18 July 2018: A complete game changer has emerged in the realm of lucid dreaming technology. A device that integrates reality checks instead of replacing them and uses Pavolivan Conditioning to establish learned
A lot has happened in the last 5 months. But how did we go from business as usual to changing the face of the entire lucid dreaming supplements industry? It’s a story that I think will interest you – and you might even learn a thing or two in the process. When I was first taken on-board as Chief Lucidity Officer in 2016, one of the first things I was tasked with was taking a good look at our operations and giving things a bit of an overhaul.
How can we define it - fit it into a box - so that whatever experiments we throw at it, our definition always holds true? I consciously observe the lucid dream world. It is real to me because the firing of neurons in my brain stem are interpreted as real sensory data by my brain. I could argue that lucid dreams constitute part of my reality.
I've been lucid dreaming for almost 17 years now. That sounds like a long time. And yet, I've still got a lot to learn. To the newcomer to lucid dreaming - who has the whole exciting journey ahead of them - I want to share some of the most profound, useful and surprising lessons from my experience. I hope this sees you well on your dream travels.
1. Mindfulness is key. The easiest way to produce ongoing lucid dreams is to make it a mental habit to observe and question your reality.
Calea Zacatechichi is a herb that is scientifically shown to increase dream recall, dream intensity and hypnagogic imagery. About five years ago, I had my first Calea Z experience. It produced a night of highly meaningful and vivid dreams that left me waking up thinking WOW. They were like no other dreams I'd had before. (And I'm a lucid dreamer.) Though it can certainly open the gateway to lucid dreaming, the really meaningful aspect of Calea Z is its ability to take you on an incredible inner journey. I'm talking about the kind of dreams that change you - even more, perhaps, than many of your memorable waking experiences.
A lucid dream is any dream during sleep in which you become aware that you're dreaming! This simple realization snaps your waking consciousness into the dream, enabling you to:
Experts agree that everyone has the potential to lucid dream. But only a small fraction of people learn how to do it on a regular basis. This site is for people who are serious about learning the art of lucid dreaming and exploring its real world applications.
Are you ready to learn this life-affirming skill?
Yes, there are many examples of scientific research that prove the existence of lucid dreaming, the first of which was generated in a UK sleep lab 1975.
Researchers have used brainwave, bloodflow and eye movement data to validate higher levels of consciousness during lucid dreams ever since.
In fact, lucid dreams provide credible explanations for night-time phenomena which until recently had no scientific explanation - such as alien abductions and astral projection.
The first scientific proof of lucid dreaming emerged in 1975 from the British parapsychologist Dr Keith Hearne. He recorded a set of pre-determined eye movements from his lucid volunteer, Alan Worsley, via an electro-oculogram (EOG). It was a basic communication between the dreamer and the outside world.
More recently, this 2009 study by the Neurological Laboratory in Frankfurt revealed significantly increased brain activity during lucid dreams. An electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded brainwave frequencies up to the 40 Hz (or Gamma) range when lucid.
This measure is far more active than the normal dream state (which takes place in the Theta range, or 4-7 Hz). Indeed, some argue that it supports the need to classify lucid dreams as a new and separate state of consciousness.
Intruiguingly, the research also showed heightened activity in the frontal and frontolateral areas of the dreaming brain. This is the seat of linguistic thought and other higher mental functions linked to self awareness.
In 2014, this remarkable study out of Frankfurt University revealed that lucid dreams can be induced with "zaps" of harmless electrical stimulation of the brain.
When non-lucid dreamers were given 30-second jolts of electrical current to the frontal cortex while asleep, they reported spontaneously vivid dreams in which they fully recognized they were dreaming.
Incredibly, stimulation at 40 Hz was effective 77% of the time.
A fully lucid dream can be perfectly tangible, rich and visually detailed.
When probed, it can generate seemingly impossible levels of self awareness - such as 360-degree vision, multiple simultaneous dreams, and even visual representations of the fifth dimension.
Because all of this takes place in your mind, the dream world is infinite. No laws. No boundaries. No limitations. Anything you can conceive of comes true.
You can take control of your dream and warp The Matrix like Neo. Fly and soar over cities like Iron Man. Slow down time like the dream levels of Inception. Have sex with celebrities. Fight like a ninja. Re-live childhood memories. Base jump. Survive death.
But a lucid dream is not merely a fantasy playground.
Dream theories suggest it's a chance to interact with other parts of your psyche (by talking to different dream characters) and even your co-conscious inner self (by talking to the very fabric of the dream).
Once you know how to become lucid in dreams, you will discover a strange new world - an entire universe, no less - of which you are fully aware and can manipulate with the power of thought.
Dream control kicks in the moment you become lucid (when you recognize that you're dreaming).
The more conscious you become of the dream environment, the easier it is to manipulate. There are a few different ways to shape your dreams as they occur, for instance:
So, it takes a little getting used to controlling your dreams. That's because lucid dreams are a completely new and unique environment to you - in which your conscious and unconscious collide.
