Bl ac k Boo k of Fo rbidde n Kn ow ledge

Lucid Dre ami ng

INTRODUCTION:WHATISLUCIDDREAMING?
Luciddreamingisastateinwhichthesleeperbecomesalertand
consciousthatheorsheisdreaming.Theimageryinthisstateis
reportedtobemorevividthaninnonlucidstates,anditis
difficulttodistinguishbetweenthedreamandreality.Thedreamer
isabletocontrolwhatisdreamed.
Luciddreaminghasformedthecentralcoreofvirtuallyevery
shamanicandmysticalpracticethroughouthistory.Itallowsthe
shamantovisitthespiritrealmstogainhealingpowerandinsight.
IntheEast,luciddreaminghaslongbeenseenasasignpostonthe
waytoenlightenment.
TheGoldishamansofSiberiaguidedyingordeadsubjectsthroughthe
realmsoftheotherworldthroughluciddreams.NativeAmericansrely
uponconsciousdreamingfortheirvisionquests,andconsiderdreams
tobecentraltolifeitself,andthefoundationofallspiritual
matters.
TheAustralianAborignesaretheoldestluciddreamers,butthe
Tibetanshamanshavecarriedtheprocessofluciddreamingmore
exactlyintotherealmofmysticism.In12thcenturyTibetthere
arosefamousschoolsofDreamMasterswhoappearedtouselucid
dreamingasapowerfulmethodofmeditation,whichwasreportedto
speeduptheprocessofenlightenment.TheTibetanshamanwasalways
"chosen"throughaluciddream,whichtransformedthedreamerintoa
newbeing.
ManyWesternsubjectsenteringluciddreamingforthefirsttime
reportexperiencingnothingcomparableinthewholeoftheirwaking
lives,feelingasiftheyhadbeenradicallychangedbytheeventand
mysteriouslytransformed.Theessentialpurposeofluciddreamworkis
ultimatelytowakeup.Luciddreaminghelpsusunderstandthatweare
justasasleepwhenwethinkweareawake,asweareindreams.
PARTONE:BrainStates
Thesleepcycleismadeupofnumerousclearlydefinedstages.The
firstisatransitionalstatecalledthehypnagogic,whichisthe
feelingoffloatingoff,sometimesaccompaniedbyvividor
psychedelicimages.Atthispointthebrainisinalpha,whichthen
giveswaytotheslowerandmorerhythmicthetawavesoflight
slumber.Thesearejoinedbyrapidburstsofbrainactivity(spindles
andKcomplexes).About20minutesafterthebeginningofthesleep
cycle,thelargeandrelativelyslowdeltawavestakeover.Thisis
thedeepplungeintothevoidofsleep.
Thequietphaseandtheactivephasearethetwomainstagesof
sleep,andcanbedistinguishedbydifferencesinbiochemistry,
physiology,psychology,andbehavior.Thequitephaseoccursduring
deepsleepandisknownas"S"sleep,asitischaracterizedbyslow
waveEEG.ThisDeltapatterntakesupmostofoursleepingtime,thus

the"S".Itisthestateofrestfulinactivity,yourminddoeslittle
whileyoubreatheslowlyanddeeply;yourmetabolicrateisata
minimum,andgrowthhormonesarereleasedfacilitatingrestorative
processes.Whenawakenedfromthisstate,peoplefeeldisorientedand
rarelyrememberdreaming
Howeverthesecondtypeofsleeppattern,REM(rapideyemovement)is
thesleepstatethatpertainstoluciddreaming.REMsleepor"D"
sleepischaracterizedbyrapideyemovementsandisoften
accompaniedbydreams,thustheD.ThefirstepisodeofREMorD
sleepinadultslastsabouttenminutesbutcanincreasetoasmuch
asanhourthroughoutthenight.DuringREMsleepyoureyesmove
aroundrapidly,breathingisquickandirregular,andyoudream
vividly.Duringthisactivity,yourbodyremainsstill,becauseitis
temporarilyparalyzedduringREMsleeptopreventyoufromactingout
yourdreams.
