Inception,
Shared Dreams and Lucid Dreaming
by Robert Waggoner
Before you talk about shared lucid dreams, how can I become
lucid or consciously aware in the dream state?
To achieve the sudden realization, “This is a dream!” requires a bit
of effort, persistence and focus. You can use the power of
suggestion to set up a lucid dream before going to sleep. Inwardly
become quiet, let go of the day’s event and repeat, “Tonight in my
dreams, I will be more critically aware. When I see something
strange, I will realize I am dreaming and become lucid.” During the
night’s dreaming, you may see something so strange that you realize,
“That’s impossible. This is a dream!”
Lucid dreamers use many other techniques to become consciously aware
in the dream state, such as LaBerge’s MILD technique, Castaneda’s
“finding your hands” approach, the Lucidity Institute’s “Wake back
to bed” technique and more. Visit
www.dreaminglucid.com/fivetechniques.html
Does lucid dreaming seem very common?
According to new research conducted by Kelly Bulkeley, Ph.D., a
solid majority of Americans (64.9%) say they have had a dream in
which they were aware of dreaming, and 34.4% say they have had a
dream in which they were able to control the dream. For more on this
study, see
www.kellybulkeley.com
Does a lucid dream seem real, like waking reality? How do
you tell the difference?
Yes, lucid dreaming does seem very real. Your sense of touch,
hearing and sight seem very acute, while the sense of taste may be a
bit diminished. Walking through a lucid dream, you can feel the
surfaces of the wall, table or floor, and be amazed how much it
feels and looks just like “waking reality.”
To be certain that you are in the dream state, always perform a
“reality check.” That means, check your reality by doing something
that can be accomplished in dreams; for example, levitate off the
floor to prove to yourself that you are dreaming.
Do you need a machine, like PASIV, or a drug, like Somnacin
to become lucid?
No. The movie, Inception, fictionally provides a lucid dreaming
machine, PASIV, and a drug, Somnacin. However, millions of lucid
dreamers have become consciously aware in the dream state by using
simple suggestion or one of the techniques described above. Some
people seem to have a natural talent for lucid dreaming, while
others have to work at it.
How do you create a stable, lucid dream environment?
For new lucid dreamers, establishing a stable environment is
fundamental. When you become lucidly aware, the first step is to
“modulate your emotions.” Some people become so excited, they
suddenly wake up. So you need to stay calm and modulate your
emotions to stay in a lucid dream. Next, you can “elevate your
awareness” by doing a reality check, or rubbing your hands together
to establish yourself confidently in the dream realm. You may want
to shout, “More awareness now!”
Then, you need to “maintain your focus” as you look around the lucid
dream. Do not get entranced by interesting dream events, because you
might lose your lucid awareness and return to regular dreaming;
instead, remind yourself to stay consciously aware. Do not stare at
any object for too long, as that can cause the lucid dream to
collapse. And finally, “establish your intent” by focusing on a goal
- like asking a dream figure to explain a dream symbol, or walking
on top of (dream) water! Keep actively focusing and re-focusing on
items of interest or goals that you have. Read more at
www.dreaminglucid.com/crucial.html
After becoming lucid, how do you wake up in your bed?
Easy. Most people simply tell themselves that it is time to wake up,
and they do so. For beginners, most lucid dreams end fairly soon,
because you either stare at a dream object too long or become too
excited. So if you want to wake up, you can stare at an object or
become excited. To maintain lucid awareness takes practice. A
beginner seems lucky to stay lucid for more than a few minutes.
Have lucid dreamers reported cases of getting secret
information, while consciously aware in the dream state?
Yes, anecdotal reports exist. For example, lucid dreamer Ian Koslow,
talked with a woman in his dorm about whether lucid dream figures
were merely imagination. So they devised an experiment. She told him
that she has a very “strange freckle” on her back, and that he
should have a lucid dream, find her and discover the location of the
strange freckle. Then upon waking, he would know, assuming of course
that lucid dreamers could obtain valid information.
So that week, he became lucid twice. The first time, he tried to get
to her room, but all these blocks and hassles appeared, so he awoke
disappointed. The second time he became lucid, he decided that she
should come visit him! Suddenly, she appears at his door, and he
asks to see her “strange freckle.” She turns around and he sees a
bizarre freckle on her lower back, right above her rump. He thinks
that seems odd, but wakes with the knowledge.
An hour later, he knocks on her door to say that he has lucidly
discovered her odd freckle. Wearing a t-shirt, she tells him to
place his finger where he saw it in the lucid dream. He puts his
finger at that exact spot – she pulls up her t-shirt, and his finger
is touching her strange freckle! They were both delighted and
mystified.
Do you have more examples of lucid dreamers discovering
unknown information?
