Lucid/Conscious dreaming

[RotavatoR]

Lucid dreaming is dreaming while you know that you're dreaming. This allows you to control the dream, and change anything you want. With a little bit of practice, you can train yourself to become lucid in your dreams, and open a world of possibilities and fun. It's a great hobby that you can do while you sleep. And it's scientifically proven to be possible.

Maybe you already know about this. Maybe this is the first time you've heard of it. Anyways, I think it's a really interesting subject :3

Thoughts about this?

[Victin]

Instead of sleepwalking, I sleepdream.

[Pixelmage]

I studied the subject for a while. Even tried to learn the skill... But failed miserably. Well, not completely as I did have one instance of it. I can share some tips if you guys are interested in trying... It's just that it requires dedication and time to learn, the process is a simple, but long one.

And yes, I did manage it once: It is amazing.

[Victin]

Instead of sleepwalking, I sleepdream.

I say "sleepdream" because I know I'm sleeping and I can control everything around me, but I can't control myself. You see, when you're sleepwalking, you can do pretty much anything you'd normally, but you can't control yourself properly, because you are asleep. That's what happens to me when I usually dream (I don't dream everynight, I rarely dream, except in summer vacation or when I see something that can work as a nightmare fuel). My understanding about the fact I'm on a dream or not is variable (for example, I don't have any kind of control over nightmares, nor I know I'm asleep).

But I've lucid dreamed at least once. After some random dreams I was talking to an anime looking girl when she commented "We need to speak fast. Soon everything will end." Then I realized I was dreaming and tried to do some stuff. I managed to try to touch something, but I didn't feel anything (much to my dream-self sadness) and I flew, but I woke up just after I took off.

A recurring event that makes me wake up when I'm sleepdreaming is the fact that I can't properly see something (for example, at least twice I was trying to use the computer, but I couldn't read what was written on it, althought I knew what site it was and I was able to see the overall site design) and I think "Oh that's right. I can't see because my eyes are closed, duh...", then I open my eyes and wake up.

[RotavatoR]

Instead of sleepwalking, I sleepdream.

I say "sleepdream" because I know I'm sleeping and I can control everything around me, but I can't control myself.

So let me try to give an example of what I think you mean: You could be in a dream where you are walking through a forest, and you are able to change the color of the trees, but not your own body. For example, you can't change where you are going?

I don't dream everynight, I rarely dream, except in summer vacation or when I see something that can work as a nightmare fuel.

Fun Fact: We do dream every night, we just don't remember most dreams. You can improve your dream recall by keeping a dream journal and thinking about dreams a lot.

@Pixel What did you do And what tips do you have?

[Guyshane]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIHGHcTg4rE
Sorry I had to, but in all honesty I wish i could remember my dreams

[narrativedilettante]

I tend to have very vivid, detailed dreams, and I will occasionally dream lucidly. The easiest thing to do once I realize I'm dreaming is to wake up, which is useful in a nightmare, less so if the dream is pleasant or interesting and I want to keep it going. Controlling my own actions in the dream is easy, and if I realize I'm dreaming that can open up possibilities that I wouldn't try in real life. But if I decide to, say, change the setting, it usually doesn't work that well. I find that environments I create intentionally come out flat and unconvincing, as though it's much easier for my subconscious mind to create a detailed environment than it is for my conscious mind.

[Victin]

Instead of sleepwalking, I sleepdream.

I say "sleepdream" because I know I'm sleeping and I can control everything around me, but I can't control myself.

So let me try to give an example of what I think you mean: You could be in a dream where you are walking through a forest, and you are able to change the color of the trees, but not your own body. For example, you can't change where you are going?

I don't dream everynight, I rarely dream, except in summer vacation or when I see something that can work as a nightmare fuel.

Fun Fact: We do dream every night, we just don't remember most dreams. You can improve your dream recall by keeping a dream journal and thinking about dreams a lot.

@Pixel What did you do And what tips do you have?

Nonono. Instead of changing the environment like that, I change the plot and the setting. I can tell what characters will be there and what they'll do, and where. But I don't know what I'm doing. And I partially know I'm dreaming. It's funny to you to mention a forest, 'cause that was the example I was going to tell you about.

