Exploring The World of Lucid Dreaming

By the same token, you can practice new skills in lucid dreams. In Exploring The World of Lucid Dreaming by Dr Stephen
LaBerge, a lucid dreaming surgeon explains how he would review his surgical cases for the next day before going to sleep.
Then he would practice them in precise detail in his lucid dreams – he had a solid reputation as a surgeon because of this,
being able to refine and polish his techniques and perform procedures much faster than average. Similarly, lucid dreaming
has been shown to improve the procedural memory of your muscles, so you can practice martial arts or piano playing while l
ucid, and you will be physically better at it when you wake up.- source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

We Only Dream of What We Know

Our dreams are frequently full of strangers who play out certain parts – did you know that your mind is not inventing those faces – they are real faces of real people that you have seen during your life but may not know or remember? The evil killer in your latest dream may be the guy who pumped petrol in to your Dad’s car when you were just a little kid. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces through our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.
- Source: The List Universe

The dream you have during the night

The world of name and forms is like
The dream you have during the night,
You take them all as real things,
But they are only false and transient (Guru Guru)
- Songs Of Dream BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

Wizard of Oz (1939)

I salute Dorothy for realizing so quickly that she wasn't in Kansas anymore. I was, however, a little disappointed that it took flying away in a hot air balloon with a self proclaimed Wizard for her to realize she was dreaming. Nonetheless, Dorothy's musical homeward odyssey is not only one of the greatest dreams in cinematic history, but the most timeless American fairytale of the twentieth century.
- By Zachary Goldbaum / Source: Filmjabber.com

Quality of dreams

None of these scientists, however, seem to have an answer for the "prophetic" quality of dreams, this quality that has fascinated humans for millennia, and this film director in particular.- from:Can Dreams Predict the Future? By Karin Badt / Source: Huffington Post

If you are afraid of heights

If you are afraid of heights, why not jump out of an airplane!? In the alternate reality of lucid dreams, you can slow down
time for a controlled fall, and float gently to the ground. Once you have done this at 10,000 feet you will be surprised how
you feel about heights in the waking world.- source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

Dreams Prevent Psychosis

In a recent sleep study, students who were awakened at the beginning of each dream, but still allowed their 8 hours of sleep, all experienced difficulty in concentration, irritability, hallucinations, and signs of psychosis after only 3 days. When finally allowed their REM sleep the student’s brains made up for lost time by greatly increasing the percentage of sleep spent in the REM stage. [Source]
- Source: The List Universe

When you perceive the things in Dream

When you perceive the things in Dream
You take them all to be real,
When you wake up and perceive
They are all false and unreal. (Guru Guru)
- Songs Of Dream BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

Abre Los Ojos (1997)

There's nothing more painful than living an idyllic dream only to wake up to the austere reality of the actual world. In Abre Los Ojos, Cesar has it all (i.e. Penelope Cruz). That is, until his vengeful ex shatters his perfect world. Living in a manufactured dream world, Cesar ultimately chooses to "open his eyes" to reality, rather than living a lie. Certainly more worth your time than Cameron Crowe's remake Vanilla Sky, which is an admirable albeit misguided departure from his standard rom-com fare. Expect to see Vanilla Sky on the top ten list for ugliest faces in film, which we'll write up next time Owen Wilson's nose makes a movie.
- By Zachary Goldbaum / Source: Filmjabber.com

Zeman's own fascinating new research

Zeman's own fascinating new research, incidentally, is on a relatively unknown function of the sleeping mind: to "consolidate memories". The stuff of dreams, I learn, is hardly dreamy.- from:Can Dreams Predict the Future? By Karin Badt / Source: Huffington Post

Another exciting benefit

Another exciting benefit of lucid dreaming is the ability to face your fears in a controlled but realistic setting.
- source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

Everybody Dreams

Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder) but men and women have different dreams and different physical reactions. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women tend to dream equally about men and women. In addition, both men and women experience sexually related physical reactions to their dreams regardless of whether the dream is sexual in nature; males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow. - Source: The List Universe

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Nightmares might be scary, but they don't compare to a dream unfulfilled. Each main character in Requiem is faced with the challenge of reconciling their dreams with reality and each fails in the most tragic way possible. Aronofsky's magnum opus is evidence to the fact that the chasm between dreams and reality can be subsuming and catastrophic.
- By Zachary Goldbaum / Source: Filmjabber.com

