Lucid Dreaming Research Paper
Ciara Young
Professor Doree Robinson
English 101
22 April 2013
Living Out Your Dreams
“We are asleep. Our life is a dream. But we wake up, sometimes, just enough to know that we are dreaming.” (qtd. in Wikipedia) Ludwig Wittgenstein, a famed Austrian philosopher of the early 20th century (Anat, Matar), acknowledges a mystical level of consciousness that the vast majority of the general population is unfamiliar with. That level of consciousness is none other than lucid dreaming. By definition, a lucid dream is a dream in which one is aware that they are dreaming. (Lucidity Institute) Much unlike a regular dream, a lucid dream enables dreamers to be mentally conscious within their own dream world. They are in addition capable of controlling …show more content…
and manipulating its contents to their advantage, becoming a shape-shifter of sorts. The purpose, advantage, and utilization of this control depend entirely upon the individual. While some wish to modify every molecule of their dream, others may prefer to sit back and enjoy the ride. Lucid dreams have been said to yield benefits to those suffering from nightmares and numerous other mental disorders. Regardless of your interest or lack thereof towards this intricate concept, you cannot deny that lucid dreaming is both enigmatic and significantly beneficial to those suffering from certain disturbances of the mind. However, curiosity alone cannot will you into a lucid state. There are multiple steps and processes involved.
To become a successful lucid dreamer, you must first take the necessary steps to train your brain. For starters, you need to make a habit of asking yourself, while awake, if you are dreaming. Reiterating this question will cause this thought process to become a routine. Once it is instinctual, you will have a better chance of asking yourself this question in your dreams and, in turn, achieving lucidity. Furthermore, it is essential for you to keep a dream journal. Every morning, upon waking, write about the dream you had the night before. Recording your dreams aids the recognition of your frequent dream elements and ‘dream signs’. A ‘dream sign’ is a recurring event or thing unique to your individual dream world. The appearance of a dream sign is an indicator that you are dreaming. Timing is yet another factor. With that being said, I will inform you that there are two stages of sleep, N-REM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). REM sleep is associated with the dreaming process. (National Sleep Foundation) Having established the connection between REM sleep and dreaming, it can safely be assumed that lucid dreaming is also linked. Since REM sleep typically occurs 90 minutes after you fall asleep (WebMD), it would be helpful to set an alarm clock during this time frame. Another valuable fact, proven by various studies and observations, is that one of the most prevalent times to have a lucid dream is during a nap shortly after waking up in the morning. Afternoon naps seemed to bear more favorable results. (Lucidity Institute) Once you are aware of your ‘dream signs’ and have an idea of what time to pursue a lucid dream, you are ready to attempt the MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) technique.
This technique, generated by Stephen LaBerge, a graduate of Stanford University and the father of modern lucid dreaming research, (Lucidity Institute), entails that you utilize it after waking up from a dream. When you wake, try to recollect as much as you can from the dream. Visualize that you are within your previous dream again. Picture yourself becoming lucid and ruminate upon plans for your next, hopefully lucid, dream. Look for ‘dream signs’ as signals that you are no longer awake. (The Lucidity Institute) Repeat to yourself aloud that you ‘will be aware that you are dreaming’ or something to the same affect. Do this until you fall asleep and make sure that no other thoughts impede. The more you picture lucidity and the phrase of your choice is repeated, the greater the likelihood that you will become lucid. Although you now have tools at your disposal to enter lucidity, you have no idea what the experience will feel like.
Luckily, Rebecca Turner, creator of the World of Lucid Dreaming website, does. On her website, she proceeds to elaborate much further than the mechanics of lucid dreams. Being an experienced lucid dreamer, she is able to provide a first-hand account of what it all feels like. Rebecca clarifies that dreams are created entirely from your memory and imagination. When you’re in a lucid dream, everything tends to feel extremely realistic and plays on your senses. A prime example of this is the unique ability to fly in lucid dreams. Although the majority of people haven’t gone skydiving before, you are able to feel with extensive detail the experience that is flying through mid-air. You may feel the sensation of weightlessness, the warmth of sunlight on your face, or even (if you become scared and start to fall) your stomach dropping. She describes the unsolidified nature of the world within a lucid dream. Instead of your awareness being centered in one location, you are able to teleport from place to place using freewill. Unlike normal dreams where fabricated memories can be generated to make your dream scenario more fitting, a lucid dream is rooted in your present self and therefore you are able to regulate memory exposure as needed. Your ability to control your lucidity lies in your expectations. If you do not hold expectations, your subconscious mind will take over and control the dream for you while you watch the dream world morph around you. (Turner) While this is all very exciting, lucid dreaming is not entirely fun and games. It has an exceptional medicinal value.