That time I dreamt I was in a forest, I was the narrator of some kind of story. I was in a forest at first. Then I decided two people were going to battle. And I decided to make it a Pokémon battle. But then I changed it to another place. With some random characters. A pool, to be exact (from a game). And they were looking for someone else. Ugh... Before I get carried away, long story short, they did a lot of random things. But I wasn't conscient at time. I was telling them what to do, but I couldn't control myself. It's... Hard to explain. Someone who does sleepwalk would explain better, because even thought sleepwalkers can talk with someone, drive, work, et cetera, they have no idea what they are doing.

BTW, I know I dream everynight. I just don't remember it. That's (roughly) what I meant.

If you want to lucid dream, keep a dream journal. It's one of the known hints. I have more somewhere, but I gtg now.

[Sophira]

I've never tried lucid dreaming - not because I'm not curious, but because one thing absolutely terrifies me - the idea of being uncertain enough about which environment you're in (physical or dream) to do tests in each of them to make certain. I'd rather be conscious only in the physical world, otherwise the lines would probably blur too much.

[Pixelmage]

My lucid dream was an awesome one. I was trying for weeks with little success. One night I "woke up" and I was in my room. But everything was black. The sheets, the walls, everything. And there were neon shapes in the walls giving a faint light. I knew at once I was dreaming... I decided to get up... And started free falling through a black void. the room didn't have a floor at all. I got so annoyed that I mentally yelled: "No fair, start this over!". And I was sitting in the bed in the all black room again. ^^ Then I wanted to make sure the floor was there this time... And woke up.

But, as to methods and tips, the dream journal is an awesome one. True. But more importantly is to have a routine and focus. You can't go to sleep 3AM if you want to get a Lucid Dream. And you have to discipline you mind to be aware that "Yes, I do want to remember my dreams, thank you very much". It takes quite a long time to get the effects going. I got frustrated and quit, now I'm back to square one...
But once you get the hang of it... Well, you can have these dreams at will. The more you experience them, the better able you are to get and keep them.

Excitement is bad, but awareness is not. One analogy I read is that Lucid Dreaming is like playing Poker. You don't want to get emotional when you get a winning hand, you just have to ride the emotion without letting it take control of you. Observe, experience, you can enjoy all sorts of dreams once you get the hang of not getting emotional every single time something happens.

[Adell]

I scarcely remember my dreams, so I doubt I'm capable of lucid dreaming.

[Pixelmage]

I've never tried lucid dreaming - not because I'm not curious, but because one thing absolutely terrifies me - the idea of being uncertain enough about which environment you're in (physical or dream) to do tests in each of them to make certain. I'd rather be conscious only in the physical world, otherwise the lines would probably blur too much.

It does not really happen like that though. Once you get the hang of Reality Checking, it becomes seamless. You always assume you're on the real world until out of nowhere you notice your finger crossing through your hand. Then you know you're in a dream.

And there are other methods too. Methods that involve entering the dream from an awake state. That cuts all possible confusion, but it's very very hard to master.

Also guys, I do have a theory of my own... Something I'd like to test, but it's kind of complex to explain, but easy to understand once all the parts are explained... So I don't have the time to post it now, nudge me if you want to know and I forget about it.

[JackAlsworth]

I scarcely remember my dreams, so I doubt I'm capable of lucid dreaming.

Yeah, same here. For all I know, I've been lucid dreaming many times, I just don't remember it.

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

If I can discover, in the dream, that it's a dream, then I gain the ability to influence events. Of course, despite all the crazy stuff going on, it's pretty hard to realize that it's a dream. Once, I figured it out, not because of all the insane things happening and the Escher-like architecture, but by noticing a logical flaw-- the dream was set two years in the future of when I was actually dreaming, and I suddenly realized that I couldn't remember the events of the previous year, "proving" that it was a dream.

[narrativedilettante]

I've never tried lucid dreaming - not because I'm not curious, but because one thing absolutely terrifies me - the idea of being uncertain enough about which environment you're in (physical or dream) to do tests in each of them to make certain. I'd rather be conscious only in the physical world, otherwise the lines would probably blur too much.

