Bl ac k Boo k of Fo rbidde n Kn ow ledge
Lucid Dre ami ng
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS LUCID DREAMING?
Lucid dreaming is a state in which the sleeper becomes alert and
conscious that he or she is dreaming. The imagery in this state is
reported to be more vivid than in non-lucid states, and it is
difficult to distinguish between the dream and reality. The dreamer
is able to control what is dreamed.
Lucid dreaming has formed the central core of virtually every
shamanic and mystical practice throughout history. It allows the
shaman to visit the spirit realms to gain healing power and insight.
In the East, lucid dreaming has long been seen as a signpost on the
way to enlightenment.
The Goldi shamans of Siberia guide dying or dead subjects through the
realms of the otherworld through lucid dreams. Native Americans rely
upon conscious dreaming for their vision quests, and consider dreams
to be central to life itself, and the foundation of all spiritual
matters.
The Australian Aborignes are the oldest lucid dreamers, but the
Tibetan shamans have carried the process of lucid dreaming more
exactly into the realm of mysticism. In 12th century Tibet there
arose famous schools of Dream Masters who appeared to use lucid
dreaming as a powerful method of meditation, which was reported to
speed up the process of enlightenment. The Tibetan shaman was always
"chosen" through a lucid dream, which transformed the dreamer into a
new being.
Many Western subjects entering lucid dreaming for the first time
report experiencing nothing comparable in the whole of their waking
lives, feeling as if they had been radically changed by the event and
mysteriously transformed. The essential purpose of lucid dreamwork is
ultimately to wake up. Lucid dreaming helps us understand that we are
just as asleep when we think we are awake, as we are in dreams.
PART ONE: Brain States
The sleep cycle is made up of numerous clearly definedstages. The
first is a transitional state called the hypnagogic, which is the
feeling of floating off, sometimes accompanied by vivid or
psychedelic images. At this point the brain is in alpha, which then
gives way to the slower and more rhythmic theta waves of light
slumber. These are joined by rapid bursts of brain activity (spindles
and K-complexes). About 20 minutes after the beginning of the sleep
cycle, the large and relatively slow delta waves take over. This is
the deep plunge into the void of sleep.
The quiet phase and the active phase are the two main stages of
sleep, and can be distinguished by differences in biochemistry,
physiology, psychology, and behavior. The quite phase occurs during
deep sleep and is known as "S" sleep, as it is characterized by slow
wave EEG. This Delta pattern takes up most of our sleeping time, thus
the "S". It is the state of restful inactivity, your mind does little
while you breathe slowly and deeply; your metabolic rate is at a
minimum, and growth hormones are released facilitating restorative
processes. When awakened from this state, people feel disoriented and
rarely remember dreaming
However the second type of sleep pattern, REM (rapid eye movement) is
the sleep state that pertains to lucid dreaming. REM sleep or "D"
sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements and is often
accompanied by dreams, thus the D. The first episode of REM or D
sleep in adults lasts about ten minutes but can increase to as much
as an hour throughout the night. During REM sleep your eyes move
around rapidly, breathing is quick and irregular, and you dream
vividly. During this activity, your body remains still, because it is
temporarily paralyzed during REM sleep to prevent you from acting out
your dreams.
The length of REM periods increase as the night proceeds, and the
intervals between REM periods decrease. The first REM period usually
lasts about ten minutes, after with the sleeper almost awakens before
stage two. The cycle is then highly variable with each individual.
Usually the complete REM/non REM cycle lasts about 90 minutes, with
the dreamer experiencing four to five cycles of sleep each night.
During the last two hours of sleep the REM has increased from ten
minutes to as much as one hour.
Therefore "dreaming sleep" accounts for as much as 20 percent of our
sleeping life. We spend as much as five years in dreamworlds, and
experience over 150,000 dreams in a lifetime. During the last several
decades, sleep researchers have discovered that for every 100 persons
in REM sleep, over 80 percent will remember a dream if awakened. REM
is clearly a unique brain state, though it is similar to the waking
state in EEG activity. This may explain why dreams seem so real.
While other structures in the brain are involved in sleep, the
neocortex is a major brain area involved in the production of dream
images and experiences.
PART TWO: How to Induce a Lucid Dream
a) How to schedule your efforts for best results
Most lucid dreams happen in the late morning hours of sleep. If you
normally sleep for eight hours, you will probably have six REM
periods with the last half occurring in the last quarter of the
night. The probability of having a lucid dream in the last two hours
of sleep is more than twice as great as the probability of having a
lucid dream in the previous six hours.
