Lucid Dreaming

On average, people dream about two hours per night, with each dream lasting from about five to twenty minutes. In ordinary dreaming, the dreamer is unaware that it is a dream. Lucid Dreaming is simply being aware that you are dreaming. A person who has lucid dreams (a lucid dreamer) is sometimes called an aneironaut (oh-NIGH-roh-nawt).

An ordinary dreamer is at the mercy of the emotions that the unfolding events evoke. But lucid dreamers have the potential to control their emotions and make conscious choices that influence a dream.

Lucid dreaming goes far beyond simply being aware during a dream that you are dreaming: Lucid dreaming can transform one’s self-perception, expand one’s view of the world, and reveal one’s perception of one’s place in the universe. There can be a sense of exhilaration. Lucid dreaming can reshape beliefs and assumptions. It can be a way to acquire deep psychological self-knowledge and to engender greater empathy and compassion. Moreover, it can also lead to a greater understanding of reality.

Research on the frequency of lucid dreaming seems sparse. But according to a lucid-dreaming study by Science Direct, 53% of people have experienced one or more lucid dreams in their lifetime, and 23% have them at least once a month. Lucid dreams occur quite naturally in childhood.

Studies have found that children and adolescents report them more often than other age groups. Personally, though I do not consider myself a lucid dreamer, many decades ago, I had two lucid dreams, without knowing what they were. But I never forgot those powerful experiences.

A Brief History of Lucid Dreaming

Sometimes, lucid dreamers have described their dream experiences in writing. In the 4th century BCE, the Greek philosopher and polymath Aristotle wrote, “Often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream.” Through the ages there have been others who have described what has since become known as lucid dreaming. Around the 8th century CE, Tibetan Buddhists focused on what they call dream yoga, the ability to maintain complete awareness throughout sleep and dreaming. However, it wasn’t until the latter part of the 20th century that, as the result of scientific research, lucid dreaming gained formal recognition in the scientific community.

In 1968, Carlos Castenada, a Ph.D. student in anthropology at the University of California Los Angeles (Ph.D., 1973), began publishing a series of anthropological memoirs about shamanism, with a focus on lucid dreaming. In his 1972 book, Journey to Ixtlan , Castenada introduced his readers to the idea of finding their hands in a dream to trigger lucidity and to stabilize the dream. The popularity of his so-called memoirs, which many critics came to believe were more fiction than fact, became international best-sellers.

In 1975, based on his scientific research performed in laboratory conditions, British sleep-and-dream researcher Keith Hearne confirmed the existence of lucid dreaming. In 1978, Stanford University doctoral student and lucid dreamer Stephen LaBerge used Stanford laboratory equipment to investigate the reality of his lucid dreaming. Though unaware of Hearne’s experiments, LaBerge used an equivalent methodology to study the ability of lucid dreamers to control their dreams and also their ability to simply observe them. Hearne dubbed his methodology [the “ocular-signaling technique”]

They both hypothesized that:

… someone with lucid dreaming skills could be brought to the sleep lab, wear a REM [rapid eye movement] polygraph monitor and then ‘signal’ their lucid awareness by moving their eyes left to right a predetermined number of times once they became lucidly aware in a dream. If the researchers saw this very unusual set of left-right eye ‘signals’ on the monitor readout, then this would provide credible evidence for lucid dreaming—or being consciously aware in the dream state and able to recall and perform intentional acts. Other monitoring devices would confirm that they remained asleep. (Noetic Institute blog: “Exploring the Scientific Discovery of Lucid Dreaming” by Robert Waggoner)

Hearne dubbed this methodology the “ocular-signaling technique.” It yielded the same result for both Hearne and LaBerge .

LaBerge’s initial findings were rejected by the scientific community, but he persisted and eventually received recognition for the validity of his research. Based on his research, books, and teaching, LaBerge is considered the most prominent individual in the field of lucid dreaming.

In 1983, a multi-disciplinary, professional nonprofit organization for scientific dream research (oneirology) was founded by six prominent dream professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Stephen LaBerge. It was originally named the Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD) but was later renamed the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD). Its mission statement is:

To promote an awareness and appreciation of dreams in both professional and public arenas; to encourage research into the nature, function, and significance of dreaming; to advance the application of the study of dreams; and to provide a forum for the eclectic and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and information. (About IASD)

The lucid-dreaming books in the Science-Based Awakening Library following this introduction outline extensive practices and techniques for inducing and maintaining lucid dreams.

Inside a Lucid Dream

Some of the experiences associated with lucid dreaming include:

Lucid Dreamers can choose to control the dream or just watch it. However, even in a controlled dream, uncontrolled elements are always present, allowing for the unexpected.
The dream body can be ultra light and changeable. It can fly. It can become microscopic or the size of the universe. It can feel solid and be able to experience profound sensations like pain and ecstasy. Potentially, a lucid dreamer can alter their apparent age or their dream body’s appearance or even dissolve it altogether.
Some lucid dreamers experience themselves as different kinds of animals and plants.
A lucid dreamer may encounter dream characters that represent a wide range of possibilities. Dream characters can range from being mindless, to puppet-like, to conscious equals, to those that are autonomous with superior knowledge or awareness. They are likely to raise as many questions as answers, such as: Where does the conscious awareness of these dream figures come from, and to what degree are they real? Are we separate from our dreams?

