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Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: dreams-faq/part1 Revision: version 1.5, last changed 1995/01/21 01:48:08 Posting-Frequency: biweekly This is the first in a series of four postings of Frequently Asked Questions for the alt.dreams and alt.dreams.lucid newsgroups. It contains general information about dreams and dream interpretation, as well as FAQ administrative info. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Contents: (New/changed sections are marked #) -PART ONE- 0. Administrivia 1. General 1.1. Does everybody dream? Why is it that I don't remember my dreams? 1.2. How do external stimuli affect my dreams? 1.3. How do my dreams interact with my waking life? 1.4. What causes dreams, anyway? 1.5. How long do dreams last? 2. Dream interpretation and symbols 2.1. What does this <symbol> mean? 2.2. Can you interpret this dream for me? 2.3. Is this <dream scene> common? 2.4. Can people dream of their own death? 2.5. What are common misconceptions? What is wrong with these? 2.6. Why do I keep dreaming the same thing over and over? -PART TWO- 3. Sleep paralysis, night terrors, nightmares 3.1. What causes sleep paralysis? 3.2. What causes nightmares? 3.3. How can I relieve myself of these? 3.4. What is a myoclonic jerk? 4. Out-of-body experiences 4.1. What are out-of-body experiences? 4.2. How do I find out more about out-of-body experiences? 5. Paranormal issues 5.1. Do dreams predict the future? 5.2. Can people share dreams? 5.3. How can I tell actual paranormal experiences from self-delusion? -PART THREE- 6. Lucid dreaming 6.1. What is lucid dreaming? 6.2. If you are lucid, can you control the dream? 6.3. Does lucid dreaming interfere with the function of "normal" dreaming? 6.4. Does everybody dream? 6.5. Why would you want to have lucid dreams? 6.6. How do you have lucid dreams? 6.7. Is there a way to prevent yourself from awakening right after becoming lucid? 6.8. How can I find out more about lucid dreaming, or get involved in lucid dreaming research? -PART FOUR- 7. Research, further reading, dreaming help etc. 7.1. What are the various gadgets to help you in lucid dreaming? # 7.2. How do various drugs/nutritional components influence dreaming? 7.3. What about the dream experiments on alt.dreams? 7.4. Books, articles and other stuff to read 7.5. Organizations, etc. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 0. Administrivia This document is intended to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions on alt.dreams and alt.dreams.lucid. **It does not claim to be authoritative.** Some answers are controversial. Discussion over controversial topics about dreaming is always welcome. Don't let the fact that a topic is discussed in this FAQ discourage you from posting about it at all - the purpose of the FAQ is just to cut down on easily-answered questions that occur often. This document was compiled by Olaf Titz <olaf@bigred.ka.sub.org>, to whom questions, error corrections, suggestions for improvements etc about this documents should be directed. Most answers are summaries of statements posted on alt.dreams by various people. This document is now split into four parts for convenience and for clear distinction of the various sources. Part one and two are general information written into prose by me with some help from others. Part three is the original older Lucid Dreaming FAQ by Lynne Levitan (soon to be replaced by a complete rewrite). Part four is mostly collected quoted input from a large number of contributors. Many thanks to all who have helped to compile these thoughts. The particular order of sections is a result of several reorganizations and renumberings and as such somewhat chaotic. I don't claim any special meaning in this order and in the cuts between sections. The whole document is now in "digest" format. This is posted biweekly on alt.dreams, alt.dreams.lucid, alt.answers, news.answers and is available from the archives via FTP at rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers and via WWW at http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/dreams-faq/top.html If you are redistributing this document, please read at the end of part 4. ------------------------------ Subject: 1. General ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 1.1. Does everybody dream? Why is it that I don't remember my dreams? A: [cf. section 6.4] Everybody dreams. Not only all humans, but in fact all mammals are shown to have REM sleep, which is associated with dreams. It is a normal and necessary function of the body (though the details, especially the exact reason why it is important, are unknown). So if you think you don't dream you probably just don't remember. People vary greatly in how much they remember of their dreams. The perhaps most important reason why people forget their dreams is that they don't care. Western culture does not regard dreams as especially important, rather it regards getting out of the bed in time as a prevalent survival factor. This is bad in two respects as most dreams occur at the end of the sleeping cycle and are often interrupted, and the necessity of getting up fast and keeping up with the schedule occupies peoples' minds and prevents them from thinking about their dreams in the morning. Dream recall can be trained. Try to think over all what you have dreamed for some time before getting up and write it down soon afterwards. More info in section 6. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.2. How do external stimuli affect my dreams? A. Sensual "input" while sleeping is incorporated into dreams. Most notably, while sleeping, you hear as well as while waking - the ears are never turned off. This leads to the consequence that what you hear while sleeping, you'll hear in your dreams. The sound is always coming from "somewhere". Common experiences of this kind are a telephone ringing or music from the radio. The same holds for the other senses. Note that it is not important how loud some noise is to get noticed while sleeping - even an otherwise unnoticed sound, like a mouse running over your floor, can wake you up if it is uncommon or otherwise alarming to you - on the other hand, you can get accustomed to high levels of noise, like construction work nearby. (What definitely will wake you up is someone knocking at your window if you live at the 10th floor ;-) It is an interesting experience that you can hear exactly what is going on, but will forget it on waking up along with forgetting the rest of your dream. This includes things such as news broadcast heard on the radio - after waking up, you have forgotten it. It is like you have dreamed the news broadcast as well - but distinguishing this fact is a good clue to lucid dreaming and the way "lucidity inducing devices" work. