Lucid dreaming is by far one of my favorite subjects in the world. Besides my own experiences, which I have described in the Methods chapter, many other people have had lucid dreams. A lucid dream is an instance where the dreamer wakes up in the dream and realizes that he or she is dreaming. It does not necessarily depict control of the dream; it only signifies that the dreamer is aware that he or she is inside a dream. Well known authorities on lucid dreaming, Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold say in their book Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming (1990), that once one realizes that it is a dream, "Rather than disappearing…might increase in clarity and brilliance until you find yourself dumbfounded with wonder. If fully lucid, you would realize that the entire dream world was your own creation, and with this awareness might come an exhilarating feeling of freedom."

The history of lucid dreaming dates back as far as the first written account of lucid dreams in Tibetan Buddhist text. In the eighth century A.D., Tibetan monks pursued the mastery of lucid dreaming and it was made a prerequisite to seeking enlightenment. By mastering the art of lucid dreaming, the spiritual seeker would come to see waking life as made of a similar substance that is a projection of the mind. The monk would then find enlightenment in this realization that the world is an illusion just as dreams are, and that consciousness is the only consistent and continuing substance, rather than the material world.

The next written account of lucid dreaming came when Saint Augustine wrote about two lucid dreams had by a former Roman physician name Gennadius who had been reassured by these dreams that there was life after death.

Islam also instructs its subjects to pursue the art of lucid dreaming. If thoughts and actions could be controlled in the dream world, they could be controlled in waking life.

Frederik Van Eeden is credited with coining the term "lucid dream." He was a Dutch psychiatrist and experienced lucid dreams himself, 352 of which he recorded between 1898 and 1912. He tested and experimented with his lucid dreams and came up with much interesting information about how they work.

Lucid dreams are characterized by the freedom one feels at suddenly finding oneself free of all the limitations of the body and physical reality, without consequences for experiences like flying and such. In a lucid dream, one can do anything and everything one has ever wanted to do. They are also characterized by an increase in vividness of colors and imagery. Ecstatic emotions often accompany lucid dreams. Celestial music is not uncommon to hear.

Lucid dreaming has met with much skepticism by scientists. All the reports that have been recorded on lucid dreams do not prove a thing. Laboratory studies began on lucid dreams using the EEG machine.

The dreamer was instructed to signal from sleep that he or she was having a lucid dream by moving the eyes in a particular pattern. If the subject could awaken in the dream, he or she could also be aware enough to send a physical signal to the external world. Alan Worsley conducted the first of this type of experiment on April 12, 1975. Two years later, independent and without knowledge of this experiment, Stephen LaBerge and associates at Stanford University conducted the exact same experiment. Both men used themselves as the subject and were able to signal that a lucid dream was achieved by particular eye movements. LaBerge did the most extensive laboratory observation and study of lucid dreaming. These experiments marked the first time that the conscious world (the lab technicians) could directly communicate with the human unconscious (the lucid dreamer) and receive messages from the unconscious mind as it is in action. This is an exciting development for many in the study of the unconscious mind.

Stephen LaBerge has created The Lucidity Institute. He has also developed a gadget for helping people learn how to dream lucidly in their own homes without help from a laboratory technician. I used mine religiously until I was able to dream lucidly on command. This gadget is called the Dreamlight, or NovaDreamer. The way it works is quite simple. It fits over the face like a mask and a movement sensor watches for REM periods during sleep. When the sensor notices that REM is taking place, red electrodes flash in alternating patterns in order to alert the dreamer to realize that he or she is dreaming. The dreamer is alerted by flashing lights or flickering in the setting, scenery or situation in the dream. This is the signal to the dreamer that he or she is dreaming.

Many people have a lucid dream quite spontaneously without any techniques being used. In fact, it is believed, from surveys done, that 58% of the population has had at least one lucid dream. Children are the most common lucid dreamers. It was not uncommon for ten year olds to report monthly lucid dreams. As children age, lucid dreams diminish. Perhaps if there were support and acknowledgement of lucid dreaming, a child would grow into an adult who never loses the ability to lucid dream.

Next: Reasons and Uses for Lucid Dreaming >>