Lucid dreaming is, essentially, a dreaming in which you know you are dreaming. If you are interested in knowing more about lucid dreaming, one of the best resources on the internet is the entry for lucid dreaming in wikipedia. Here is a brief synopsis of the lucid dreaming wikipedia entry:
Overview
This section of the lucid dreaming wikipedia entry gives a brief overview of what lucid dreaming is, how lucid dreaming starts and a little bit about the scientific research that has been done on the subject.
Scientific History
Here readers will learn about Celia Green and her 1968 study, Lucid Dreams. It does a quick overview of Normal Malcom's Dreaming text, and some of the work done by Keith Hearne. It also mentions Stephen LaBerge, one of the foremost researchers in the field of lucid dreaming.
Research and Clinical Applications
First the lucid dreaming wikipedia entry talks about the Neurobiological Model offered by J Allan Hobson. In this section readers will learn about REM sleep and its affect on lucid dreaming. There is information about how lucid dreaming can be used as a method of treatment for people who suffer from chronic nightmares. This part of the entry explains how time works while lucid dreaming and gives information about the out of body experiences and near death experiences people have had while lucid dreaming.
Cultural History
Here, readers will learn about the various references to lucid dreaming throughout history and the different writings that exist on the subject.
Induction Methods
This is probably the most interesting section of the lucid dreaming wikipedia article. This section talks about dream recall, Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams, Wake-Back-To-Bed, Cycle Adjustment Technique, Wake-Initiation of Lucid Dreams, and the different Induction devices that can be used, like the Nova Dreamer and the Rem Dreamer. This section also goes into the additional techniques that can be used to induce lucid dreaming (meditation, hypnotic suggestion, etc).
Reality Testing
This is a method used by people who are trying to induce lucid dreaming and explains how to determine whether or not a person is dreaming. It talks about the different ways to determine if you are asleep or if you are awake and why it is important to do reality testing on a regular basis.
Other Associated Phenomena
This section of the lucid dreaming wikipedia entry talks about REM sleep, False awakenings and Sleep Paralysis. It explains what each of these things is and why they are important when a person is lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is a fascinating topic so of course there would be a lucid dreaming wikipedia. The article in wikipedia on lucid dreaming is incredibly interesting and it should be the first stop for anybody who is hoping to learn more about lucid dreaming and all of the areas of life that are associated with it. Readers will especially like learning about how to induce a lucid dream and the different tests a person can do to see if they are awake or dreaming.
Lucid Dreaming Tip #1
Lucid Dreams can be very addictive. Once you realize you are dreaming, especially if you have developed the ability to control the actions taking place in your dreams, you are going to want to have more dreams just like that. There is a lot of information that will tell you how to induce lucid dreams and how to make them a regular part of your sleep cycle.
Lucid Dreaming Tip #2
Nobody is sure exactly how dreams happen. Scientists know that during REM sleep the brain's activity is almost like the activity of a brain of a person who is awake, but nobody is sure why this is or how it happens. Scientists don't know if the brain generates dreams or if the body forces the brain to be active during REM sleep.
Lucid Dreaming Tip #3
Analyzing dreams is one of the most popular areas of psychology. There are lots of resources for people who are trying to figure out the symbolism of their dreams. There are online dream dictionaries and dream encyclopedias for sale at bookstores. Analyzing the individual symbols of a person's dream can help that person deal with areas of their waking life and this is why it is such a popular subject.
