Thread: Beating our limitations.

In a lucid dream last night, I did some things that are generally accepted as impossible. So without too much chatter...

1. Reading. This has been disproved many times, but people still think that it is impossible or very hard to read in a lucid dream. In this one, I read the back of an album. White it talked about vitamins () I could read it all perfectly clear. I also noted to myself that whenever I read, I don't read the words as much as I know the words. While my eyes can see the words, it doesn't take as much conscious reading as a normal person reading in waking life does. In other words, it's like we know the words and are thinking them instead of reading them, which is basically what we really are doing.


2. Reading something multiple times. I read the same sentences many times, both after only looking away, and after talking to DCs to get my mind off of focusing. I expected the text to remain the same, and it did. Also I have never used this method to verify lucidity, I have always used the nose RC because it is the most readily available and I use it most in waking life. I got the text to remain the same, though, after multiple readings. The reason that text changes or is comprised of strange characters is because we expect them to be. Near the end of the text that I was reading, I told myself that there would probably be some random, stupid sentence at the end. Sure enough, the last sentence was, "I am guge."


3. Changing light levels. While I was reading, it was dark at first. I said to myself, "It's hard to read like this. There should be light." Just then, the lights of the mall that I was in came on as if a blackout had just ended and I said, "That's more like it!" This one is the best, because it is widely regarded as impossible. Again, it's all about confidence.

I don't know if it is confidence or not. The reading thing has failed for me so many times (I mean the text not changing; but actually it's rarely readable at all). Other people say they can read too, like you. I don't know why I can't, but I'm not sure it's a lack of confidence.

I change light levels easily. When I flip a switch when I'm lucid, I know I will get a strange glowing effect that will be enough to see by. I used to shout "LIGHTS" with good effect, but I haven't needed to do that in a long time.

if u believe and foucs any thing is possible

I don't believe any of this talk about certain things being impossible. Thinking that way is just invitation to have it happen to you.
Perhaps some people are more inclined to these problems, but I think its really just a deep belief thing. If reading fails on you for some reason, then you don't expect it to work the next time, so it doesn't.

Personally I haven't tried to read in a Lucid, but I've read plenty of things in regular dreams and its perfectly clear. When I wake up I can recall the image of the text really well still.

I have changed light levels though. By turning night into day. I've never tried a light switch. And again, in regular dreams I've done lots of light level changing. Like last night I was creating orbs of light to light up a tent. Then I created an orb of light and shot it into the sky, turning it into the sun. The light levels all changed accordingly.

The ONLY limitation I have encountered in a lucid dream is that light switches do not appear to work.

I have read in LDs, changed light levels... I have never believed for a second that these things are impossible, and this has been demonstrated by myself.

For me I have read some things. When I look away and look back it's not the text that changes, but what it is written on. Like in one dream it changed from cardboard to a paper plate.

The only ways I have ever tried changing light levels is with a lamp and flashlight. They both work for a short while, but they always flicker and eventually turn off.

While I haven't had a lucid dream I've had several dreams where the level of light changes spontaneously. Always from day to night. For instance in one dream it was evening like the sun was starting to set and I went inside my house and my mom said "What are you doing out so late?" and I was like "Huh?" and then she said "It's one o' clock." and I look up at the clock and it's says it's one o' clock and now everything's dark outside and only the kitchen light is on. But way to beat the system anyhow stephent91.

Originally Posted by Stephent91

Again, it's all about confidence.

I still doubt 360 degree vision and creating new colors

Originally Posted by warock

I still doubt 360 degree vision and creating new colors

I agree.

I do believe that anything you can experience or imagine while awake is possible in an LD. Flipping light switches and reading are two obvious examples. I really was shocked to find out that anyone had trouble with these things. I think it is all a matter of letting people put ideas into your head. There is really no reason why these things shouldn't work properly in dreams and in my experiences they certainly do.

However, I don't agree with the people that think you should be able to go outside the bounds of normal perception while dreaming.

New colors? Can you imagine new colors IRL? I certainly can't. Colors are just created by the reflection and absorption of light. The color spectrum is just a small part of the electromagnetic energy spectrum - all clearly defined by wavelengths of the energy. There are no gaps to be filled and therefore no way "create" new colors.