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.3. How do my dreams interact with my waking life? [Section by asg102@psuvm.psu.edu (The Dreamer)] Dreams seem to be a way for the subconscious mind to sort out and process all the input and problems that are encountered in waking life. Therefore, a scientist could be working on a problem ... say the structure of the DNA molecule. Then said scientist could have a dream in which he sees two snakes intertwining in a double helix. When he wakes, he has discovered the structure of the DNA molecule (true story). Students who study and get some good REM sleep retain the information better and for longer periods of time than students who study longer, but have no sleep. This is because the brain needs time to process the information, form sensible pattern out of it, and place it in long term memory. Dreams can also improve your emotional well-being, reduce stress, improve your creativity, and provide a playground for your mind while your body recovers and repairs itself. [Comment by Brian Hostetler <bhostetl@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>] > dream in which he sees two snakes intertwining in a double helix. > When he wakes, he has discovered the structure of the DNA molecule Actually, this isn't true. You are confusing this with the widespread (and unproven) story about how the structure of the benzene ring was discovered. Supposedly the scientist in question had a dream of a snake biting its tail. Anyway, Watson and Crick 'discovered' the structure of DNA using models, not dreams. [If I remember Chemistry lessons in school correctly, the dream story was indeed about Kekul'e and the benzene molecule, I think. Anyway, even if this is a legend, it *could* well be true. Many people gain creative impulses from dreams. -ot] ------------------------------ Subject: 1.4. What causes dreams, anyway? A. Good question... Many different theories, nothing for sure. According to the Freudian school, dreams are the result of subconscious thoughts and desires. The other extreme attributes dreams to random "noise" in the neurons without special meaning. My own understanding is that dreams are made out of many small parts of memory and imagination that get combined to form dream imagery. This is a process that runs both consciously (cf. section 6) and subconsciously. I don't know and leave to speculation the reason why this is so. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.5. How long do dreams last? A. REM sleep periods, and therefore dreams, last typically in the range of 5 to 45 minutes (cf. section 6). Often, the subjective time spent in a dream is much longer. One possible explanation for this time-stretch effect is that dreams are combined from pieces (see preceding paragraph) that have their own different setting in time. You first dream of something that occurred a year ago, then - following - of something that occurred just recently, mix them up a bit and are left with the remembrance of a dream that lasted a year. But experiments suggest that dreamed actions run in "real time" - what you do in your dream takes exactly this time to dream. With external influences like the radio running in the morning, you have both the real time in which you hear something and - sometimes - the feeling that it lasted considerably longer. Anyway, time is one of the perceptions that are heavily distorted in dreams. ------------------------------ Subject: 2. Dream interpretation and symbols +++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 2.1. What does this <symbol> mean? A. Symbols are one way of interpreting dreams. Researchers have tried to find, for each common dream occurrence, a psychological situation that matches the dream in some way and link it as a cause. A well-known example of this approach is Freud's interpretation. Asking for symbols allows for (sometimes too easy) interpretation of dreams by given rules. Other people question this approach. Dream interpretation by catalog of symbols doesn't take into account individual differences between dreamers. You can imagine this flaw by taking into account that the cultural background is an important point that should not be neglected. Freud's theories, that give high importance to hidden signs of sexual desires, are based on a society that has suppressed sexuality. And so on. In a more global context, asking for special symbols is of dubious value. Nonetheless, in a certain given context, these symbols can have a valuable meaning. ------------------------------ Subject: 2.2. Can you interpret this dream for me? A. Dreams are made up of the dreamer's thoughts. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to interpret dreams if you don't know the dreamer, since to recognize the meaning of dreams (if there is one) you need to know the "background". So dream interpretations given on the Net are (IMHO) of questionable value, either they deal with "reasonably obvious" meanings or they rely on symbols (cf. 2.1). I recommend to take these with a grain of salt and not expect too much. [Anyone disagrees on this point? It's controversial, I'd like input from the other side.] Of course, if you want to post your dreams, don't let this discourage you. Sharing dream experiences with others and getting response is a nice thing anyway and may help you to find out more about yourself. ------------------------------ Subject: 2.3. Is this <dream scene> common? A. Yes. :-) Specifically, if people ask the newsgroups about a certain dream experience, in the overwhelming majority of cases others answer that they know this from their dreams. Sometimes the reaction comes up, "And I've thought I was the only one to dream this weird thing!" "Weird" is the most inappropriate word when dealing with dreams, anyway. Dreams are not to be measured by real life standards, they have their own. It can be assumed that much, if not most, dream imagery follows common patterns in all people. Most important, we should not forget that dreams are based on actual experiences and imaginations, some of which are just widespread. We all think about how nice it would be to fly, for example. On the other hand, people who report flying dreams use a number of different flying techniques in their dreams, from breast-strokes like in swimming to simply lifting off, Superman-style. It is imagination that sets the limits. An oft-cited example is that of teeth falling out. The common "symbolistic" interpretation associates this with fear of loss of something, perhaps someone, valuable. The next common explanation is remembrance of losing teeth during childhood, which could have been a somewhat traumatic experience. But it can also be easily linked to a sleeping position where some external pressure or muscle contractions cause your teeth to grind against each other, or tooth-aches caused by illnesses (cf. section 1.2.) ------------------------------ Subject: 2.4. Can people dream of their own death? A. Yes. This has been reported many times. The reports vary widely in what actual experiences are made when dreaming of dying; there seems to be no common pattern. Most probably the prevalent influence is again the thoughts of the individual about death. It can not be figured out whether dream-death experiences which match patterns given in actual near-death experiences are just based on reading about near-death experiences. Also, for instances of talking to deceased people, God(s) or other "supernatural" entities after dreamed death, it can not be figured out whether they are "real" or just based on peoples' religious belief (see also the FAQ for alt.atheism). A widespread old wives tale is that when you dream of your own death, you will soon die. Given the usual understanding of "soon" (and considering section 5.1), experience has proven this false. A sharp line has to be drawn between dreams of death and actual near-death experiences. The latter occur in people with blood circulation failure just before they actually die, and sometimes are reported when medical art brings these people back to life. What constitutes the real source of these experiences is still not known for sure. Dreams of death have no connection to this, they are like all dreams just imagination. ------------------------------ Subject: 2.5. What are common misconceptions? What is wrong with these? A. We occasionally hear sayings about "you can't do/see XXX in dreams". Where XXX is seeing colors, seeing lights, seeing your face in a mirror, or perhaps a large number of variants on this theme. Experience clearly proves this tales of unknown