ThelengthofREMperiodsincreaseasthenightproceeds,andthe
intervalsbetweenREMperiodsdecrease.ThefirstREMperiodusually
lastsabouttenminutes,afterwiththesleeperalmostawakensbefore
stagetwo.Thecycleisthenhighlyvariablewitheachindividual.
UsuallythecompleteREM/nonREMcyclelastsabout90minutes,with
thedreamerexperiencingfourtofivecyclesofsleepeachnight.
DuringthelasttwohoursofsleeptheREMhasincreasedfromten
minutestoasmuchasonehour.
Therefore"dreamingsleep"accountsforasmuchas20percentofour
sleepinglife.Wespendasmuchasfiveyearsindreamworlds,and
experienceover150,000dreamsinalifetime.Duringthelastseveral
decades,sleepresearchershavediscoveredthatforevery100persons
inREMsleep,over80percentwillrememberadreamifawakened.REM
isclearlyauniquebrainstate,thoughitissimilartothewaking
stateinEEGactivity.Thismayexplainwhydreamsseemsoreal.
Whileotherstructuresinthebrainareinvolvedinsleep,the
neocortexisamajorbrainareainvolvedintheproductionofdream
imagesandexperiences.
PARTTWO:HowtoInduceaLucidDream
a)Howtoscheduleyoureffortsforbestresults
Mostluciddreamshappeninthelatemorninghoursofsleep.Ifyou
normallysleepforeighthours,youwillprobablyhavesixREM
periodswiththelasthalfoccurringinthelastquarterofthe
night.Theprobabilityofhavingaluciddreaminthelasttwohours
ofsleepismorethantwiceasgreatastheprobabilityofhavinga
luciddreamintheprevioussixhours.
Ifyouareseriousaboutluciddreaming,youshouldarrangeatleast
onemorningaweekwhereyoucanstayinbedseveralhourslonger
thanusual.Ifyoucan'taffordmoretimeinbed,thereisasimple
secrettoincreasingyourluciddreamingthatrequiresnoextra

sleep.
Ifyouareseriousaboutluciddreaming,youshouldarrangeatleast
onemorningaweekwhereyoucanstayinbedseveralhourslonger
thanusual.Ifyoucan'taffordmoretimeinbed,thereisasimple
secrettoincreasingyourluciddreamingthatrequiresnoextra
sleep.
b)TechniquesforLucidDreaming
CarlosCastanedaisinstructedinoneofhisbooksthatthebestway
tohavealuciddreamistoshifttheattentionwhiledreaming.His
teacheradviseshimtolookforhishandsorfeetduringthedream,
whichwillhelphimrememberthatheisdreaming,andhaveaccessto
usinghisdreambody.Thetechniquedoeswork,althoughitmaytake
manytrialsbeforeapersonactuallyrememberstolookatthehands
orfeetwhiletheyaredreaming.
TrainingProtocolforLucidDreaming.
Shouldbepracticedeachnightbeforegoingtosleep.
1.Playrelaxingmusiconlowvolume.Liedownandcloseeyes.Lieon
leftsideifcomfortable,ifnot,gentlytouchforefingertothumbof
eachhandandlethandsrestbyside.
2.Listentotapeanddosomedeepbreathing(NoiseRemovalBreathing
p.87&LevelOneBreathingp.86).
3.Imagineandfeelapointofwhitelightinmiddleofforehead.
Senseitradiatingitslightinfrontofthebrainanddirectlyin
frontofyou.
4.Imagineandfeelyouarewalkingalongadesertedbeachat
twilight.Noticethesky,moon,stars.Asyouwalk,sensethepoint
ofwhitelightonforehead,lookdownathandsandfeet.Rotatehands
andlookattheminthelightofthemoonandstars.
Next,imagineyoureachtheentrancetoanundergroundcave.Walk
downsevenstairs,reachouttoopenthedoorandlookathand.Walk
intoacavernousroomwithmanydoors.Atmosphereofcalmnessand
peace.
