Design Your Own Dreams
[THIS FEATURE IS PART OF AN EXPERIMENT BEING SPONSORED BY OMNI TO
HELP SCIENTISTS REFINE CERTAIN DREAM TECHNIQUES NOW BEING STUDIED
IN THE LAB. THE FULL EXPERIMENT APPEARS IN THE APRIL OMNI
MAGAZINE. THE EXERCISES PRESENTED HERE ARE FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT
WANT TO ATTEMPT A LITTLE LUCID DREAMING ON THEIR OWN.]
Most people don't realize they've been dreaming until after
they've awakened and the dream has come to an end. Some people,
however, are conscious that they're dreaming. These people --
called LUCID dreamers -- can literally direct the content of a
dream, scientists have discovered, deciding perhaps to talk
physics with Einstein, woo and marry a movie star, or assume the
powers of Superman. For those who have acquired the knack of
lucidity, the benefits can be enormous:
Lucid dreaming gives one the chance to experience unique and
compelling adventures rarely surpassed elsewhere in life. These
experiences can enhance self-confidence and promote personal
growth and self-development. By facing fears and learning to
make the best of the worst situation imaginable, lucid dreamers
can overcome nightmares. Because recent scientific studies have
demonstrated a strong connection between dreams and the
biological functioning of the body, lucid dreams might facilitate
physical as well as mental health. And finally, because lucid
dreaming allows us to tap the power of the unconscious, it may
also be useful for creative problem solving.
After nearly a decade of piloting these daring nocturnal flights,
2 psychologists -- Stephen LaBerge of Stanford University and
author of LUCID DREAMING [Ballantine], and Jayne Gackenbach of
the University of Northern Iowa -- have begun to develop a series
of techniques aimed at helping ordinary dreamers "turn" lucid and
lucid dreamers gain greater control over the woolly behemoth of
night. These special techniques, still under development, have
never before been presented in a public forum. To direct your
own nightly dream-time show, please attempt exercises one, two,
three and four as outlined below. LaBerge and Gackenback suggest
that you do the tasks as often as possible over a 2-week period.
Some people may succeed in having a lucid dream the first night
they use the techniques; others, the researchers note, may need
to practice for several weeks before getting results.
EXERCISE ONE
A number of techniques facilitate lucid dreaming. One of the
simplest is asking yourself many times during the day whether you
are dreaming. Each time you ask the question, you should look
for evidence proving you are not dreaming. The most reliable
test: Read something, look away for a moment, and then read it
again. If it reads the same way twice, it is unlikely that you
are dreaming. After you have proved to yourself that you are not
presently dreaming, visualize yourself doing whatever it is you'd
like. Also, tell yourself that you want to recognize a nighttime
dream the next time it occurs. The mechanism at work here is
simple; it's much the same as picking up milk at the grocery
store after reminding yourself to do so an hour before.
At night people usually realize they are dreaming when they
experience unusual or bizarre occurrences. For instance, if you
find yourself flying without visible means of support, you should
realize that this happens only in dreams and that you must
therefore be dreaming. If you awaken from a dream in the middle
of the night, it is very helpful to return to the dream
immediately, in your imagination. Now envision yourself
recognizing the dream as such. Tell yourself, "The next time I
am dreaming, I want to remember to recognize that I am dreaming."
If your intention is strong and clear enough, you may find
yourself in a lucid dream when you return to sleep.
EXERCISE TWO: DREAM FLYING
Many lucid dreamers report dreams in which they fly unaided, much
like Superman. Some lucid dreamers say that flying is a
thrilling means of travel; others, that it has helped them return
from one of the more harrowing dream experiences -- the endless
fall. Flying is so important because it's a form of dream
control that's fairly easy to master. It gives the dreamer an
exhilirating sense of freedom. And it's a basic means of travel
in the dream world. During the 2-week period of your experiment,
try to focus on dream flight. If you're falling, turn that fall
into flight: Remember, there's no gravity in dreams. And if
you're simply going from here to there, do it with flight. This
simple activity will cue you in to the fact that you are, after
all, in a dream.