In the field of psychotherapy, lucid dreaming therapy has provided hope.
Chronic nightmare sufferers have been treated with lucid dream initiation and their symptoms have been shown to decrease. Scientists are unsure whether their improvement was caused by the mere act of lucidity alone or because of the dreamer’s ability to change the nature of their dreams. (Holzinger 221). In 2006, a small-scale study disclosed that lucid dreaming therapy was successful in reducing nightmare occurrence. The treatment given by the study was comprised of introduction to the idea, the practicing of lucidity exercises, and mastery of the process. (Wikipedia) As the preceding scientists were unsure of what exact part of the treatment was responsible, these scientists were stumped as well. Nonetheless, both groups knew that it had …show more content…
worked.
A specific case of lucid dreaming’s curative nature is exemplified by the story of a 39-year old man who had been brought to the emergency room having attempted suicide five times in the past week.
(Been, Garg 583) The man in question was a depressed alcoholic suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, insomnia, and nightmares. He had seen more than a handful of trauma, including but not limited to finding a dead baby in a bathtub, and being one of the first at the scene of a serious car accident where there were two people decapitated. These horrific events correlated with his ongoing nightmares that prevented him from sleep. After trying multiple medications for his addiction, alcohol withdrawal, and relentless nightmares, he became open-minded to alternative treatment. Greg Been and Vikas Garg, of the Mirrabook Mental Health Unit in New South Wales, Australia, provided him with lucid dreaming treatment for his nightmares. Their thought was that teaching him how to lucid dream would permit him to alter the goings-on of his dreams, which would eventually result in breaking the ties between the trauma he had experienced and the negative feelings they evoked. He was then equipped with a copy of the Wikipedia entry on lucid dreaming for informational purposes and told to keep a log of his dreams, falling asleep shortly afterwards picturing them. While picturing the dreams, he was ordered to reconstruct them to include him realizing that he was dreaming within them and
ultimately make his dreams less frightening. Through several days of this routine, he was able to improve his sleep to the point where he could sleep six full hours, without the aid of medication. His nightmares didn’t bother him as much, and furthermore he insisted that lucid dreaming was the primary reason for this change. If nothing else, this brave man’s story should show you just how helpful lucid dreaming is as a treatment method for mental illness, offering a safe and effective alternative to modern medicine.
In short, lucid dreaming is a rare and multi-faceted gem. Some live out lucid fantasies to escape the confines of reality. Some have no real reason other than fascination. Others use it to have therapeutic epiphanies. Whatever your purpose, this magical state of mind is truly something that each and every one of us should explore. There is no need to travel by plane, train, or car. Inside of us lie the most mentally freeing and wild adventures of them all, just a dream away.
