Lucid Dreams Essay, Research Paper

Lucid dreams

For ages people have thought of dreams as curses or blessings that we could not

prevent nor manipulate. This ?place? called our dreams has constantly puzzled us, because

it is here where all things are possible and seem to occur. In our dreams we perform

superhuman and wonderful feats that would normally be impossible in the ?awake world?.

We find the men or women of our dreams, depending on our sexual orientation. While we

dream, these wonderful things become our temporary reality. Yet sometimes while

dreaming we may experience the most horrifying events imaginable, called nightmares.

Everyone has their own version of horror, my most terrifying nightmare has been where

my family and friends have been taken control of by evil monsters that cannot be stopped.

Rather than kill me they make me watch old 1970?s television shows over and over. For

years, men have thought that there should be a way of preventing or controlling these

nightly events.

Humans must, like any animal, sleep. We do not fully understand why we must

sleep. We only know that if we are deprived of sleep long enough that we will most

certainly die. The same is true for dreams and dreaming(1). If we sleep long enough we

will reach an advanced stage of sleep where our body begins to experience rapid eye

movement (REM). It is during this REM period that we experience most of our dreams.

Many scientists try to speculate the reasons for dreaming through biological our

psychological means. This proves to be very frustrating for someone trying to find

empirical meaning and truth about his or her dreams.

There are countless books written about dreams with just as many different

interpretations and meanings for specific dream references. For psychics, astrologists, or

psychologists who attempt to interpret dreams, there are numerous factors that must be

considered when endeavoring to find meaning in a dream. Because of these numerous

factors that contribute to the condition of dreaming, many different paths have been

created for exploration. From Freud?s sexual symbolism to the current random

recollection theories diversity in dream interpretation abounds. However, there is a way to

dream and not be at the mercy of your subconscious mind.

For the past ten years a bright psychologist at Stanford University, by the name of

Steven Laberge, has been studying dreams and the physiology of the human body during

the dream state. His research may sound commonplace if it weren?t for the added fact that

he is training people to control their dreams. His subjects are learning to become aware of

their dream experience as it is happening. Once they are aware of their dream they can

simply take complete command of theirdream and can consciously cause anything to

happen. To the semi-conscious mind the experience is virtually identical to being awake.

This concept is nothing new, in fact many of us will experience at least one of these

dreams in our lifetime.

There are a variety of stimuli that he uses to induce this state of mind. One method

is playing a tape recording of the phrase “This is a dream” during the sleeper?s REM. He

may also use conditioned tactile stimuli. Light, however, appears to be the best stimulus

means of providing an external cue to the sleeper that they are dreaming. This is because

environmental light seems to be easily incorporated into dreams and, when properly

conditioned, reminds dreamers that they are dreaming(6). Use of a special light device has

been promising: 55% of 44 subjects had at least one lucid dream during one study(5). The

possibilities for human progression that this concept creates seem to have no bounds. For

years psychologists and others have sought to find a perfect semi-conscious state of mind

where a subject will have a strong link with their subconscious and may even interact with

an interviewer using this frame of mind. Another name for this state of mind is called

hypnosis. Although the ?lucid? state of mind that Dr. Laberge?s patients experience is not

completely conscious or subconscious, they are still asleep, and the world that they are in

is very detailed and just as realistic as our waking world. That is what puzzles most people

who look into his research. Although not mentioned by Dr. Laberge in his studies, I think

that there is a definite opportunity for a great unlocking of the secrets of the human mind.

Many practical applications exist for lucid dreaming. There are of course the

obvious, nightmare therapy, self-confidence enhancing, and general mental health

improvements, but there are so many more ideas not yet explored. Some of these may

include depression therapy for physically handicapped people allowing them a very real

sort of fantasy fulfillment. Paralytics can walk, dance, fly, or do as they wish sexually

whenever they choose. The possibilities for creative problem solving seem to be obviously

enhanced. There even seems to be a great amount of possible sensorimotor practice that

could possibly be used by stroke or other nerve damaged patients. And finally to quote Dr.

Laberge(1),

?lucid dreaming can function as a “world simulator.” Just as a flight

simulator allows people to learn to fly in a safe environment, lucid dreaming could

allow people to learn to live in any imaginable world; to experience and better choose

among various possible futures.?

What makes humans extraordinary in the animal kingdom is our awareness of being.

It is an awareness of our life and existence coupled with our advanced capacity to reason

that makes us different than the other animals of the Earth. I believe that it may not only

be our awareness of thought, but the exact capability of being aware somehow of our

subconscious motivations. A strong sense of our subconscious can be obtained in a state

of sleep where the sleeper is fully aware not only that he or she is dreaming, but that he or

she is actually sleeping. Humans can now do this regularly without any type of influencing

hypnotic suggestion given by a hypnotist. This state of mind seems to be more powerful

than any kind of hypnosis, even self-hypnosis. I believe that somewhere locked inside our

minds is an empirical understanding of our existence not just an awareness.

Bibliography

REFERENCES

1. LaBerge, S.(1985). Lucid dreaming. Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher.

2. LaBerge, S. & Rheingold, H. (1990). Exploring the world of lucid dreaming. New

York:

Ballantine.

3. Llinas, R. & Pare, D. (1991). Of dreaming and wakefulness. Neuroscience.

4. Watson, J. (1928). The ways of behaviorism. New York: Harper.

5. LaBerge, S., Kahan, T. & Levitan, L. (1995). Cognition in dreaming and waking.

Sleep

Research, 24A, 239.

6. LaBerge, S. (1990). Lucid dreaming: Psychophysiological studies of consciousness

during

REM sleep. In R.R. Bootsen, J.F. Kihlstrom, & D.L. Schacter (Eds.), Sleep and

Cognition.

Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association (pp. 109-126).