origin wrong. (It may well be that people who actually believe in these misconceptions do have the mentioned "handicaps" in their dreams. What they believe about dreams comes true. It's very hard to tell the cause from the result in such cases...) ------------------------------ Subject: 2.6. Why do I keep dreaming the same thing over and over? A. Recurrent dreams are a sign of thoughts that occupy the dreamer much, consciously or unconsciously. Such thoughts have influence on the dreams and they are often remembered better than "random" dreams since you somewhat know of their importance. Sometimes those dreams are unpleasant, a sign or symbol of some conflict situation that you still have to overcome. Ask yourself what the dream signifies - probably you can interpret it better than anybody else, since you are the one who knows yourself best. Of course, there are also nice recurring dreams. Some people build their own dream world which they explore, meeting friends there etc. Some claim they are in fact entering a different world (cf. sections 4 and 5), others attribute this to remembrances of old dreams creating new ones. At first, it's up to yourself to believe a reason or another. For either one, probably the most important thing is that you - again - take these dreams as valuable for looking at yourself. ------------------------------ To be continued ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: dreams-faq/part2 Revision: version 1.5, last changed 1995/01/21 01:48:08 Posting-Frequency: biweekly This is the second in a series of four postings of Frequently Asked Questions for the alt.dreams and alt.dreams.lucid newsgroups. It contains stuff on nightmares and related topics, and something about OOBEs and "paranormal" issues. ------------------------------ Subject: 3. Sleep paralysis, night terrors, nightmares +++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 3.1. What causes sleep paralysis? A. Conventional wisdom: REM atonia is a normal function of the body. The muscles that move the body are "turned off" during REM sleep, which prevents you from acting out dreamed actions in reality. Non-REM sleep paralysis after waking up ("old hag") is caused by a failure to re-activate the muscles immediately. Normally this condition lasts only a few seconds, but sometimes it can go for a minute, which causes a very scary feeling. You are damn sure you're awake now but you can't move. This is extremely unpleasant but at least not dangerous. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.2. What causes nightmares? A. There is the dark side of dreams - nightmares, dreams of fear, pain, irrational bad feelings that often cannot be explained. These can become a serious problem when you often wake up terrified, when you even don't sleep because of fear of nightmares... Nightmares occur mostly because some problem disturbs you unconsciously but seriously. Some nightmares carry obvious symbols that may indicate where your problems are, but often it is not that easy. Sometimes they can indicate really serious problems like depressions, sometimes just an inadequacy of getting along with yourself. It's difficult. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.3. How can I relieve myself of these? A. It's really hard to give an answer, since so much depends on yourself. Moreover, it's always risky to give or follow advice on what could be a serious problem from far away, and it's ultimately you who has to decide whether it is just a nuisance you want to get rid of, or if you really suffer from depressions or health problems and it is necessary to consult professional help. The common "light" nightmares of permanently missing exams, falling or being chased can often be overcome with learning lucid dreaming (see section 6). Basically, if you learn to deal with them, they are not a problem anymore. Or, from a slightly different point of view, you're facing the problems that cause your dreams and thus overcoming them. ------------------------------ Subject: 3.4. What is a myoclonic jerk? This term denotes a common experience with sudden contractions of the big body muscles while falling asleep. This mostly causes a feeling of stumbling, falling or similar and subsequently waking up again. The exact cause is not known, it probably is some disturbance in the brain's functions in the first stage of sleep. Surely it is common, and does not cause serious problems unless it stops you from sleeping (but then you have general sleeping problems as well). [From: Corey Thompson <COREYT@vax1.mankato.msus.edu>] In my Psychology class, the professor said something to like: "...you're heart rate gets very slow, and and your breathing slows down quicker than normal. You brain may interpret this as your body dying, so it sends an electrical pulse to your muscles. Like a jump start. This is similar to a Night Terror, when you wake up absolutely terrified about something, but have no idea why...." ------------------------------ Subject: 4. Out-of-body experiences ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 4.1. What are out-of-body experiences? A. [This is a section of Jouni Smed' alt.out-of-body FAQ] Out-of-the-body experiences (OBEs) are those curious, and usually brief, experiences in which person seems to himself to leave his body and to observe the world from a point of view other than that which he would have were he still 'in' his body. In some cases the experients claim that they 'saw' and 'heard' things (objects which were really there, events and conversations which really took place) which could not have seen or heard from the actual positions of their bodies. OBEs are surprisingly common; different surveys have yielded some what different results, but all in all one would not be too far wrong if one said that somewhere between one person in ten and one person in twenty is likely to have had such an experience at least once. Furthermore it seems that OBEs can occur to anyone in almost any circumstances. They are most frequent during sleep, during unconsciousness following anesthesia or a bang on the head, and during stress. Not all OBEs occur spontaneously. Some people have, by various techniques, cultivated the faculty of inducing them more or less as desired, and number have written detailed accounts of their experiences. These accounts do not always in all respects square with accounts given by persons who have undergone spontaneous OBEs. OBEs, especially spontaneous ones, are often very vivid, and resemble everyday, waking experiences rather than dreams, and they may make a considerable impression on those who undergo them. Such persons may find it hard to believe that they did not in fact leave their bodies, and may draw the conclusion that we possess a separable soul, perhaps linked to a second body, which will survive in a state of full consciousness, perhaps even of enhanced consciousness, after death. Death would be, as it were, an OBE in which one did not succeed in getting back into one's body. Such conclusions present themselves even more forcefully to the minds of those who have undergone the variety of OBE known as a 'near-death experience' or NDE. It is not uncommon for persons who have been to the brink of death and returned -- following, say, a heart stoppage or serious injuries from an accident -- to report an experience (commonly of a great vividness and impressiveness) as of leaving their bodies, and traveling (often in a duplicate body) to the border of a new and wonderful realm. Reports suggest that the conscious self's awareness outside the body is not only unimpaired but enhanced: events which occurred during the period of unconsciousness are described in accurate