Works Cited
Been, Greg, and Vikas Garg. “Nightmares in the Context of PTSD Treated with Psychoeducation regarding Lucid Dreaming.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 44 (2009): 583. EBSCO. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
Biletzki, Anat, and Anat Matar. "Ludwig Wittgenstein." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Edward N. Zalta. Stanford University, 8 Nov. 2002. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Holzinger, Brigitte, “Lucid Dreaming- Dreams of Clarity.” Contemporary Hypnosis Vol. 26.4 (2009): 216-224. EBSCO. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
"Lucid Dreaming FAQ." Lucid Dreaming Frequently Asked Questions Answered by The Lucidity Institute. The Lucidity Institute, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
"REM Behavior Disorder and Sleep." National Sleep Foundation. The National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
"Stages of Sleep: REM and Non-REM Sleep Cycles." WebMD. Ed. Kimball Johnson, M.D. WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Turner, Rebecca. "What Do Lucid Dreams Feel Like?" World of Lucid Dreaming. Creative Media NZ Ltd., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
Professor Doree Robinson
English 101
22 April 2013
Living Out Your Dreams
“We are asleep. Our life is a dream. But we wake up, sometimes, just enough to know that we are dreaming.” (qtd. in Wikipedia) Ludwig Wittgenstein, a famed Austrian philosopher of the early 20th century (Anat, Matar), acknowledges a mystical level of consciousness that the vast majority of the general population is unfamiliar with. That level of consciousness is none other than lucid dreaming. By definition, a lucid dream is a dream in which one is aware that they are dreaming. (Lucidity Institute) Much unlike a regular dream, a lucid dream enables dreamers to be mentally conscious within their own dream world. They are in addition capable of controlling …show more content…
and manipulating its contents to their advantage, becoming a shape-shifter of sorts. The purpose, advantage, and utilization of this control depend entirely upon the individual. While some wish to modify every molecule of their dream, others may prefer to sit back and enjoy the ride. Lucid dreams have been said to yield benefits to those suffering from nightmares and numerous other mental disorders. Regardless of your interest or lack thereof towards this intricate concept, you cannot deny that lucid dreaming is both enigmatic and significantly beneficial to those suffering from certain disturbances of the mind. However, curiosity alone cannot will you into a lucid state. There are multiple steps and processes involved.
To become a successful lucid dreamer, you must first take the necessary steps to train your brain. For starters, you need to make a habit of asking yourself, while awake, if you are dreaming. Reiterating this question will cause this thought process to become a routine. Once it is instinctual, you will have a better chance of asking yourself this question in your dreams and, in turn, achieving lucidity. Furthermore, it is essential for you to keep a dream journal. Every morning, upon waking, write about the dream you had the night before. Recording your dreams aids the recognition of your frequent dream elements and ‘dream signs’. A ‘dream sign’ is a recurring event or thing unique to your individual dream world. The appearance of a dream sign is an indicator that you are dreaming. Timing is yet another factor. With that being said, I will inform you that there are two stages of sleep, N-REM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). REM sleep is associated with the dreaming process. (National Sleep Foundation) Having established the connection between REM sleep and dreaming, it can safely be assumed that lucid dreaming is also linked. Since REM sleep typically occurs 90 minutes after you fall asleep (WebMD), it would be helpful to set an alarm clock during this time frame. Another valuable fact, proven by various studies and observations, is that one of the most prevalent times to have a lucid dream is during a nap shortly after waking up in the morning. Afternoon naps seemed to bear more favorable results. (Lucidity Institute) Once you are aware of your ‘dream signs’ and have an idea of what time to pursue a lucid dream, you are ready to attempt the MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) technique.
This technique, generated by Stephen LaBerge, a graduate of Stanford University and the father of modern lucid dreaming research, (Lucidity Institute), entails that you utilize it after waking up from a dream. When you wake, try to recollect as much as you can from the dream. Visualize that you are within your previous dream again. Picture yourself becoming lucid and ruminate upon plans for your next, hopefully lucid, dream. Look for ‘dream signs’ as signals that you are no longer awake. (The Lucidity Institute) Repeat to yourself aloud that you ‘will be aware that you are dreaming’ or something to the same affect. Do this until you fall asleep and make sure that no other thoughts impede. The more you picture lucidity and the phrase of your choice is repeated, the greater the likelihood that you will become lucid. Although you now have tools at your disposal to enter lucidity, you have no idea what the experience will feel like.
Luckily, Rebecca Turner, creator of the World of Lucid Dreaming website, does. On her website, she proceeds to elaborate much further than the mechanics of lucid dreams. Being an experienced lucid dreamer, she is able to provide a first-hand account of what it all feels like. Rebecca clarifies that dreams are created entirely from your memory and imagination. When you’re in a lucid dream, everything tends to feel extremely realistic and plays on your senses. A prime example of this is the unique ability to fly in lucid dreams. Although the majority of people haven’t gone skydiving before, you are able to feel with extensive detail the experience that is flying through mid-air. You may feel the sensation of weightlessness, the warmth of sunlight on your face, or even (if you become scared and start to fall) your stomach dropping. She describes the unsolidified nature of the world within a lucid dream. Instead of your awareness being centered in one location, you are able to teleport from place to place using freewill. Unlike normal dreams where fabricated memories can be generated to make your dream scenario more fitting, a lucid dream is rooted in your present self and therefore you are able to regulate memory exposure as needed. Your ability to control your lucidity lies in your expectations. If you do not hold expectations, your subconscious mind will take over and control the dream for you while you watch the dream world morph around you. (Turner) While this is all very exciting, lucid dreaming is not entirely fun and games. It has an exceptional medicinal value.