Some of the Potential Benefits of Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming offers a variety of potential benefits, among them:

Experiences with lucid-dream characters provide an opportunity for the dreamer to practice such qualities as respectfulness, bravery, gratitude, and the willingness to listen.
Practicing a physical skill such as golf, swimming, or horseback riding in a lucid dream can enhance the skill in the waking state. This also applies to the creative arts like dancing, music and painting and to problem-solving in fields such as mathematics and biology.
Lucid dreaming can be used as a doorway to Out-of-Body Experiences.
Many people who become lucid dreamers focus on having sex with the dream figures. These activities are super realistic and can result in verifiable orgasms. Dream sex seems like a private event that can give a sense of how one feels about their sexuality and sex life.
The ultimate creative expression is healing. Lucid dreaming is a helpful tool for bringing conscious awareness of one’s unconscious for greater integration and healing. Some psychotherapists report the use of lucid dreams with their clients to successfully combat recurring nightmares from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition to healing nightmares, lucid dreamers have helped themselves overcome deep-rooted fears, phobias, and inhibitions.

Not only can lucid dreaming help heal psychological issues, it can also assist in healing physical issues. The use of intention and visualization in the lucid dreaming state is very effective when aimed at physical health, and some dream actions have proven to have a physical effect on the body. Similar to subjects under hypnosis, lucid dreamers may be able to affect unconscious bodily processes.

Some lucid dreamers interact with their recently departed family members or ancestors, other spirits from the recent and distant past, spirit guides, or ascended masters and angels.
Lucid dreaming may enhance one’s spiritual evolution. Some lucid dreamers have been able to merge into what mystics consider the ultimate state of being: the undifferentiated state from which all existence emerges. It embodies the absence of form as well as the potential for creation, which is known in some Eastern spiritual traditions as the void or emptiness.

Life-long lucid dreamer Clare R. Johnson, Ph.D., is an exemplar of how lucid dreaming may support spiritual evolution. She appears to have experienced the ultimate state of being similar to what the Buddhists describe. In her highly recommended book, Llewellyns Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming: A Comprehensive Guide (2023), Johnson describes what some might refer to as the Void:

The Lucid Light is always there, rich with possibilities. It underlies and permeates all states of consciousness. It inspires positive feelings that range from well-being, bliss, safety, exhilaration, oneness and peace to pure, unconditional love. This blissful, loving, aware light is the bedrock of all creation. When we encounter it, we encounter the core fabric of the universe.

Pioneer lucid-dream researcher Keith Hearne, Ph.D., and Clare R. Johnson, Ph.D., are prominent lucid-dreaming teachers and longtime friends.

Lucid Dreaming Resources

Organizations

International Association for the Study of Dreams (ISAD)
ISAD is a non-profit, international, multidisciplinary organization that bills itself as the world’s premier dream association.
Lucid Dreaming Experience
This is a free, reader-supported, quarterly publication that features lucid dreams and articles on lucid dreaming.
World of Lucid Dreaming
This website is run by a team of international lucid-dreaming authors and explorers, who are eager to share their discoveries of the conscious dream world.

Books about Lucid Dreaming

Note: I have carefully selected every book in the Science-Based Awakening Library. Their titles are linked to amazon.com, which offers numerous book reviews.

Lucid-dreaming books can be categorized as being either eastern or western. The eastern books are typically written by Buddhists, who are oriented towards spiritual awakening; to identify eastern books in this library, look for the word “Yoga,” “Light,” or “Awakening” in their titles. In contrast, western lucid-dreaming books are more focused on exploration, which inevitably leads to healing and spiritual evolution.

Castanada, Carlos

Journey to Ixtlan: The lessons of Don Juan
by Carlos Castanada, 288 pages (1972 and 1991)

This groundbreaking book is often cited in lucid dreaming books.

Hearne, Keith., Ph.D.

The Dream Machine: Lucid Dreams and How to Control Them

by Keith Hearne, Ph.D., 160 pages (1990)

This is a free PDF copy of Hearne’s iconic book describing his pioneering PhD research into lucid dreaming.

Website: KeithHearne.com

Holecek, Andrew

Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming
by Andrew Holecek, 352 pages (2020)

Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep
by Andrew Holecek, 325 pages (2016)

Website: www.AndrewHolecek.com

Video: Andrew Holecek on Dreams of Light 8/19/20

Johnson, Clare R., Ph.D.

Llewellyns Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming: A Comprehensive Guide to Promote Creativity, Overcome Sleep Disturbances & Enhance Health and Wellness by Clare R. Johnson, Ph.D., 427 pages (2023)

Clare has been a lucid dreamer for nearly fifty years, since she was three years old. She teaches internationally and is founder of an online school. Among all the truly wonderful lucid dreaming books, this book is the most current and is by far the largest and most comprehensive. Usually, I do not specifically recommended any book, but I am making an exception here.

Website: DeepLucidDreaming.com

Video: Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming: A… by Clare R. Johnson, PhD • Audiobook preview

LaBerge, Stephen, Ph.D.

Lucid Dreaming: A Concise Guide to Awakening in Your Dreams and in Your Life by Stephen LaBerge, 82 pages (2004)

LaBerge, who has been called the pioneer of lucid dreaming in the west, is one of the most eminent names in the field of Lucid Dreams. His work is highly regarded by experts in his field.