When fully lucid, you'll find that you can exert considerable control over your lucid dreams. Or you can passively enjoy this state of heightened awareness, watching the dream unfold in its originally intended state.
The golden rule for lucid dream manipulation is this: making it real in your mind... makes it happen in the dream.
Beginners sometimes find their lucid dreams end prematurely. Usually it's the sheer excitement and adrenaline rush that causes you to wake up.
Other times, you can simply forget you're dreaming (remember, the brain functions differently during sleep and it's easy to forget things).
To make your lucid dreams last longer, cultivate a calm and focused mind set in the dreamworld. Remind yourself that you are dreaming often to stay mentally grounded.
A simple way to enhance your lucidity (and thereby prolong your lucid dream) is to rub your hands together while saying "I'm dreaming". This kinetic sensation stimulates the conscious brain, while drawing awareness to your dream body and away from your physical body asleep in bed.
Such techniques have enabled me to experience lucid dreams as long as an hour in real time.
In your lucid dreams, you can seek out or summon any person, dead or alive, fictional or real.
A good way to do this is to heighten your lucidity, then visualize and expect the person you want to meet just out of sight. Ask the dream out loud to manifest that person too.
Don't be afraid to ask for unexpected consequences: "show me myself in 10 years", "show me my ideal partner", and "show me how my great-great-great grandchildren will live" are all valid requests of the creative lucid dream state.
Making the dream scene morph in front of your eyes can sometimes be difficult. Your conscious self simply doesn't expect it to happen, because that is its experience of waking life.
This mental block is typical of a beginner complaint because it requires more confidence and a lucid state of mind.
Not to worry. Established lucid dreamers have been working the dreamworld long enough to have come up with some excellent solutions. In the case of changing the scenery:
In fact, there are lots of creative solutions to issues of dream control. The important thing to remember is that your conscious expectation plays a major role.
Stay confident in your ability to summon dragons, teleport to the Bahamas, and fly like an eagle. You'll soon find that absolutely anything is possible inside a lucid dream.
The quickest and most fun way to have lucid dreams is through a duel approach of knowledge and effective herbal supplements.
Of course, you can avoid supplements if you wish. It’s possible to have lucid dreams naturally. But, time-honoured, natural dream herbs will inject colour, vividness and clarity to your dreams on a whole new level.
There's a lot of lucid dreaming pills and lucid dreaming supplements to choose from. Believe us, we’ve tried them all (and been a bit let down with some).
That’s why we took the decision to raise the bar.
Claridream PRO, our blend of Chinese club moss, valerian root, passion flower and chamomile was crowd funded by the very community of the website you are reading right now.
So you know you’re getting a dreaming supplement that actually works.
We highly recommend it!
Re-unite with your lost dreams and all the insight they contain, tonight!
Chris Hammond - Editor and "Chief Lucidity Officer" of World of Lucid Dreaming. That means he writes about lucid dreaming, awareness - and other gooey stuff like the nature of consciousness and cosmic existence.
18 July 2018: A complete game changer has emerged in the realm of lucid dreaming technology. A device that integrates reality checks instead of replacing them and uses Pavolivan Conditioning to establish learned
Members of our lucid dream forum have been asking how to create dream characters in lucid dreams. The most common problem is having characters who look nothing like they should. Or they seem disinterested in your company. Or they fail to show up on command altogether. So, how to combat this? It's a matter of finding creative solutions that bypass logical expectations.
To lucid dream, I recommend being able to remember at least one vivid dream per night. That will boost your self awareness in dreams (making lucidity more likely) and also means you can actually remember your lucid dreams. Which is nice. Here are four detailed tips on how to remember your dreams more frequently. And if you don't think you dream at all - trust me, you almost certainly do. It takes an extraordinarily rare sleep disorder to deprive someone of dream sleep.
It is estimated that these wise and wily Indians have been using mugwort in their healing and ritual practices for 13,000 years, where it is known as the ‘dream sage’. They use the herb to promote good dreams, which they consider an essential aspect of normal human functioning! But that’s not all...
A lot has happened in the last 5 months. But how did we go from business as usual to changing the face of the entire lucid dreaming supplements industry? It’s a story that I think will interest you – and you might even learn a thing or two in the process. When I was first taken on-board as Chief Lucidity Officer in 2016, one of the first things I was tasked with was taking a good look at our operations and giving things a bit of an overhaul.
Experts agree that everyone is capable of having lucid dreams. Dreaming itself is a normal function of the mind. We all dream every night, even if we don't remember. And we all achieve conscious awareness while awake every single day. So what does it mean to combine these states? Why, the amazing ability to have conscious - or lucid - dreams. Sounds simple, doesn't it? So why do I keep hearing from people who say they can't achieve their first lucid dream?
