L IV ING THE DREAM
Lucid dreaming – where the sleeper is aware they’re dreaming and can control what happens – is the new wkaaytet Wo giellts woke. takes a snooze to find out
We’ve all had a dream we didn’t want to wake up from – flying through outer space, Jon Snow on a bearskin rug – but what if you could harness the ability to not only realise you were dreaming, but manipulate what would happen next?
Recent studies have shown that lucid dreaming – reported anecdotally throughout history, but only scientifically documented in 1975 – can be successfully induced with a range of techniques, from acoustic stimulation to herbal supplements. And now the phenomenon is growing in popularity among stressed-out Millennials as a way of unlocking creativity, solving problems and releasing stress when they’re awake.
Online, there is a host of LD blogs, Reddit threads and websites where a community of lucid dreamers swap tips on training themselves in the practice. There are apps, eye masks, supplements and teas that claim to help induce a state of LD, such as the app Dream: ON, which has had more than half a million downloads in six weeks. Currently in development is the Aurora Dreamband, a headband that provides LD triggers such as flickering lights or specific sounds during REM sleep.
‘LD has many benefits, and films such as Inceptio broughtn the practice to a more mainstream audience,’ says Jared Chiang-zeizel, dream consultant and co-author of the book A Field Guide To Lucid D. ‘Irte acamninbge a useful tool for creative inspiration, problemsolving and even treating anxiety, PTSD and depression.’ Indeed, a 2008 study found that practising an activity in a lucid dream could improve performance in real life.
Tree Carr is a London-based ‘dream guide’ who runs sold-out lucid-dreaming workshops and retreats around the world. ‘Developing a conscious-dreaming practice is a way for people to reconnect with themselves and explore their consciousness in a similar way to meditation or yoga,’ she says. ‘It’s free, there are no harmful side-effects, and you can do it anywhere.’
‘I started lucid dreaming by accident and it made me feel incredibly empowered,’ says Laura Wilde, an LAbased musician who set up the lifestyle company Ascend Cleanse (ascendcleanse.com). They sell lucid-dreaming teas, candles and bath salts, containing herbs such as mugwort to ‘trigger more vivid dreams and help with memory recall’.
‘If you want to train yourself to LD regularly, keeping a dream journal is a good habit, as is questioning whether you are dreaming or awake,’ says Jared. Lucid dreamers report trying ‘reality checks’, such as holding your nose, closing your mouth, and trying to breathe. If you’re able to inhale, it’s a signal that you’re inside a dream, which you can begin to manipulate.
‘The point is to get your mind to think about the possibility of dreaming while you are awake, so you will automatically do so when you’re asleep,’ he adds. ‘Some people report that merely reading and thinking about lucid dreams is enough to induce a spontaneous lucid dream.’ Hopefully reading this will spark something for you tonight…