Dreams that work: why and how should be called lucid dreaming

At the time, one ancient Chinese sage woke up after a delightful dream in which he saw himself fluttering from flower to flower moth, and thought: "Who am I: Chuang Tzu, who dreamed that he - a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that she - Chuang Tzu, "The question is, what is called, has taken root: more than two thousand years, but people are asking them? still.

Why lucid dreaming

Scientists have found that the brain is no difference between real and invented memories. On the fictional experiencesThat music playing in your head: a real conundrum for scientists it reacts in exactly the same way as the ones that really pleased and poisoned his life. And if so, then the dream can have on us - our attitude towards life, self-esteem and so on - no less effect than actually experienced the event.

Here's what you can do in a dream:

1. To work with psychological trauma. For example, re-meet the man who had once offended you in reality, and tell him in person, so that you can not do that.
2. Do what seems impossible. For example, to fly or pick up the incredible severity, fixing inside the feeling of "I can".
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3. Overcome some tests, receiving positive reinforcement own courage.
4. Agree with nocturnal monsters and acquire successful experience of finding compromises that will be useful in real life. In the dream, enough to turn to catch up with you monster - and he either melted in the air, or would be the negotiability and even agreeable. Fears that we meet face to face, in dreams crumble - as are the protective mechanisms of the human psyche.
5. Strengthen muscles. If you dream that you are doing in the gym, your muscles, which in the sleep process will focus the brain actually becomeThe power of the mind: the cortex as a critical determinant of muscle strength / weakness a little stronger. Of course, it is not necessary to hope that in a dream you will be able to overcome the overweight or, say, to outline the triceps. But these sleepy exercises will help maintain the muscles in good shape, it will be a good help real training, enhancing their effect.
6. You can even sleep doublePlacebo sleep affects cognitive functioning: More sleep and sleep inside, so after a short rest, you will feel refreshed and full of energy, like the rest it as much as necessary.

Dreams - almost infinite playground, mental fitness room, where you can hone the necessary skills, including physical. But, as in any gym, this exercise can not be there for a reason. It needs a key, a kind of subscription. It is called lucid dreaming.

Can I wake up without waking

Lucid dreams have long been the subject of researchLucid Dreaming. Remind yourself of sleep and mental effort, without waking, dreaming to run the script on the chosen path to pump the necessary skills - working on it dozens of scientists around the world. Remarkably successful. In particular, the guru of lucid dreaming the American physiologist Stephen LaBerge believes that learning to control sleep can practically everyone. It is important to only a little practice.

To learn to understand themselves in a dream and adjust the "sleepy reality", some enough training for only a week, says LaBerge.

Most lucid dreams begin during normal sleep, when one suddenly realizes where he is. However, there are advanced - people who are able to go to sleep is controlled directly from the waking state, without the temporary loss of consciousness. This aerobatics, which are step-by-step.

As the cause of lucid dreaming

Often wonder: "Do I sleep?"

When this short self-awareness will be increased to automatism, the brain begins to scroll through the question and at bedtime, which will increase the chances to realize itself in dreams. Because of this you will be able to change things in his sleep and adjust the traumatic moments.

Check the reality of reality

Pinch your nose with two fingers, and do not open your mouth - you can breathe? If you can, it's a dream. Look at the palm and fingers - they clear? If the picture is blurred, it is a dream. Take a look at his watch, note the time, take a look at a couple of seconds and then look at the clock - at the same time? Repeat one more time. If every time the time will be different, this is a dream.

Such verification is also desirable to bring to the automaticity.

Keep a diary of dreams

Put beside the bed a notebook in which, barely awake, write down what you dreamed, and what experience you have experienced, returning to reality. And do not neglect the daily recordings! provedHow Dreams WorkThat within 5 minutes of waking people forget 50% of sleep maintenance, and after 10 minutes - and at up to 90%. It is because of this dream had on the real life of less influence than they could be. Diary will increase the effectiveness of lucid dreaming and teach you more thoughtful attitude to dreams in general.

Search for signs of sleep

This will help you blog from the previous point. Already after a few records, you are likely to find that in your dreams there are some recurring characters: the situation, events, things, characters. Remember them regularly scrolling in the head. Seeing this sign, you will know immediately that you are in a dream, and it will facilitate the start of lucid dreaming.

Engage in self-suggestion

Before falling asleep, repeat several times: "I am aware that I am dreaming" - or any other phrase with the same meaning. Psychophysiology is called a mnemonic entry into a lucid dream. After some time, this mnemonic phrase begins to run automatically in a dream awakening process.

Get Wake-up Light

According to observations of psychophysiology, spontaneous release in the lucid dream often happen when a person is in REM sleep in the same period, some feel weak external impact. For example, he hears the faint sound or feel a light touch.

The problem is that such exposure can not only wake up in a dream, but also to pull out sleeper in reality. To minimize the risk to wake up for real, and not having experienced a lucid dream, it is best to use the Wake-up Light. Get it on activation after 5 or 6 hours after the intended sleep - and then the changed illuminance is likely to coincide with the phase REM sleep and help you wake up in the dream.

What you need to remember

If you have trouble sleeping (insomnia; stress causing excessive sensitivity; constant fatigue, because you "sleep like a log") is lucid dreaming will be much harder to achieve. So, before you look for the key to the virtual the training hall, deal with existing physiological problems and try to establish a healthy sleep.

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