What is Lucid Dreaming?

[Nick]

Very often we'll have new members ask "What is Lucid Dreaming?". Here's a definition from the Lucidity Insitute:

Lucid dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden  who used the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream, such as flying or meeting the deceased. Sometimes people become lucid without noticing any particular clue in the dream; they just suddenly realize they are in a dream. A minority of lucid dreams (according to the research of LaBerge and colleagues, about 10 percent) are the result of returning to REM (dreaming) sleep directly from an awakening with unbroken reflective consciousness.

The basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming. However, the quality of lucidity can vary greatly. When lucidity is at a high level, you are aware that everything experienced in the dream is occurring in your mind, that there is no real danger, and that you are asleep in bed and will awaken shortly. With low-level lucidity you may be aware to a certain extent that you are dreaming, perhaps enough to fly or alter what you are doing, but not enough to realize that the people are dream representations, or that you can suffer no physical damage, or that you are actually in bed.

Further information can be obtained at http://www.lucidity.com/ or by using the Astral Pulse search engine and the key words lucid dreaming.

[Nick]

Resources

There have  been exercises, techniques and training materials developed and refined to the point where most anyone can learn to have lucid dreams if they are willing to devote time and effort. A number of good books are available from such places as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, as well as dream websites.

Keep in mind that the best books are usually the ones that are well researched. An example would be:  Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge. Try looking at reader reviews at sites like Amazon.com too. The Astral Pulse search engine should yield some member recommendations as well.


Nick