WeAreTheKey

A lucid dream, also known as a conscious dream, is a dream in which the person is aware that he or she is dreaming while the dream is in progress. During lucid dreams, it is possible to exert conscious control over the dream characters and environment, as well as to perform otherwise physically impossible feats. Lucid dreams can be extremely real and vivid depending on a person's level of self-awareness during the lucid dream.

A lucid dream can begin in one of two ways. A dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD) starts as a normal dream, and the dreamer eventually concludes that he or she is dreaming, while a wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) occurs when the dreamer goes from a normal waking state directly into a dream state with no apparent lapse in consciousness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream


http://www.lucidipedia.com

http://www.lucidity.com

http://www.dreamviews.com


I personally have never had such a thing happen to me, any time I even mention the word dream or the concept of dreaming while doing so, I wake up almost immediatly before it can set in.. Kinda sucks but I guess maybe if I intentionally tried I would be potentially more successful...

Given the definition of lucid dreaming being a knowing that you are in a dream, I believe there are different kinds of lucid dreams, some more extreme than others. I have had some dreams were you realize you are dreaming, but feel somehow removed from the dream as if you were watching a movie. A couple rare times though, I knew I was dreaming but felt deeply involved in it. The colors were getting brighter and I could feel the wind through my hair or sun on my face. I remember feeling intensely emotional and alive. I don't know much about lucid dreaming, but wonder if lots of people have experienced different types of dreams that could be considered lucid.

I am curious why the mind deems it necissary to convince the dreamer that it is in a real environment, rather than allow the mind to become aware... From the few accounts I have heard of it seems that when the realization begins the dream realm becomes clearer and more intense.. which usually results in either waking up or being convinced that it isnt a dream, that it is reality..
Safety mechanism or other worldly master scheme?

Yeah, why can't we just dream for a little while and be aware of it? I've watched a dream slip away from me just when it was as vivid as I thought it was going to get, and enjoying the dream too. As the dream slipped away it was a little like "noooooo". I wanted to check things out, talk to people in my dreams. Maybe even walk into a store, see what kind of bizzare things were on the shelf, and then see if I actually had any money in my pocket. It would be neat to fish in your pockets and see what kind of things you could pull out. Like if you thought of a puppy with pink fur, could I pull that out of my pocket? What is it about realizing you're dreaming that makes it all fade away? Maybe you have to be in a certain level of consciousness to lucid dream and that consciousness is closer to awake than other dreams. So, the more aware you are that you are dreaming, the more awake you really are. When you are asleep, I think a certain part of your brain that you use all day is resting and really needs that rest. That is your everyday consciousness. This is when another part of your brain gets some activity. And since your everyday consciousness is sleeping you are not aware what is actually happening. Your sleeping consciousness simply does not have the same characteristics as the one you use for rational thought when you are awake. This is my hypothesis. I will further hypothesize that it is possible with practice to lucid dream longer and more frequently. You would probably be more tired the next morning than usual though.

You're right, Carmania, it IS possible with practice and effort to become better at lucid dreaming, and to do it more often.
When I first got into the idea of lucid dreaming, I would always be so shocked by the realization that I was dreaming, that I would wake myself up, but after time, and reading some books about it, I was able to have some dreams where I realized what was happening, and I made a conscious decision to stay calm and just look around, take it easy and let it sink in. It doesn't work all the time though. Stuff is still weird and it ALWAYS keeps trying to convice you that you aren't REALLY asleep. It's so incredible what the mind can do to create a false reality that looks so real.
Don't be fooled, damnit! If you're wondering if you might be dreaming, you ARE! :)

i think i'm a lucky man in this respect...probably 70% of my dreams are lucid. honestly i have a hard time even drawing the line between lucid and non- because basically every dream i have i am in control of myself, even tho i'm not necessarily aware that i am dreaming.

i have no problem dreaming lucidly from a sleep state, but it's even easier if i wake up from a dream and just go back to sleep while thinking about the dream, as it usually always puts me right back roughly where i left off only i'm in total control at that point.

sometimes i fly, sometimes i'm invincible, but generally i just do the sort of things i would ordinarily do. i find it interesting that you're not supposed to be able to do certain things in dreams....use lightswitches, read anything, etc, but i can usually do these things. reading in dreams is hard, but doable; however i find if i look away from what i'm trying to read then it simply says something different when i look back. strange.

so for those who try to dream lucidly, what are your goals? what is it you expect to accomplish, or are you just interested in the "wheeeeeee!" factor?

and on a sort of side note, i often have a problem while i'm chasing something in a dream where i start to get tunnel vision and i can no longer really see- so i hold still for a moment, concentrate on opening my eyes so that i can see properly, and poof- my eyes open and i can see whatever i happen to be pointing at in my room or wherever because i have literally opened my eyes but i'm still dreaming. this usually wakes me up because its so weird, but sometimes i can close them again and resume the lucid dreamstate.

"every dream i have i am in control of myself, even tho i'm not necessarily aware that i am dreaming. "

Lucid dreaming is not the state of being in control of yourself and your actions, which most people generally feel they are.
Lucid dreaming is the state of being aware that you are dreaming, and is quite difficult for people to achieve, even when they are experienced at them.

Some people may desire lucid dreams just for the "fun" aspect of it, but what many people, myself included, find so fascinating about it is simply the ability to experience your subconscious consciously, since you don't really 'think' your surroundings into existence, they're just already there, yet you can walk up to them, inspect them, pick them up, do whatever you want while your subconscious creates it in real time. It's a very interesting way to explore your mind, and since there are no real physical limitations, you can test the limits of your mind's abilities, like trying to acquire 360 VISION! Or visit the center of the sun, or try to duplicate yourself and have a conversation with yourself, or fuse with inanimate objects, or have a lucid-dreaming partner and try to meet lucidly in a shared dream and exchange secret code-words, then see if they know the word when you wake up, etc, etc.... There are infinite things you can do once you are aware of the dream-state and begin the dance with the hidden parts of your mind.
I think it's one of the most incredible things humans are capable of doing, and it really unlocks the brain for us to experience in a whole new way. It's awesome!

Now, if you really get to 70% of actual lucid dreams, then you're very lucky indeed! Also, it's not that reading is impossible, it generally relates to the size of the text, as small text is always the hardest, and a common test for whether or not you're dreaming IS to look away then look back and see if the text has changed! So you're already on to that one it seems. Lightswitches often don't work because it's hard to change something like total darkness into a fully lit, detail-filled room. Of course, anything is possible in dreams but generally, these are good tell-tale signs that you're dreaming.
I recommend EVERYONE get into lucid dreaming. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.

huh, i didn't realize that was the case. so you have to know you're dreaming, eh?

i dunno, for the most part when dreaming lucidly i feel like it's hard work- i have to focus a lot on what's going on or it starts to fall apart and not really make any sense. how to explain it- it's like the world around me sometimes tries to unravel or fall apart, or just generally becomes too chaotic at which point i generally just wake myself up and try again.

i'm content to fly in my dreams. it's pretty much the best thing ever, even tho it's tiring- i have to focus and concentrate on a level that makes it a brain workout. but totally worth it.

Finally had a brief moment of Lucidity, followed by memory loss of what happend...

Excited I am, though I wish I could remember what happend after the initial awarenss/calm.