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Control Your Dreams: How Lucid Dreaming Can Help You Uncover Your Hidden Desires, Confront Your Hidden Fears, and Explore the Frontiers of Human Consciousness
This book is about a special type of dream, a dream in which you realize that you are dreaming, not after you awaken and think to yourself, "Oh, that was a dream," but one in which you say to yourself while in the dream, "Oh, I'm dreaming!." These dreams are called lucid dreams, and though not everyone has had one, most people can learn to have one. We will tell you how. This book is also about why you may want to have one. It details how lucid dreaming can enhance your psychological well- being and perhaps influence your health. It is an exploration of how lucid dreams challenge our notions of what is real and what is illusion, and about what it means, after all, to be conscious. This book is about the evolution of the human mind as revealed in the scientific study of the lucid dream.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1989
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95 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 8, 2016
I found this to be a well-written, interesting book, but not one of the most exciting or easy-to-read works on the subject of lucid dreaming.
It is a comprehensive exposition of lucid dreaming containing many references to and quotes by other relevant authors and psychologists.
Many accounts of lucid dreams are included, which add to the book´s readability.
Gackenbach has found that there tend to be fewer characters in lucid dreams than in ordinary dreams. The dreamers sometimes interact with other dream characters in order to confront if not resolve psychological difficulties.
It is as if the dream characters had a consciousness of their own. “They behave as if they possessed their own perceptual perspectives, cognitive abilities (memory and thought) and even their own motivations.” – P. Tholey.
The authors tell us that many lucid dreamers (dreamers who are conscious that they are dreaming) are not aware that they may be able to control the content of their dreams. But even prolific lucid dreamers have noticed the limitations of dream control.
Kelzer is quoted as stating: “At best, the lucid dreamer is able to take charge of his (or her) personal experience within the dream but is not actually able to control the dreamscape itself to any great extent.”
We are informed about athletes who train in their lucid dreams, thus greatly enhancing their waking athletic performance.
There´s a chapter about confronting your demons in lucid dreams. The authors quote Tholey with regard to advice to lucid dreamers who find themselves confronted with a fearful dream figure.
1.Do not try to flee from a threatening figure. Confront him courageously and ask him “Who are you?” or “Who am I?”
2. Try to come to a reconciliation with him through a constructive dialogue.
3. Do not surrender to an attack by a dream figure. Stare the figure in the eyes. If you have to fight, try to conquer the enemy but not to kill him. “Offer reconciliation to the conquered enemy.”
4. After reconciliation, ask the dream figure if he can help you. Then mention specific problems in your waking or dream life with which you need help.
Apparently, lucid dreaming can be addictive. Living in the dream world can become preferable to reality. (Another lucid dream author, Charlie Morley, also mentioned this.)
There is an interesting section about lucidity and healing, discussion of the similarities between OBEs and lucid dreams and the relationship between NDEs, UFO experiences, meditation and lucid dreaming.
We are briefed about the initial experiments confirming the validity of lucid dreaming and that it mostly occurs during REM sleep.
In conclusion I would say that this is a quite comprehensive account of lucid dreaming, including many dream examples but I don´t think I learnt anything new. In my view, it is not a “must-read”, but an optional addition to one´s collection of books on the subject.
It is a comprehensive exposition of lucid dreaming containing many references to and quotes by other relevant authors and psychologists.
Many accounts of lucid dreams are included, which add to the book´s readability.
Gackenbach has found that there tend to be fewer characters in lucid dreams than in ordinary dreams. The dreamers sometimes interact with other dream characters in order to confront if not resolve psychological difficulties.
It is as if the dream characters had a consciousness of their own. “They behave as if they possessed their own perceptual perspectives, cognitive abilities (memory and thought) and even their own motivations.” – P. Tholey.
The authors tell us that many lucid dreamers (dreamers who are conscious that they are dreaming) are not aware that they may be able to control the content of their dreams. But even prolific lucid dreamers have noticed the limitations of dream control.