I have a simple test I do if I suspect I'm dreaming. From a few feet off the ground, I jump onto a hard surface like concrete. If I feel a slight stinging in my feet, I'm awake. If I don't, I'm asleep. I can simulate a lot of sensations in dreams, including pain, but that particular sort of pain is tricky. I've never gone so far as to actually try this and found that I was awake. Every time I've gone through with it I've been dreaming. (I have actually jumped onto concrete from a few feet up in real life, obviously, or else I wouldn't know what it's supposed to feel like. I've just never done it as a test unless I already suspected I was in a dream, and if I suspect I'm dreaming I usually am.)

And Pixel, I'm curious to hear about this theory of yours, when you have time.

[Genndy Oda C.O.G.]

I always assume I don't dream, and I rationalize it by saying I use up my imagination prior to falling asleep. I know that it's inaccurate, but it's how I prefer it.

[Lordxana0]

Just to say most of the time me having control of my dreams depends on how realistic or fake they are. If a dream doesn't make sense I find it really quickly and for a short time I have control over my dreamscape (I say short in terms of how long I remember having control). But if a dream is more seeped in reality (say I am dreaming about hanging with friends or being on a date) then I will have no idea it is a dream and when I wake up it will take me a few minutes to realize what just happened. So control of my dreams depends on my rational mind managing the chaos and then reshaping it into a different form.

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

You know those dreams that you got up and got dressed and got all ready to leave and then you wake up and you're late and confused?

Well, the other day, I had one of those, except when I woke up, I was an hour EARLY! I was EVEN MORE confused!

[Pixelmage]

That would be a Fake Awakening. Those are very annoying, I imagine.

Well, about my theory. I want to create a Dream Guide. Do you guys now when we get a recurring character or recurring setting in our dreams? My idea is to see whether or not it is possible to craft a permanent entity, one character, that I can summon while asleep.

The reasoning for this is twofold: First, I can use the character as a reality check in and of itself. If it does respond and manifest, clearly I'm dreaming. It's self contained and does not involve any sort of physical action at all. So I don't need to look odd in the middle of a crowded mall, merely calling for the character would tell me whether or not it is a dream. Second, I have a beacon for every instance of the dream. Assuming I'm in a nightmare, the presence of another helpful, known character can stabilize the dream. If the dream space becomes a shapeless blur I could always focus on that character as a homing point.

On the other hand, the idea of creating a second mindset within my own has some, screwy implications. Having such a character could be considered insane behaviour? Is it even possible to stablish a believable entity inside the dream realm by concious will?

I could go to lengths about creating a dream setting. A stable city-like, or house-like place I could use as a homing point to enter the dream world, but such a place has the limitations of being just that, a place. I couldn't profit from interacting with it in different settings, while an independent character could fit both the landmark issue and still be reachable regardless of the setting.

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

I used to have a recurring dream setting. There was this house, with all these awesome rooms and things to discover...

I could explore it for dream after dream, still knowing I had barely scratched the surface, though I always somehow *knew* it was the same house.

[Scarab]

I used to have a recurring dream setting. There was this house, with all these awesome rooms and things to discover...

I could explore it for dream after dream, still knowing I had barely scratched the surface, though I always somehow *knew* it was the same house.

That sounds like an awesome dream

I have always, throughout my life, had recurring dreams with train motifs. Nothing else really recurred I wasn't having the same dream over or over or anything, I just keep running into trains, for some reason.

[Sicon112]

I can sort of lucid dream. When I have the motivation, anyway, which is rarely. Usually I just let my dreams do whatever they want. Every now and then I warp one to test out how a fight scene I'm working on would play out psychically, and Sometimes I make my dreams really recursive with lots of Fake Awakenings just because I'm ASLEEP and it seems like a good idea to me when my mind is barely going.

[Sicon112]

I also have lots of dream continuations for some reason. Not sure why.

[agoraoptera]

Don't remember ever lucid dreaming, but I do enjoy dreams when I can remember them.
... I sleepwalk much more though. I don't know how to curb that. I don't even know why I do that o_o

[The Finch]

Oh, I do that all the time.

I also dream into the future, in which I identify an object from the future in my dream and then a couple days later, I see that object again the way I saw it in my dream.