detail and confirmed by those present. ------------------------------ Subject: 4.2. How do I find out more about out-of-body experiences? A. There is a newsgroup dedicated to out-of-body experiences, alt.out-of-body. jounsmed@polaris.utu.fi (Jouni Smed) maintains an extensive FAQ file. ------------------------------ Subject: 5. Paranormal issues ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 5.1. Do dreams predict the future? A. This, like many other things commonly referred to as "paranormal", is to be considered unknown. There is much evidence against it, it would contradict the laws of nature as recognized by most scientists today. (Any information getting from future to past would have to break the speed of light, which is impossible. More on this can be found in the sci.physics FAQ postings.) However, many people insist on having experienced "deja-vu" like situations where they came into a setting they already had dreamed of. Could they prove it? Probably not (cf. section 5.3) but this fact alone doesn't prove the experiences invalid. (Proving a subjective experience *wrong* is impossible.) Now, how come the many deja-vus? A common explanation is a small misfunction of the brain. Some piece of information, like the look of a particular place where you haven't been before, gets from short-term into long-term memory via some sort of "shortcut" rather than the usual remembrance mechanism. (How this exactly works is currently not known in detail.) Then, when matching short-term against long-term memory, you think that you have the piece in long-term memory from somewhere in the past while it has entered long-term memory just recently. This could explain some of the instances, but the possibility of the mind "travelling in time" (or place, cf. section 4.1) can not be dismissed - many people claim they have done it and can do it again. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.2. Can people share dreams? A. Again, an unanswered question. Many people believe that such a possibility exists, but the lack of a sufficient scientific explanation is obvious. The often claimed experiences of this kind, like in the above case, mostly are not thoroughly enough documented and examined. It is rather plausible that people "meet in dreams" just by dreaming *roughly* of similar things, and fuzzy memory does the rest when they tell each other. (Write down your dreams!) But again, whether actual telepathic interaction is possible remains unanswered for now, and some people are doing research about it under lab conditions. [There has been an institute for this at Freiburg University in Germany; I've been told that it doesn't operate any more, but perhaps I can collect some of their research, sometimes...] One trivial case of interaction in dreams is people who sleep in the same room talking to each other in their sleep. Yes, that does happen. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.3. How can I tell actual paranormal experiences from self-delusion? A. If you plan to prove actual paranormal experiences, most important is that you are honest towards yourself. All efforts to match dreams against real occurrences are moot if they are reported after the fact, since then it can't be proven any more that you actually dreamed this, and are vulnerable to the argument that the recall of the dream is just a self-delusion. So the most important thing is to write down all of your dreams immediately. Make sure that no obvious external sources of information have had influence on your dreams (i.e. don't sleep with the radio on if you want to match dreams against news items.) Don't interpret too much into your dreams in the moment you write them down, log only what you really remember. When matching the dream log against other things use only the log, not anything you think you would remember from that particular dream. Remember that recall of a dream gets worse with the time, not better. If you want to document shared dream experiences, all people involved should follow these strict standards. (Cf. question 7.3.) Refer to the sci.skeptic FAQ for obvious traps you should not get caught in. ------------------------------ To be continued ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: dreams-faq/part3 Revision: version 1.5, last changed 1995/01/21 01:48:08 Posting-Frequency: biweekly This is the third in a series of four postings of Frequently Asked Questions for the alt.dreams and alt.dreams.lucid newsgroups. It is the reproduction of an earlier regular posting on lucid dreams, written by Lynne Levitan <lynx@psych.stanford.edu> and originally titled: Answers to these frequently asked questions on lucid dreaming brought to you by THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE. ------------------------------ Subject: 6. Lucid dreaming +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 6.1. What is lucid dreaming? A. The term "lucid dreaming" refers to dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The "lucid" part refers to the clarity of consciousness rather than the vividness of the dream. It generally happens when you realize during the course of a dream that you are dreaming, perhaps because something weird occurs. Most people who remember their dreams have experienced this at some time, often waking up immediately after the realization. However, it is possible to continue in the dream while remaining fully aware that you are dreaming. ------------------------------ Subject: 6.2. If you are lucid, can you control the dream? A. Usually lucidity brings with it some degree of control over the course of the dream. How much control is possible varies from dream to dream and from dreamer to dreamer. Practice can apparently contribute to the ability to exert control over dream events. At the least, lucid dreamers can choose how they wish to respond to the events of the dream. For example, you can decide to face up to a frightening dream figure, knowing it cannot harm you, rather than to try to avoid the danger as you naturally would if you did not know it was a dream. Even this amount of control can transform the dream experience from one in which you are the helpless victim of frequently terrifying, frustrating, or maddening experiences to one in which you can dismiss for a while the cares and concerns of waking life. On the other hand, some people are able to achieve a level of mastery in their lucid dreaming where they can create any world, live any fantasy, and experience anything they can imagine! ------------------------------ Subject: 6.3. Does lucid dreaming interfere with the function of "normal" dreaming? A. According to one way of thinking, lucid dreaming _is_ normal dreaming. The brain and body are in the same physiological state during lucid dreaming as they are in during most ordinary non- lucid dreaming, that is, REM sleep. Dreaming is a result of the brain being active, at the same time as the sense organs of the body are turned off to the outside world. In this condition, typically during REM sleep, the mind creates experiences out of currently active thoughts, concerns, memories and fantasies. Knowing you are dreaming simply allows you to direct the dream along constructive or positive lines, like you direct your thoughts when you are awake. Furthermore, lucid dreams can be even more informative about yourself than non-lucid dreams, because you can observe the development of the dream out of your feelings and tendencies, while being aware that you are dreaming and that the dream is coming from you. The notion that dreams are unconscious processes that should remain so is false. Your waking consciousness is always present in your dreams. If it were not, you would