Dreaming 101: Lucid Dreaming Part One

What is Lucid Dreaming?

Lucid dreaming(LD) is the art of being consciously aware one is dreaming, while they are dreaming. It can occur spontaneously, from childhood to adulthood, often as the result of a nightmare. In ancient times, until the present, some aboriginal people’s practice/d it. In today’s modern world, science has analyzed it, and due to Stephen LaBerge, accepts it. Now, LD’ing is a spiritual practice, and a high end VR simulation, for many.

Lucidity, as it is referred to, comes in graduating levels:

Low level lucid dreams are the most common. They are characterized by a realness to your surroundings, as if you and your environ were suddenly focused and magnified. You may only have a faint awareness that you are dreaming, but you are more consciously aware of the decisions that you make. In this state, you are more in control.

Medium level LD’s are more intense, and usually accompanied by a full awareness that one is dreaming. At this point, you can do pretty well at manipulating your environ, or taking control of the situation that you are in. You can transport to somewhere else if you decide to, or change the storyline of the plot you are in. Reality is pretty good at this point, and everything has a very real quality to it.

High level LD’s are absolutely incredible. Many people think they have achieved this state, but are quite surprised when they really do. Imagine a world that is “more real than real”…a common thing to come out of the mouths of high level lucid dreamers. In this world, all of our sensual experiences are massively intensified. Visual effects are very intense, everything appears to be alive, with it’s own life force illuminating it. Woods are deep and rich in a way that is difficult to explain, and the detail in everything is amazing. The smells, tactile sensations, tastes, auditory experiences, are all like the richest quality moments one could ever conceive of.

How Do LD’s Work?

LD’s are achieved by going into the subconscious mind, while we are sleeping. It has been widely accepted as a healthy practice by experts, and practitioners of the art. I, however, somewhat disagree. It is well documented that whatever a person does in an LD, will greatly affect his subconscious mind. This is where the benefit is seen, and the disadvantages. Proponents say that it has been proven to increase performance in sports, creativity, and other areas of life improvement. I cannot fault this, and agree completely with these observations. However, LD’ing has a dark side, and not enough information is available from that end.

By going into the subconscious mind, and changing what we no longer desire, or training ourselves to be better at something, we are altering ourselves on a very base level. People notice changes in their personality and lives, overnight from lucid dreams. It is as if we have gained access to the brain’s control room, and we can hack it according to our wishes. I went down this road, and I am blessed that I survived. The saying “moderation in all things” should be applied here.

LD’s are much like hypnosis, a person will believe whatever they are going through. In hypnosis, a person can be exposed to fire, told it is ice, and believe it. They will not suffer a single burn.

In lucid dreams, this kind of thing also occurs. For example let’s say that someone had an inability to deal with confrontation. In their dreams, this surfaces as monster’s chasing them down. If in a LD, one didn’t run, but faced the monster…the outcome will alter your own waking history. The next day when the boss yells at you, you may just stand up for yourself, and tell him you won’t tolerate his abuse any longer.

I once knew a woman who had a growth on her eyelid. It would get really large, and her doctor would have to cut it off. Unfortunately, it always returned, and she was tired of surgeries. In a lucid dream, she went to a dream doctor, and asked him to heal her. In the dream, he did so. The next morning when she awoke, the growth was completely gone. She looked for evidence of it having just fallen off somewhere, but it was nowhere to be found.

Lucid dreams can be a very powerful tool, if used wisely. Join me for the next segment, when I will discuss the how to’s of lucid dreaming.

[tags]lucid dreaming, dreaming, altered states of consciousness, consciousness, self improvement, self help, stephen laberge, hypnosis, spontaneous healing, shadowmyth, lockergnome, [/tags]