Can You Spend Years in a Lucid Dream?
I read in an article on lucid dreaming that a man had spent 100 years in a lucid dream. Is it really possible to prolong a lucid dream? If so is it possible to lucid dream for what feels like years? Lastly, if you can make time seem to go by slower how can you do it?
Rebecca says: The perception of time is a fascinating area to explore. Firstly, yes you can make a lucid dream last up to an hour or more in real time. Take a look at How to Stay Lucid for specific tips on increasing your lucidity and making the dream last longer.
Now for our perception while dreaming. When you're asleep, some parts of the conscious brain are activated while other parts are shut down. For instance, we have access to long term memories but not so much short term memories. The language centers are also usually shut off which is why it's much harder to read in a dream. What's more, our perception of time is altered, so that if you're having a vivid dream with a huge sprawling plot sequence, it can feel like you have dreamt for years. However I must stress that it's not perceived as real-time; it's merely an illusion of time. Consider it like watching a movie that spans 100 years, but the movie only lasted two hours. You can take on a lot of information and understand the greater passage of time without actually travelling through it second-for-second.
This time distortion can be triggered by dream herbs like Calea Zacatechichi. I once dreamed a lifetime in this state. It was wonderful - and, no, not at all like being "stuck" in some kind of dream limbo. It was a swooping, epic tale. I was not bored for a moment!
On the flipside, if you want to make time slow down in a lucid dream, you can create a whole plot that would take a long time to unfold in reality.
Recall the fictional layers of dreams in Inception, in which each layer operated at a different speed from the next.
Or the notion of "bullet time" in The Matrix, where you can slow down movement and, by proxy, the passage of time.
Once you learn how to control your dreams, you can do whatever you want with your perception of time.
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.
The Anatomy of a Dreaming Supplement
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 a Lucid Dreaming Community Was Born
Gather round. I’ve a story to tell. It’s a story of tragedy, re-birth and fresh beginnings... But fear not, it has a happy ending! Our forum had some pretty impressive stats at its peak: 60,171 posts, 134 people online at once and over 10,000 registered users.
How to remember your dreams
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.
What Do Lucid Dreams Feel Like?
Years ago, before I had my first lucid dream, I had a very specific idea about what a lucid dream would feel like. I thought it would be intense and magical and a little bit spooky. This turned out to be a pretty accurate representation. Becoming aware in the dreamstate is like entering another world. One where physical laws can be manipulated (there is no spoon, Neo) and your fantasies can come true in an instant. There's definitely something magical about that - and it's as if the lucid dream world is a living, breathing organism that can react to your very thoughts.
How to have amazing lucid dreams
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?
Mugwort: Dream Sage of the Chumash Indians
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...