How do you make dream flight happen at all? We suggest that
before you retire for bed, you simply repeat these words:
"Tonight I fly!" Then, while still awake, imagine that journey.
If you find yourself flying, it will be a clear sign that you are
in a dream. In any case, when you realize you're dreaming,
remember that you want to fly. When you actually feel yourself
flying, say, "This is a dream." Make sure you start modestly, by
simply floating above the surface of your dream ground. As you
gain confidence both in the notion that you are dreaming and in
your ability to control that experience, you might experiment
with flying a bit more. Run, taking big leaps, and then stay
aloft for a few seconds, so that you resemble an astronaut
walking on the moon. Try sustained floating and then flying at
low altitudes.
As your confidence increases, so will your flying skills. While
asleep, work on increasing your altitude, maneuverability, and
speed. As with speed sports, you should perfect height and
maneuverability before speed. Of course, you couldn't really
hurt yourself -- it's only a dream. But you COULD get scared.
After you have become proficient in dream flying, remember to ask
yourself these questions: "How high can I fly? Can I view the
earth from outer space? Can I travel so fast that I lose
awareness of my surroundings and experience the sensation of pure
speed?" Throughout your efforts in dream flight, remember that
you're in a dream. With this in mind, your fear will be held at
bay, and your control over the dream will be greatly enhanced.
EXERCISE THREE: DREAM SPINNING
Even if you're a frequent lucid dreamer, you may not be able to
stop yourself from waking up in mid-drem. And even if your
dreams do reach a satisfying end, you may not be able to focus
them exactly as you please. During our years of research,
however, we have found that spinning your dream body can sustain
the period of sleep and give you greater dream control. In fact,
many subjects at Stanford University have used the spinning
technique as an effective means of staying in a lucid dream. The
task outlined below will help you use spinning as a means of
staying asleep, and, more exciting, as a means of traveling to
whatever dream world you desire.
As with dream flying, the dream spinning task starts before you
go to bed. Before retiring, decide on a person, time, and place
you would like to visit in your lucid dream. The target person
and place can be either real or imaginary, past, present or
future. Write down and memorize your target person and place,
then visualize yourself visiting your target and firmly resolve
to do so in a dream that night. When following this procedure,
it's possible that you might find yourself visiting your target
in a nonlucid dream; you will be aware that this has happened, of
course, only after you awaken. Nevertheless, you should strive
for lucidity by following the techniques outlined in exercise
one. Then proceed to your goal.
To do so, repeat the phrase describing your target in your dream,
and spin your whole dream body in a standing position with your
arms outstretched. You can pirouette or spin like a top, as long
as you vividly feel your body in motion. The same spinning
technique will help when, in the middle of a lucid dream, you
feel the dream imagery beginning to fade. To avoid waking up,
spin as you repeat your target phrase again and again. With
practice, you'll return to your target person, time and place.
When spinning, try to notice whether you are moving in a
clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
EXERCISE FOUR: CREATIVE DREAMING
Up until now we have had little control over the occurrence of
creative dreams. But with lucid dreaming it may be possible to
intentionally access the creativity of the dream state. You can
help determine the feasibility of this idea by attempting to
solve a problem in a lucid dream. Before bed, decide on a
problem you would like to solve. Frame your problem in the form
of a question. For example, "What is the topic of my next book?"
"How can I become less shy?" If you have an illness, you might
consider the problem, "How can I regain my health?"
Once you have selected a problem question, write it down and
memorize it. When doing the lucid-dreaming introduction
exercises, remember your question and see yourself looking for
the answer in your next lucid dream. Then, when in a lucid
dream, ask the question and seek the solution. You might be most
successful at problem solving if you try a direct approach. For
instance, if your problem is health, try to heal yourself in your
dream. Then reflect on how your dream solution relates to the
waking problem. It may help to question other dream characters,
especially if they represent people who you think might know the
answer. You can even combine this task with the dream spinning
and flying tasks, visiting an expert on your problem. You can
also just explore your dream world with your question in mind,
looking for any clues that might suggest an answer.
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also just explore your dream world w
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