Can You Modify Your Body in a Lucid Dream?
Is it possible to have wings and a tail in lucid dreams, as in body modification?
Rebecca says: Yes, anything's possible in a lucid dream! I used to have the rule of thumb: if you can imagine it, you can dream it. But then I started to realize my lucid dreams are co-created by my unconscious mind too... so even if I can't consciously imagine something, my unconscious self can. (This gives rise to totally bizarre experiences which I didn't think I was capable of dreaming up myself.)
Now my rule of thumb is: anything's possible.
Shapeshift, teleport, defy gravity, pass through a black hole, collapse the universe, explore the quantum world, swim through solid rock, see in total darkness, touch music, become nothingness, and even pursue multiple lucid dream environments simultaneously...
Since your dreams are purely conceptual there are no physical limits or barriers. Everything that is possible inside your mind, is possible when lucid dreaming.
But how exactly?
To create the experience of having wings and a tail, just expect to have those attributes and they will appear. Or tell the dream aloud "I am a dragonfly / eagle / phoenix!"
Another method is to summon other dream figures and design their body modifications like a sculptor, then use them as a template for yourself. Or just start flying and behaving as the desired creature and your unconscious will fill in the details.
In my lucid dreams, I have modified my body in other ways, like shrinking myself down to miniature so I could ride on the back of my pet Sheltie like a horse.
I have also miniaturized myself further to explore the atomic world. I chose to do this by focusing my awareness on where I wanted to go, rather than thinking about the physical miniaturization of my body.
It all begins with the will to do something. Voicing your will out loud is even more effective. When you will it, it usually happens... (and if it doesn't - then you're not fully lucid).
Now, there is just one caveat to my "anything's possible" theory, and I must be clear about this: it only applies to the dream world itself. You can't pass impossible achievements or take physical changes across to the real world.
For instance, I'm often asked if you can learn a new language in a lucid dream. I understand that you can practice your existing knowledge of a certain language and wake up with better language comprehension, on a par with practicing in waking life. But you can't attain brand new information that you didn't already know. So if you've never heard or studied Icelandic, for example, it is impossible for you to learn new Icelandic words in a lucid dream.
As long as your desire is confined to achievements within the lucid dream world, you can become or do anything that resides within your conscious or unconscious mind.
About the author
Rebecca Turner is a science writer, illustrator, explorer of consciousness - and founder of World of Lucid Dreaming. She is currently studying for a biology degree in Auckland and blogging at her site Science Me.
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