Youwillfindyourselfdrawntooneofthedoors.Knowthatyour
chosendoorholdssomethingofvaluebehindit.Asyouwalktowards
thedoor,feelthepointoflight,andglancedownatthehandsand
feet.Whenyouopenthedoor,lookatyourhand.Enterthenextroom
andexploreeverythingthepeopleorbeingsyoufindtheremaybe
metaphorical.Youmaytalktoanyone.Asyouexplore,occasionally
glanceathandsorfeetandfeelthepointofwhitelightonthe
forehead.
Afterexploringtheroom,returntothefirstroomandtheentrance
thatleadstothestairs.Openthedoorandwalktothebeach.Bring
awarenessbacktophysicalbody,andslowlyopeneyes.
PreparationforLucidDreaming

1.Lieonleftsideifitfeelscomfortableasabove.
2.Closeeyes,deepbreathing(orLevelOneBreathing).
3.Imaginepointofwhitelightinforehead.
4.Asyourawarenessrestsonthispoint,saytoyourselfsilently:
"Iintendtohaveluciddreamstonight.IrecognizewhenIam
dreamingandIamabletomovefreelyinmydreambody."(Canuseany
similarstatement).
5.Continuetokeepmentalfocusgentlyatpointoflightinthe
middleofforehead.Whenyoufeelyourselfdriftingofftosleep,let
goofthefocus.
Youmaychangebodypositionthroughoutthenight.Whenyoucatch
yourselfdreaming,rememberthepointoflightinforehead,andto
lookathandorfeet.
DREAMINITIATEDLUCIDDREAMS(DILDs)
CriticalStateTesting:Askyourselfwhetheryouareawakeordreaming
throughouttheday,sothatyoucangetintothehabitofaskingthe
samequestionwhileyouaredreaming.Itisimportanttoaskthe
question"AmIdreamingornot?"atleastfivetotentimesaday,
especiallyinsituationsthataredreamlike,orremindyouofyour
dreams.Itisalsogoodtoaskthequestionatbedtime.Don'tjust
automaticallyaskthequestionandmindlesslyreply,"ObviouslyI'm
awake,"oryouwilldothesamethingwhenyouareactuallydreaming.
Lookaroundforodditiesthatmayindicateyouaredreaming,and
thinkbackovertheeventsofthepastseveralminutes.Ifyouhad
troublerememberingwhathappened,youmaybedreaming.
StateTesting:Don'taskotherpeopleinyourdreamwhetheryouare
dreaming,becausetheywilloftenreplythatyou'renot.Thebestway
tocheckifyou'redreamingistryingtofly.Hopintotheair,and
ifyoustaythere,you'redreaming.Youcanalsoreadsomething,look
awayandseeifthetexthasdistortedinanywaywhenyoulookback.
Anothermethodistolooktwiceatadigitalwatch,becausethey
neverbehavecorrectlyindreams.Don'tuseananaloguewatchto
checkbecausetheycantelldreamtimequitebelievably.
Youmaydiscoverthatanytimeyoufeelthegenuineneedtotest
reality,thisinitselfisproofenoughthatyou'redreaming,aswhen
we'reawakewealmostneverseriouslywonderwhetherweareinfact
awakeordreaming.
IntentionTechnique:
1.ResolvetorecognizedreamingIntheearlyhoursofthemorning,
orifyouwakeinthenight,clearlyaffirmyourintentionto
remembertorecognizethedreamstate.
2.VisualizeyourselfrecognizingdreamingVisualizeyourselfin
dreamsituationsthatwouldnormallymakeyourealizeyouare
dreaming.
3.ImaginecarryingoutanintendeddreamactionResolvetocarry

outaparticularactioninadream,e.g.seeyourselfflying,knowing
thatyouaredreaming.
