Consciously controlling your actions in dreams

[mute5]

So last night I dreamt that I walked onto the set of a porn shoot. It was outside and there were probably 20 people having sex with tons of hot, naked chicks everywhere. In this dream, I was too shy to do anything about it and ended up getting no dream action.

When I was younger I remember being able to control what I did in my dreams. While I was dreaming, I was completely aware that I was in a dream and that my actions would have no consequences, meaning that if I had a dream like I did last night I could SIIHP to every naked porn star there instead of being afraid to do anything.

I have lost this ability evidently and am wondering if anyone else can do this? If you can, how do you do it? Can it be learned or is it something that you just have to be able to do naturally?

[Elevens]

They're called lucid dreams. Do a search of OOT (like last week), Google, or Wikipedia.

[El Diablo]

mute,

Thread

[Catch of the Day]

I believe you can train yourself. Lucid dreaming or something like that. It takes time though.

I always have had very vivid dreams, and still remember most. It's been awhile since I can recall having a dream in which I realized it and was able to act on that fact.

I think I get much less sleep and sleep less sound that I used to in highschool though. That might have something to do with it.

I can get back dreams though. Like if it's a particularly good one and I am woken up by my alarm. Sometimes i'll snooze and fall asleep and simply continue where I left off.

[Blarg]

I've had more lucid dreams than non-lucid ones by far. There are occasional points in most dreams where I seem inseparable from the action and unable to control it, but they're rare. Sometimes I actually will myself into that state of unawareness while sleeping so I can actually look at it from the inside instead of as if I'm just watching a movie. Lucid dreams can actually take a little of the fun out of dreaming, when you get used to it. Probably helps abort the occasional nightmare, though.

I don't know how one would go about learning it. I found it developed naturally as I got more into meditation and the way my mind worked that way. I wasn't that way when I was a kid at all.

[Yobz]

I thought everyone could control what happens in their dreams. Thats why I like sleep so much...

[maddog2030]

For everyone who can have lucid dreams:

Did you teach yourself how to do this, or was it just a natural thing? It's something I've wanted to do for a while but never could.

[Phaedrus]

I don't know if this is the same thing but on two occasions I have been having conversations with people I know in a dream when suddenly I remember that the person I'm talking to is dead.

At this point I freak out, realize I must be dreaming and try to wake up which is incredibly difficult and violent feeling, thrashing and groaning. It's made me wonder if I really want to learn to have lucid dreams. Not much fun.

[econophile]

[Luzion]

[ QUOTE ]
For everyone who can have lucid dreams:

Did you teach yourself how to do this, or was it just a natural thing? It's something I've wanted to do for a while but never could.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are specific techniques that help you get lucid dreams. And yes, they work. Most popular is MILD (Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dream). I used to practice a lot when I had time to wake up earlier to use other techniques, but nowadays I dont have the time. It is very fun and interesting though if you are willing to learn. You can do anything you want in lucid dreams, and its very possible for you to have vivid dreams that feel exactly like reality.

There are various techniques that a beginner should learn. I recommend two very basic techniques that you can learn right now.

One is to keep a dream journal so your dream recall goes up significantly. Right after you wake up, write a few short notes on what you have dreamt. It is pointless to have lucid dreams if you "forget" then within minutes of waking up.

Second is to do "reality checks" throughout the day. Some very common ones are looking at clocks, holding your nose, or counting how many fingers you have on each hand. In a dream, digital clocks always have crazy and incorrect times. It might read something like A7:7P and have the numbers continuing morph. In dreams, you can breathe through your nose even while pinching it shut. In dreams, you never have the correct amount of fingers on a hand.

Make sure you do many many reality checks throughout the day. Pick one and do it repeatedly. For example, count how fingers you have on each hand carefully everytime you take a piss. If you count 5 fingers per hand, conciously tell yourself that you are NOT dreaming. Do a reality check everytime you stop at a red light, or randomly when you are sitting at your desk or eating lunch.

The point of doing reality checks if in the hope that you will eventually dream of something that forces you to do a reality check. For example, you might dream of yourself at a red light and start counting your fingers out of habit. You will get a really weird number like 8 fingers and come to the realization that you are not in reality. You will snap into conciousness while still in the dream and thus have a lucid dream. Thats where the fun begins.

You can move into different techniques that are more reliable after getting the "reality checks" down...