Have you ever thought about controlling your dreams? You could fly over the most paradisiacal destinations in the world, meet again a person who is no longer there or even score the goal that makes a team world champion. If you want to do any of these things and many more, the dreams lucid psychoanalysis they may be the answer.
Some scientists say that intelligence lucid dreams exist and in fact it is the ability that a person can develop to be aware of what they are dreaming and even control everything that happens.
What are and types of lucid dreams
In short, lucid dreams are those in which a person is aware of dreaming. In fact, according to Iñaki Martín-Subero, an expert in “the art of dream yoga”: “The levels of lucidity cover a very wide range of experiences, from having a nightmare and realizing it we wake up, to recognizing the dream as such, remain aware within it and change its content with the power of intention. Of course, all these factors will depend directly on the power of control over the imagination that each person has.
Lucid dreams take place in a phase called REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or translated in Spanish to rapid eye movement dreams. This is a shallow stage of dreams that usually develops before waking up and that is why many people remember having these experiences.
There are no specific types of lucid dreams in children and adults. Their content strictly depends on each person and their imagination. In fact, there are dreams in which people play an active and conscious role in the experiences while others begin to realize that what they are truly experiencing is something unreal and therefore become directors of their own dream, taking the reins of everything that happens.
lucid dreams causes
The truth is that there is no known and precise cause as to why lucid dreams originate. However, there are reasons to believe that it happens to people with more introspection or also to those who have more gray matter in their brain.
What kind of people have lucid dreams? Multiple studies have shown that people who are more reflective about their inner thoughts were more likely to have more lucid dreams than the rest. This is because the individual has a high metacognitive capacity. This translates into the ability to reflect and evaluate one’s own mental states.
In fact, various scientists around the world showed MRIs of the brains of lucid dreamers and they have more volume of gray matter than the rest. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for conscious thought, memory, decision-making, and self-control.
Although these events are difficult to investigate, a study carried out by the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim (Germany) concluded that a large part of the population has had a lucid dream at least once in their lives.
How to realize that it is a lucid dream
Perhaps you have experienced a very brief lucid dream but when you woke up you did not remember it. According to experts such as Arnold-Fosrter or LeBerge, these are some elements that can help you identify if you are in a lucid dream or not:
– The excitement it is one of the elements that helps a person realize it. This is directly related to the fact of not being a simple observer but being able to guide the course of the dream.
– The heightened senses: Colors are brighter and sounds are clearer.
– The attention to detail: The environment is observed with much more precision and focus.
– Greater perception: Peripheral consciousness expands. This translates into feeling much more consciously what is experienced.
Do you want to try having your lucid dream? Follow these steps
Sleep psychologist Ian Wallace developed a series of tips for the BBC that could help us put our heads on the pillow to provoke a lucid dream. Take note and try it!
1- induce sleep: before going to sleep you have to repeat the following sentence: “I am in control of my dreams”.
two- Waking up during REM sleep helps to be more aware when the person goes back to sleep. While it’s not an easy thing to do, setting an alarm 90 minutes after going to bed can help a lot. This is usually the time it takes for a person to enter deep sleep.
3- meditate frequently: Deep and continuous meditation is believed to be a kind of lucid dream. Meditating will not only help to have them more frequently, but also helps to be able to control everything that happens more effectively.
4-Take note of everything that was dreamed writing in a notebook upon waking up is the ideal method for collecting experiences, including sensations and emotions experienced.
So what are lucid dreams for? To squeeze the imagination to the fullest and thus explore and create our deepest desires.