191 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
191 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
This information was taken from OMNI magazine, April or June 87, so I'm sure
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that it is copywrited. Do not reprint as your own work !
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Most people don't realize they've been dreaming until after they've awakened
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and the dream has come to an end. Some people, however, are conscious that
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they're dreaming. These lucid dreamers, scientists have discovered, can
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literally direct their actions and change the content of a dream, deciding
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perhaps to talk physics with Einstein, woo and marry a movie star, or
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assume the powers of Superman.
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After nearly a decade of piloting these daring nocturnal flights, two
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psychologists - Stephen LaBerge of Stanford University, author of LUCID
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DREAMING (Ballentine), and Jayne Gackenbach of the University of Northern
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Iowa - have begun to develop a series of techniques aimed at helping ordinary
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dreamers "turn" lucid, and lucid dreamers gain greater control over the wooly
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behemoth the tasks as often as possible. Some people may succeed in having a lucid
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dream the very first night they use the techniques; others, the researchers
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note may need to practice for several weeks before getting results.
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EXERCISE ONE
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A number of techniques facilitate lucid dreaming. One of the simplest is
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asking yourself many times during the day whether you are dreaming. Each time
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you ask the question, you should look for evidence proving you are not
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dreaming. The most reliable test: Read something, look away for a moment, and
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then read it again. If it reads the same way twice, it is unlikely that you are
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dreaming. After you have proved to yourself that you are not presently
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dreaming, visualize yourself doing whatever it is you'd like. Also, tell
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yourself that you want to recognize a nighttime dream the next time it occurs.
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The mechanism at work here is simple; it's much the same as picking up milk at
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the grocery store after reminding yourself to do so an hour before.
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At night people usually realize they are dreaming when they experience
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unusual or bizarre occurrences. For instance, if you find yourself flying with
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no visible means of support, you should realize that this only happens in
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dreams and that you must therefore be dreaming.
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If you awaken from a dream in the middle of the night, it is very helpful to
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return to the dream immediately, in your imagination. Now envision yourself
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recognizing the dream as such. Tell yourself, "The next time I am dreaming, I
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want to remember to recognize that I am dreaming." If your intention is strong
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and clear enough, you may find yourself in a lucid dream when you return to
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sleep.
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EXERCISE TWO
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Many lucid dreamers report dreams in which they fly unaided, much like
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Superman. Some lucid dreamers say that flying is a thrilling means of travel;
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others, that it has helped them return from one of the more harrowing dream
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experiences --- the endless fall.
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Why is dream flying so important ? It's a form of dream control that's
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fairly easy to master. It gives the dreamer an exhilarating sense of freedom.
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And it's a basic means of travel in the dream world.
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How do you make a dream flight happen at all ? We suggest that before you
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retire for bed, you simply repeat these words: "Tonight I fly !" Then while
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still awake, imagine that journey.
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If you find yourself flying, it will be a clear sign that you are in a
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dream. In any case, when you realize you're dreaming, remember that you want
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to fly. When you actually feel yourself flying, say, "This is a dream." Make
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sure that you start modestly, by simply floating above the surface of your
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dream ground. As you gain confidence, both in the notion that you are dreaming
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and in your ability to control that experience, you might experiment with
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flying a bit more. Run, taking big leaps, and then stay aloft for a few seconds
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so that you resemble an astronaut walking on the moon. Try sustained floating,
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and then flying at low altitudes. As your confidence increases, so will your
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flying skills. While asleep, work on increasing your altitude, maneuverability,
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and speed. As with speed sports, you should perfect height and maneuverability
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before speed. Of course, you couldn't really hurt yourself --- it's only a
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dream. But you could get scared.
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After you get proficient in dream flying, remember to ask yourself these
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questions : "How high can I fly ? Can I view the earth from outer space ? Can
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I travel so fast that I lose awareness of my surroundings and experience the
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sensation of pure speed ?"
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Throughout your efforts in dream flight, please remember that you're in a
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dream. With this in mind, your fears will be held at bay, and your control
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over your dream will be greatly enhanced.
