Lucid Dreams

[Snoopy Fan 5,269]

Have you ever had a lucid dream where you’re aware that you’re dreaming?

[Raskolnikov 691]

I used to try to artificially induce that - I never committed to it. It happened once as a teen and it gave me sleep paralysis cos my brain didn't seem to know how to react to being consciously aware it's dreaming... since then I've had numerous lucid dreams over the years, some triggered by strong emotion and others just by me questioning stuff that's 'off'. I can only recall two instances where I've somewhat manipulated dreams in my favour though, the first was the sleep paralysis time and another as an adult, but most of the time I just continue the dream even aware of my state.

Looking in the mirror, at a phone screen, or a book for example, can be clues that can make you question whether you're dreaming - dream logic does not generally know how to process text, computers, or reflections very well. But I can't help with suggesting HOW to question stuff in a dream because when it happens to me it just happens naturally. *shrug* there are techniques to supposedly help you there, but I cannot confirm their credibility.

[Dawnshine Wonder 2,426]

1 hour ago, Raskolnikov said:

I used to try to artificially induce that - I never committed to it. It happened once as a teen and it gave me sleep paralysis cos my brain didn't seem to know how to react to being consciously aware it's dreaming... since then I've had numerous lucid dreams over the years, some triggered by strong emotion and others just by me questioning stuff that's 'off'. I can only recall two instances where I've somewhat manipulated dreams in my favour though, the first was the sleep paralysis time and another as an adult, but most of the time I just continue the dream even aware of my state.

Looking in the mirror, at a phone screen, or a book for example, can be clues that can make you question whether you're dreaming - dream logic does not generally know how to process text, computers, or reflections very well. But I can't help with suggesting HOW to question stuff in a dream because when it happens to me it just happens naturally. *shrug* there are techniques to supposedly help you there, but I cannot confirm their credibility.

In the end, the problem comes down to how much awareness you really have in a dream, a non lucid dream would suggest lack of control as well as perhaps lack of awareness of being in the dream itself, if you don't know you are dreaming, the clues about computer screens, mirrors etc won't make any difference. We need cognitive ability to recognize those clues.

But I do recall my dreams feeling real at the time. Nightmares are scary precisely because we feel threatened by whatever situation our dream is creating.

Dreams are comparable to virtual reality, think of Neo Anderson from the Matrix, he wasn't aware he was inside a computer generated dreamworld until he was told by Morpheus, before that he was too a non lucid dreamer, living out some fantasy where he worked for a corporation within a city inside the computer generated environment, though in both VR and the real world, he retained his knowledge about hacking and programming.

 

[SharpWit 2,805]

Yes, but I have 3 catches to this, two being personal and one theoretical.

The first is that I'm a very go with the flow kind of person, so even when I recognize that something is impossibly different or out of place within a dream, I tend to just go along with it.

The second is that even if I'm in full lucidity, the experience is often short because I tend to wake up. This is good for nightmares where I tend to be directly in harms way, because I can just nope out of there, but bad for enjoyable experiences.

And third, I don't think we're in control of whether we get to be in control within a lucid dream. I don't know the official terminology, but while I'm certain the ability to see things within our mind through recollection, imagination, and dreaming all share a connection, they're different processes.

Something I'd like to know from others, is,

Have you ever have dreams where you're someone else entirely?

Have you ever had dreams that last a significant amount of time within them, such as multiple days having passed in their entirety or longer?

[Raskolnikov 691]

32 minutes ago, SharpWit said:

Yes, but I have 3 catches to this, two being personal and one theoretical.

The first is that I'm a very go with the flow kind of person, so even when I recognize that something is impossibly different or out of place within a dream, I tend to just go along with it.

The second is that even if I'm in full lucidity, the experience is often short because I tend to wake up. This is good for nightmares where I tend to be directly in harms way, because I can just nope out of there, but bad for enjoyable experiences.

And third, I don't think we're in control of whether we get to be in control within a lucid dream. I don't know the official terminology, but while I'm certain the ability to see things within our mind through recollection, imagination, and dreaming all share a connection, they're different processes.

Something I'd like to know from others, is,

Have you ever have dreams where you're someone else entirely?

Have you ever had dreams that last a significant amount of time within them, such as multiple days having passed in their entirety or longer?

I feel you on the "go with the flow" aspect - I feel like some of my lucid dreams were "half lucid" because I figured it out, but didn't really care to do anything with the knowledge and just played along with it. When it's not a personal kinda dream it's just fun in its own way. I've woken up before from becoming lucid too.

I think funnily enough the first time I lucid dreamt as a teen I did try to play God with controlling the dream more (at first I attempted flight if I remember! Which was nice, until The Horrors started). Some other people also have this sleep paralysis experience when they first go lucid too, it's fascinating I'm with you in that I'm not sure how much that is within your control really, but I haven't looked into this stuff since I was a teen and I am kinda curious...

As for your questions, I wish I could remember more, as I have the vague feeling the answer is "yes" to both - but I didn't write the dreams down if so so I only have the faint kinda feeling I've experienced that but the dream memories are massively blurry as to what it was about. Alas, I'd love to give a proper answer lol...

