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams)
Holy grail of DILD techniques, a person skilled with MILD can have LD’s as will
Varies from autosuggestion in that you tell yourself to recognize that your dreaming as opposed to suggesting that you will have an LD
Preparations
MILD is most effective if you can remember certain targets randomly throughout the day, because this is similar to what you would do in a dream
To test make up three targets for the day such as
Next Time I see an animal
Next time I turn on a light
Next time I see the starts
Your goal is to perform a reality check the first time you encounter each situation
If you can consistently hit 2-3 per day MILD will be very easy (Wikipedia 2004)
The Technique
Step 1 – Set-Up Your recall
Resolve to wake up from a dream in the night and remember it
Step 2 – Recall Dream
As soon as you wake up take careful note of the dream and what was happening
Step 3 – Focus Intent
The Mnemonic Part
As you go to sleep tell yourself “Next time I am dreaming I want to realize I’m dreaming”
Say this over and over as you go to sleep but really mean it, feel its meaning, if you just mindless say it you won’t have much luck
Step 4 – Incubate Dream/See Lucidity
Done at the same time as step three
Imagine you are in the dream you just woke from but find a dreamsign
See yourself in the dream recognizing the dreamsign and then doing what you wish
If all goes well you will find yourself in the dream you thought of and with your intent you will realize that you are dreaming (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Learning to have lucid Dreams – the WILD approach
General Info
Most effective for those who fall asleep rapidly (Wikipedia 2004)
Almost always accompanied by sensations such as roaring in ears, voices, vibrations etc. (Wikipedia 2004)
Tends to yield higher lucidity because you fall asleep with full awareness of what is happening. (Wikipedia 2004)
Methods of WILD
Hypnagogic (Falling Asleep) Imagery
Most common method of WILD
Essentially the goal is to focus on HI as it becomes a dream sequence
The Method
Step 1 – Relax Deeply
Use an effective relaxation technique such as 61-points and get very relaxed
Step 2 – Focus on HI
Gently focus your attention in images that appear, they may just be simples dots or colors as you are first falling asleep, observe them delicately and let them pass if they want to
Want to feel like a detached observer watching a movie
Images will gradually develop into a scene that will become more complex
Step 3 – Enter the Dream
When the imagery is a moving and vivid scenario you want to enter it
Allow yourself to be passively drawn into the dream, do not try to actively enter or rush in
Rather you should let the involvement with watching the imagery draw you in
A desire to enter the scenery will make this tep very difficult (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Power of Visualization – White Dot Technique
Related to HI method
Focus on a white dot between your eyes for about 5 minutes, then relax, finally focus on pill sized black dot around your navel until you notice that you are in a dream (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Dream Lotus and Flame
Very similar to Power of visualization technique
Step 1 – Relax, same as in WILD HI technique
Step 2 - Visualize Lotus Flame, When you are relaxed visualize a lotus with pink petals that curl inward to ward a reddish-orange candescent flame, see the flame as clearly as possible
Step 3 – Observe Imagery, Observe how the flam of the lotus interacts with all the other images that pop up, as in the HI technique be a passive observer
Step 4 – Blend with Dream, Feel the image and your awareness of the image blend together so that you simply see the image but do not have to consciously think of it. You will soon notice that you are dreaming (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Other Info
WILD will be unsuccessful at beginning of the night because you will have to bypass Delta sleep and one can’t maintain consciousness in this state
WILD can be used o yield LD’s at will (Wikipedia 2004)
Improving your Lucid Dreaming Skill
Staying in the Dream
Now that you are lucid you probably want to know how to stay in it
There are several different methods for staying in the dream if you feel yourself waking up
Spinning
Spin around in a circle as fast as you can, your goal is to really feel the spinning sensation as this will induce mind to stay asleep
Downside is that you most often are in a different place when you stop spinning
Hand Rubbing
Not quite as effective as spinning but keeps you in the same place
Done by rubbing hands together and focusing on the feeling, i.e. the heat and friction
The other key to staying in the dream is not getting excited
If you have a lucid dream and go crazy with exhilaration it is too much to take and you will wake up
Improving Your Level of Lucidity
Level of lucidity is your awareness that your in a dream
In low level lucidity you tend to behave as if you are still bound by regular physics, often just flow with bream
Only a general awareness that you are dreaming
On the other end of the spectrum is high level lucidity
Very clear awareness that you are dreaming
Mind is thinking the way it would in real life