Kelzer is quoted as stating: “At best, the lucid dreamer is able to take charge of his (or her) personal experience within the dream but is not actually able to control the dreamscape itself to any great extent.”
We are informed about athletes who train in their lucid dreams, thus greatly enhancing their waking athletic performance.
There´s a chapter about confronting your demons in lucid dreams. The authors quote Tholey with regard to advice to lucid dreamers who find themselves confronted with a fearful dream figure.
1.Do not try to flee from a threatening figure. Confront him courageously and ask him “Who are you?” or “Who am I?”
2. Try to come to a reconciliation with him through a constructive dialogue.
3. Do not surrender to an attack by a dream figure. Stare the figure in the eyes. If you have to fight, try to conquer the enemy but not to kill him. “Offer reconciliation to the conquered enemy.”
4. After reconciliation, ask the dream figure if he can help you. Then mention specific problems in your waking or dream life with which you need help.
Apparently, lucid dreaming can be addictive. Living in the dream world can become preferable to reality. (Another lucid dream author, Charlie Morley, also mentioned this.)
There is an interesting section about lucidity and healing, discussion of the similarities between OBEs and lucid dreams and the relationship between NDEs, UFO experiences, meditation and lucid dreaming.
We are briefed about the initial experiments confirming the validity of lucid dreaming and that it mostly occurs during REM sleep.
In conclusion I would say that this is a quite comprehensive account of lucid dreaming, including many dream examples but I don´t think I learnt anything new. In my view, it is not a “must-read”, but an optional addition to one´s collection of books on the subject.
June 25, 2023
CAN ‘LUCID DREAMING’ BE USED TO ENHANCE OUR PSYCHOLOGY WELL-BEING?
Authors Jayne Gackenbach and Jane Bosveld wrote in the introductory section of this 1989 book, “This book is about a special type of dream, a dream in which you realize that you are dreaming, not after you awaken and think to yourself, ‘Oh, that was a dream,’ but one in which you say to yourself while in the dream, ‘Oh, I’m DREAMING!’ These dreams are called lucid dreams, and though not everyone has had one, most people can learn to have one. We will tell you how. This book is about why you may want to have one. It details how lucid dreaming can enhance your psychological well-being can enhance your psychological well-being and perhaps influence your health. It is an exploration of how lucid dreams challenge our notions of what is real and what is illusion, and about what it means, after all, to be conscious. This book is about the evolution of the human mind as revealed in the scientific study of the lucid dream.”
They explain, “As the scientific dialogue concerning the function and meaning of dreams has evolved, the concept of consciousness in the apparent unconscious state of sleep has begun to dominate the field… Much of the excitement about consciousness in sleep is due to the examination of the unique dream experience that is the subject of this book---lucid dreaming. Simply put, a lucid dream is a dream in which, to greater or lesser degrees, you are aware, or conscious, that you are dreaming…. It is an experience rich with emotion, charged with the ‘wow’ of a spectacular view rarely glimpsed, of an altered state of consciousness naturally induced… Lucid dreaming calls into question our understanding of what it means to be awake… To be awake in a dream is to feel oneself in a profoundly different reality, another world that bridges waking and sleeping consciousness.” (Pg. 9-10)
They continue, “As with most highly charged or unusual experiences, lucid dreams are rarely forgotten. What is it about lucid dreaming that creates such an indelible effect? Is there something intrinsic in the experience that makes it stick in the mind? Because most of us have not experienced the thrill of a full-blown lucid dream, one in which our awareness that we’re dreaming permeates an entire dream or allows us to direct the contents of it, we must turn to the testimony of others…” (Pg. 17)