In another case of lucidly “extracting” information, lucid dreamer
Clare Johnson took part in IASD’s annual Dream Telepathy Contest,
where a telepathic sender selects one of four sealed envelopes. Each
envelope contains distinctly different photo or painting. The
telepathic sender retreats to her room, opens the envelope, and then
tries to transmit telepathically the image to the dreaming
conference attendees. In the morning, all four pictures are set on a
table for attendees to see; of course, only one of the images is the
“target image.” Then attendees jot down their dream from the night
before that corresponds to one of the images.
That night, Clare, dreamt of someone shouting, “Trees! Trees!” then
became lucidly aware in her dream and decided to find the telepathic
sender, Beverly. In the lucid dream state, she found Beverly and
conversed about the contest image. Beverly and another dream figure
talked about “trees” and the color green, so Clare awoke with the
conviction that the target image might be a tree. She wrote out her
lucid dream (much more interesting than this short rendition), and
felt delighted to see that one of the four images was of huge trees.
Days later, she learned that she won the Dream Telepathy Contest.
More exciting though, she also learned that the telepathic sender,
Beverly, had shouted in her mind, “Trees! Trees!”, as a means to
transmit telepathically the target image.
How does that work?
That’s the rub. Some experienced lucid dreamers believe that the
information exists in a mental meta-web or type of collective
unconscious, and can therefore be accessed telepathically. The
dreamer then incorporates the “information” into their dream or
lucid dream with the appropriate dream figures and symbols.
Other experienced lucid dreamers wonder if dreaming exists as an
inner, mental platform which can be merged or blended with another
dreamer’s platform – in effect, to create a blended, shared dream
space. Still others feel that we need more information and research
on this, before making theoretical structures.
Okay, here’s a tougher one. Have lucid dreamers ever
reported “implanting” an idea into another dreamer’s subconscious
mind?
Yes – this actually happened to me. In my chapter on telepathy in
lucid dreams, I recount how I became lucidly aware, sat in a dream
restaurant lucidly observing the detailed setting, when my friend,
Moe Munroe, walked into the place. I immediately approached her to
say, “Moe, this is a lucid dream!” Sadly, though, she showed little
awareness. Her eyes shifted randomly. Her head rolled from side to
side.
I decided to try and convince her, so I picked her up and began
levitating, saying, “See. We are floating! This is a lucid dream.”
But still, I saw no recognition in her eyes. Finally, I made a
‘peace sign’ with my fingers and shoved it in front of her face,
saying, “Moe, do you see this peace sign? You can use it anytime you
want to become lucidly aware.” Then I decided to wake.
Well, the next day, I hoped that Moe would write or call, but I
heard nothing. So I kept it to myself. A few months later, I was in
the Bay area on business, and called up Moe to see if she was free
for lunch. She told me a place to meet her. There, I stood outside
on the sidewalk in the sun, as Moe walked up to me. Suddenly, she
created a peace sign and shoved it into my face! Stunned, I
muttered, “Moe, why are you doing that?” She nonchalantly replied,
“I don’t know. Just felt like it.”
So this seems like one of the few real life examples, a la
Inception, of a lucid dreamer “implanting” an idea into another
dreamer’s subconscious mind. How can we explain Moe’s waking action,
which she herself does not understand? It appears Inception may be a
case of ‘art imitating life.’
Has science investigated shared dreams or mutual lucid
dreaming?
No, not really.
There has been interesting scientific research on dream telepathy,
however. You can read more about that in the book, Dream Telepathy:
Experiments in Nocturnal ESP by Montague Ullman, M.D., Stanley
Krippner, PhD and Alan Vaughan.
Some researchers like Dean Radin would point to all the studies
indicative of “entangled minds” and telepathy, but science has not
really investigated shared dreams or mutual lucid dreams in any
depth.
What can we conclude about lucid dreaming?
Lucid dreaming seems like a revolutionary psychological tool to
explore the nature of consciousness. Already, experienced lucid
dreamers have deeply searched the depth of subconscious knowledge
and awareness with fascinating discoveries (often presented at IASD
conferences).
Hopefully, Inception will draw attention to lucid dream explorations
of the Unconscious, which Freud called “the true reality of the
psyche.” By understanding the nature of the subconscious mind, we
may have access to its extraordinary creativity, insights and
healing energy, which we can use to create a better waking, and
dreaming, world.
Robert Waggoner explores shared or mutual lucid dreams in his book,
Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self (Moment Point
Press: 2009). An experienced lucid dreamer with more than one
thousand lucid dreams, he is the immediate past President of IASD,
and current Chair of the Board. He co-edits the quarterly e-zine,
The Lucid Dream Exchange at
www.dreaminglucid.com
