Quote Originally Posted by Super View Post
is this the same as laberge's dream scenario?[/b]
Sorry, I think I wrote that confusingly :-) the LaBerge induction tape is a 15 minute relaxation and visualization technique. I guess it is like guided meditation. You are asked to visualize several scenes and such. It quiets the over active mind, I think, and keeps the mind aware. By that I mean YOU STILL HAVE TO USE SOME EFFORT. There is no magic pill that'll do all this for you and just put you in a dream. I'd like one but us lazy humans just have to stop being so lazy

The dream scenario thing I noted was if I wanted to dream of particular characters or a story or something I'd concentrate on that.

I was reading a thread on activating the mind. A good book to read might be Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain, I think that title is right. I don't know. I think the author is Betty Edwards. It explains how she teaches people to draw and she explains what she has learned of the brain. Must read this with a grain of salt though since she is NOT a scientist or doctor.

Actually, I just had another idea: I was rereading my paragraph talking of the LaBerge tape and I think what makes this work is this: you are asked to visualize yourself sitting on a beach and drawing numbers in the sand. You breathe in, write a number, exhale and the ocean wave washes the number. Counting backwards from 100. Then you stop writing and let the numbers appear in the sand. Then you just relax and stop counting all together. Why I wanted to comment on that is: I think this method is what activates and relaxes the mind. You stimulate it by the imagery the counting, the effort. I suppose that is one hemosphere, then you feel that get tired by the time you are told on the tape by LaBerge's voice to stop counting and relax. You are still aware, yet you have quieted that busy part of your mind.

I think it is this busy part that keeps me from sleeping at all if I think a lot or concentrate a lot. The brain is very awake I guess. I think this is the part that also makes you wake up if you try to control the dream. I think the counting and the relaxation stuff on the tape make that part of the brain relax. I don't know, I am no scientist. Sounds good though. I think I'll try some visualization stuff tonight. It might work best to try the 'concentrating on a single object thing and if the mind thinks of something else concentrate on the object again' thing after a few hours sleep when the REM periods get closer together.

The 'concentrating on a single object thing and if the mind thinks of something else concentrate on the object again' thing is what I did sometimes also. It is simple meditation, though I did not know that at the time. The simpelist meditation is 'Vispasina', sp?, all you do is breathe and just concentrate on your breath. If other thoughts or images arise you just calmly note that they are there and then concentrate on your breathing again.




EDIT: Just wanted to post a link: http://www.drawright.com/ you can read Betty Edward's theory.