TheMildTechniqueMnemonicInductionofLucidDreams
Prerequisites:Itisnecessarytohaveordeveloptheabilityto
rememberfutureintentionsusingyourmentalcapacityonly,rather
thanrelyingonexternalreminderssuchaslists.
MILDTECHNIQUE
1.SetupdreamrecallBeforegoingtobed,resolvetowakeupand
recalldreamsduringeachdreamperiodthroughoutthenight(orwhen
youwakeupinthemorning).
2.RecallyourdreamWhenyouawakefromadreamperiod,nomatter
whattimeitis,recallasmanydetailsaspossiblefromyourdream.
3.FocusyourintentWhilereturningtosleep,concentrateonyour
intentiontoremembertorecognizethatyouaredreaming.
4.SeeyourselfbecominglucidAtthesametime,imaginethatyou
arebackinthedreamfromwhichyouhavejustawakened,butthis
timeyourecognizethatitisadream.Findadreamsign(something
oddorbizarreinadreamthatalertsyoutothefactthatit'sa
dream)andsaytoyourself,"I'mdreaming!"andcontinueyour
fantasy.
5.RepeatRepeatsteps3and4untilyourintentionisset,then
letyourselffallasleep.Ifyourmindstrayswhileyouarefalling
asleep,repeattheproceduresothatthelastthinginyourmindas
youfallasleepisyourintentiontoremembertorecognizethatyou
aredreaming.
CommentaryIfittakesyoualongtimetofallasleepwhile
practicingthismethod,don'tworry.Thelongeryouareawake,the
morelikelyyouaretohavealuciddreamwhenyoueventuallyreturn
tosleep.Thisisbecausethelongeryouareawake,themoretimes
youarelikelytorepeattheMILDtechnique,andthereforereinforce
luciddreaming.Ifyouareaveryheavysleeper,youshouldgetup
aftermemorizingyourdreamandengageintentofifteenminutesof
anyactivityinvolvingfullwakefulness,ie.turnonlight,reada
booketc.Writedownthedreamandreadoverit,ookingfordream
signs.
WAKEINITIATEDLUCIDDREAMS(WILDs)
Thisinvolvesfallingasleepconsciously.
AttentiononHypnagogocImageryThisisthemostcommonstrategy
forinducingWILDsandinvolvesfocusingonthehypnagogicimagery
thataccompaniessleeponset,e.g.flashesoflight,geometric
patterns.
HYPNAGOGICIMAGERYTECHNIQUE
1.RelaxcompletelyGothroughrelaxationofeverypartofbody,
deepbreathingetc.

2.ObservethevisualimagesFocusattentionontheimagesthat
appearbeforethemind'seye,watchinghowtheimagesbeginandend.
Observetheimagesdelicately,andallowthemtobepassively
reflectedinyourmindastheyunfold.Donotattempttoholdonto
theimages,justobserveandletthempass.Atfirsttherewillbea
seriesofdisconnected,fleetingpatternsandimages,whichwill
eventuallydevelopintoscenes.
3.EnterthedreamWhentheimagerybecomesamoving,vivid
scenario,youshouldallowyourselftobepassivelydrawnintothe
dreamworld.Donottryandenterthedreamscene.Becarefuloftoo
muchinvolvementandtoolittleattention,anddon'tforgetthatyou
aredreamingnow.
CommentaryStep3isthemostdifficult.Thechallengeisto
developadelicatevigilance,anunobtrusiveobserverperspective,
fromwhichyouletyourselfbedrawnintothedream,ratherthan
tryingtoparticipateinityourself.Anotherriskisthattheworld
canseemsorealisticinthedreamthatitiseasytoloselucidity.
Asuggestedpreventionagainstthisistoresolvetocarryouta
particularactioninthedream,sothatifyoumomentarilylose
lucidity,youmayrememberyourintentiontocarryouttheactionand
regainlucidity.
TIBETANWHITEDOTTECHNIQUE
1.Beforebed
A)Firmlyresolvetorecognizewhenyouaredreaming.
B)Visualizeinthethroatchakrathesyllable"ah",redincolorand
vividlyradiant.
