Our dreams have been responsible for some of the most incredible breakthroughs in human history.
Mary Shelley, who wrote what is considered to be the world's first sci-fi novel claimed that the idea for “Frankenstein” came to her in a vivid waking dream.
Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein maintained that he discovered the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics in a dream.
Even Paul McCartney (of the Beatles fame) said that he dreamt up the entire tune of “Yesterday” in his sleep.
Many psychologists now agree that our dreams are an on-going thought process that happens even when we are asleep.
There are two kinds of dreams most people experience - “normal” dreams in which we are unaware of the fact that what we are experiencing is a fabricated reality, and “lucid” dreams wherein we know that we are in a dream state.
What this means is that “lucidity” is more than just having a clear dream. Lucid dreaming is when a person is aware that they are dreaming while in the dream state.
You don’t have to control anything in your dream. You can just let your dream play out, though control is what beginning lucid dreamers often want.
What is lucid dreaming like?
Everyone we know has had a lucid dream at least once in their lifetime. They are intense and exciting and a truly phenomenal experience.
The colors are brighter, and everything is more detailed than in real life. And because it takes place inside your brain cells, you can push any limit or boundary you like.
Imagine your own little virtual reality world where you can do anything you want (fly across the world like Superman, travel to mystic places, meet your dream lover or even Cinderella’s Prince Charming for that matter),
stuff that you would never be able to do in real life (taste fire, live underwater), or tackle your fears (someone with a fear of heights can safely experience the adrenaline rush that comes with, say, bungee jumping or sky diving).
With lucid dreaming, we can even live out our dreams. Literally! Because, theoretically speaking, only when one is aware that one is dreaming can one exert any sort of control over one’s dream.
And why would anyone want to control their dreams? Simply because lucidity is a way of accessing our subconscious minds, which basically means that everything we experience in a lucid world is really our subconscious.
And once we know how to harness this ability, we can use it to our advantage in real life- to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, to solve problems, overcome fears or even to heal physical and mental problems, exploring the boundaries of your own agency and the limits of the universe.
Many people are interested in lucid dreaming but not as many know that if properly used, it could greatly enhance their lives.
Here are the benefits of lucid dreaming and a few things you could do while in the lucid world.
Benefits of lucid dreaming.
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to meet the “real you”? Often referred to as our subconscious or inner self, this is the part of you that sits in the background and constantly multi-tasks, controlling happenings in our bodies. Your feelings of love, fear, anger, joy etc are generated by the subconscious mind.
Communicating with this aspect of yourself helps to understand some issues in your life.
Every one of us is daily confronted with situations that cause us anxiety. This fact cannot be escaped. Lucid dreaming can allow you control anxiety in advance. Imagine there’s a meeting you have been dreading for weeks, practice the meeting in advance in your lucid dreams. You would find you are more relaxed and able to handle whatever on the day of the actual meeting.
The great minds behind many works of art, literature, science and technology have frequently attributed their source to events encountered while lucid dreaming. Director James Cameron for example, when discussing the movie Avatar, in an interview with Hollywood Today cited lucid dreaming as the basis for some of the scenes.
It can help you discover spirituality on a level you are comfortable with, excluding the dogma and routine of organized religious institutions.
Things you can do in the lucid world
The lucid world is an alternate reality where you are free to act and experience all around you without fear or restrictions. It would be a good idea to know a few of the many things you can do while there so you truly have a mind-blowing experience.
This is a chance to meet celebrities you like. If you can visualize them, you can interact with them.
Do you imagine flying off the edge of a mountain? Go ahead. You may fall a few times don’t worry, it’s just a dream and with practice you would be doing it smoothly. What of diving in the Caribbean, extreme sports, running through solid walls and super strength? All can be done.
Sometimes we loose the ones we love and it can be more painful when the death was sudden. In the lucid world, it is possible to visualise them and spend a little time with them.
It could be fear of spiders or heights, whatever the case if you continuously confront these fears while lucid, your unconscious self gradually begins to accept them and before you know it the fear is gone in the real world.
Lucid dreaming allows you to escape the everyday stress of living. You can scream and laugh at the top of your voice. Run on water or fly a fighter jet.
This chapter just highlights a few of the many possibilities of lucid dreaming. With practice it could really become a great tool for you. Remember, the only thing holding you back is your imagination.