They observe, “Our desire for dream control in some respects may be an unacknowledged effort to rid ourselves of disturbing emotions or behavior, but it may also be an expression of our desire to understand what we are at heart. We know that somewhere within our dreams, there may be hidden aspects of our deeper selves… By learning to have lucid dreams we are enlarging our experience of the mysterious. When we actively enter our nocturnal imaginations, we create another definition of ourselves as creative beings. It’s an endeavor not everyone will care to undertake, but for those who do, this book will provide a map and a scientific description of what you might encounter along the way.” (Pg. 20)
They caution, “It is a fair statement to say that we are on the ground floor in our exploration of consciousness in sleep. Not surprisingly, then, the spiritual or transpersonal questions raised by lucid dreaming are clearly difficult for most people to access and make some sense of. Even experienced travelers along spiritual paths have expressed caution in using the lucid state…” (Pg. 97)
They suggest, “Lucidity brings with it various degrees of consciousness within the dream. It is possible then that while lucid, one can consciously DECIDE to try to heal a wound, beef up the immune system, or clean out gradually clogging arteries.” (Pg. 112) Later, they add, “Only careful scientific investigation will be able to substantiate the role lucidity plays in health and whether, as we are suggesting, the greatest health benefits, those similar to what have been found in meditators, also exist in the small portion of the population who experience lucid dreams spontaneously.” (Pg. 119)
They state, “Despite the parallels to lucid dreaming, none of the states of consciousness we have discussed so far can be seen as causing or accounting for the lucid dream. A stronger and more direct parallel can be found between lucid dreaming and meditation. It is the one technology that can lead not only to lucid dreaming, but also beyond it to higher states of consciousness. The lucid dreamer’s facility for self-reflectiveness, of recognizing the self in the midst of a dream, is strikingly similar to self-reflective consciousness in ‘mindfulness’ or ‘insight’ mediation.” (Pg. 132)
They say, “It seems clear that in many respects, lucid dreamers are ‘in tune’ with their inner selves; they rely on some internal sense to interpret and maneuver in waking and dreamed spaces, and they welcome experiences that challenge or enlarge their sense of who they are. Lucid dreamers are modern-day explorers who, like explorers of past centuries, are out to conquer new worlds.” (Pg. 176)
They suggest, “If the theory that lucid dreaming is only one step along a continuum of human consciousness is correct, at least two important questions follow: What comes after lucid dreaming, and why should we care?... one of the stages of consciousness that is related to lucid dreaming is dream witnessing, a characteristic of pure consciousness… we will explore the state more deeply…” (Pg. 177)
They conclude, “if we find that empathizing with one another and experiencing pure consciousness can be shown to effect a change in the field of consciousness, then we will indeed be on the threshold of a new understanding of the human mind. One day we may be able to say more about the importance of lucid dreaming and pure consciousness then that they are altered state of awareness the broaden our vision, make us feel better, and give us added insight into ourselves and reality. We may be able to say that by meditating and working with our lucid dreams we can change the quality not only of our own lives but also the lives of those with whom we share the world. It will be a day worth waiting for.” (Pg. 202-203)
This book will be of great interest to those studying dreams, and their possible spiritual implications.
Authors Jayne Gackenbach and Jane Bosveld wrote in the introductory section of this 1989 book, “This book is about a special type of dream, a dream in which you realize that you are dreaming, not after you awaken and think to yourself, ‘Oh, that was a dream,’ but one in which you say to yourself while in the dream, ‘Oh, I’m DREAMING!’ These dreams are called lucid dreams, and though not everyone has had one, most people can learn to have one. We will tell you how. This book is about why you may want to have one. It details how lucid dreaming can enhance your psychological well-being can enhance your psychological well-being and perhaps influence your health. It is an exploration of how lucid dreams challenge our notions of what is real and what is illusion, and about what it means, after all, to be conscious. This book is about the evolution of the human mind as revealed in the scientific study of the lucid dream.”
