Lucid Dreaming Essays - Dream, Lucid Dreams, Stephen LaBerge

Lucid Dreaming Essays - Dream, Lucid Dreams, Stephen LaBerge Lucid Dreaming Roughly one-third of our lives are spent sleeping, and a significant amount of this time is spent dreaming. You have the ability to be conscious, awake, and well.. lucid, in your dreams. Lucid dreaming is dreaming while being aware of being in a dream state. The term ?lucid,? coined by Frederik Van Eeden in 1913, is used in the sense of mental clarity. The basic definition of lucid dreaming is nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming, of which many people have experience of. However, among these people, the amount of control and clarity varies greatly. A low-level lucid dream is one where you know you?re dreaming, but that?s it. In experiencing a higher level lucid dream, you have the power to control, influence, and react to various events and contents of the dream. For those who achieve the state of lucidity, the benefits are potentially enormous. It gives you the chance to experience adventures unsurpassed in everyday life. You can, literally, do anything you wish; the only limits you are bound to are set by your imagination. Lucid dreaming gives us the ability to tap the power of the unconscious, and subconscious mind, giving us a valuable insight into our daily lives. By learning to make the best of the worst situation imaginable, you can overcame nightmares and fears in the waking world. (Gackenbach/Bosveld) There are several techniques for inducing a lucid dream, and The Lucidity Institute, Inc., founded in 1987 by lucid dreaming researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge to support research on lucid dreams and to help people learn to use them to enhance their lives, has created special devices to assist people in achieving lucid dreams. Inducing lucid dreams takes concentration, effort, and time, which some people may not be wanting to sacrifice to learn what they perceive as a ?pointless? skill. The key is perseverance, and you will be successful. Some people have been able to have lucid dreams on the very first night of attempting to do so, however, it has taken others up to a few weeks. This varies greatly from person to person, as people who remember their dreams with greater ease tend to find it easier to have lucid dreams when compared to those who remember only a few every month. However, all is not lost if you fall into the latter category, as increasing dream recall is a fairly easy task to accomplish. One of the best ways to advance your dream recall ability is to keep a journal of dreams, and record them when you first awaken, doing so will train yourself to remember dreams for more than a mere thirty seconds. (LaBerge) Many people confronted with the chance to learn of lucid dreaming ask themselves, ?Why would I want to lucid dream. The most common use of lucid dreams for those who have achieved the skill is for pure fun and adventure. Unlike reality, you are not restricted by the laws of physics, or even the government. There is no need to be afraid of social consequences, because they are non-existent. You can fly, visit other worlds, other times, or even have sex with the most desirable partner you can imagine. There are no limit to the possibilities, except by your imagination. Entertainment is not the only use of lucid dreaming. Because of the strong link between the mind and body during dreams, there is evidence to suggest that dreams can be used for mental and physical healing. (Ziesing) ?Does lucid dreaming interfere with the function of normal dreaming Lucid dreaming is normal dreaming. The body and mind are in the same physiological state as in ?normal? REM sleep. Dreaming is the result of high activity in the brain, but at the same time exists sleep paralysis, which stops us from acting out our dreams, or sleepwalking, by paralyzing our muscles. Your mind creates experiences based solely on your thoughts, fantasies, concerns, and fears. Having the knowledge that you are dreaming allows you, simply enough, to direct the dream experience, like you direct your thoughts while awake. The thinking of dreams being an unconscious act is a close-minded one. Your conscious-self is always present in dreams, if