Solve Problems in Your Sleep with Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming is dreaming while being aware that you are
dreaming. The idea is that once you are aware you are dreaming
you can alter your dreams and control what happens. Once
perfected, it allows you to control the direction of your
dreams. This is an enticing prospect for creative problem
solving since when dreaming, you are restricted only by your
imagination, not by the "realities' of physical constraints or
social customs. Imagine being able to develop new ideas, chat
with Einstein, or get golf tips from Tiger Woods.
Can you learn to have lucid dreams?
Lucid dreaming is like any other skill--some people are
naturally better at it than others but most can learn how to do
it. To learn how, it's important to first know a bit about the
stages of sleep.
Our sleep patterns follow a repeating cycle that involves
different levels of sleep having different brainwave activity.
Each cycle lasts about 90 to 100 minutes so a person will
typically experience 4 to 5 complete sleep cycles a night. The
stages of this cycle involve four levels of Slow-Wave or Non-REM
sleep followed by REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
Although some dreaming occurs during the other stages of sleep,
the most vivid dreaming occurs during the REM stage. During this
time, the higher frequency beta waves keep the mind active. As
its name suggests, REM sleep is characterized by frequent bursts
of rapid eye movement, along with occasional muscular twitches.
The first REM period occurs about 90 minutes after falling
asleep and lasts about 10 minutes. This REM period increases in
subsequent sleep cycles during the night.
How do you start?
One of the first requirements for having lucid dreams is to be
able to recall your dreams. This can be done with a little
practice. A good method is to focus your intent on remembering
your dreams. Before falling asleep, repeat to yourself over and
over, "I will awake from my dreams and completely remember
them." If your thoughts wander, try to come back to this
affirmation so that it is your last thought before drifting off
to sleep. Another good technique is to keep a dream journal to
record your dreams upon waking. Whenever you awake, immediately
attempt to focus on what you had just been dreaming and write it
down on a writing pad. Try to capture all the key points, such
as what you were doing, where you were, and who was around you.
Also, note anything strange such as things that wouldn't
normally happen in the waking world. If you find these strange
events recur in your dreams, then they are your personal dream
signs which you can use to recognize when you are dreaming.
Inducing lucid dreams
Lucid dreaming is usually induced by some sort of cue--something
that indicates to the person that what they are experiencing is
a dream, and not reality. These cues are often referred to as
dream signs. Dream signs are usually things or events that would
be impossible or very unusual in the waking world. Some examples
of dream signs are breathing under water, flying, light switches
that don't work, suddenly returning to work at an old job, or
being naked. Whenever a dream sign occurs in your dream, stop
and ask yourself whether or not it is possible. If the answer is
no, you are dreaming! With practice you can learn to recognize
when you are dreaming by looking for these cues and doing a
"reality check".
Once you have "caught" yourself dreaming, you can start to
control your dream. Try changing the scene or situation, or
controlling your own actions. In order to be successful at
controlling your dreams, you should believe that what you are
trying to do is possible. So it's important to remember that you
are in control and anything you want is possible. Start with
some small things and gradually work up to more challenging
activities.
A good resource in this area is Dr. Stephen LaBerge's book
Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming which is based on his
extensive laboratory work at Stanford University. However, if
you really want to speed up the learning process, there are
audio CDs available that enable you to experience lucid dreaming
in just days. One program that has had good reviews is Bradley
Thompson's The Lucid Dreaming Kit. The kit includes an Audio
Stimulation CD that you play as you go to sleep which
incorporates special beats and prompts to help you become lucid
when dreaming.
Using Lucid Dreaming for Creative Problem Solving
Although lucid dreaming can be used for many applications, one
of the most intriguing is to solve problems in your sleep. Lucid
dreaming is a powerful tool that taps into your brain's most
creative state without the normal sensory distractions that
disturb our focus during waking hours. Lucid dream offers the
potential for truly creative thinking.