C)Mentallyconcentrateontheradianceofthe"ah".Imaginethatthe
radianceilluminateseverythingintheworldandshowsitasbeing
unrealordreamlike.
2.Atdawn
A)Practicedeepbreathingseveraltimes,roundingouttheabdomenas
youinhale.
B)Resolveeleventimestocomprehendthenatureofthedreamstate.
C)Concentrateonadotofpurewhitesituatedbetweentheeyebrows.
D)Continuetoconcentrateonthedotuntilyoufindthatyouare
dreaming.
Commentary
Accordingtoyogicdoctrine,eachchakrahasaspecialsoundor"seed
syllable",whichis"ah"forthethroatchakra.Thisisviewedasthe
symbolicembodimentofCreativeSound,thepowertobringaworld
(conceptualorotherwise)intobeing.
BLACKDOTTECHNIQUE
1.Beforebed
A.Meditateonthewhitedotbetweenyoureyebrows.

2.Atdawn
A.Practicedeepbreathing21times.
B.Make21resolutionstorecognizethedream.
C.Then,concentrateyourmindonapillsizedblackdotattheroot
chakra(baseofgenitals).
D.Continuetofocusontheblackdotuntilyoufindyouare
dreaming.
COUNTYOURSELFTOSLEEPTECHNIQUE
1.RelaxcompletelyWhilelyinginbed,closeeyesandrelax
completely.Breathedeeply,enjoyfeelingofrelaxation,letgoof
thoughtsandworries.
2.CounttoyourselfwhilefallingasleepAsyouaredriftingoff
tosleep,counttoyourself,"1,I'mdreaming;2,I'mdreaming..."and
soonmaintainingvigilance.Youmaystartoverafterreaching100.
3.RealizeyouaredreamingAftercontinuingthisforsometime
you'llbesaying"I'mdreaming,"andyouwillnoticethatyouare
dreaming.
CommentarySayingthe"I'mdreaming"isn'tstrictlynecessary,the
countingworksjustaswelltoretainsufficientalertnessin
recognizingdreamsforwhattheyare.Youcanprogressrapidlyifyou
havesomeonewatching,whocanwakeyouupandaskyouwhatnumber
youreachedifyouappeartohavefallenasleep.Theobservercan
tellyouareasleepbyslow,pendularmovementsfromsidetosideof
theeyes,minormovementsoflips,face,hands,feetandother
muscles,andwellasirregularbreathing.
THETWINBODIESTECHNIQUE
1.RelaxcompletelyAfterawakeningfromadreamlieonbackor
rightsidewitheyesclosed.Tightenandrelaxwholebody,breathe
deeplyetc.Letgoofotherthoughtsandaffirmintentiontoenter
dreamstateconsciously.
2.FocusonyourbodyFocusattentiononeachpartofbodyand
noticehowitfeels,watchingforvibrationsorotherstrange
sensations.Whenthesesensationsarrive,followingwillbea
completeparalysisofthebody.Youarethenreadytoleavethe
paralyzedphysicalbodyandenterthedreambody.
3.LeaveyourbodyandenterthedreamAssoonasthephysicalbody
isinaprofoundstateofsleepparalysis,youarereadytogo.This
paralyzedphysicalbodyhasamoveabletwin,calledyourdreambody.
Imagineyourselfinyourdreambody,rollingorfloatingoutofyour
physicalbody.Jump,crawlorfalloutofbed.Sinkintothefloor.
Flythroughtheceiling.Thisisluciddreaming.
CommentaryAssoonasyoustepoutofbed,rememberthatyouarein
adreambody,andeverythingaroundyouisadreamtoo,includingthe
bedandthesleepingbodyyoujusthoppedoutof.Youcanverify
whetheryouarefloatinginyourastralbodybyusingsometests:

1)Tryreadingthesamepassagefromabooktwice;
2)lookatadigitalwatch,lookaway,thenlookbackafewseconds
later.
c)PreventingPrematureAwakening
Whentheluciddreamisthreatenedbywakening,itisusefultocarry
outsomeformofdreamactionassoonasthevisualpartofthedream
beginstofade,e.g.listeningtovoices,musicoryourbreathing;
beginningorcontinuingaconversation;rubbingoropeningyour
(dream)eyes;touchingyourdreamhandsandface;touchingobjectsor
beingtouched;flying.Anothertechniqueistolookattheground.