Looking at the lucid dreaming sub, I noticed someone mentioning utilising lucid dreaming for help with PTSD nightmares - I do recall *one* instance of taking control in order to fend off traumatic elements which was neat :]

Funnily enough though, I don't feel such a huge compulsion to actively seek lucid dreaming out. My dreams are generally vivid and wild, it'll come naturally eventually anyway - I like seeing what scenarios my subconscious comes up with without interferring, most of the time. Some people like deliberately meeting people from their past that way etc, but having me artificially induce that would feel 'off' to me... but that's just a personal hangup.

According to this study about 55% of the population have experienced at least one lucid dream in their lifetime, though I wonder if other followup studies have been done...

[Ice Princess Silky <3 16,168]

O wow! New thread?! New thread?! 

*sees the title* 

O... this one... well, mine is a little ....strange 

Lucid dreaming... hmm.. for me to notice I am dreaming -- something SO strange has to happen that even in dream world it is off key. And that rarely happens to me -- I mean, a freakin dinosaur showed up in one, a few days ago and I was just shrugging, like "O, cool. Just blame Luna for this one, or something."

Anyway. A dream in which I realised I was lucid dreaming happened when I was dreaming about a celebrity crush, right? Now, for me to kiss anybody, I would have to have some kind of long history, friendship, bond, connection, etc. Otherwise, I am not interested. In the dream, he wanted to kiss and I tried to think back to any of those things to try to motivate myself to do so, then I realised, "wait a second... I have no memories with this guy. I do not actually know him, he is simply an attractive celebrity. Huh. So, why would I kiss him?" 

That is when it hit me... this was just a really weird dream.

So, I ended up losing complete interest in that moment and found myself pacing around the floor in circles with rather swift steps in some attempts to flap my arms and fly. Come on... lucid dreaming... flying... they go hand in hand! Should just be able to fly with your arms. c:

Then, in my failed and tiring attempts, this troll character appears out of nowhere and tells me "I am going to cause trouble for you!" Then he runs out to the balcony of my home and just jumps off! When I run behind him to see if he is okay, I see that he is. (Because he is, quite literally -- and apparently figuratively -- a troll. But people believe him that he is hurt. And they look up and see me up there, believing that I had pushed him. I sigh with exasperation, completely forgetting that this was a dream again while being flooded with anxiety).  

.. In hindsight, probably should have just kissed the dream guy. :/ 

Other than this... I rarely ever have lucid dreams. Should probably practice some attempts, however. I would like to experience whimsical flying.

[Retro*Derpy 3,203]

I used to do lucid dreaming, I made what I called "logic gates". Which would just be checking how I got to the place I'm at in the dream. For example, if I'm at a waterfall how did I get there? Where's my car? Do I have my keys/wallet? What did I eat for breakfast?... and so on. However I managed to get stuck in a lucid nightmare, and decided not to do any sort of dreaming again, as soon as I realize it I try to snap back awake again.

[Dawnshine Wonder 2,426]

I don't know about everybody else, however I must point out I would not like to have a lucid dream, because otherwise if it's a dream I like to be in, lucid dreams may lead me to recognize it being fake, it depends of course, but some lucid dreamers are able to do this.

But I suppose it's a safer alternative than say, psychedelics, when people start hallucinating, then that is a whole different problem and it usually means there is something fundamentally wrong going on with our brain. Hallucinations would not be a good substitute for dreams. Some people claim to have Near Death Experiences and met spiritual beings, be it God or whoever, but none of that was ever proven. That too is a different issue than dreams people have, because not all dreams were claimed to had been NDE's or out of body experiences. Dreaming itself during times when we are healthy, is a normal part of sleep, with the exception of recurring nightmares, which could indicate a mental health problem.

[Night Sky 608]

I tried to induce "lucid dreams" for years. I read some modern neuroscience, and I read some old school psychoanalytic perspectives on the matter.

In terms of my own subjective experience, I had marginal success, really though I have found all the New Age exercises to be entirely ineffectual for me. 

But, 1.) That's just me and 2.) I practice Yoga and meditation daily, so I am not close minded and generally VERY inclined to try for stuff like this by temperament.

I try to keep Science and Spirituality from going at each other like they so often do.

But, in the case of lucid dreaming, the problem is not with being self aware in dreams, the problem is with being self aware anyway.

An analogy:

The cup your yummy drink is sitting in right now, Topologically speaking, has zero volume. 

To find out in what sense that is true, watch this awesome video;

 https://youtu.be/9Bqg-6nzkzw?si=qKIWkxMLp_gFt5HM

Why do I bring this up here?

Because, things that are obvious to us in our daily experience are not necessarily always obvious mathematically or scientifically. 

One thing dreams and consciousness have in common is that, if you asked us point blank, are you conscious right now? In both situations, we might well answer yes.

Now, there's a debate about whether or not we're actually correct when we assert that. 

I don't actually want to go down that particular rabbit hole per se, but I mention it.

But, even if we side step that debate...

The problem is almost the question itself...

There's no agreement, scientifically or religiously / spiritually about what a dream is or isn't or what consciousness is or isn't.

This becomes enormously complicated, ontologically.

Have I felt that I've had lucid or lucidish dreams?

On a couple of occasions, yes.

I don't think I was able to ever induce that lucid state...lucidly...

This gets tricky.   

 

Edited Wednesday at 01:02 AM by Night Sky

[Fluttershutter 2,668]

I've only really had a few lucid dreams. They're always when I'm having a bad dream and I realize I'm dreaming and make myself wake up.