Even more eye-opening

Even more eye-opening: the reason our dreams seem to have a story may, Adam mused, be because of our brain's inherent need
for patterning. "The brain is a natural storyteller," he pithily opined. As for the peculiarly symbolic quality of dreams,
the brain already works metaphorically by nature -- constantly filtering impressions of the present with the memory of past,
hence conceiving reality through habitual bridge-making. Quoting "Orlando," Zeman notes: "Everything is in fact always
something else."- from:Can Dreams Predict the Future? By Karin Badt / Source: Huffington Post

As lucid dreamers

As lucid dreamers, we can actively pursue the types of dreams we want, and seek answers to questions in any way our
subconscious wants to present them! You are not even limited by your conscious imagination – far from it.
- source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The last two movies only scratched the surface of what a nightmare could be, but Wes Cravens nightmare on elm street is the real deal. The former king of the modern slasher film brings his signature exploration of the real and the imaginary to the horror genre. The film that kept a generation pinching themselves to stay awake is still scary over twenty years later and a frightening suggestion that dreams can have their consequences in reality. - By Zachary Goldbaum / Source: Filmjabber.com

I also learned that in REM sleep

I also learned that in REM sleep, our brains are as active as when we wake (with acetypholene, the neuron responsible for wakefulness, especially in gear) , except with different parts taking the fore (the limbic system, responsible for emotion/memory), and others (i.e., the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, responsible for logic) going under -- which may explain why we have revelations of sorts when we dream, as our
inhibitions are down.- from:Can Dreams Predict the Future? By Karin Badt / Source: Huffington Post

Some lucid dreaming artists walk

Some lucid dreaming artists walk through dream art galleries to find inspiration for their next work. Even musical composers
– like Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner – pointed to dreams as the source of their inspiration. In fact, some of the beautiful
music I ever heard took place in my lucid dreams. They reveal our most creative side because of the free-flow of ideas
arising from the subconscious mind.- source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

You Forget 90% of your Dreams

Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream if forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone. The famous poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, woke one morning having had a fantastic dream (likely opium induced) – he put pen to paper and began to describe his "vision in a dream" in what has become one of English’s most famous poems: Kubla Khan. Part way through (54 lines in fact) he was interrupted by a "Person from Porlock". Coleridge returned to his poem but could not remember the rest of his dream. The poem was never completed.

Curiously, Robert Louis Stevenson came up with the story of Doctor Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde whilst he was dreaming. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was also the brainchild of a dream.
- Source: The List Universe

Dreamscape (1984)

The 80's are much like the controversial eighth season of "Dallas": a terrible, terrible dream.  But some good did come out of the decade, including Dreamscape, a sci-fi thriller starring Dennis Quaid and Sweden's best export Max von Sydow.  From the primitive synth heavy score to the distinctive color filters in each dream sequence, Dreamscape is inescapable 80s and undeniably fun. - By Zachary Goldbaum / Source: Filmjabber.com

Lucid dreaming is an exceptionally powerful way

Lucid dreaming is an exceptionally powerful way to improve your creativity, too. Painters like Salvador Dali, William Blake and Paul Klee created famous artwork inspired by dreams. - source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)

Kurosawa based this series of visually stunning vignettes on dreams he had throughout his life. It's no Yojimbo or Throne of Blood, but Dreams is yet another triumph in the career of one of the mediums greatest craftsmen. - By Zachary Goldbaum / Source: Filmjabber.com

dream research

These clips from the scientists are so intriguing that one wants to know more -- and indeed I contacted Adam Zeman, whose work on consciousness (Consciousness: A User's Guide to the Brain) is considered cutting edge in the field, and he generously imparted to me the basics of dream research -- as well as some intriguing musings of his own.  - By Karin Badt / Source: Huffington Post

When fully conscious in your dream

When fully conscious in your dream, you can enhance your problem solving skills in extraordinarily creative ways. Take Friedrich Kekule’s discovery of the structure of the benzene molecule; Otto Loewi’s experiment on nerve impulses; and Elias Howe’s invention of the sewing machine. These scientists and inventors highlight the stunning power of the subconscious mind, which we can tap into directly via lucid dreams.- source:Lucid Dreaming – Waking Up to Alternate Realities , by Rebecca Turner from: evolution ezine

Not Everyone Dreams in Color

A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. People also tend to have common themes in dreams, which are situations relating to school, being chased, running slowly/in place, sexual experiences, falling, arriving too late, a person now alive being dead, teeth falling out, flying, failing an examination, or a car accident. It is unknown whether the impact of a dream relating to violence or death is more emotionally charged for a person who dreams in color than one who dreams in black and white.

- Source: The List Universe