If you are serious about lucid dreaming, you should arrange at least
one morning a week where you can stay in bed several hours longer
than usual. If you can©t afford more time in bed, there is a simple
secret to increasing your lucid dreaming that requires no extra
sleep.
If you are serious about lucid dreaming, you should arrange at least
one morning a week where you can stay in bed several hours longer
than usual. If you can©t afford more time in bed, there is a simple
secret to increasing your lucid dreaming that requires no extra
sleep.
b) Techniques for Lucid Dreaming
Carlos Castaneda is instructed in one of his books that the best way
to have a lucid dream is to shift the attention while dreaming. His
teacher advises him to look for his hands or feet during the dream,
which will help him remember that he is dreaming, and have access to
using his dream body. The technique does work, although it may take
many trials before a person actually remembers to look at the hands
or feet while they are dreaming.
Training Protocol for Lucid Dreaming.
Should be practiced each night before going to sleep.
1. Play relaxing music on low volume. Lie down and close eyes. Lie on
left side if comfortable, if not, gently touch forefinger to thumb of
each hand and let hands rest by side.
2. Listen to tape and do some deep breathing (Noise Removal Breathing
p.87 & Level One Breathing p.86).
3. Imagine and feel a point of white light in middle of forehead.
Sense it radiating its light in front of the brain and directly in
front of you.
4. Imagine and feel you are walking along a deserted beach at
twilight. Notice the sky, moon, stars. As you walk, sense the point
of white light on forehead, look down at hands and feet. Rotate hands
and look at them in the light of the moon and stars.
Next, imagine you reach the entrance to an underground cave. Walk
down seven stairs, reach out to open the door and look at hand. Walk
into a cavernous room with many doors. Atmosphere of calmness and
peace.
You will find yourself drawn to one of the doors. Know that your
chosen door holds something of value behind it. As you walk towards
the door, feel the point of light, and glance down at the hands and
feet. When you open the door, look at your hand. Enter the next room
and explore everything - the people or beings you find there may be
metaphorical. You may talk to anyone. As you explore, occasionally
glance at hands or feet and feel the point of white light on the
forehead.
After exploring the room, return to the first room and the entrance
that leads to the stairs. Open the door and walk to the beach. Bring
awareness back to physical body, and slowly open eyes.
Preparation for Lucid Dreaming
1. Lie on left side if it feels comfortable as above.
2. Close eyes, deep breathing (or Level One Breathing).
3. Imagine point of white light in forehead.
4. As your awareness rests on this point, say to yourself silently:
"I intend to have lucid dreams tonight. I recognize when I am
dreaming and I am able to move freely in my dream body." (Can use any
similar statement).
5. Continue to keep mental focus gently at point of light in the
middle of forehead. When you feel yourself drifting off to sleep, let
go of the focus.
You may change body position throughout the night. When you catch
yourself dreaming, remember the point of light in forehead, and to
look at hand or feet.
DREAM-INITIATED LUCID DREAMS (DILDs)
Critical State Testing: Ask yourself whether you are awake ordreaming
throughout the day, so that you can get into the habit of asking the
same question while you are dreaming. It is important to ask the
question "Am I dreaming or not?" at least five to ten times a day,
especially in situations that are dreamlike, or remind you of your
dreams. It is also good to ask the question at bedtime. Don©t just
automatically ask the question and mindlessly reply, "Obviously I©m
awake," or you will do the same thing when you are actually dreaming.
Look around for oddities that may indicate you are dreaming, and
think back over the events of the past several minutes. If you had
trouble remembering what happened, you may be dreaming.
State Testing: Don©t ask other people in your dream whetheryou are
dreaming, because they will often reply that you©re not. The best way
to check if you©re dreaming is trying to fly. Hop into the air, and
if you stay there, you©re dreaming. You can also read something, look
away and see if the text has distorted in any way when you look back.
Another method is to look twice at a digital watch, because they
never behave correctly in dreams. Don©t use an analogue watch to
check because they can tell dream time quite believably.
You may discover that any time you feel the genuine need to test
reality, this in itself is proof enough that you©re dreaming, as when
we©re awake we almost never seriously wonder whether we are in fact
awake or dreaming.
