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1987-04-24
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1
CompuServe OMN-5
FEATURES
1 Let There Be Life
2 Biology of Homosexuality
3 Design Your Own Dreams
4 Lab Works In Progress
5 Interview with Konrad Lorenz
Enter choice !3
CompuServe OMN-33
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
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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
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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.
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CompuServe OMN-214
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
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CompuServe OMN-241
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,
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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
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CompuServe OMN-246
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
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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.
Last page !
CompuServe OMN-5
FEATURES
1 Let There Be Life
2 Biology of Homosexuality
3 Design Your Own Dreams
4 Lab Works In Progress
5 Interview with Konrad Lorenz
Enter choice !