Psychological Facts (hiatus)

Lucid (conscious) Dreaming

Someone wants to try lucid dreaming. Gonna dedicate this chapter for you. Hope this help :)
CallousGirlXO 

First, we should know what lucid dreaming is. Let's start.

Given that there's so much misunderstanding around what lucid dreaming actually is, it's worth taking a moment to look at what lucid dreaming is not...

* It's not a half-awake/half-asleep state. In a lucid dream you're in REM (rapid eye movement) dreaming sleep and out for the count, but part of your brain has become reactivated while you're dreaming, allowing you to experience the dream consciously.

* It's not just a very vivid dream – although lucid dreams are often super-vivid, high-definition experiences.

* It's not an out-of-body experience (sometimes called astral projection). This point is still being debated by many lucid dreaming practitioners, but as I see it, a lucid dream happens primarily within our own personal mindstream, whereas in an out-of-body experience we move beyond these boundaries.

Lucid dreaming is a dream in which you know you're dreaming as you're dreaming. I'm glad we've cleared that up!

Once lucid, you become fully conscious within a three- dimensional construct of your own mind. You can literally walk – or fly – around a projection of your own psychology and have complex, involved conversations with personifications of your own psyche.

Does Lucid Dreaming Work?

In a lucid dream you've not woken up – in fact, you're still sound asleep – but part of the brain has reactivated (the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in case you're wondering), allowing you to experience the dream state consciously with self-reflective awareness. Once you know that you're dreaming as you're dreaming, you gain access to the most powerful virtual-reality generator in existence: the human mind.

How do I become a lucid dreamer?

Experienced lucid dreamers say it starts with paying closer attention to your experiences while you are awake. By observing the minutiae of life, you'll be better able to recognize any breaks from reality (which indicate when you're dreaming). During sleep, you're then able to spot dreams quickly and, eventually, attempt to take control.

You can also increase your lucid dreaming skills by adjusting your behavior. Before falling asleep, spend some time thinking about what you want to dream. Maybe you want to fly or fulfill a sexual fantasy. Maybe you're looking for the solution to a conflict.

Whatever it is, focus on that thought as you drift off to sleep. In the lucidity world, this practice is called predetermination, and it will help increase your chances of entering into a dream that you are then able to experience and control in ways you desire.

What are the risk (and benefits) of lucid dreaming?

Proponents claim lucid dreaming can improve problem-solving skills, enhance creativity, improve your memory and self-confidence, reduce the number of nightmares you experience and provide you with a more restful night's sleep overall.

In terms of risk — lucid dreaming has traditionally been considered harmless. But there are stories of lucid dreamers losing touch with reality and even exacerbating pre-existing mental illnesses.

There are many possibilities. The only thing that must happen is for the dreamer to realize their experience is a dream. From there, just about anything could happen. Lucid dreamers claim to have flown through space and visited the sun, danced in fire without being burned and had sex with strangers.

With high level lucidity comes high level clarity of mind. This means you can reflect on the fact that you're asleep and that your body is lying in bed. You can think to yourself, Wow this is so cool, I can't wait to tell people about this when I wake up! and you can access your waking memories and personal experience. It's you in there, but that you is limitless. This means you can heal, meditate and learn in ways that might seem impossible in the waking state.

That's pretty far out, but it's not the most far out thing by a long way. What really shocks most newbie lucid dreamers is how real it feels. A lucid dream looks, feels, tastes and smells as real as waking reality and yet it's primarily a projection of the mind.

And for any sceptics or naysayers out there, know this – lucid dreaming is for real. It has been a scientifically verified phenomenon of dreaming sleep for almost 40 years. It exists, and we know this because it has unique and 'discernable neural correlates', which means that it's not just psychological, it's physical.