Is it Really "Just" a Dream?

We all have dreams, some so vivid and realistic that we have to double check reality when we bounce out of bed. Some of us have regular run-ins with monsters and shadow figures, others find themselves writing midterms in their underpants. Regardless of which situation you find yourself in, you can be absolutely sure that you're dreaming! Or, can you? 

Some of the ridiculous story lines our brains come up with make no sense to our waking minds. Monsters are clearly a figment of your imagination, and there is no way you would have forgotten to put pants on before school. The issue is, while we're still IN the dream, we have no idea that what we're seeing isn't real. As illogical or silly as some dreams may seem, they FEEL real. Panic sets in, you start to run from the monster, you grab your backpack and cover your butt as you run out of the lecture hall. It seems like our rational mind is what falls asleep as our nocturnal, subconscious mind comes out to play.

Why is it that we rarely come to the obvious conclusion, "I must be dreaming"? The impossible scenarios feel real, and our emotions react to them as though they are. We wake up in cold sweats, out of breath, petrified from the feelings of impending doom we seemingly just survived. But what if we were able to take a moment, step back, and rationally observe even the wackiest of dreams? Some people immediately wake up upon realizing they are in a dream. "Wait a second, this isn't real, I'm sleeping in my bed at home" -- we wake up, rub our eyes, and fall back into another unconscious haze until morning. But what if you didn't have to wake up? What if, after consciously understanding you were in a dream, you were able to stick around a little bit longer?...

It's the year 2015, and science still has yet to come up with a unanimously accepted answer to the questions of dreams. What are dreams, and why do we have them? Recent insight into dreaming consciousness has opened doors to entirely new questions.

Splash some cold water on your face for this one!

Lucid dreaming is the idea that humans are able to activate their "waking consciousness" while in REM sleep, or the rapid eye movement phase of our sleep cycle. This is the phase of sleep where all of us dream, whether you remember them or not. People who become lucid are able to perceive and understand the dream world as though they were fully awake and aware. This would allow that individual to consciously make decisions, manipulate their dream environment, and have a stronger working memory of their dreams. Memory of the outside world is also enhanced, allowing dreamers to recall  real-life experiences while in the dream state. People report that this experience feels as real as waking life, and their memories are just as vivid. It sounds hard to believe, since many of us barely remember our dreams at all! In fact, many of us have had that "Ah-ha" moment more than once in our lives. Nearly everyone you'll ask has experienced what it feels like to realize they're in a dream and immediately wake up. However, some people have proven their ability to stay aware of that realization, and consciously remain in the dream with a lucid awareness.

Science has only had verifiable proof of the existence of lucid dreams for the last 40 years. Done by Dr. Keith Hearne of Hull University, a study in 1975 proved the existence of the phenomena.


"[Through measuring Rapid Eye Movement] I had devised the signalling method in an attempt to circumvent the profound bodily paralysis of REM (dreaming) sleep - which inhibits any physical signalling," explained Dr Hearne.

To put this concept simply, lucid dreamers were able to remain aware in their dream state and send a measurable signal to the outside world. Dr. Hearne asked the dreamers to shift their eyes back and forth, in a predetermined pattern, to prove that they had conscious control over their specific eye movements while in REM sleep.

Whether or not you remember your dreams, we have them every night in our REM sleep cycle. The first step to becoming lucid is training your memory and dream-recall abilities; this can be done by keeping a dream journal each morning. Little by little, you will start to remember your dreams in greater detail. The next step is to practice "reality checks" on a daily basis. A reality check is when you question your environment to see if it is real or if it is a dream. Repeatedly doing this in the waking world creates a habit that will (hopefully) carry over into the dream world. When you check your reality in a dream, it will spark the "ah-ha" moment lucid dreamers are looking for. After you've mastered the reality check, the real trick is staying calm. Don't try to fly if you haven't learned how to walk yet! It's easy for a beginner to jolt themselves awake with excitement.

As outlandish as these claims sound, this topic that has made its way into the main stream media of the western world. It's been featured in major news publications such as the Wall St. Journal, Huffington Post, and ABC news. The article in the Wall St. Journal, titled "The Benefits of Lucid Dreaming", claims that businessmen are using it to come up with creative solutions and solve real-world problems while they sleep. Athletes have been using it to visualize their performances, affecting their nervous system, and improving their waking abilities. Others use their dream time to spur artistic ability, overcome nightmares, or fly like a bird.

The prospect of lucid dreaming is extremely interesting, and why wouldn't it be!? You can traverse a dream realm of infinite possibilities. Your only limitation is your imagination. The problem is, learning can be difficult, time consuming, and energy draining. Failed attempt after failed attempt leaves us discouraged and ready to give up. It's likely that most of us will never be disciplined and conscious enough to practice dream yoga like the ancient Tibetan monks...

...or maybe we wont have to be!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iwinks/the-aurora-dream-enhancing-headband

This Kickstarter project, funded back in 2014, is set to release their lucid dreaming headband technology by early 2017. It has built in EEG monitors to recognize when you are in REM sleep. It has coloured LEDs and sounds that signal your sleeping mind to check its reality. These perfectly timed signals alert you gently enough that you don't physically wake up, but noticeable enough to make their way into your dream. The product claims that, with practice, you can become lucid on a regular basis with the forehead mounted technology. So, if you have $299 to spend, it looks like you could be flying to Hogwarts on your pet dragon in no time.

Check it out!

Click to watch the KickStarter video

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