John Hopton for redOrbit.com – @Johnfinitum
RedOrbit recently looked at hypnagogia, the twilight zone between wakefulness and sleep. Here, in a continuation of investigating sleep phenomenon, we talked to Ryan Dungan Hurd, author of three books on the subject of lucid dreaming. He tells us what it is, how to do it, and why we would even want to.
RedOrbit: For people new to the concept, could you explain what exactly lucid dreaming is?
RDH: A lucid dream is a dream in which you realize you are dreaming. This realization can be momentary, and often precedes waking up from sleep. However, the practice of lucid dreaming involves techniques for staying “lucid” in the dream, which allows the dreamer to make choices and even manipulate the dream content to some degree. Dreamers often delight in flying or seeking out specific dream characters. Although not scientifically recognized until the early 1980s thanks to the work of Stanford University researcher Stephen LaBerge, the practice of lucid dreaming has been noted and practiced for hundreds of years in both Eastern and Western cultures, as well as in indigenous cultures around the world.
RO: So it is something that happens both involuntarily and voluntarily? If it can be made to happen, how can this be achieved?
RDH: Lucid dreams are a natural part of the dreaming process. About 50 percent of people have had a spontaneous lucid dream at least once in their lives. Lucid dreaming appears to be linked to sleep health as well – those who have more awakenings at night and are in general “light sleepers” may find it easier to have a lucid dream. The interesting thing is that most people can induce a lucid dream – this is what Stephen LaBerge and other dream researchers have discovered after 30 years of research.
The methods to induce lucid dreams are not fool proof, by any stretch, but they do work. In general, lucid dreaming induction techniques involve sleep disruption, cognitive and motivational exercises, and the use of assists including nootropics (dream supplements) and technology, such as lucid dreaming light masks.
Cognitive and motivational exercises are key to going “lucid” for many. One popular and effective practice is building prospective memory through the use of repeating a motivational phrase such as “Next time I’m dreaming, I will realize I’m dreaming!” Stephen LaBerge invented a technique he calls MILD (mnemonically induced lucid dreaming) that relies on this basic skill. If you dream repetitively, say of your high school lunch room, you can tie the memory exercise to it, such as “The next time I’m in my high school lunch room, I’m dreaming!” These repetitive scenes and sometimes objects are known as dream signs.
For another example, I often dream of my teeth falling out or being messed up. I’ve trained myself to think “If my teeth are messed up, I’m dreaming.” This is a cognitive habit that then stirs actual lucidity when I reflexively think it in the dream. Studies show that a strong intention or desire to have a lucid dream is also helpful. So it helps to know what you want to do when you wake up in the dream- -and you can develop this into a journaling exercise or simply a mental exercise before sleep.
RO: Are there advantages to lucid dreaming, such as improving or learning skills, taking ourselves on fantastical adventures, possibly even health, and many others?
RDH: Lucid dreaming is applied for many purposes around the world, including self-growth (meeting fears), spiritual growth (prayer and meditation), sports rehearsal (improving athletic performance), sexual discovery (orgasms in lucid dreams are physiologically real), creativity (visual arts, writing, mathematics, scientific discovery), and therapeutic aims (trauma reduction, for example, for those suffering with PTSD).
—–
Follow redOrbit on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.
Comments