Lucid Dreaming

[Brad]

One of the things most people have heard me say in my time is "Sleep is boring". I suffer from many sleeping problems, and at one time I questioned if I even needed sleep but my body informed me I was wrong. For years I found sleep boring because I did not have many dreams, this was due to multiple concussions I suffered over the years because I have a habit of riding my toys a little to fast.

About a year ago while searching for information about sleeping on the net I stumbled on to Lucid Dreaming, the technique that allows you to become aware of the fact you're dreaming while you're in the process of dreaming. Big deal right? Well read on.

Through Lucid Dreaming you can alter every detail about your dream. You can fly, visit other worlds, alter you body ("Become anther person/object"), and yes you can even work on your code.

Over the last year I have been able to train myself to lucid dream to the point that I become lucid multiple times in one sleep session, and you can to. I think the benefits of doing this are so great everyone should know how to become lucid, because otherwise you're wasting time imho. I introduced a RL friend to this about a month ago and already he has managed to become lucid, I am hopping this thread will turn more of you on to this technique.

First off here are a few links, these are the same links I used to learn this myself and everything you'd want to know is on these pages. Although I do encourage you to search for information yourself (please post any good links you find here, I'd be interested in reading them.)

A good general FAQ on Lucid Dreaming
http://www.dreamviews.com/
http://dreamemporium.com/lucid_dreams.html

From wikipedia's page on lucid dreaming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming

Lucid dreaming is the act of consciously perceiving and recognizing that one is dreaming while such experience befalls one during sleep, enabling a more cogent ("lucid") control over the content and quality of the experience. The complete experience from start to finish is a lucid dream. Stephen LaBerge, a popular author and experimenter on the subject, has defined it as "dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming." [1]

There are many unanswered questions about lucid dreaming, and about dreaming itself. LaBerge and his associates have called people who purposefully explore the possibilities of lucid dreaming oneironauts (literally from the Greek meaning "dream explorers"). The topic attracts the attention of a diverse and eccentric group, namely psychologists, self-help authors, new age groups, mystics, occultists and artists. This list is by no means exhaustive nor does interest in lucid dreaming apply necessarily to each group. Clear and consistent knowledge about lucid dreaming is difficult to find amongst the many interpretations of the experience, especially considering its highly subjective nature. It may be classified as a protoscience, pending an increase in scientific knowledge about the subject.

Lucid dreamers regularly describe their dreams as exciting, colourful, and fantastic. Many compare it to a spiritual experience and say that it changed their lives or their perception of the world. Some have even reported lucid dreams that take on a hyperreality, seemingly "more real than real," where all the elements of reality are amplified. Lucid dreams are prodigiously more memorable than other kinds of dreaming, even nightmares, which may be why they are often prescribed as a means of ridding one's self of troubling dreams.

I hope a few of you look into this more and at least give it a shot, if you have questions ask and I will attempt to answer them. It's hard to become lucid the first time, and it does take some work and effort but once you get there you will realize that it was worth it 10 fold.