Art Attack Central

Fixing stuff, myself included…


Dreamer

On New Year’s Eve I had a nightmare; one of those where you keep trying to wake-up, only to find yourself still dreaming, but you don’t quite know it’s a dream as you struggle with the fear, and instinctively push towards the surface. In lucid dreaming terminology this would be classified as a pre-lucid dream, because you are lucid in the sense that you are “trying to wake-up.”

What is a lucid dream?

A lucid dream is a dream in which you know you are dreaming. Eighty percent of the population has experienced at least one lucid dream in their lifetime, and between 10% and 20% of the population are frequent lucid dreamers (2 or more a month). It’s that instant of recognition that qualifies it as lucid. The realization may be brief, or it may last for an extended period of time and include control of the dream.

Can the frequency of lucid dreaming be increased?

Yes, there are techniques which can increase the frequency. Just paying more attention to your dreams in general is a prerequisite to lucidity. Paying attention means keeping a dream journal, keeping it by the bed, and writing down the details of your dreams upon awakening, even in the middle of the night.

What else can I do?

Are you dreaming now?Develop what’s called critical facility. In the jargon of lucid dreaming, critical facility is a questioning attitude towards events/situations/reality. One particular technique for increasing critical facility is to ask yourself the question through out the day: am I dreaming? Look around and see if things are odd or out of place. The more often you do this in waking life the more likely you are to ask yourself the question while you are dreaming and then the answer will be yes!

How can I remember to question myself?

Buy yourself a new bracelet or take one out of the drawer that you never wear. Wear this bracelet all the time, and when you notice the bracelet ask yourself if you are dreaming.

Why would I want to go to all this trouble?

Trust me, once you’ve experienced a lucid dream you’ll know. The moment when you realize that you are dreaming is so exquisite; perhaps it should be described as a mental orgasm. You have to guard against becoming so excited that you wake-up. As you become more accustomed to dreaming lucidly, you will find that the benefits far outweigh the trouble. Nightly adventures await you; so go for it.

“Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open.”

–Lord Thomas Dewar

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