Intention Technique:
1. Resolve to recognize dreaming - In the early hours of the morning,
or if you wake in the night, clearly affirm your intention to
remember to recognize the dream state.
2. Visualize yourself recognizing dreaming - Visualize yourself in
dream situations that would normally make you realize you are
dreaming.
3. Imagine carrying out an intended dream action - Resolve to carry
out a particular action in a dream, e.g. see yourself flying, knowing
that you are dreaming.
The Mild Technique - Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams
Prerequisites: It is necessary to have or develop the ability to
remember future intentions using your mental capacity only, rather
than relying on external reminders such as lists.
MILD TECHNIQUE
1. Set up dream recall - Before going to bed, resolve to wake up and
recall dreams during each dream period throughout the night (or when
you wake up in the morning).
2. Recall your dream - When you awake from a dream period, no matter
what time it is, recall as many details as possible from your dream.
3. Focus your intent - While returning to sleep, concentrate on your
intention to remember to recognize that you are dreaming.
4. See yourself becoming lucid - At the same time, imagine that you
are back in the dream from which you have just awakened, but this
time you recognize that it is a dream. Find a dream sign (something
odd or bizarre in a dream that alerts you to the fact that it©s a
dream) and say to yourself, "I©m dreaming!" and continue your
fantasy.
5. Repeat - Repeat steps 3 and 4 until your intention is set, then
let yourself fall asleep. If your mind strays while you are falling
asleep, repeat the procedure so that the last thing in your mind as
you fall asleep is your intention to remember to recognize that you
are dreaming.
Commentary - If it takes you a long time to fall asleep while
practicing this method, don©t worry. The longer you are awake, the
more likely you are to have a lucid dream when you eventually return
to sleep. This is because the longer you are awake, the more times
you are likely to repeat the MILD technique, and therefore reinforce
lucid dreaming. If you are a very heavy sleeper, you should get up
after memorizing your dream and engage in ten to fifteen minutes of
any activity involving full wakefulness, ie. turn on light, read a
book etc. Write down the dream and read over it, ooking for dream
signs.
WAKE-INITIATED LUCID DREAMS (WILDs)
This involves falling asleep consciously.
Attention on Hypnagogoc Imagery - This is the most common strategy
for inducing WILDs and involves focusing on the hypnagogic imagery
that accompanies sleep onset, e.g. flashes of light, geometric
patterns.
HYPNAGOGIC IMAGERY TECHNIQUE
1. Relax completely - Go through relaxation of every part of body,
deep breathing etc.
2. Observe the visual images - Focus attention on the images that
appear before the mind©s eye, watching how the images begin and end.
Observe the images delicately, and allow them to be passively
reflected in your mind as they unfold. Do not attempt to hold on to
the images, just observe and let them pass. At first there will be a
series of disconnected, fleeting patterns and images, which will
eventually develop into scenes.
3. Enter the dream - When the imagery becomes a moving, vivid
scenario, you should allow yourself to be passively drawn into the
dream world. Do not try and enter the dream scene. Be careful of too
much involvement and too little attention, and don©t forget that you
are dreaming now.
Commentary - Step 3 is the most difficult. The challenge is to
develop a delicate vigilance, an unobtrusive observer perspective,
from which you let yourself be drawn into the dream, rather than
trying to participate in it yourself. Another risk is that the world
can seem so realistic in the dream that it is easy to lose lucidity.
A suggested prevention against this is to resolve to carry out a
particular action in the dream, so that if you momentarily lose
lucidity, you may remember your intention to carry out the action and
regain lucidity.
TIBETAN WHITE DOT TECHNIQUE
1. Before bed
A) Firmly resolve to recognize when you are dreaming.
B) Visualize in the throat chakra the syllable "ah", red in color and
vividly radiant.
C) Mentally concentrate on the radiance of the "ah". Imagine that the
radiance illuminates everything in the world and shows it as being
unreal or dreamlike.
2. At dawn
A) Practice deep breathing several times, rounding out the abdomen as
you inhale.
B) Resolve eleven times to comprehend the nature of the dream state.
C) Concentrate on a dot of pure white situated between the eyebrows.
D) Continue to concentrate on the dot until you find that you are
dreaming.
Commentary
According to yogic doctrine, each chakra has a special sound or "seed
syllable", which is "ah" for the throat chakra. This is viewed as the
symbolic embodiment of Creative Sound, the power to bring a world
(conceptual or otherwise) into being.
