What is lucid dreaming?

A lucid dream begins when a dreamer “wakes up” inside a dream. It can happen spontaneously, caused by the realization that the dream is not real, or induced from a waking state, as practiced in Tibetan Dream Yoga. With practice, a lucid dreamer can learn how to have lucid dreams on demand and take complete control of their dream environment. The result is a conscious dream; a dream where every detail suddenly appears authentic, just as in real life. The sun in the sky feels warm. The sand underfoot feels smooth. The air in the atmosphere feels fresh. And that is why lucid dreams are so compelling – they offer an alternate reality world, where anything is possible.  more

A lucid dream occurs when you "wake up" inside a dream. It can happen spontaneously when you realize you are dreaming. Most people will have one or two conscious dreams in their lifetime by accident. But with practice, you can learn how to have lucid dreams almost every night and act out your greatest fantasies. All it takes is practicing easy lucid dreaming techniques - and persevering. People rave about dream control because it sets them free. Once you learn to induce lucid dreams, you can change control your awareness in dreams, and often manipulate the scenery, dream characters and dream plot at will. Explore places that mankind has never been to, like the depths of the oceans or the edge of the universe. You can travel forward in time, fly to the moon, or run like a cheetah. There are no limits in the world of lucid dreaming!  more

Lucid dreaming is defined as dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden using the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the middle of dreams when the dreamer realizes that the experiences that are occurring are not that of the physical reality, but rather the creation of a dream. Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/C005545/english/dream/lucid.  more

Lucid dreaming is being "aware" that you are in a dream, and using that knowledge to control the dream. In a lucid dream, everything is as realistic as waking life - perhaps even more so. The extra 90% of your brain is "unlocked" and you can use the time to accomplish extraordinary things. Chat with Einstein, express your inner fantasies, overcome fears, invent new products, design a screenplay.... With lucid dreaming, you can reclaim the third of your life you spend sleeping - and turn it into a practical self-development workshop!  more

Lucid dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden who used the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream, such as flying or meeting the deceased. Sometimes people become lucid without noticing any particular clue in the dream; they just suddenly realize they are in a dream. A minority of lucid dreams (according to the research of LaBerge and colleagues, about 10 percent) are the result of returning to REM (dreaming) sleep directly from an awakening with unbroken reflective consciousness. The basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming. However, the quality of lucidity can vary greatly. When lucidity is at a high ...  more

Lucid Dreaming is knowing that you are dreaming while you are doing it. When you know that you are dreaming, you can also alter the dream course. And with practice you can also develop full control over your dream, you will be able to create and change the environment and change your own appearance. It will be you that are in control of the dream scenario. You can do whatever you want to do. Live out your wildest fantasy, or just sit down and chit chat with someone. You should also be open for the possibility to share dreams and travel in time and space when you develop adequate control over your dreams. The word Lucid means that you have a clear and full consciousness. And believe me when I say that Lucid Dreaming can be much more fun than waking reality.  more

Lucid dreaming is dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden (see Green, 1968), using the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream, when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream, such as meeting a person who is dead, or flying with or without wings. Sometimes people become lucid without noticing any particular clue in the dream; they just suddenly realize they are in a dream. A minority of lucid dreams (according to the research of LaBerge and colleagues, about 10 percent) are the result of returning to REM sleep directly from an awakening with unbroken reflective consciousness. The basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming.

For many of us, dreaming is something that we do not pay much attention to. In fact, most of us don't even recall a single dream in the morning. We might have been chased down by a monster, been kissing someone who we secretly love or been flying like a super hero. As kids we all have experienced dreams that we can still recall today as grownups. Amazingly, after all those years, we have somehow stopped to recall what we loved to experience back then. It almost feels like we have stopped dreaming in a way.

The simple answer is "yes", but having this work consistently, just the way you want and all the time is highly unlikely. I don't recommend experimenting with your sleep habits unless you talk to your physician, but some general statements can be made. There are two basic levels of approach on this. The first includes a wide variety of pre-sleep suggestions and intentions that can carry over into dream time. Research focusing on pre-sleep stimuli was popular in the 19th Century and the results were thoroughly reviewed by Freud in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and more recently by G. V. Ramsey in Studies of dreaming (1953), psychological Bulletin, 50, 432-455. The observations are interesting, but lack the systematic controls now required in experiments. Modern studies have exposed dreamers to movies, studying, exercise, hypnosis and a wide range of daytime activities, food, stimulations and deprivations to see the effects on dreaming.  more

A. The term "lucid dreaming" refers to dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The "lucid" part refers to the clarity of consciousness rather than the vividness of the dream. It generally happens when you realize during the course of a dream that you are dreaming, perhaps because something weird occurs. Most people who remember their dreams have experienced this at some time, often waking up immediately after the realization. However, it is possible to continue in the dream while remaining fully aware that you are dreaming.  more