Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming Summary
4 min read ⌚
Lucid dreaming is a compelling but mysterious subject.
You probably think that only some people (if any at all) can do it.
But, think again.
In the following summary, we tell you everything there is to know about this fascinating topic. We give you a step by step guide which you can use to learn different techniques to evoke lucidity in yourself.
Who Should Read “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming”? and Why?
Do you dream often?
Of course, you do, you just don’t remember all of your dreams.
Usually, as we open our eyes in the morning, the first light chases the dreams away from our mind.
However, with some training, you can turn the world of dreams into an adventure.
Yes, you have heard right.
Authors of “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming,” Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold, argue that anyone can learn how to get into a lucid state.
However, they do not teach you that just because it is fun.
Instead, they believe that you can use lucid dreaming to improve your daily life.
We recommend “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” to people who suffer from fears and nightmares, psychologists studying dreaming, students of cognitive science, and, of course, all other curious readers out there.
About Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold
Stephen LaBerge is an author and founder of the Lucidity Institute, which works to deepen the insight into human consciousness. He studies lucid dreaming at Stanford University.
Howard Rheingold is an author and a researcher on the augmentation of the human mind.
“Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming Summary”
You probably know what lucid dreaming is, but just in case you do not, let’s define it.
Ludic dreaming is when you “wake up” within a dream and are conscious of the happenings inside the dream.
Those who have experienced lucid dreaming say that it has made their lives better.
Yes, it may seem strange, or out of your control, but it is not.
In fact, anyone can learn how to do it!
Before we teach you how, let’s first explore the dream world in general, and differentiate the dream state from the waking state.
When you are awake, you experience the world through your senses: taste, sound, touch, and sight.
In dreams, on the other hand, it is different. The information that your brain uses to create a dream comes from inside because while you are dreaming, external sensory knowledge is limited.
In other words, when dreaming your brain uses the same process of perception as when you are awake. What is different is that in a dream state there are no outside factors that limit your experiences.
Hence, dreams are made of information which is already in your mind.
Hence, the possibilities of what can happen in a dream are endless.
Key Lessons from “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming”:
1. How to Lucid Dream
2. Types of Lucid Dreams
3. Psychological Health and Lucid Dreaming
How to Lucid Dream
The first thing you need to do is to remember your dreams.
The best method to remember what you dream of, and understand it better, is keeping a dream journal. Place it beside your bed and write in it the moment you wake up. Do not wait, since you may forget details, or the dream overall.
After you are done with writing done, interpret your dream signs, or the things in your dream that tell you that you are dreaming.
Why are dream signs important?
Because lucidity happens when you notice an unusual event in your dream like flying.
Once you have spent enough time jotting down the dreams and identifying the dream signs, you are ready to explore techniques for inducing lucid dreaming.
Types of Lucid Dreams
Dream Initiated Lucid Dreams (DILDs)
In these kinds of dreams, you reach lucidity after you fall asleep and lose consciousness.
Wake Initiated Lucid Dreams (WILDs)
In WILDs, you become ludic while you keep your mind active while you are falling asleep, and hence do not lose consciousness.
You can make yourself experience WILDs by using hypnagogic imagery and narrowing your focus to your breath or your heartbeat.
The most widespread way is using hypnagogic imagery. It is what you see in your mind’s eye during the transition from being awake to falling asleep.
With it, your mind stays active and does not let you lose consciousness.
In “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” you will learn more in-depth about hypnagogic imagery and how you can use it to induce WILDs.
Psychological Health and Lucid Dreaming
As we already said, lucid dreaming is not just “fun,” but it can also do wonders for your waking life.
How?
Well, many problems are rooted in repressed emotions or thoughts that you may subconsciously find too hard to cope with on a daily basis.
In the dream world, however, there are no barriers. Hence, lucid dreams can balance different parts of your personality and improve your wellbeing.
Another thing you can do is to use mental imagery to improve skills in your lucid dream.
Many studies show that mental imagery can improve performance. So, it does not matter where you work on your skills – whether, in reality, or your dreams, the important thing is that you do it, and your performance will skyrocket.
Last but not least, through lucid dreaming, you can develop your creativity and solve problems.
If there is a particular issue that troubles you in your waking life, you can approach it in lucid dreaming.
We have to note that using creativity in dreams is still a relatively young field of study, although some benefits have been already observed.
Like this summary? We’d Like to invite you to download our free 12 min app, for more amazing summaries and audiobooks.
“Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” Quotes
The fact that both ego and self say - I is a source of confusion and misidentification. Click To Tweet The well-informed ego says truly, - I am what I know myself to be. - The self says merely, I am. Click To Tweet Dreams are a reservoir of knowledge and experience yet they are often overlooked as a vehicle for exploring reality. Click To Tweet In the dream state, our bodies are at rest, yet we see and hear, move about and are even able to learn. Click To Tweet When we make good use of the dream state, it is almost as if our lives were doubled. Click To Tweet
Our Critical Review
“Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” is a highly instructive book with a fascinating concept that just about anyone would enjoy reading.
Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.
