You're walking down the street and an older gentleman who bares a striking resemblance to your father suddenly stops you. He holds out a large bag and you can see it's filled with hundred dollar bills. He hands you the bag and disappears into thin air. In the distance you hear a car horn. You turn to see a stretch limousine with the driver waving at you to come. You make your way over to the car only to be swamped by a small crowd of people who want you autograph for winning the Nobel Prize. You smile slowly and keep going with the flow as you sign to their liking. You're having so much fun you dare not move too quickly lest you wake yourself up!
This experience would make a fine example of lucid dreaming. Some call it dream control, others link it closely with OBE's (out of body experiences) but Fredrik van Eeden coined the term “lucid dreaming” linking the word lucid with the state of mental clarity. Lucidity in a dream occurs when the dreamer in the midst of a dream realizes that he or she is dreaming and commences to gain control of the actions and the outcome of the dream. The example above where one dreams of money and fame is an example of a typical lucid dreamers ploy to “have it all”(i.e. money, fame, family), and just keep on going with the unconscious flow.
Many of us can recall dreams of finding great amounts of money, winning the lottery, or sporting fancy new cars only to suddenly wake up and realize that much to our dismay we are dreaming. The lucid dreamer however realizes that he/she is dreaming and in a calm state tells himself such. This allows the dreamer to carry on this fantastic dream even further before awakening.
While the basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming, the quality of lucidity can vary greatly. A high level of lucidity means that you are aware that everything you are experiencing is in your mind and you know that you are in little or no danger and will awaken shortly. With low level lucidity you are aware to a certain extent that you are dreaming: perhaps enough to fly or do heroic deeds however you are usually not aware that the people are dream representations or that you can suffer no physical harm due to the fact the you are actually still in bed sleeping.
One may ask oneself, “Why experiment with lucid dreams at all?” Adventure and fantasy would be the most common answers. Flying is a common lucid dream of fantasy, as is sex. There's the exhilarating realization that there will be no physical or social consequences for any dream actions and when dreaming on a lucid plane, dreamers tend to go for the “gusto”!
Lucid dreaming is a harmless practice and can even help some combat the demons (which are manifestations of real life fears) on a real life daily basis. People can be more intimate, more outspoken, more aggressive and be real achievers in their dream worlds. These traits can filter into our daily life and help us cope with day-to-day stresses. This would make one see lucid dreaming as a very positive occurrence.
