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Welcome to the first introduction thread on "Advanced Dreaming Techniques" for the modern day dreamer. In this thread, we will examine the art of dreaming. The requirements for this workshop is a willingness to focus on dreaming, and to start journaling your dreams.

For those interested, please post your dreams into this thread and any questions you may have with regards to dreaming.

First, dreaming is a natural on-going process during sleep. Regardless of your willingness and desire to dream at night, or even if you are unable to remember dreaming; the fact is you are going to dream regardless. Studies into sleep suggest that people dream as many as 6 dreams in a night. There are 5 recognized stages of sleep and research suggest we dream in all 5 stages (REM and NREM).

To learn the art of dreaming is interesting as it's largely an art of remembering as dreams are a constant part of sleep. My theory as to why we don't remember stems from certain memory centers in the brain: the frontal temporal lobe and the hippocampus slowing down and shutting off memory that induces a type amnesia called, "Sleep Induced Amnesia".

This suggests that although you cannot remember these dreams, you are actively unconsciously participating in them and unable to remember on waking up. When you do remember, you break out of the amnesia and trigger a collection of memories.

One of the first steps to dreaming is learning to remember your dreams when you wake up. To over come sleep induced amnesia if you are the type of person who never remembers dreams upon waking.

To become a better dreamer means you must start to focus on dreaming as a nightly ritual and commit an effort to start to focus on not only the act of dreaming, but the intent and desire to remember them.

This is a very simple technique for dream recall.

When you are about to fall asleep, think to yourself that you are about to fall asleep, and that you will become aware and remember you are dreaming.

Just focus on that intent as you are falling asleep. Repeat it if you like and observe the process of sleep as you slip into this alternative focus state.

If at anytime you wake up, think about dreams and try to recall any hint of a dream that might linger. This can help create a trigger that unlocks the amnesia.

Then write it down either on your computer or in a journal. Post in this thread if you want to share.

Repeat this process at first if you are the type of person who is struggling with dream memory. This is an exercise that will help increase dream recall.

If you are already good at remembering your dreams, then you can progress towards further dream related skills such as lucid dreaming, the ultimate goal of dreaming.

Lucid Dreaming is where you can be awake and fully aware that you are dreaming. It's not science-fiction rather science fact. Evidence of this started to appear in the 1970's with dream researchers like Keith Hearne and Stephen LeBerge.

If you haven't already had a Lucid Dream or know what it is, this is a type of dream where you simply know you are dreaming. More importantly, this type of dream allows for linear and logical thought. Your intelligence as you know it to be will be active in the dream allowing you to think, make conscious choices and interact and even control the dream.

Stephen LeBerge is one of the world leading experts in Lucid Dreaming from a scientific perspective and the Lucidity Institute has done extensive research into how this is achieved.

An important discovery is a technique that I will now introduce as it clinically has been proven to increase lucid dreaming potential by as much as 10 times.

This technique is very simply but does require a person to interrupt their normal sleeping routine into two sections.

1.) A pre-sleep of 4-5 hours where you don't apply lucid dreaming interests and techniques.

2.) Wake up and physically get out of bed. An important step to prevent yourself from just falling back into the previous sleep pattern. Stay awake for 30-60 minutes until you feel the need to sleep again.

This is also a good time to go to the bathroom. It is also recommended not to drink anymore then 1/2 cup of liquids, non-caffeinated obviously.

3. ) When you return to sleep, this is where you apply your intent to lucid dream. This is simply an attention focusing technique to allow yourself to remain mentally awake as the body falls back into sleep.

Here is a link to the study on this method: [link to www.lucidity.com]

From my own personal experiences; this method has worked many times and is one of my preferred approaches to lucid dreaming. The success is in the research, and I also stand by it with no association to LaBerge or his research other then my own personal interests.

Now we have the basic sleep pattern down that is not only optimal for lucid dreaming, but even regular dreaming increases with this second sleep. You must be able to have a second sleep in order for this to work and I do know some people once they wake up cannot fall back asleep, if that is the case, then you need to apply all the dream techniques as you fall asleep; and you can also have a lucid dream regardless. It may be a little more challenging but again, practice will yield success.

To actively dream, it helps to focus your intent to dream during the initial stages of falling asleep. You do program your mind to become more aware of it. This is a cognitive training exercise and requires actual effort and practice.

For lucid dreaming, as you lie in bed, repeat a simple set of instructions.

"I know that I am lying in bed and about to sleep. I am allowing myself to be awake and aware in my dreams, as I am right now. I will allow myself to be fully consciously awake in the dream, in the same way that I am right now."

Repeat this as you drift into sleep and allow the natural changes that occur towards sleep. The changes in perception will occur. You will start to see, hear and feel the dream as it starts to phase in with your focus.

Ignore the body, let it fall asleep but allow the natural sleep to occur.

We will get into more techniques at this stage but for now, start with becoming aware of how you actually fall asleep and what natural processes take place to facilitate dreaming.

The transition from wakeful living, to wakeful dreaming can be a fun and thrilling ride into a new type of reality experience.


Feel free to favorite this thread and I will join you on this journey into advanced dreaming with more techniques, advice and also share your own personal techniques and advice to further expand the tool-set for forum members to become masters of their dreams.

Post your dreams and experiences if you wish to share them for further discussion or just to share them as you progress with this workshop.

Last Edited by YouAreDreaming on 05/12/2011 01:56 AM