not be able to remember dreams, because you can only remember an event you have consciously experienced. The added "consciousness" of lucid dreaming is nothing more than the awareness of being in the dream state. ------------------------------ Subject: 6.4. Does everybody dream? A. Everybody dreams. All humans (indeed, all mammals) have REM sleep. Most dreams occur in REM sleep. [REM=Rapid Eye Movements - in this sleeping stage the eyeballs move around like when awake.] This has been demonstrated by awakening people from different stages of sleep and asking if they were dreaming. In 85 percent of awakenings from REM sleep, people report having been dreaming. Dreams are rarely reported following awakening from other types of sleep (collectively called non-REM sleep). REM sleep alternates with non-REM sleep in 90 minute cycles throughout the night. In a typical 8 hour night, you will spend about an hour and a half total time in REM sleep, broken up into four or five "REM periods" ranging in length from 5 to 45 minutes. Most dreams are forgotten. Some people never recall dreams while others recall five or more each night. You can improve your ability to recall dreams. Good dream recall is necessary for learning lucid dreaming. There are two basic things to do to get started with developing dream recall. Begin a dream journal, in which you write everything you remember of your dreams, even the slightest fragments. You will remember the most if you record dreams right after you awaken from them. Before falling asleep each night, remind yourself that you want to awaken from, remember and record your dreams. ------------------------------ Subject: 6.5. Why would you want to have lucid dreams? A. The laws of physics and society are repealed in dreams. The only limits are the reaches of your imagination. Much of the potential of dreams is wasted because people do not recognize that they are dreaming. When we are not lucid in a dream, we think and behave as if we are in waking reality. This can lead to pointless frustration, confusion and wasted energy, and in the worst case, terrifying nightmares. It is useless to try as we do to accomplish the tasks of waking life in dreams. Our misguided efforts to do so result in anxiety dreams of malfunctioning machinery, missed deadlines, forgotten exams, losing the way, and so on. Anxiety dreams and nightmares can be overcome through lucid dreaming, because if you know you are dreaming you have nothing to fear. Dream images cannot hurt you. Lucid dreams, in addition to helping you lead your dreams in satisfying directions, enjoy fantastic adventures, and overcome nightmares, can be valuable tools for success in your waking life. Lucid dreamers can deliberately employ the natural creative potential of dreams for problem solving and artistic inspiration. Athletes, performers, or anyone who gives presentations can prepare, practice and polish their performances while they sleep. This is only a taste of the variety of ways people have used lucid dreaming to expand their lives. ------------------------------ Subject: 6.6. How do you have lucid dreams? A. There are several methods of inducing lucid dreams. The first step, regardless of method, is to develop your dream recall until you can remember at least one dream per night. Then, if you have a lucid dream you will remember it. You will also become very familiar with your dreams, making it easier learn to recognize them while they are happening. If you recall your dreams you can begin immediately with two simple techniques for stimulating lucid dreams. Lucid dreamers make a habit of "reality testing." This means investigating the environment to decide whether you are dreaming or awake. Ask yourself many times a day, "Could I be dreaming?" Then, test the stability of your current reality by reading some words, looking away and looking back while trying to will them to change. The instability of dreams is the easiest clue to use for distinguishing waking from dreaming. If the words change, you are dreaming. Taking naps is a way to greatly increase your chances of having lucid dreams. You have to sleep long enough in the nap to enter REM sleep. If you take the nap in the morning (after getting up earlier than usual), you are likely to enter REM sleep within a half-hour to an hour after you fall asleep. If you nap for 90 minutes to 2 hours you will have plenty of dreams and a higher probability of becoming lucid than in dreams you have during a normal night's sleep. Focus on your intention to recognize that you are dreaming as you fall asleep within the nap. External cues to help people attain lucidity in dreams have been the focus of Dr. Stephen LaBerge's research and the Lucidity Institute's development efforts for several years. Using the results of laboratory studies, they have designed a portable device, called the DreamLight, for this purpose. It monitors sleep and when it detects REM sleep gives a cue -- a flashing light -- that enters the dream to remind the dreamer to become lucid. The light comes from a soft mask worn during sleep that also contains the sensing apparatus for determining when the sleeper is in REM sleep. A small custom computer connected to the mask by a cord decides when the wearer is in REM and when to flash the lights. ------------------------------ Subject: 6.7. Is there a way to prevent yourself from awakening right after becoming lucid? A. At first, beginners may have difficulty remaining in the dream after they attain lucidity. This obstacle may prevent many people from realizing the value of lucid dreaming, because they have not experienced more than the flash of knowing they are dreaming, followed by immediate awakening. Two simple techniques can help you overcome this problem. The first is to remain calm in the dream. Becoming lucid is exciting, but expressing the excitement can awaken you. Suppress your feeling somewhat and turn your attention to the dream. If the dream shows signs of ending, such as the disappearance, loss of clarity or depth of the imagery, "spinning" can help bring the dream back. As soon as the dream starts to "fade," before you feel your real body in bed, spin your dream body like a top. That is, twirl around like a child trying to get dizzy (you probably will not get dizzy during dream spinning because your physical body is not spinning around). Remind yourself, "The next scene will be a dream." When you stop spinning, if it is not obvious that you are dreaming, do a reality test. Even if you think you are awake, you may be surprised to find that you are still dreaming! ------------------------------ Subject: 6.8. How can I find out more about lucid dreaming, or get involved in lucid dreaming research? A. Contact the Lucidity Institute, an organization founded by lucid dreaming researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge to support research on lucid dreams and to help people learn to use them to enhance their lives. The Lucidity Institute's mission is to advance research on the nature and potentials of consciousness and to apply the results of this research to the enhancement of human health and well-being. The Lucidity Institute offers a membership society, whose quarterly newsletter, NIGHTLIGHT, discusses research and development in the field of lucid dreaming, and invites the participation of members in at-home experiments. Workshops and training programs are available periodically. The Institute sells books, tapes, scientific publications and the DreamLight. Write or call: The Lucidity Institute P.O. Box 2364 Stanford, CA 94309 (415) 321-9969 Or email: lynx@psych.stanford.edu For additional information: LaBerge, S., LUCID DREAMING (Los Angeles: