According to clairvoyant psychics, a lucid dream is a dream in which the dreamer is aware that he is dreaming.
Dutch psychiatrist introduced the concept and author Frederik van Eeden in an article for the journal Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) entitled A Study of Dreams. By 'lucid,' he referred to the lucid state in which the dreamer is.
Background
Lucidity usually begins in the middle of an ordinary dream when the dreamer suddenly realizes that his experiences are not real, usually after something impossible or unusual happens (flying, for example). Some people become lucid with no apparent clue.
The degree of transparency can vary. With a high degree of transparency, the dreamer realizes that the events are happening in his head, that there is no real danger, and that he is actually in bed and can wake up at any moment.
Lucid dreamers often describe their dreams as exciting, colorful, and fantastic. Some consider it a spiritual experience and claim it changed their lives and view of the world. With a low degree of clarity, the dreamer is aware enough to direct the events but insufficient to realize they are not real.
Lucid dreams stick with the dreamer better than other types of dreams, even better than nightmares. Stephen LaBerge, a noted lucid dreaming researcher, has called people who purposefully pursue lucid dreams "oneironauts" (dream travelers).
Although he claims to be the one who first came up with the physiological evidence of lucid dreaming, this is not in line with reality. The English researcher Keith Hearne did it before, but his findings remained within a closed network.
In 1981, LaBerge published a study that showed that people could indicate that they were lucid through eye signals during their dream. The eye signals and brain waves were registered via electrodes, and since then, lucid dreaming has been a scientifically accepted phenomenon.
There are many uncertainties about lucid dreaming, just as there are many unanswered questions about the normal dreaming process. Due to the lack of knowledge on this subject, it is difficult to determine whether or not lucid dreaming counteracts the positive effects of dreams.
There are no known cases where lucid dreaming has caused psychological disorders. After all, it is virtually impossible only to have lucid dreams, and even if one has lucid dreams regularly, the majority of dreams usually remain non-lucid.
A lucid dream is a dream in which the dreamer is aware that he is dreaming
Much research is being done on dream control, especially in lucid dreaming and dream incubation. Lucid dreaming is a learned skill that occurs when you dream, realize your dream and control what happens in your dream - all while still asleep.
It would be cool to be able to master your dreams, but it is a complex skill that usually requires special training. It is estimated that fewer than 100,000 people in Europe can have lucid dreams.
Although lucid dreaming has been mentioned throughout history, it wasn't until 1959 at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University that an effective technique for inducing lucid dreams was developed, and objective research into the phenomenon began.
In 1989, Paul Tholey, a German dream researcher involved in research at that university, described a technique he studied to induce lucid dreaming.
It was called the reflection technique, and you had to ask yourself regularly whether you were awake or dreaming throughout the day. More research has shown that it is necessary to practice recognizing strange events, or dream signs, that would be a sign that "this is a dream" rather than reality.
Stephen LaBerge of Stanford University, founder of The Lucidity Institute, Lynne Levitan, and other current dream researchers have studied lucid dreaming techniques extensively. They refer to a technique similar to Tholey's reflection method, which they call 'reality testing.' This technique and one called MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) are among the most successful techniques for lucid dreaming.
The MILD technique includes similar memories to the reality test method but focuses on those memories at night rather than during the day and night. MILD starts by telling yourself that you will remember your dreams when you bed. You then focus your attention on recognizing when you dream and remember that it is a dream.
Then you focus on re-entering a recent dream and looking for clues that it is indeed a dream. You imagine what you would like to do in that dream. For example, you may want to fly. Imagine flying in that dream.
You repeat these last two steps (recognizing when you are dreaming and entering a dream again) until you sleep. Using this technique, Dr. LaBerge can have lucid dreams at will.
While lucid dreaming may seem like a fantastic way to enter a fantasy land, it also has several uses outside of recreation. For example, according to LaBerge, lucid dreaming can help with personal development, boost self-confidence, overcome nightmares, improve mental (and possibly physical) health, and facilitate creative problem-solving.
Finally, lucid dreaming can function as a 'world simulator.' Just as a flight simulator allows people to fly in a safe environment, lucid dreaming can enable people to learn to live in any world imaginable, experience different possible futures, and choose better.
Getting and Recognizing Lucid Dreams
Many claims to have had lucid dreams in childhood. However, these dreams are challenging to recall consciously. Some universities and Stephen Laberge have developed several different techniques to facilitate this.
It is essential to remember your dreams in the first place. Otherwise, you will not know whether or not you have had a lucid dream. An excellent way to improve dream memory is to keep a dream book: a book in which one writes down as many dreams or parts of them as possible.
It is essential to leave this book next to the bed because the memory usually disappears quickly after waking up. It helps to close your eyes for a while after waking up, lie still, and bring up as many dream memories as possible.
