Lucid dreaming is when the dreamer becomes aware he or she is dreaming. The reason depends on the dream. Having a lucid dream allows the dreamer to be able to control the dream.
Lucid dreaming can be very difficult to start but can be a very useful experience. Lucid dreamers can use ways and techniques to detect whether or not they are dreaming. The techniques are sometimes called reality checks. Reality checks from Wikipedia:
The only signs detected personally by me are, the light switch, looking in the mirror and looking at the surroundings. I have never been able to tell it was a dream just by the third though. I have noticed lots of changes and not been able to realise it is a dream. I have also looked at the time in a dream but not noticed anything out of the norm. Light switches in dreams for me tend to make the bulb change but the room stay the same or when I look away and look back at the room the light has changed. Looking into a mirror I have only managed once and I woke up.
There are also Dream Signs a dreamer can look out for, these are signs he or she is dreaming. Wikipedia includes the following dream actions.
All of the above seem to be very common in dreams and I have not been able to notice I am in a dream from them. I have tried to look at my hands a lot in the day time to try and cause myself to look at them in my dreams. I have had the powerlessness feeling of being unable to walk in an earlier dream.
A direct quote from Wikihow.com, “If you ask people in your dream ‘Am I dreaming?’... most of the time they'll say ‘No.’”. This is interesting because I sort of remember asking someone in a dream something similar and cannot remember the answer. Another quote is, “When recalling a dream upon waking, try not to move. Activating your muscle neurons can make it more difficult to access the parts of your brain that allow you to recall your dream.” I find this very true getting up to go to the bathroom can cause dreams to be forgotten quite quickly.
The Best time I find to have good dreams is early morning around 7 am. I tend to be able to remember them as well. I feel this is because it is close to waking up. I have a category of dreaming which I may add more to.
Further reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream
A how to guide
http://www.wikihow.com/Lucid-Dream
This I was not happy with as I feel it is pieced together in places. I posted it anyway as I quoted it in my next post about a dream I had. Hope it is of some use.
Lucid dreaming can be very difficult to start but can be a very useful experience. Lucid dreamers can use ways and techniques to detect whether or not they are dreaming. The techniques are sometimes called reality checks. Reality checks from Wikipedia:
• The pinch reality check: Pinch any part of your body and if you feel no pain (or if it feels "different" or "obstructed" compared to waking life) then it is a dream.
• The nose reality check: As if crossing your eyes, look down at the bridge of your nose. In a dream, you will not see your nose.
• The nose reality check: Pinch your nose and if you are able to breathe without using your mouth, it is a dream.[34]
• Try to stick your finger through the palm of your hand.[34]
• Looking at one's digital watch (remembering the time), looking away, and looking back. As with text, the time will probably have changed randomly and radically at the second glance or contain strange letters and characters. (Analog watches do not usually change in dreams, while digital watches and clocks have a great tendency to do so.)[35]
• Flipping a light switch. Light levels rarely change as a result of the switch flipping in dreams.[36]
• Looking into a mirror; in dreams, reflections from a mirror often appear to be blurred, distorted, incorrect, or frightening.[36]
• Looking at the ground beneath one's feet or at one's hands. If one does this within a dream the difference in appearance of the ground or one's hands from the normal waking state is often enough to alert the conscious to the dream state.[37]
• Pick up a book and look inside. Often, the pages will be blank, or change after the second look.
• Look at your surroundings. If the placement of the buildings is different from what it ought to be, you are in a dream.
• Look at your clothing. If you are dreaming, there's a good chance that your clothing is out of the ordinary, too small or too large, or not even there.”
The only signs detected personally by me are, the light switch, looking in the mirror and looking at the surroundings. I have never been able to tell it was a dream just by the third though. I have noticed lots of changes and not been able to realise it is a dream. I have also looked at the time in a dream but not noticed anything out of the norm. Light switches in dreams for me tend to make the bulb change but the room stay the same or when I look away and look back at the room the light has changed. Looking into a mirror I have only managed once and I woke up.
There are also Dream Signs a dreamer can look out for, these are signs he or she is dreaming. Wikipedia includes the following dream actions.
• Action — The dreamer, another dream character, or a thing does something unusual or impossible in waking life, such as flying, jumping or running great distances, walking through walls, teleporting/changing the dream setting, or noticing photographs in a magazine or newspaper becoming three-dimensional with full movement.
• Powerlessness — There is a sensational loss of bodily strength. This can mean being unable to move entirely, simply that you are unable to run away from something you otherwise would. This can also include a loss of senses, such as severely limited vision or hearing.
• Context — The place or situation in the dream is strange and includes fictional characters or places.
• Form — The dreamer, another character, or an object changes shape, is oddly formed, or transforms. This may include the presence of unusual clothing or hair, or a third person view of the dreamer.
• Awareness — There is a peculiar thought, a strong emotion, an unusual sensation, a loss of normal logic, or an altered perception. In some cases when moving one's head from side to side, one may notice a strange stuttering or 'strobing' of the image.
• Clocks — The dreamer looks at a clock or watch, looks away, then looks back, and the time could have changed, unintelligible symbols appear on the watch face or even the watch can be gone all together.
• Fingers — The dreamer seems to have an abnormal number of fingers (e.g. more than 5 on a hand).
All of the above seem to be very common in dreams and I have not been able to notice I am in a dream from them. I have tried to look at my hands a lot in the day time to try and cause myself to look at them in my dreams. I have had the powerlessness feeling of being unable to walk in an earlier dream.
A direct quote from Wikihow.com, “If you ask people in your dream ‘Am I dreaming?’... most of the time they'll say ‘No.’”. This is interesting because I sort of remember asking someone in a dream something similar and cannot remember the answer. Another quote is, “When recalling a dream upon waking, try not to move. Activating your muscle neurons can make it more difficult to access the parts of your brain that allow you to recall your dream.” I find this very true getting up to go to the bathroom can cause dreams to be forgotten quite quickly.
The Best time I find to have good dreams is early morning around 7 am. I tend to be able to remember them as well. I feel this is because it is close to waking up. I have a category of dreaming which I may add more to.
Further reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream
A how to guide
http://www.wikihow.com/Lucid-Dream
This I was not happy with as I feel it is pieced together in places. I posted it anyway as I quoted it in my next post about a dream I had. Hope it is of some use.
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