Ballantine, 1985). LaBerge, S. & Rheingold, H. EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING (New York: Ballantine, 1990). ------------------------------ To be continued ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: dreams-faq/part4 Revision: version 1.5, last changed 1995/01/21 01:48:08 Posting-Frequency: biweekly This is the last in a series of four postings of Frequently Asked Questions for the alt.dreams and alt.dreams.lucid newsgroups. It contains a lot of bibliographic and other "pointer" info from a wide variety of sources. ------------------------------ Subject: 7. Research, further reading, dreaming help etc. ++++++++++++ ------------------------------ Subject: 7.1. What are the various gadgets to help you in lucid dreaming? [by pryan@prairienet.org (Pamela Ryan)] These descriptions are straight from the Lucidity Institute's newsletter: DreamLink: Computerized mask provides a convenient state-testing procedure and delivers light cues when you estimate you are dreaming. $195 NovaDreamer: New computerized biofeedback mask provides a convenient state-testing procedure and delivers light cues when you are dreaming. $245 DreamLight: Computerized biofeedback device monitors your sleep and delivers light and sound cues when you are dreaming. $1200 These devices are not a means for "automagically" getting you lucid dreams. Rather they provide signs that help you recognize your dreams by means of external influence. Using these dream-signs is still up to yourself and requires quite some amount of training. Software to make your computer screen act as a flashlight: the hyperreal.com (not techno.stanford.edu any more) WWW/FTP server has this, among much other interesting stuff. I know of an MSDOS program called "flasher" which can be found there and another similar thing for Linux that someone has promised to upload. Such programs can perhaps be used as a replacement for the less sophisticated sort of eqipment as described above. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.2. How do various drugs/nutritional components influence dreaming? [Section compiled from answers by various people] [By turner@remarque.berkeley.edu (Michael Turner)] AMINO ACIDS & SUPPLEMENTS Saw some mention of Taurine recently. B vitamins (6 and 12)? I've used Choline+Inositol combo w/some success. Inositol is a B-vitamin (12?) that aids in the uptake of Choline, which is a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Choline is present in lecithin, which is itself present in egg whites, soy products, and other sources of protein. One would have to constantly glut oneself with tofu in order to get the equivalent of 500mg tablet of Choline+ Inositol, however. FOODS Fish contains some substance that also helps, forget what it's called, though. Cheese (esp. cheddar, for some reason) and bananas to a lesser extent, contain some stuff that can cause wild dreams. Soy, eggs, etc., as mentioned above. TEAS and HERBS Have tried various teas and herbs, but most were either ineffective or unspeakably vile. (DON'T like vivid dreams of large bugs burrowing through my head, thank you very much.) Would be willing to try again with some guidance, though. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS Prescription drugs of various kinds can have dream effects; so much so that most sleep/dream labs have some kind of funding from pharm. companies, if they aren't owned and operated by them outright. Never- theless, prescription drug labels seldom warn of "nightmares"; perhaps that all falls under "sleep disturbances." Barbiturates can suppress REM. Don't know about tranqs & anti- depressants, though. New Wave antidepressions (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil) are serotonin- effecting, so some effect might be expected. LEGAL PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS Both caffeine and alcohol can suppress REM - odd, since one is a CNS stimulant, the other a CNS depressant. Nicotine? Don't know. ILLEGAL PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS Controlled/illegal substances have been studied vis-a-vis dreams, but hazy on the details I learned. (Was high at the time, I guess....) THC can suppress REM somewhat. Various psychedelics effect aspects of serotonin metabolism. Speed keeps you from sleeping; amphetamine psychosis might be drug-induced-anxiety + REM deprivation. Newer stuff, such as illegal/controlled "smart drugs", "designer drugs", etc. I don't know about, but it would be surprising if they had no dream effects. [By pryan@prairienet.org (Pamela Ryan)] Someone posted a while back that a combination of Choline (600 mg, equals 1429 mg Choline Bitartrate) and Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5, 500 mg) boosts dream recall. [By pzinken@mswe.dnet.ms.philips.nl (P. ZINKEN)] Point is i am at one side a notorious coffee-addict, and on the other side one who smokes a joint or a hookah from time to time. I'll describe my states of dreaming for both, because they are rather different. Caffeine: Under influence of caffeine (and i mean rather much, after drinking, for example, 10 to 15 0.25l cups), i tend to sleep very light. If i get to dream it usually is a lucid dream. Thus, it seems caffeine changes the conciousness while sleeping. Also, i tend to have more nightmares if i drink too much coffee. Hasjiesj: There are times when i like to smoke some weed or hasjiesj and then go to bed stoned (on these days i usually smoke between 0.5 and 0.75 grams) It does influence the dream state very heavy. Hasjiesj has the tendency of relaxing you, and also has a tendency to make emotions stronger. While dreaming this results in very real-feeling dreams. Last night i smoked about a half gram of Noorderlicht, a kind of weed grown here in Eindhoven, and after going to bed and falling to sleep (almost instantly) i dreamt something rather silly, but i couldn't help thinking it was the real-world instead of a dream. Thus, hasjiesj makes the dream stronger, more deep. Problem is, a nightmare will seem more real too. Also, it seems to make it more difficult to dream lucid (i am able to dream lucid). Combination: Well, this one is the one i get at the most. After a long day of working and coffee-drinking, i sometimes let myself go and make a blow. This results in a combination of an up-drug and a down-drug. And, strangest of things, this combination does never result in no-drug. The caffeine still leaves the property of easily getting into a lucid dream, while the hasjiesj makes the sleep very deep and the dreams very intense. I've yet to wake up from getting into lucidity while under influence of hasjiesj. Overal conclusion from my side thus is, drugs do have a certain effect on dreaming. And there is quite a big difference between uppers and downers. [By bsbyun@uswnvg.uucp (Bryan Byun)] My method isn't the healthiest, so it's not something I want to experiment on often, although reading your FAQ reminded me of it, and I might try it again sometime. Anyway, this is the exact method I use: 1. Stay up late, past your normal sleeping time, until you are very, very tired. Do not get into bed until you are ready to sleep. 