DREAMSPINNING
1.NoticewhenthedreambeginstofadeThevisualsenseisthe
firsttogowhenadreamfades,withtouchbeingthelast.Thedream
maybegintolosecolor,clarityandrealism,andtakeonacartoon
likeappearance.Thelightmaygrowdimoryourvisionweaker.
2.SpinassoonasthedreambeginstofadeAssoonasyounotice
thedreamfading,stretchoutyourarmsandspinlikeatopwithyour
dreambody.Youcanspinanywayyoulike,butyoumustfeelthe
vividsensationofmovementinyourdreambody,notjustimagineit.
3.Whilespinningremindyourselfthatthenextthingyouseewill
probablybeadream.
4.TestyourstatewhereveryouseemtoarriveKeepspinninguntil
youfindyourselfinastableworld,youwilleitherstillbe
dreamingorwillhaveawakened.Carefullytestwhichstateyouare
in,i.e.readatext,lookatadigitalwatch.
CommentaryFrequentlydreamspinningcreatesanewprocedure,or
thejustfadeddreammayberegenerated.Byrepeatedlyreminding
yourselfthatyou'redreamingduringthespinning,youcancontinue
tobelucidinthenewdreamscene.Ifwhileyouaredreamspinning
yourhandhitsthebed,don'tautomaticallythinkyou'vewoken.If
you'respinninginyourdreambody,thenitisadreamhandanda
dreambed.
d)LucidDreamingforProblemSolving
1.FormulateyourintentionBeforeyougotobed,thinkofashort
phraseaboutwhatyouwanttodreamabout,e.g."IwanttovisitSan
Francisco,or"IwanttotellmyfriendIloveher."Writedownthe
phraseandperhapsillustrateit,andmemorizetheimage.Underneath
thetargetphrase,"WhenIdreamof(thephrase)Iwillrememberthat
Iamdreaming."
2.GotobedWithoutdoinganythingelse,turnoutthelightandgo
straighttobed.
3.FocusonyourphraseandyourintentiontobecomelucidRecall
thephraseandpicture,andvisualizeyourselfdreaminglucidlyabout
it.Meditateonthephraseandyourintentiontobecomeluciduntil
youfallasleep,lettingotherthoughtspass.

4.PursueyourintentionintheluciddreamCarryoutyour
intentionwhileinaluciddream.Askwhatyouwanttoask,dowhat
youwanttodo.Besuretonoticeyourfeelingsandbeobservantof
alldetailsinthedream.
5.RemembertoawakenandrecallthedreamWhenyouachievea
satisfyinganswerinthedream,wakeyourselfupbygoingbackto
yourdreambed,blinkingorotherwisewithdrawingyourattentionfrom
thedream.Immediatelywritedownatleastthepartofyourdream
thatincludesthesolution.Evenifyoudon'tthinkyourquestionwas
answered,stillwritethedreamdown.Youmayfindonreflectionthat
theanswerwashiddeninyourdreamandyoudidn'trealizeitatthe
time.
LucidDreamingtoOvercomeNightmares
Itisusefultoconfrontthreateningcharactersinadreamor
nightmare,andturnitintoaluciddreambybeginningyourown
dialoguewiththem.Youcouldaskthefollowing:
"Whoareyou?"
"WhoamI?"
"Whyareyouhere?"
"Whyareyouactingthewayyouare?"
"Whatdoyouhavetotellme?"
"Whyisthishappening?"
"Whatdoyouwantfromme?"
"Whatquestionsdoyouhavetoaskme?"