They explain, “As the scientific dialogue concerning the function and meaning of dreams has evolved, the concept of consciousness in the apparent unconscious state of sleep has begun to dominate the field… Much of the excitement about consciousness in sleep is due to the examination of the unique dream experience that is the subject of this book---lucid dreaming. Simply put, a lucid dream is a dream in which, to greater or lesser degrees, you are aware, or conscious, that you are dreaming…. It is an experience rich with emotion, charged with the ‘wow’ of a spectacular view rarely glimpsed, of an altered state of consciousness naturally induced… Lucid dreaming calls into question our understanding of what it means to be awake… To be awake in a dream is to feel oneself in a profoundly different reality, another world that bridges waking and sleeping consciousness.” (Pg. 9-10)
They continue, “As with most highly charged or unusual experiences, lucid dreams are rarely forgotten. What is it about lucid dreaming that creates such an indelible effect? Is there something intrinsic in the experience that makes it stick in the mind? Because most of us have not experienced the thrill of a full-blown lucid dream, one in which our awareness that we’re dreaming permeates an entire dream or allows us to direct the contents of it, we must turn to the testimony of others…” (Pg. 17)
They observe, “Our desire for dream control in some respects may be an unacknowledged effort to rid ourselves of disturbing emotions or behavior, but it may also be an expression of our desire to understand what we are at heart. We know that somewhere within our dreams, there may be hidden aspects of our deeper selves… By learning to have lucid dreams we are enlarging our experience of the mysterious. When we actively enter our nocturnal imaginations, we create another definition of ourselves as creative beings. It’s an endeavor not everyone will care to undertake, but for those who do, this book will provide a map and a scientific description of what you might encounter along the way.” (Pg. 20)
They caution, “It is a fair statement to say that we are on the ground floor in our exploration of consciousness in sleep. Not surprisingly, then, the spiritual or transpersonal questions raised by lucid dreaming are clearly difficult for most people to access and make some sense of. Even experienced travelers along spiritual paths have expressed caution in using the lucid state…” (Pg. 97)
They suggest, “Lucidity brings with it various degrees of consciousness within the dream. It is possible then that while lucid, one can consciously DECIDE to try to heal a wound, beef up the immune system, or clean out gradually clogging arteries.” (Pg. 112) Later, they add, “Only careful scientific investigation will be able to substantiate the role lucidity plays in health and whether, as we are suggesting, the greatest health benefits, those similar to what have been found in meditators, also exist in the small portion of the population who experience lucid dreams spontaneously.” (Pg. 119)
They state, “Despite the parallels to lucid dreaming, none of the states of consciousness we have discussed so far can be seen as causing or accounting for the lucid dream. A stronger and more direct parallel can be found between lucid dreaming and meditation. It is the one technology that can lead not only to lucid dreaming, but also beyond it to higher states of consciousness. The lucid dreamer’s facility for self-reflectiveness, of recognizing the self in the midst of a dream, is strikingly similar to self-reflective consciousness in ‘mindfulness’ or ‘insight’ mediation.” (Pg. 132)
They say, “It seems clear that in many respects, lucid dreamers are ‘in tune’ with their inner selves; they rely on some internal sense to interpret and maneuver in waking and dreamed spaces, and they welcome experiences that challenge or enlarge their sense of who they are. Lucid dreamers are modern-day explorers who, like explorers of past centuries, are out to conquer new worlds.” (Pg. 176)
They suggest, “If the theory that lucid dreaming is only one step along a continuum of human consciousness is correct, at least two important questions follow: What comes after lucid dreaming, and why should we care?... one of the stages of consciousness that is related to lucid dreaming is dream witnessing, a characteristic of pure consciousness… we will explore the state more deeply…” (Pg. 177)
They conclude, “if we find that empathizing with one another and experiencing pure consciousness can be shown to effect a change in the field of consciousness, then we will indeed be on the threshold of a new understanding of the human mind. One day we may be able to say more about the importance of lucid dreaming and pure consciousness then that they are altered state of awareness the broaden our vision, make us feel better, and give us added insight into ourselves and reality. We may be able to say that by meditating and working with our lucid dreams we can change the quality not only of our own lives but also the lives of those with whom we share the world. It will be a day worth waiting for.” (Pg. 202-203)
This book will be of great interest to those studying dreams, and their possible spiritual implications.