2. Just before getting into bed, take from 2-4 caffeine tablets of the dosage included in Vivarin brand stimulants (I don't know the exact dosage), depending on your tolerance for caffeine. It's my personal theory that what happens is that your body falls asleep and begins the REM cycle...then, the caffeine stimulates your brain (or at least irritates it) so that your conscious mind awakens. Normally, so would your body, but if you sleep late enough, your body will be so fatigued that the fact of your brain awakening won't be enough to rouse it; and, if you take the right amount of caffeine, the stimulant effect will be just enough to wake up your mind, without forcing it completely awake. Anyway, I don't know if I would recommend this as a method of attaining lucid dreaming, but it has worked for me. [By ot] The Kava Kava root, a traditional drug from the Polynesian islands, is little known but highly recommendable. It is said to take away stress and tension, very mildly tranquilizing while clearing and sharpening thoughts. Also told to help dreaming, especially for lucid dreaming exercises. From my own experience, it causes a deeper but shorter(!) sleep with more intense dreams. [The following holds for Germany, I don't think other countries are much different.] Kava Kava root is available from pharmacies, although not a "standard" drug and sometimes it takes time for the pharmacist to obtain supply. At least one company makes capsules with Kava Kava root extracts ("Kava ratiopharm"). They are sold as a stress reliever. Though not as effective as the whole root, perhaps the method of choice for many - the traditional way of chewing the roots for a long time does not suit Western people, who typically find the taste rather bad. Attention: do not combine with alcohol, it increases the undesired effects of the latter (same with barbiturates, etc.) ------------------------------ Subject: 7.3. What about the dream experiments on alt.dreams? A. Several experiments have been conducted to find out whether there are shared dream experiences. On alt.dreams was posted a description of a particular place, and people encouraged to get there in their dreams. Dream logs were collected via e-mail by a person not involved in the actual experiment, who compared the reports and looked for similarities. Of course, reports of different people having conversation about the same topic, or people leaving items there and others picking up the same items (as suggested in the experiments) were what was looked after. The last of these experiments ("SS Dreamers"), held in Dec.92-Jan.93, was a failure. The most recent "Cafe Dreamers" experiment [Dec.93] results have remained unpublished. (We should get them out soon, I'll take the necessary steps...) Other experiments, especially "Dream Train" of [when was that exactly?] have been more successful. [Does anybody archive the reports?] These experiments do not meet all strict scientific criteria (cf. section 5.3.). However, for the people involved, they have always been interesting experiences. ------------------------------ Subject: 7.4. Books, articles and other stuff to read Here comes a random collection of references contributed by various people. I don't know the bigger part of them... [Recommendation by valtteri.leppihalme@mpoli.fi who is also rahapeli@pcuf.fi] Carlos Castaneda: THE ART OF DREAMING, 1993 Another very valuable part of Castaneda's work, written from an extraordinarily lucid viewpoint and with extraordinarily healthy spirit. It is a self-beneficent act to read this one, and for an open-minded person, there are many words that will surely function as a trigger. A diary-type document that contains clear explanations of powerful dreaming sessions and journeys, and descriptions of Castaneda's conversations with his own teacher. Statements pointing the universe in which we are dwelling. Statements that feed the flame of hope, telling about the living beings' possibilities giving practical, abstract advices how to reach them. Highly recommended not only for those who use their dreams as a playground, but for everyone. 1st edition ISBN 0-06-017051-4 (cloth) USA $22.00 CANADA $29.50 260 pages, approx. 6,25x9,5 inches For information, address: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 10 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022. A leatherbound signed first edition of the book has been published by The Easton press. [Recommendations by ug010@freenet.victoria.bc.ca (Emily Stroppa)] Two books I have found invaluable: I wanted to mention The Dream Game by Ann Faraday, published 1974. Also, Breakthrough Dreaming by Dr. Gayle Delaney published 1991 by Bantam. A third book I have found very interesting is Where People Fly And Water Runs Uphill by Jeremy Taylor published 1992 by Warner Books. [Contributed by Jouni Smed, article reference] Blackmore, S. J. 1988. A Theory of lucid dreams and OBEs. In Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain, 373-387, ed. J. Gackenbach and S. LaBerge. New York: Plenum. --------- 1991. Lucid Dreaming: Awake in Your Sleep?. Skeptical Inquirer, 15:362-370 Delage, Y. 1919. Le Reve. Paris: Les Presses Universitaires de France. Fox, O. 1962. Astral Projection. New York: University Books. Gackenbach, J., and J. Bosveld. 1989. Control Your Dreams. New York: Harper & Row. Gackenbach, J., and S. LaBerge, eds. 1988. Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain. New York: Plenum. Green, C. E. 1968. Lucid Dreams. London: Hamish Hamilton. Hearne, K. 1978. Lucid Dreams: An Electrophysiological and Psychological Study. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Hull. --------- 1990. The Dream Machine. Northants: Aquarian. Irwin, H. J. 1988. Out-of-body experiences and dream lucidity: Empirical perspectives. In Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain, 353-371, ed. J. Gackenbach and S. LaBerge. New York: Plenum. LaBerge, S. 1985. Lucid Dreaming. Los Angeles: Tarcher. LaBerge, S. and W. Dement. 1982a. Voluntary control of respiration during REM sleep. Sleep Research, 11:107. --------- 1982b. Lateralization of alpha activity for dreamed singing and counting during REM sleep. Psychophysiology, 19:331-332. LaBerge, S., W. Greenleaf, and B. Kerzierski. 1983. Physiological responses to dreamed sexual activity during lucid REM sleep. Psychophysiology, 20:454-455. Price, R. F., and D. B. Cohen. 1988. Lucid dream induction: An empirical evaluation. In Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain, 105-134, ed. J. Gackenbach and S. LaBerge. New York: Plenum. Schatzman, M., A. Worsley, and P. Fenwick. 1988. Correspondence during lucid dreams between dreamed and actual events. In Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain, 155-179, ed. J. Gackenbach and S. LaBerge. New York: Plenum. Tart, C. 1988. From spontaneous event to lucidity: A review of attempts to consciously control nocturnal dreaming. In Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain, 67-103, ed. J Gackenbach and S. LaBerge. New York: Plenum. Tholey, P. 1983. Techniques for controlling and manipulating lucid dreams. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 57:79-90. Van Eeden, F. 1913. A study of dreams. