Lucid Dreaming – The Basics
Salepage : Lucid Dreaming – The Basics
The skill of being cognizant within your dreams is known as lucid dreaming. A lucid dream occurs when you realize, ‘Aha! I’m having a dream! while you’re still sleeping You may communicate with and guide your unconscious mind after you become awake within a dream.
It gives you conscious access to the darkest recesses of your mind, as well as the ability to direct your dreams at will. In a lucid dream, you haven’t awoken – in fact, you’re still sleeping – but a section of your brain has reactivated (the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in case you’re wondering), allowing you to experience the dream state consciously and with self-reflective awareness. When you realize you’re dreaming, you have access to the most powerful virtual reality generator in existence: your mind.
One of the most innovative parts of lucid dreaming, in my opinion, is that it makes sleep enjoyable! It radically alters our relationship with the third of our life we spend sleeping. Sleep is no longer seen as ‘wasted time,’ as some believe, but as a possible training ground for psycho-spiritual growth and a laboratory of interior investigation that makes us more lucidly aware in our waking life.
In truth, the phrase “lucid dreaming” is a bit of a misnomer; it should properly be “conscious dreaming,” because it is the component of conscious awareness that characterizes the experience, rather than its lucid clarity, but we’ll stick with it for the time being.
However, because there is so much confusion about what lucid dreaming is, it’s worth taking a time to look at what it isn’t…
It is not a half-asleep/half-awake condition. You’re in REM (rapid eye movement) dreaming sleep and out for the count in a lucid dream, but part of your brain has gotten reactivated while you’re dreaming, allowing you to experience the dream consciously.
It’s not just a vivid nightmare. Although lucid dreams are frequently extremely vivid, high-definition experiences.
There is no out-of-body experience (sometimes called astral projection). Many lucid dreaming practitioners disagree on this point, but in my opinion, a lucid dream occurs primarily within our own personal mindstream, whereas an out-of-body experience occurs outside of these boundaries.
Lucid dreaming is a dream in which you are aware that you are dreaming. I’m pleased we got that sorted out!
“So, why would we want to dream of clarity?”
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So many psychological issues stem from the fact that we don’t know ourselves. We don’t know what’s going on in our heads; we’re unmindful and oblivious. We learn about ourselves and become more mindfully aware in all states of day and night through lucid dreaming.
Our unconscious minds contain a wealth of knowledge about ourselves and the world around us. This treasure trove is rarely accessed while awake, but once lucid, we gain access to a library of insight that resides in our dreaming mind. We become conscious within the unconscious by lucid dreaming. This opens the door to directly communicating with our own divine potential and seeing how limitless we truly are.
“What are the real advantages of lucid dreaming?”
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There are numerous advantages to lucid dreaming, but in a nutshell, once you become conscious within your unconscious mind, you can make permanent changes to your body and mind while sleeping (much like hypnotherapy).
Among my favorite advantages of lucid dreaming are:
Psychological recovery
Physical recovery
While you sleep, engage in spiritual practice.
Unconscious mind investigation
PSTD treatment and nightmare integration
Increasing and utilizing creativity
Death and dying preparation
improved learning and memory access
Living lucidly and realizing your full potential
Having fun (you can have the most fun in your pyjamas!)
“That sounds great, but how do I do it?”
Now comes the exciting part! It is possible to train yourself to have lucid dreams. It takes some effort, but here are a few pointers to get you started.
The first step is to begin recalling your dreams.
Step two is to write them down so you can learn and become acquainted with their content.
Step 3 is to begin spotting patterns. When you notice, “Oh look, I often dream of being back at school,” you can set a mental trigger telling yourself, “the next time I’m back at school, I know I’m dreaming!” ” Then, the next time you fantasize about returning to school, you’ll think, “Hey! I must be hallucinating! ”
These are just a few pointers to get you started, but if you really want to learn, check out my new book, Lucid Dreaming: A Beginners Guide To Becoming Conscious In Your Dreams, which comes out in February 2015 and is available for pre-order now!