The NovaDreamer Review

Learn from your dreams what you lack.

~W.H. Auden

The device is essentially a soft eye mask which you wear to sleep. The electronics are well hidden and detect when your eyes begin their Rapid Eye Movement (REM). At that point, lights flash through your closed eyelids and enter your dreamscene. This increases your chances of realizing you are dreaming and becoming lucid.

I strongly recommend practicing the free lucid dreaming techniques before you spend money on a lucid dream machine. The two concepts really go hand-in-hand. Once you are comfortable with reality checks, the artificial lucidity triggers dramatically increase your chances of having lucid dreams.

Of course, there are a few lucid dream machines on the market, at varying prices. So before you buy NovaDreamer, check out my review below.

History of NovaDreamer

Having created the famous Lucidity Institute, LaBerge realized that people would pay serious money for a machine that could induce lucid dreams on demand. He was right.

First he launched the DreamLight and DreamLink. These were the first lucid dreaming masks and sold for over $1,000 because of their (then) cutting-edge technology. The machines were refined over the years and in 1993, LaBerge and his team released the NovaDreamer.

The mask sold well, but was eventually discontinued in 2004. You can still buy a second-hand NovaDreamer online at eBay for between $300 and $600, which is in line with the original retail price.

Alternatively, you can wait for the next generation - NovaDreamer 2 - to be released. The new version of the lucid dreaming mask is due to roll out later in 2008, in an estimated price range of $800 to $1000. See below for details on how to pre-order your mask.

Science of NovaDreamer

The original NovaDreamer has two LED lights positioned in the center of the mask. It also has a speaker setting. It uses infra-red technology to watch your closed eyelids and look for Rapid Eye Movements. When triggered, the mask gives out flashing lights and audio cues which interrupt your dream!

We use external stimulus in our dreams all the time. For instance, sometimes when my alarm clock goes off I hear an alarm in my dream - maybe a fire alarm or a telephone. Our brains have a habit of making the stimulus fit the dream scene.

When you dream while wearing the NovaDreamer mask, your brain will interpret the flashing lights as any number of things. One customer testimonial says: "I see a beautiful pattern of gold and yellow diamonds that fills my field of vision..."

When this happens, it is up to you to perform a reality check. Lucid dream machines do not equate to instant lucid dreams. They just provide the cues. You have to practice reality checks so you know exactly how to become lucid.

Once you realize this, you will instantly become lucid! There is no doubt about it, your conscious brain will kick in with the realization that everything you see is a dream. This brings a greater level of clarity to the dream and gives you the freedom to do whatever you want!

Review of NovaDreamer

From my research of lucid dream machines, I have found the NovaDreamer to be pretty reliable. There are lots of gadgets that promise to alter your state of consciousness, and not all have genuinely good success rates. So I'm glad to the report this one has a healthy reputation in many reviews.

Ease of Use

The instructions are easy to follow - the creators made sure anyone could program the lucid dreaming mask with ease. You can set the brightness and duration of the flashing lights. You can even set a time delay to give you a chance to get to sleep without being interrupted. The display also tells you how many light cues were given during the night. 

Comfort

The mask itself is attractive and reasonably comfortable to wear while sleeping. The best position to lie is on your back, so the mask stays in place easily. You can lie on your side, although sometimes this moves the mask out of place and causes false positives - the lights flash but you are not dreaming. This can waste battery power and even wake you up.

In most user reviews, the head strap generally held the mask in place for the whole night. Some people reported tearing it off in the middle of the night, just wishing to sleep undisturbed. But usually the desire to have lucid dreams is enough motivation to stick with it. The foam keeps it from ever touching your eyes and the electronics are not noticeably heavy or cumbersome. The device needs 2 x AAA batteries to work.

Success Rate

The only real controversial element is the light cue itself. To be fair, the Lucidity Institute states clearly that the mask does not guarantee lucid dreams and you do need to pitch in with some effort relating to reality checks. This enables you to take action when you see the flashing lights in a dream. Some people simply didn't follow the instructions and didn't react to the light cues. No lucid dreams for them! They ended up selling their masks on eBay which is where you can benefit.

With this in mind, I recommend practicing some unaided lucid dreaming techniques to have your first few lucid dreams naturally before you buy the mask. This also demonstrates the power of lucid dreaming and gets you excited about having your next one! This should provide enough motivation to practice the necessary reality checks.

Another problem someone reported was that the flashing lights could ruin a lucid dream in progress. Faced with the distraction of the bright lights, all they could do was sit and wait - a waste of valuable lucid dream time! At worst this is an annoying side-effect. At best, it can remind you to stay lucid and can extend the lucid dream for much longer than normal.

Over time, you will recognize the flashing lights as a dreamsign that frequently reminds you to check if you are dreaming. Your subconscious brain will make it a habit to recognize this dreamsign, making lucidity more likely the more you use the lucid dreaming mask. It is also very effective for recognizing false awakenings.

Buy Online

You can buy online the original NovaDreamer through eBay or a similar user marketplace. This is the version of the mask described above.

NovaDreamer 2 will be released later in 2008. It has more interactive functions, including real-time response to eye movement signals, plus greater comfort, reliability and performance, according to the Lucidity Institute website. It was successfully trialled at a workshop in April - we just have to wait for mass production to begin. However, it is likely to be more expensive that the original mask.

If you want to pre-order your NovaDreamer now, send an email to ND2(at)Lucidity.com (replace (at) with @). You will be added to their list of preferred customers and have the chance to buy NovaDreamer before it goes on release to the general public.

Otherwise, keep an eye out here for the release date. I will announce any more news via my blog and free e-zine for those who want to know more.

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