192 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
192 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
ú Subject: Lucid Dreaming FAQ
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(Answers to these frequently asked questions on lucid dreaming
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brought to you by THE LUCIDITY INSTITUTE.)
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Q. What is lucid dreaming?
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A. The term "lucid dreaming" refers to dreaming while knowing that
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you are dreaming. The "lucid" part refers to the clarity of
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consciousness rather than the vividness of the dream. It generally
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happens when you realize during the course of a dream that you are
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dreaming, perhaps because something weird occurs. Most people who
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remember their dreams have experienced this at some time, often
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waking up immediately after the realization. However, it is
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possible to continue in the dream while remaining fully aware that
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you are dreaming.
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Q. If you are lucid, can you control the dream?
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A. Usually lucidity brings with it some degree of control over the
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course of the dream. How much control is possible varies from
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dream to dream and from dreamer to dreamer. Practice can
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apparently contribute to the ability to exert control over dream
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events. At the least, lucid dreamers can choose how they wish to
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respond to the events of the dream. For example, you can decide to
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face up to a frightening dream figure, knowing it cannot harm you,
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rather than to try to avoid the danger as you naturally would if
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you did not know it was a dream. Even this amount of control can
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transform the dream experience from one in which you are the
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helpless victim of frequently terrifying, frustrating, or
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maddening experiences to one in which you can dismiss for a while
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the cares and concerns of waking life. On the other hand, some
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people are able to achieve a level of mastery in their lucid
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dreaming where they can create any world, live any fantasy, and
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experience anything they can imagine!
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Q. Does lucid dreaming interfere with the function of "normal"
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dreaming?
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A. According to one way of thinking, lucid dreaming _is_ normal
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dreaming. The brain and body are in the same physiological state
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during lucid dreaming as they are in during most ordinary non-
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lucid dreaming, that is, REM sleep. Dreaming is a result of the
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brain being active, at the same time as the sense organs of the
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body are turned off to the outside world. In this condition,
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typically during REM sleep, the mind creates experiences out of
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currently active thoughts, concerns, memories and fantasies.
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Knowing you are dreaming simply allows you to direct the dream
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along constructive or positive lines, like you direct your
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thoughts when you are awake. Furthermore, lucid dreams can be even
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more informative about yourself than non-lucid dreams, because you
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can observe the development of the dream out of your feelings and
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tendencies, while being aware that you are dreaming and that the
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dream is coming from you. The notion that dreams are unconscious
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processes that should remain so is false. Your waking
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consciousness is always present in your dreams. If it were not,
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you would not be able to remember dreams, because you can only
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remember an event you have consciously experienced. The added
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"consciousness" of lucid dreaming is nothing more than the
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awareness of being in the dream state.
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Q. Does everybody dream?
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A. Everybody dreams. All humans (indeed, all mammals) have REM
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sleep. Most dreams occur in REM sleep. This has been demonstrated
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by awakening people from different stages of sleep and asking if
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they were dreaming. In 85 percent of awakenings from REM sleep,
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people report having been dreaming. Dreams are rarely reported
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following awakening from other types of sleep (collectively called
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non-REM sleep). REM sleep alternates with non-REM sleep in 90
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minute cycles throughout the night. In a typical 8 hour night, you
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will spend about an hour and a half total time in REM sleep,
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broken up into four or five "REM periods" ranging in length from 5
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to 45 minutes. Most dreams are forgotten. Some people never recall
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dreams while others recall five or more each night. You can
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improve your ability to recall dreams. Good dream recall is
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necessary for learning lucid dreaming. There are two basic things
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to do to get started with developing dream recall. Begin a dream
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journal, in which you write everything you remember of your
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dreams, even the slightest fragments. You will remember the most
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if you record dreams right after you awaken from them. Before
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falling asleep each night, remind yourself that you want to awaken
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from, remember and record your dreams.
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Q. Why would you want to have lucid dreams?
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A. The laws of physics and society are repealed in dreams. The
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only limits are the reaches of your imagination. Much of the
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potential of dreams is wasted because people do not recognize that
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they are dreaming. When we are not lucid in a dream, we think and
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behave as if we are in waking reality. This can lead to pointless
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frustration, confusion and wasted energy, and in the worst case,
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terrifying nightmares. It is useless to try as we do to accomplish
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the tasks of waking life in dreams. Our misguided efforts to do so
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result in anxiety dreams of malfunctioning machinery, missed
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deadlines, forgotten exams, losing the way, and so on. Anxiety
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dreams and nightmares can be overcome through lucid dreaming,
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because if you know you are dreaming you have nothing to fear.