In the field of psychotherapy, lucid dreaming therapy has provided hope.
Chronic nightmare sufferers have been treated with lucid dream initiation and their symptoms have been shown to decrease. Scientists are unsure whether their improvement was caused by the mere act of lucidity alone or because of the dreamer’s ability to change the nature of their dreams. (Holzinger 221). In 2006, a small-scale study disclosed that lucid dreaming therapy was successful in reducing nightmare occurrence. The treatment given by the study was comprised of introduction to the idea, the practicing of lucidity exercises, and mastery of the process. (Wikipedia) As the preceding scientists were unsure of what exact part of the treatment was responsible, these scientists were stumped as well. Nonetheless, both groups knew that it had …show more content…
worked.
A specific case of lucid dreaming’s curative nature is exemplified by the story of a 39-year old man who had been brought to the emergency room having attempted suicide five times in the past week.
(Been, Garg 583) The man in question was a depressed alcoholic suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, insomnia, and nightmares. He had seen more than a handful of trauma, including but not limited to finding a dead baby in a bathtub, and being one of the first at the scene of a serious car accident where there were two people decapitated. These horrific events correlated with his ongoing nightmares that prevented him from sleep. After trying multiple medications for his addiction, alcohol withdrawal, and relentless nightmares, he became open-minded to alternative treatment. Greg Been and Vikas Garg, of the Mirrabook Mental Health Unit in New South Wales, Australia, provided him with lucid dreaming treatment for his nightmares. Their thought was that teaching him how to lucid dream would permit him to alter the goings-on of his dreams, which would eventually result in breaking the ties between the trauma he had experienced and the negative feelings they evoked. He was then equipped with a copy of the Wikipedia entry on lucid dreaming for informational purposes and told to keep a log of his dreams, falling asleep shortly afterwards picturing them. While picturing the dreams, he was ordered to reconstruct them to include him realizing that he was dreaming within them and
ultimately make his dreams less frightening. Through several days of this routine, he was able to improve his sleep to the point where he could sleep six full hours, without the aid of medication. His nightmares didn’t bother him as much, and furthermore he insisted that lucid dreaming was the primary reason for this change. If nothing else, this brave man’s story should show you just how helpful lucid dreaming is as a treatment method for mental illness, offering a safe and effective alternative to modern medicine.
In short, lucid dreaming is a rare and multi-faceted gem. Some live out lucid fantasies to escape the confines of reality. Some have no real reason other than fascination. Others use it to have therapeutic epiphanies. Whatever your purpose, this magical state of mind is truly something that each and every one of us should explore. There is no need to travel by plane, train, or car. Inside of us lie the most mentally freeing and wild adventures of them all, just a dream away.
Works Cited
Been, Greg, and Vikas Garg. “Nightmares in the Context of PTSD Treated with Psychoeducation regarding Lucid Dreaming.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 44 (2009): 583. EBSCO. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
Biletzki, Anat, and Anat Matar. "Ludwig Wittgenstein." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Edward N. Zalta. Stanford University, 8 Nov. 2002. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Holzinger, Brigitte, “Lucid Dreaming- Dreams of Clarity.” Contemporary Hypnosis Vol. 26.4 (2009): 216-224. EBSCO. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.
"Lucid Dreaming FAQ." Lucid Dreaming Frequently Asked Questions Answered by The Lucidity Institute. The Lucidity Institute, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
"REM Behavior Disorder and Sleep." National Sleep Foundation. The National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
"Stages of Sleep: REM and Non-REM Sleep Cycles." WebMD. Ed. Kimball Johnson, M.D. WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Turner, Rebecca. "What Do Lucid Dreams Feel Like?" World of Lucid Dreaming. Creative Media NZ Ltd., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2013.