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EXERCISE THREE
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Even if you're a frequent lucid dreamer, you may not be able to stop your-
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self from waking up in mid-dream. And even if your dreams do reach a satisfying
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end, you may not be able to focus them exactly as you please. During our years
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of research, however, we have found that spinning your dream body can sustain
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the period of sleep and give you greater dream control. In fact, many subjects
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at Stanford University have used the spinning technique as an effective means
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of staying in a lucid dream. The task outlines below will help you use spinning
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as a means of staying asleep and, more exciting, as a means of traveling to
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whatever dream world you desire.
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As with dream flying, the dream spinning task starts before you go to bed.
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Before retiring, decide on a person, time, and place you would like to visit
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in your lucid dream. The target person and place can be either real or
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imaginary, past, present or future. For instance, Sigmund Freud, Vienna, 1900;
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Stephen LaBerge, Stanford, the present; or the president of the solar system,
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Galaxy Base, 2900. Write down and memorize your target person and place, then
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visualize yourself visiting your target and firmly resolve to do so in a dream
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that night.
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When following this procedure, it is possible that you might find yourself
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visiting your target in a non-lucid dream; you will be aware that this happened
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only after you awaken. Nevertheless, you should strive for lucidity by
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following the techniques in exercise one. Then proceed to your goal.
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To do so, repeat the phrase describing your target in your dream, and spin
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your whole dream body in a standing position with your arms outstretched. You
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can pirouette or spin like a top, as long as you vividly feel your body in
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motion.
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The same spinning technique will help when, in the middle of a lucid dream,
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you feel the dream imagery beginning to fade. To avoid waking up, spin as you
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repeat your target phrase again and again. With practice, you'll return to your
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target person, time, and place.
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EXERCISE FOUR
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Up until now we have had little control over the occurrence of creative
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dreams. But with lucid dreaming it may be possible to intentionally access the
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creativity of the dream state. You can help determine the feasibility of this
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idea by attempting to solve a problem in a lucid dream. Before bed, decide on a
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problem you would like to solve. Frame your problem in the form of a question.
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For example : "What is the topic of me next book ?" "How can I become less
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shy ?" If you have an illness, you might consider the problem "How can I regain
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my health ?"
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Once you have selected a problem question, write it down and memorize it.
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When doing the lucid-dream-induction exercises, remember your question and see
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yourself looking for the answer in your next lucid dream. Then, when in a lucid
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dream, ask the question, and seek the solution.
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You might be most successful at problem solving if you take the direct
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approach. For instance if your problem is shyness, be less shy in your dream.
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If your problem is health, try to heal yourself in the dream. Then reflect on
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how your dream solution relates to the waking problem. It may help to question
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other dream characters, especially if they represent people who you think might
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know the answer. For example, if you were trying to solve a physics problem,
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Albert Einstein might be a good dream character to query. You can even combine
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this task with the dream spinning and flying tasks, visiting an expert on your
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problem. You can also just explore your dream world with your question in mind,
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looking for any clues that might suggest an answer.
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---Stephen LaBerge and Jayne Gackenbach
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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For those of you who have made it this far, I have just a couple of comments.
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Lucid dreaming is the absolute MOST fun I've ever had, and that's saying a lot,
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since I've had some terrific times while awake. I can't dream lucidly every
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night, and if I stop the exercises, it takes a couple of days to get things
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lucid again. If you do try lucid dreaming, don't expect results the first
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night. Give it a few days, and keep up the exercises. They really work. I've
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found that it helps me to write down every detail I can recall from a dream as
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soon as I get up in the morning. Then before bed the next night, I read those
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details, making them fresh in my mind. It seems to help bring on dreams that
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night.
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If you have questions or comments about this article, you can leave a
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message on MENHIR BBS at (609)-263-2861. Just leave a comment to the sysop.
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PLEASANT DREAMS !
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DAVID TOWN
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Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron 415-935-5845
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Just Say Yes 415-922-1613
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Rat Head 415-524-3649
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Cheez Whiz 408-363-9766
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Reality Check 415-474-2602
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Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives,
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arcane knowledge, political extremism, diversive sexuality,
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insane speculation, and wild rumours. ALL-TEXT BBS SYSTEMS.
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Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are,
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where you live, or what your phone number is. We are not Big Brother.
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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