"WhatdoImostneedtoknow?"
"WhatcanIdoforyou?"
"Whatcanyoudoforme?"
e)ConversingwithDreamCharacters
1.PracticeimaginarydialoguesinthewakingstateChosearecent
dreaminwhichyouhadanunpleasantencounterwithadream
character.Visualizeyourselftalkingtothem,andinitiateda
dialogueusingtheabovequestionsoranyofyourown.Don'tlet
criticalthoughtsinterrupttheflow,suchas"I'mjustmakingthis
up,"or"Thisissilly."Terminatethedialoguewhenitrunsoutof
energyorwhenyouhaveyourresolution.Evaluatewhatyoudidright
orwoulddodifferentlynexttime.
2.SetyourintentionSetthegoalforyourselfthatthenexttime
youhaveadisturbingencounterwithadreamcharacter,youwill
becomelucidandengagethecharacterindialogue.
3.ConversewithproblemdreamfiguresWhenyouencounteranyone
withwhomyouhaveaconflict,askyourselfwhetherornotyouare
dreaming.Ifyoufindthatyouare,stayandfacethecharacter,and
beginadialoguewithoneoftheopeningquestionsabove.Listento
thecharacter'sresponsesandtryandaddresstheirproblemsaswell
asyourown.Seeifyoucanmakefriendsorreacharesolution.Wake
yourselfupwhileyoustillrememberthedreamclearlyandwriteit

down.
4.EvaluatethedialogueAskyourselfifyouachievedthebest
resultyoucould,orhowyoucouldimproveitnexttime.
PARTTHREE:COMMONQUESTIONSONLUCIDDREAMING
Q:Ifdreamsaremessagesfromtheunconsciousmind,willconsciously
controllingdreamsinterferewiththisimportantprocess,anddeprive
meofthebenefitsofdreaminterpretation?
A:Dreamsarenotlettersfromtheunconsciousmind,butexperiences
createdthroughtheinteractionsoftheunconsciousandconscious
mind.Moreinfofromtheunconsciousisavailabletousindreams,
howeverifdreamsweretheexclusiverealmoftheunconscious,we
wouldn'trememberthem.Youshouldn'talwaysbeconsciousindreams
anymorethanyoushouldalwaysbeconsciousofwhatyouaredoingin
wakinglife.However,ifyouractionsaretakingyouinthewrong
direction(indreamingorwaking),youshouldbeableto"wakeup"to
whatyouaredoingwrongandconsciouslyredirectyourapproach.
Asforthebenefitsofdreaminterpretation,luciddreamscanbe
examinedasfruitfullyasnonluciddreams.Luciddreamerscaneven
interprettheirdreamswhiletheyarehappening.
Q:Willtheeffortsoflearningluciddreamingleadtosleeploss,
andwillIbemoretiredfrombeingawakeinmydreams?
A:Dreaminglucidlyisasrestfulasdreamingnonlucidly.Lucid
dreamsareoftenpositiveexperiencesandleaveyoufeelingmore
invigorated.Howtiredyoufeeldependsonwhatyoudidinthedream.
Youshouldpracticeluciddreamingwhenyouhavethetimeandenergy
todevotetothetask.Ifyouaretoobusytoallotmoretimeto
sleeping,ortosacrificeanyofthesleepyouaregetting,it's
probablynotagoodideatoworkonluciddreamingrightnow.Lucid
dreamingrequiresgoodsleepandmentalenergyforconcentration.
Onceyoulearnthetechniques,youshouldreachapointwhereyoucan
haveluciddreamswheneveryouwishjustbyremindingyourselftodo
so.
Q:Willpracticingluciddreamingaffectmypsychotherapy?
A:Luciddreamingcanbeinstrumentalinpsychotherapy,howeverif
youareinpsychotherapyandwanttoexperimentwithluciddreaming,
talkitoverwithyourtherapist.Makesureyourtherapistiswell
informedonthesubjectofluciddreaming,andunderstandsits
functionsandimplications.
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