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 26:431-461. [Reference by gj156879@alfred.carleton.ca ( gj student 156879)] "Consciousness and Abilities of Dream Characters Observed During Lucid Dreaming", Perceptual and Motor skills, 1989, vol 68(2) pages 567-578 [Recommendation by glenn.engstrand@the-matrix.com (Glenn Engstrand)] By the way, LUCID DREAMING IN 30 DAYS is an interesting book and I recommend it highly but only to those who can tolerate the new-age packaging. It combines modern dream techniques of LaBerge et. al. (like dream incubation, self-hypnosis and other "key-phrase" conditioning techniques) with the ancient traditions of the Tibetans (ostensibly), Yaqi Indian Shamanism, totemic art and sympathetic magick. I cannot say that I have lucid dreamed (in the bottom-up sense) since reading the book but I can say that my dream-life is much richer because of reading the book. _Lucid Dreams In 30 Days: The Creative Sleep Program_ Keith Harary, Ph.D. and Pamela Weintraub St. Martin's Paperbacks ISBN 0-312-92487-9 [Recommendation by mettw@newt.phys.unsw.edu.au (Matthew Parry)] Freud, S.; Ed. Strachey, J. & Richards, A.; INTRODUCTORY LECTURES ON PSYCHOANALYSIS, and THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS; Trans. Strachey, J., (London, Penguin books Ltd., The Penguin Freud library, 1991). The Introductory Lectures is probably the best read of the two books as it also has sections on parapraxes (slips of the tongue etc) and neuroses. The Interpretation of Dreams however, is more suited to someone who is interested in Freuds theories, Freud considered this his greatest work because of its complete exposition of his theories at that time. [Recommendation by: bobl@library.health.ufl.edu] Here's a book that some may like or find helpful: Dreams, Symbols, and Psychic Power; by Alex Tanous & Timothy Gray; Bantam books, 1990. It was fairly informative, although personally, i found some of the symbol interpretations a bit unusual/far fetched. Most are interesting and offer at the least some insight . It deals more with interpreting dreams as opposed to lucid ones, though. [Recommendation by Gary S. Trujillo] /Oneirocritica of Artemidorus Daldianus/ (2nd Century AD). Oneirocritica is the most comprehensive, the most sought after and the most quoted book on dream interpretation to have been written from antiquity to the present times. This is more than a comprehensive dream dictionary.... The extensively revised index pages of this second edition are designed to be of help to curious readers trying to make sense of their dreams. Also from a desire to be helpful, dream subjects or symbols of which Artemidorus wrote have been highlighted in bold face by the publisher. THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS Oneirocritica of Artemidorus Daldianus (2nd Century AD), translated by Robert J. White 2nd Edition, 9" x 6", 344 pages, 2.5 Lbs., Hardcover $36.50, ISBN 0-944558-03-8, (To appear 10/90) ORIGINAL BOOKS, INC. P.O. Box 2948 Torrance, CA 90509, USA [Recommended by Jay E. Vinton <JEV@CU.NIH.GOV>] i just wanted to mention another very good book by jeremy taylor (the faq mentions a different one of his). the one i have read is 'dream work, techniques for discovering the creative power in dreams', paulist press, ramsey, n.j., 1983. it talks about techniques for recalling dreams, working on them by yourself or in groups, lucid dreaming etc. it is very practical and insightful and full of wonderful examples. it also has an extensive bibliography. [Recommended by mettw@newt.phys.unsw.edu.au (Matthew Parry)] Rycroft, C. THE INNOCENCE OF DREAMS, (London: The Hogarth press, 1979). Has a good introduction to and criticism of Freud and Jung's theories with some Physiological research into dreaming. He then introduces his own theory of dreaming and gives a list of dream symbols. [References by pryan@prairienet.org (Pamela Ryan)] "Dreams That Come True" is a book by David Ryback, PhD and Letitia Sweitzer, a report of some research into the subject of psychic dreams. Originally a skeptic, Dr. Ryback administered a survey to more than 400 students, and discovered that more than two-thirds of the group reported having a psychic dream. After studying the accounts, and applying some very strict criteria to them, Ryback determined that, at the very least, one in twelve people experiences a psychic dream compelling enough to convince most people of its reality. Informal surveys of people I know have borne out this finding. Dream Periodicals: I'm pretty sure the addresses are current, but the subscription rates might not be. The first two are mythic, mystical, personal approaches to dreams and dream work; the latter is a professional journal covering new findings in the field of dream study. DREAM NETWORK: A JOURNAL EXPLORING DREAMS & MYTH 1337 Powerhouse Lane, Suite 22 Moab, UT 84532 $22/year (4 issues) in the US $28/year Canada, Library or Mexico $36/year Foreign Air Telephone: (801) 259-5936 NIGHT VISION: A DREAM JOURNAL P.O. Box 402 Questa, NM 87556 $10/year (4 issues) in the US, Canada, or Mexico $22/year -- all other foreign subscriptions DREAMING: JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF DREAMS Subscription Department Human Sciences Press 233 Spring Street New York, NY 10013-1578 4 issues $40 in the US (if the subscription is for personal use) Outside the US, $47 For professional/library use: $110 in US Outside of US $130 *FREE if you join the ASD... [see below] There is also an on-line newsletter about dreams (it may turn into a private mailing list, but is currently in newsletter format): ELECTRIC DREAMS To subscribe, e-mail cbeattie@uwspmail.uwsp.edu or cbeatty@worf.uwsp.edu [recommendation by rahapeli@pcuf.fi (Keimo Leppihalme)] Donner, Florinda. Being-in-dreaming / Florinda Donner. -- 1st ed. ISBN 0-06-250233-6 (alk. paper) 1. Witchcraft--Mexico. 2. Donner, Florinda. I. Title. BF1584.M6D66 1991 A natural dreamer's autobiographical account of her personal involvement with a group of rigorously disciplined - but not routinized - people, who are highly developed and thoroughly devoted practicioners of one of the most sophisticated Arts, the Art of Dreaming. Fairly inspiring, defiantly challenging. Practice, a hang-up for a lazy dreamer. But reading of these possibilities can't ever injure. [Reference by ot] What readers in and around Germany might check out: Ulrich Schmitz, "Ich denke also bin ich", iX 7/1994, p.118. [iX is a computer magazine.] Interview with a prize-winning young researcher who explores the possibilities of making real-world use out of lucid dreaming. Most interesting is that this seems to hit the scientific mainstream. [I'm still looking for more book recommendations. If you know a piece of literature that should be mentioned here, let me know! -ot] Two other rather extensive FAQ documents are worth mentioning here: The ones from alt.atheism and sci.skeptic (both posted regularly in news.answers and archived on rtfm.mit.edu). The former contains stuff about religious experiences, as well as a very well-written guide to logical reasoning (worth reading for all USENET participants!). The latter tells much about scientific methods, how to back up research results and avoid obvious and not-so-obvious traps, recommended to anyone who goes into dream research. ------------------------------ 7.5. Organizations, etc. [Recommended by pryan@prairienet.org (Pamela Ryan)] Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD). The ASD is a nonprofit, international, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the pure and applied investigation of dreams and dreaming. Members include people from many different fields: anthropology, literature, education, fine arts, medicine, psychology, religion, and social work. Laypeople are invited to join. They publish a scientific journal (Dreaming) and sponsor annual conferences, which are usually attended by most of the major "dream personalities"..... LaBerge, Taylor, Garfield, Delaney, Hobson, Krippner, etc. Association for the Study of Dreams P.O. Box 1600 Vienna, VA 22183 (703) 242-8888 ------------------------------ Subject: FAQ Redistribution policy Finally, an apparently necessary small note about this FAQ in general: I don't object against redistributing this document on BBSs, CDs or other media, but if you do so, leave the text and identification info unadulterated. In particular, distribute all the parts at once, leave the "Revision" header lines intact, don't delete any references to the various authors of the text, don't arbitrarily shorten the text. If you make any kind of excerpts, make sure to get the reference to the author correct (esp. for parts 3 and 4). -ot ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++