Tendency for more dream control because you are so aware that you are dreaming
Increasing Lucidity
Shout “INCREASE LUCIDITY NOW”
Engages mind, gets you thinking about how this is a lucid dream
Focusing Awareness
Can be difficult is you are at very low level lucidity
You think about how this is a dream and try to be aware that you are in a dream
Dream Control
Most people that have lucid dreams would like to be able to control themselves and dream environment
How to Improve Dream Control
Comes down to a matter of belief, if you know that you can control dream then it is easy
Practice Exercise – Dream Television
When you find yourself in a dream find/create a large, high resolution television
Find volume, brightness, clarity, color saturation etc. controls
Play with the controls and notice how they change the dream environment
This works because it gets your mind off the topic of direct control and engages it
Specific Problems
If you have a specific problem such as inability to fly, create a scenario where you have to do that or you will be hurt
In the above example you could jump off of a large building
This will force you to fly because your mind is not going to let you hit the ground
Can be applied to other problems
Practice Applications of Lucid Dreams
Adventures, Explorations, and Fantasy
Once you are lucid a window of possibility opens up, you can do whatever you want
Fantasy
Flying
One of the most popular LD activities along with sex
Methods
Flap Arms – Flap arms to generate lift and fly away
Superman Method – Put arms at your sides and feel energy rushing out of your feet like a jet engine, control flight with mind (LaBerge, 2004)
Sex
Self-explanatory
Wish Fulfillment
Try out that new toy that you have always wanted
Or go out to a beautiful restaurant that you have always wanted to attend (LaBerge, 2004)
Adventure
In a lucid dream you could do whatever
Be a knight in a medieval world
Or perhaps a sorcerer
Try rafting class 5 rapids
Climb Mt. Everest
The list goes on (LaBerge, 2004)
Overcoming Nightmares
Lucidity is a great tool to battle with a re-occurring nightmare
If you know it is a dream then you have nothing to fear
Can turn terrifying situation into positive or humorous one
Can help you learn about yourself (Wikipedia 2004)
Strategies
Destroy the aggressor
If you are being chased by a boogie-man you can just blow him to pieces or shoot him
Not the best method because it teaches unrealistic behavior and is similar to running from problem (LaBerge, 2004)
Turn situation into humorous one
Transform the boogie-man into a little teddy bear with pink polka dots
Not as bad but still promotes unrealistic expectations (LaBerge, 2004)
Be Nice to Aggressor
Talk politely and friendly to the boogie man, in fact try to like it
Very good method, most of the time the aggressor changes form and is never to be heard from again (LaBerge, 2004)
Rehearsal
Perhaps the most practical use for lucid dreaming
Athletic rehearsal
Dreams are highly effective for athletic practice
In a dream there is very vivid sensory images
Most importantly because your body actually sends the nerve impulses to perform the skill, you can establish the neural patterns for the skill (Wikipedia 2004)
An example would be that if I practiced hitting wedge shots in golf I would send the nerve impulses for the skill my body would think I was actual practicing golf
Practicing in a lucid dream is virtually equal in benefit to real life practice (Wikipedia 2004) (LaBerge, Rheingold, 1990)
Public Speaking
In a lucid dream you can give yourself an audience
Start by giving your speech, presentation, performance etc, with a few friends until you feel comfortable and work your way up to the Sydney opera house (Wikipedia 2004)
Test Taking
In a lucid dream your brain is thinking as in waking life
This enables you to go over test material or figure out homework problems during your sleep!!!
If you ran out of time in the day you could actual prepare in your sleep and not have to stay up late (LaBerge, 2004)
There are more possibilities of things you could rehearse, the possibilities are boundless
Healing
Lucid dreams can also be used to cope with problems (LaBerge, 2004)
Death/Trauma
In a lucid dream you can recreate the situation and practice handling it as you wanted to have dealt with it
This will make you feel much better about the problem especially if you realized it isn’t your fault
You could also have a dream and talk with the dead person
Due to the internal nature of dreams just a simple talk helps most people cope much more effectively with a death (LaBerge, 2004)
Healing a Physical Injury
Dreams can have a profound impact on a simple physical injury
Lets say for example that you broke your leg
You would have a dream about this and give yourself the gift of healing then do some activities with the leg
People that have employed this method have healed in a week or two when it was expected to take months for the injury to heal (LaBerge, Rheingold, 2004)
Addictions
Lucid dreaming can make it easy to combat addictions
If you were addicted to junk food you could give it up in real life but each as much as you want in your lucid dream
Or I you were addicted to smoking you could have endless cigarettes in your sleep
With the knowledge that you can do this the urge to do it in real life will be drastically lower (LaBerge, 2004)