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Dream images cannot hurt you. Lucid dreams, in addition to helping
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you lead your dreams in satisfying directions, enjoy fantastic
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adventures, and overcome nightmares, can be valuable tools for
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success in your waking life. Lucid dreamers can deliberately
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employ the natural creative potential of dreams for problem
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solving and artistic inspiration. Athletes, performers, or anyone
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who gives presentations can prepare, practice and polish their
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performances while they sleep. This is only a taste of the variety
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of ways people have used lucid dreaming to expand their lives.
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Q. How do you have lucid dreams?
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A. There are several methods of inducing lucid dreams. The first
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step, regardless of method, is to develop your dream recall until
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you can remember at least one dream per night. Then, if you have a
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lucid dream you will remember it. You will also become very
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familiar with your dreams, making it easier learn to recognize
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them while they are happening. If you recall your dreams you can
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begin immediately with two simple techniques for stimulating lucid
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dreams. Lucid dreamers make a habit of "reality testing." This
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means investigating the environment to decide whether you are
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dreaming or awake. Ask yourself many times a day, "Could I be
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dreaming?" Then, test the stability of your current reality by
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reading some words, looking away and looking back while trying to
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will them to change. The instability of dreams is the easiest clue
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to use for distinguishing waking from dreaming. If the words
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change, you are dreaming. Taking naps is a way to greatly increase
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your chances of having lucid dreams. You have to sleep long enough
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in the nap to enter REM sleep. If you take the nap in the morning
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(after getting up earlier than usual), you are likely to enter REM
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sleep within a half-hour to an hour after you fall asleep. If you
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nap for 90 minutes to 2 hours you will have plenty of dreams and a
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higher probability of becoming lucid than in dreams you have
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during a normal night's sleep. Focus on your intention to
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recognize that you are dreaming as you fall asleep within the nap.
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External cues to help people attain lucidity in dreams have been
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the focus of Dr. Stephen LaBerge's research and the Lucidity
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Institute's development efforts for several years. Using the
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results of laboratory studies, they have designed a portable
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device, called the DreamLight, for this purpose. It monitors sleep
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and when it detects REM sleep gives a cue -- a flashing light --
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that enters the dream to remind the dreamer to become lucid. The
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light comes from a soft mask worn during sleep that also contains
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the sensing apparatus for determining when the sleeper is in REM
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sleep. A small custom computer connected to the mask by a cord
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decides when the wearer is in REM and when to flash the lights.
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Q. Is there a way to prevent yourself from awakening right after
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becoming lucid?
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A. At first, beginners may have difficulty remaining in the dream
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after they attain lucidity. This obstacle may prevent many people
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from realizing the value of lucid dreaming, because they have not
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experienced more than the flash of knowing they are dreaming,
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followed by immediate awakening. Two simple techniques can help
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you overcome this problem. The first is to remain calm in the
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dream. Becoming lucid is exciting, but expressing the excitement
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can awaken you. Suppress your feeling somewhat and turn your
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attention to the dream. If the dream shows signs of ending, such
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as the disappearance, loss of clarity or depth of the imagery,
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"spinning" can help bring the dream back. As soon as the dream
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starts to "fade," before you feel your real body in bed, spin your
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dream body like a top. That is, twirl around like a child trying
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to get dizzy (you probably will not get dizzy during dream
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spinning because your physical body is not spinning around).
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Remind yourself, "The next scene will be a dream." When you stop
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spinning, if it is not obvious that you are dreaming, do a reality
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test. Even if you think you are awake, you may be surprised to
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find that you are still dreaming!
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Q. How can I find out more about lucid dreaming, or get involved
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in lucid dreaming research?
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A. Contact the Lucidity Institute, an organization founded by
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lucid dreaming researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge to support research
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on lucid dreams and to help people learn to use them to enhance
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their lives. The Lucidity Institute's mission is to advance
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research on the nature and potentials of consciousness and to
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apply the results of this research to the enhancement of human
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health and well-being. The Lucidity Institute offers a membership
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society, whose quarterly newsletter, NightLight, discusses
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research and development in the field of lucid dreaming, and
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invites the participation of members in at-home experiments.
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Workshops and training programs are available periodically. The
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Institute sells books, tapes, scientific publications and the
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DreamLight.
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Write or call:
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The Lucidity Institute
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P.O. Box 2364
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Stanford, CA 94309
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(415) 321-9969
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Or email: clint@matia.stanford.edu
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For additional information:
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LaBerge, S., LUCID DREAMING (Los Angeles: Ballantine, 1985).
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LaBerge, S. & Rheingold, H. EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING
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(New York: Ballantine, 1990).
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