BLACK DOT TECHNIQUE
1. Before bed
A. Meditate on the white dot between your eyebrows.
2. At dawn
A. Practice deep breathing 21 times.
B. Make 21 resolutions to recognize the dream.
C. Then, concentrate your mind on a pill-sized black dot at the root
chakra (base of genitals).
D. Continue to focus on the black dot until you find you are
dreaming.
COUNT YOURSELF TO SLEEP TECHNIQUE
1. Relax completely- While lying in bed, close eyes and relax
completely. Breathe deeply, enjoy feeling of relaxation, let go of
thoughts and worries.
2. Count to yourself while falling asleep - As you are drifting off
to sleep, count to yourself,"1, I©m dreaming; 2, I©m dreaming..." and
so on maintaining vigilance. You may start over after reaching 100.
3. Realize you are dreaming - After continuing this for some time
you©ll be saying "I©m dreaming," and you will notice that you are
dreaming.
Commentary - Saying the "I©m dreaming" isn©t strictly necessary, the
counting works just as well to retain sufficient alertness in
recognizing dreams for what they are. You can progress rapidly if you
have someone watching, who can wake you up and ask you what number
you reached if you appear to have fallen asleep. The observer can
tell you are asleep by slow, pendular movements from side to side of
theeyes, minor movements of lips, face, hands, feet and other
muscles, and well as irregular breathing.
THE TWIN BODIES TECHNIQUE
1. Relax completely - After awakening from a dream lie on back or
right side with eyes closed. Tighten and relax whole body, breathe
deeply etc. Let go of other thoughts and affirm intention to enter
dream state consciously.
2. Focus on your body - Focus attention on each part of body and
notice how it feels, watching for vibrations or other strange
sensations. When these sensations arrive, following will be a
complete paralysis of the body. You are then ready to leave the
paralyzed physical body and enter the dream body.
3. Leave your body and enter the dream - As soon as the physical body
is in a profound state of sleep paralysis, you are ready to go. This
paralyzed physical body has a moveable twin, called your dream body.
Imagine yourself in your dream body, rolling or floating out of your
physical body. Jump, crawl or fall out of bed. Sink into the floor.
Fly through the ceiling. This is lucid dreaming.
Commentary - As soon as you step out of bed, remember that you are in
a dream body, and everything around you is a dream too, including the
bed and the sleeping body you just hopped out of. You can verify
whether you are floating in your astral body by using some tests:
1)Try reading the same passage from a book twice;
2)look at a digital watch, look away, then look back a few seconds
later.
c) Preventing Premature Awakening
When the lucid dream is threatened by wakening, it is usefulto carry
out some form of dream action as soon as the visual part of the dream
begins to fade, e.g. listening to voices, music or your breathing;
beginning or continuing a conversation; rubbing or opening your
(dream) eyes; touching your dream hands and face; touching objects or
being touched; flying. Another technique is to look at the ground.
DREAM SPINNING
1. Notice when the dream begins to fade - The visual sense is the
first to go when a dream fades, with touch being the last. The dream
may begin to lose color, clarity and realism, and take on a cartoon-
like appearance. The light may grow dim or your vision weaker.
2. Spin as soon as the dream begins to fade - As soon as you notice
the dream fading, stretch out your arms and spin like a top with your
dream body. You can spin any way you like, but you must feel the
vivid sensation of movement in your dream body, not just imagine it.
3. While spinning - remind yourself that the next thing you see will
probably be a dream.
4. Test your state wherever you seem to arrive - Keep spinning until
you find yourself in a stable world, you will either still be
dreaming or will have awakened. Carefully test which state you are
in, i.e.read a text, look at a digital watch.
Commentary - Frequently dream spinning creates a new procedure, or
the just-faded dream may be regenerated. By repeatedly reminding
yourself that you©re dreaming during the spinning, you can continue
to be lucid in the new dream scene. If while you are dream spinning
your hand hits the bed, don©t automatically think you©ve woken. If
you©re spinning in your dream body, then it is a dream hand and a
dream bed.
d) Lucid Dreaming for Problem Solving
1. Formulate your intention - Before you go to bed, think of a short
phrase about what you want to dream about, e.g. "I want to visit San
Francisco, or "I want to tell my friend I love her." Write down the
phrase and perhaps illustrate it, and memorize the image. Underneath
the target phrase, "When I dream of (the phrase) I will remember that
I am dreaming."
