How to Have a Lucid Dream

[Ovidius]

A nice article by Charles Hamel: http://charleshamel.com/2006/10/17/how-to-have-a-lucid-dream/

Once you get your dream journal going and are able to recall at least two dreams a night then you can start the steps to having a lucid dream. There are many ways to key yourself to the fact that you are dreaming but I will discuss a couple of the easiest for beginners. First there is Reality Testing (RT). How reality testing is done, is you ask yourself “Am I dreaming?” Finding that out in a dream is not always the easiest thing to do, but is usually quite obvious if you are dreaming or not. If you find yourself in an unfamiliar place, or doing something or seeing something that will not likely happen in reality, you will know that you are dreaming. Now if you are in your bed or in your own house, then you can try looking at something like a clock or reading a book or something, look away, then look back and see if the time is the same or the words you read are the same. Try changing the color of something just by thinking about it. Ask yourself this question “Am I dreaming?” several times during the day, then you will be more apt to ask yourself this in a dream.

The second way to realize that you are dreaming in a dream is to recognize a Dreamsign. When your recognize this dreamsign you will realize that you are dreaming. (ie. A pink elephant, meeting deceased people, or magically flying.) By keeping a dream journal and going back and finding things that are common in your dreams, you can choose a dreamsign that is unique to you. So when you see your dreamsign you will realize your experience as a dream, and can then further the experiments or work you would like to do in your dream.

These methods are old but effective. I remember when I first time read about lucid dreaming (pre-Internet era), the article mentioned exactly the same methods.

[Ovidius]

This kind of technology could be interesting to try.

REM-Dreamer detects when you are in REM sleep thanks to infrared sensors and then gives you cues to remind you are dreaming. Cues are the flishing light and beeps.

More information:
http://www.remdreamer.com/

[Mark]

Has anybody seen Richard Linklater's Waking Life? Its all about lucid dreaming but also a lot like his movie Slacker, which is also great. Its kind of in cartoon, but don't let that put you off! It's an effect which he works into the movie really well! (He recently used it again in an adaption of Philip K. Dick's Through a Scanner Darkly, but I haven't seen that yet...)

Personally, I much prefer this kind of movie to what I saw of The Secret, to me it seems less evangelical....

[Tracey]

I have heard lucid dreaming being compared to astral travel.  Others have the opinion that lucid dreaming is really astral travel and us going to others (parts, realms?) to do healing work.  Any thoughts on this?

I also know that when I just start to drop off to sleep I have very lucid dreams and since I started doing a third eye exercise before going to sleep I don't have them.  When I don't do these exercises for a while I get the lucid dreams back.

As for the eye covers with flashing lights perhaps our newest member would like to try these too and report back?

Cheers,
Tracey

[Dedroidify]

Hey I love Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, haven't seen Slacker yet.

I don't think that lucid dreaming is astral travel, I've done the former not the latter though so it's just an assumption though. I've had a few lucid dreams and my experience was I could imagine my surroundings and do what I want but it wasn't like visiting any place. It's like a dream turns into a holodeck operated by the mind.

Hehe, I'm all into trying new things though it'll take a while before I can get some of this stuff. I could use the help, I'm so undisciplined to do my reality checks and dreamsign routine. I'd love to be able to master lucid dreaming as you can perform spiritual practices or magic or whatever when lucid enough too.

[Tracey]

Ok. D, I have counted 2 separate references to Star Trek from you so far

Am I to assume you are a Trekkie? and if so what generation?  I, of course was raised on the orginal series but love the New Generation.  Hated the other spin offs but that's just me.  Favorite characters are Jean Luke and "Q"  but also faithful to Scotty and Spock.

Live long and Prosper,
Tracey

[Mike]

Hated the other spin offs but that's just me.

Tracey

You gotta start sending Reiki to this one

The spin-offs after the first three were just commercial rip-offs. However DSIX is my favourite these days... it takes a while to get into but it really is Rodenberry stuff (as opposed to Paramount accountants/burned out writers/producers from earlier series)... and really is worth getting into.

Actually I find Picard a bit pompous these days altho' I guess since I first watched it I can see the worth in having an empath aboard (altho' Deanna is too srippy for me  ). Talking of not faithful to the series I thought the last STNG film was very poor and very "un-Gene Roddenberry".

So start sending Reiki now! I'd start with symbol 2 for a month and see how you get on... 

Mike

[Dedroidify]

lol Tracey! What's the other trekkie reference?! Please let me know :p

I'm not a big trekkie, I like TNG, VOY and DS9 in that order, Enterprise was just... ineffably bad lol. Yeah the last movie was weird Mike.

[Mike]

OMG Captain Janeway - do me a favour mate  lol

Re Reiki TTEM was established before I was reiki so I fumbled my way into it ... and then subsequently Panu went that way too so we have been a little path there. Eg see http://www.ttem.org/forum/index.php?topic=152.0 about taking it up - altho' my view now is (like all tools) its kinda "good for this" and "not so good for that" ... but on the other hand it is so simple and so easy to learn that one cant expect to fly to the moon. I also e-met some cool people as a result.

Re resources as you imply there is an infinite amount - but in TTEM spirit why not start with Rob's webpage - its a great place to start (under the links). And/or post some dumb or newbie Qs in the Reiki section...

As to my reference - at Level 2 reiki one gets introduced to some symbols to modify/format (insert one of a thousand speculative words that reiki-ers will argue till they die about lol) the energy... The second symbol is for "emotional and mental" healing (hence its relevance to not liking DSIX (clearly a blockage of that nature  )).

And merit for asking for clarification - the mark of a learning mind... its quite easy just to skim over concepts/words one hasn't met... and then of course one just rests with what one knows and never pushes into what one doesn't 

[Dedroidify]

Hehehe, Janeway had the biggest balls of any captain! :p
As for DS9, I just hated the Ferengi :p
(opinions and a-holes ;p lol)

Thanks for the linkies, will endulge after I get back from the library. (edit: just checked and they have a few reiki books, I'll pick one up!)

Ah the learning mind! I wish there was a pause button ;p Nice compliment, ya gotta love this place!