May 13, 2012
written by a dream researcher, but accessible to the lay person.
I read this in college, and was lucid dreaming in the first week, maybe just because the topic was on my mind. Either way, I enjoyed the book.
I read this in college, and was lucid dreaming in the first week, maybe just because the topic was on my mind. Either way, I enjoyed the book.
March 20, 2015
This book is an excellent summary of the research that has been done on Lucid Dreaming for the last 50 years. The only drawback is that the publisher did not link the source notes in the back of the book.
December 14, 2019
This is a book from the early period of LD (1989) when books on lucid dreaming, especially from the academic establishment, were few and far between. After you've read a number of lucid dreaming books, the "how to" section starts to get repetitive. Most of it based on Stephen Laberge's and Paul Tholey's groundbreaking working in the 1970s and, apart from a few tweaks, the (non-supplement-related) techniques haven't changed. So, when I read an LD book these days, I don't expect to learn much in that area. However, the reason I keep reading LD books is all the philosophizing that each person brings to LD. In that respect Jayne doesn't disappoint. She's an academic so I suppose it's logical that the best part of the book is the original research she did on the psychological profile of lucid dreamers. The chapter concerned, titled "The Right Stuff", is a fascinating read, mainly because the whole way through you're asking yourself, "Is that me?" Let's say I scored high in some areas, and passably on others. It sort of left me wondering why I wasn't having more lucid dreams than I am. The rest of the book is a balanced take on the world of lucid dreaming at that time. Jayne takes pains to remove herself from the story--the game of objectivity that academics play stylistically speaking--and continually quotes others rather than her own experience and even work (referring to herself as Gackenbach at one point, which I find absurd). The book's title is misleading. As Jayne herself point out about two-thirds of the way through the book, the amount of control you have in a lucid dream is actually very limited, but I supposed they needed a title that was going to entice buyers. The reason I gave it 4 stars (= worth reading) instead of 5 (= excellent) is that a. the academic style gets somewhat tedious after a while, b. the last chapter (on LD as a spiritual path) is really confusing (again probably because the materialist scientific paradigm is woefully inadequate when it comes to "qualia") and c. the over-reliance on the Maharishi's (Transcendental Meditation) followers for quotes related to lucid dreaming and meditation. I'm not against TM per se (even though I find the Youtube vids on TM practitioners levitating to be silly) but there was already scientific research on other meditative traditions available at that time--especially involving the Tibetan community--so that would have given the book a less skewed feeling in that respect.
April 9, 2022
Decent
Not great not bad An enjoyable read but there are better books out there for lucid dreaming That are much much More enjoyable to read
Not great not bad An enjoyable read but there are better books out there for lucid dreaming That are much much More enjoyable to read
October 20, 2010
Amazing book about the facts of Lucid Dreaming.
My favorite chapter of all was Ch. 6 'The Healer Within'
talks about if you are aware and lucid in a dream and focus on your physical weakness your body will respond by focusing on that point and healing it.
Physician Leonard Wisneski writes in Noetic Sciences Review, "We now know there is direct communication between our brain and our immune cells."
Jeanne Achterberg, a psychologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center, "Many of the autonomic functions assosiated with health and disease are emotionally triggered."
"Verbal messages must undergo translation by the imagery system before they can be understood by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system."
The human mind and body are capable of so many things we just need to be aware and open to this information and we can help ourselves to mental and physical benefits.
My favorite chapter of all was Ch. 6 'The Healer Within'
talks about if you are aware and lucid in a dream and focus on your physical weakness your body will respond by focusing on that point and healing it.
Physician Leonard Wisneski writes in Noetic Sciences Review, "We now know there is direct communication between our brain and our immune cells."
Jeanne Achterberg, a psychologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center, "Many of the autonomic functions assosiated with health and disease are emotionally triggered."
"Verbal messages must undergo translation by the imagery system before they can be understood by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system."
The human mind and body are capable of so many things we just need to be aware and open to this information and we can help ourselves to mental and physical benefits.
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