2. Go to bed - Without doing anything else, turn out the light and go
straight to bed.
3. Focus on your phrase and your intention to become lucid - Recall
the phrase and picture, and visualize yourself dreaming lucidly about
it. Meditate on the phrase and your intention to become lucid until
you fall asleep, letting other thoughts pass.
4. Pursue your intention in the lucid dream - Carry out your
intention while in a lucid dream. Ask what you want to ask, do what
you want to do. Be sure to notice your feelings and be observant of
all details in the dream.
5. Remember to awaken and recall the dream - When you achieve a
satisfying answer in the dream, wake yourself up by going back to
your dream bed, blinking or otherwise withdrawing your attention from
the dream. Immediately write down at least the part of your dream
that includes the solution. Even if you don©t think your question was
answered, still write the dream down. You may find on reflection that
the answer was hidden in your dream and you didn©t realize it at the
time.
Lucid Dreaming to Overcome Nightmares
It is useful to confront threatening characters in a dream or
nightmare, and turn it into a lucid dream by beginning your own
dialogue with them. You could ask the following:
"Who are you?"
"Who am I?"
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you acting the way you are?"
"What do you have to tell me?"
"Why is this happening?"
"What do you want from me?"
"What questions do you have to ask me?"
"What do I most need to know?"
"What can I do for you?"
"What can you do for me?"
e) Conversing with Dream Characters
1. Practice imaginary dialogues in the waking state - Chose a recent
dream in which you had an unpleasant encounter with a dream
character. Visualize yourself talking to them, and initiated a
dialogue using the above questions or any of your own. Don©t let
critical thoughts interrupt the flow, such as "I©m just making this
up," or "This is silly." Terminate the dialogue when it runs out of
energy or when you have your resolution. Evaluate what you did right
or would do differently next time.
2. Set your intention - Set the goal for yourself that the next time
you have a disturbing encounter with a dream character, you will
become lucid and engage the character in dialogue.
3. Converse with problem dream figures - When you encounter anyone
with whom you have a conflict, ask yourself whether or not you are
dreaming. If you find that you are, stay and face the character, and
begin a dialogue with one of the opening questions above. Listen to
the character©s responses and try and address their problems as well
as your own. See if you can make friends or reach a resolution. Wake
yourself up while you still remember the dream clearly and write it
down.
4. Evaluate the dialogue - Ask yourself if you achieved the best
result you could, or how you could improve it next time.
PART THREE: COMMON QUESTIONS ON LUCID DREAMING
Q:If dreams are messages from the unconscious mind, will consciously
controlling dreams interfere with this important process, and deprive
me of the benefits of dream interpretation?
A: Dreams are not letters from the unconscious mind, but experiences
created through the interactions of the unconscious and conscious
mind. More info from the unconscious is available to us in dreams,
however if dreams were the exclusive realm of the unconscious, we
wouldn©t remember them. You shouldn©t always be conscious in dreams
any more than you should always be conscious of what you are doing in
waking life. However, if your actions are taking you in the wrong
direction (in dreaming or waking), you should be able to "wake up" to
what you are doing wrong and consciously redirect your approach.
As for the benefits of dream interpretation, lucid dreams can be
examined as fruitfully as non-lucid dreams. Lucid dreamers can even
interpret their dreams while they are happening.
Q: Will the efforts of learning lucid dreaming lead to sleep loss,
and will I be more tired from being awake in my dreams?
A: Dreaming lucidly is as restful as dreaming non-lucidly. Lucid
dreams are often positive experiences and leave you feeling more
invigorated. How tired you feel depends on what you did in the dream.
You should practice lucid dreaming when you have the time and energy
to devote to the task. If you are too busy to allot more time to
sleeping, or to sacrifice any of the sleep you are getting, it©s
probably not a good idea to work on lucid dreaming right now. Lucid
dreaming requires good sleep and mental energy for concentration.
Once you learn the techniques, you should reach a point where you can
have lucid dreams whenever you wish just by reminding yourself to do
so.
Q: Will practicing lucid dreaming affect my psychotherapy?
A: Lucid dreaming can be instrumental in psychotherapy, however if
you are in psychotherapy and want to experiment with lucid dreaming,
talk it over with your therapist. Make sure your therapist is well-
informed on the subject of lucid dreaming, and understands its
functions and implications.
Gathered from the Web and published in eBook format by ShadowTech Inc.
http://www.shadowtech.biz
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