to Dream - Lucid Dreams

Lucid dreams

If you have a good recall of your dreams, you may be ready for the next step: lucid dreams. Lucid dreams are usually referred to as dreams in which the dreamer is awake. This means that the dreamer can recall the events from waking life while still asleep and dreaming.

Increased awareness

Lucid dreams are a somewhat strange phenomenon. Usually you can't remember your dreams when awake and vice versa you can't remember your waking life when you're asleep.

However, when you think about it, many people can barely tell you what they were doing at this very time two days ago. Most of the day passes by on automatic pilot while the conscious part of your brain is on vacation. Exactly the same happens while you're dreaming. You go from one event to another, but you only pay superficial attention.

This lack of consciously registering what is happening, could also explain why we simply do not notice when we're dreaming. You just move from one automatic pilot to another.

Levels of lucidity

Lucidity is not so much an on-and-off switch, but more a continuum from not aware at all at one end to strong awareness and abilities to contineously shape and improve your experiences at the other end.

Depending on the level of lucidity, lucid dreams can have varying benefits. Just being able to have a simple lucid dream is in itself a huge achievement, or at least a sign of a flexible mind. Things really become interesting when you can influence the dream while being lucid. Basically you will get the same benefits as with normal dreaming, but much faster. Not to mention that it's incredibly exciting!

More information

There are plenty of internet sites dedicated to lucid dreaming.

• LD4ALL, the oldest lucid dreaming website on the internet, available in several languages.
• Spirit Watch, with an archive of the Lucidity Letter.
• Lucidity Institute, founded by Stephen LaBerge, the man who made lucid dreaming legitimate for the scientific community.