I also feel similarly about 360 vision. It would be extremely hard (if not impossible) for our brain to experience something so radically different from normal. However, at least maybe imagination could possibly allow for this - if its very strong

I think anything is possible in dreams as long as we know what it feels like IRL. Like I've heard stories about a figure skater that "practiced" her sport in LDs while she had a broken leg. That makes sense since obviously your brain remembers the movements from real experience. However, it certainly wouldn't be possible to become a black belt just from LDs if you have no RL training.

A good imagination can allow you to simulate these activities, but probably not very accurately. Which, I suppose, is why some people have trouble learning to fly and have to use techniques like "swimming motions".

The same thing with any sensation really - I doubt someone deaf from birth hears in dreams, blind people wouldn't see, etc.

Someone on these boards asked if its possible to give birth in an LD. It is, of course, but the experience most likely wouldn't be anything like reality if you've never actually given birth IRL. I also would be curious to hear how all of the RL virgins who have had "lucid sex" would compare the experience to the real thing when they get there

Originally Posted by Amelaclya

I agree.

I do believe that anything you can experience or imagine while awake is possible in an LD. Flipping light switches and reading are two obvious examples. I really was shocked to find out that anyone had trouble with these things. I think it is all a matter of letting people put ideas into your head. There is really no reason why these things shouldn't work properly in dreams and in my experiences they certainly do.

However, I don't agree with the people that think you should be able to go outside the bounds of normal perception while dreaming.

New colors? Can you imagine new colors IRL? I certainly can't. Colors are just created by the reflection and absorption of light. The color spectrum is just a small part of the electromagnetic energy spectrum - all clearly defined by wavelengths of the energy. There are no gaps to be filled and therefore no way "create" new colors.

I also feel similarly about 360 vision. It would be extremely hard (if not impossible) for our brain to experience something so radically different from normal. However, at least maybe imagination could possibly allow for this - if its very strong

I think anything is possible in dreams as long as we know what it feels like IRL. Like I've heard stories about a figure skater that "practiced" her sport in LDs while she had a broken leg. That makes sense since obviously your brain remembers the movements from real experience. However, it certainly wouldn't be possible to become a black belt just from LDs if you have no RL training.

A good imagination can allow you to simulate these activities, but probably not very accurately. Which, I suppose, is why some people have trouble learning to fly and have to use techniques like "swimming motions".

The same thing with any sensation really - I doubt someone deaf from birth hears in dreams, blind people wouldn't see, etc.

Someone on these boards asked if its possible to give birth in an LD. It is, of course, but the experience most likely wouldn't be anything like reality if you've never actually given birth IRL. I also would be curious to hear how all of the RL virgins who have had "lucid sex" would compare the experience to the real thing when they get there

A very thoughtful post, nicely done
About 360 degree vision. While in REM sleep your eyes move according to how they do while your dreaming, so how can you look behind yourself without moving. You might be able to see the blurry figures but you cant possibly focus on everything at once.
Hey I'm an open-minded guy... Post if you think differently, ill believe you if enough evidence is given

My new dream task is to acheive a good 360 degree vision. I'll prove you wrong.

Awesome!
I have read things and change the light levels but I am a natural LD'er.

Originally Posted by warock

A very thoughtful post, nicely done
About 360 degree vision. While in REM sleep your eyes move according to how they do while your dreaming, so how can you look behind yourself without moving. You might be able to see the blurry figures but you cant possibly focus on everything at once.
Hey I'm an open-minded guy... Post if you think differently, ill believe you if enough evidence is given

I personally don't really think its feasible either. But I was trying to be open-minded

Once when I was in like 1st grade or something, my classmates and I were all in lines walking behind the teacher to the next class and I was being naughty and flicked the ear of the boy in front of me. The teacher turned around and yelled at me and I was like "WTF how did she know?!". She later confessed that teachers have a dirty trick and often watch the class in the reflection in their eyeglasses

I guess if you are really good at extrapolating this, you could liken it to 360 degree vision. I personally don't think my imagination is THAT good, but someone's may be.

I think that the myths about what's hard in an LD are just based on what most people had trouble with.

Whenever you see something subjective like the difficulty or impossibility of a lucid task, always take it with a grain of salt.

Personally, I find reading to be different from dream to dream. Sometimes it's easy, and sometimes I can't even get through a sentence because it chances too fast. Usually, reading isn't too hard, though, especially just a sentence or two.

Things also differ from person to person imo. All dreamers have their strengths and weaknesses. Some things are more commonly difficult, like turning the lights back on, but just like the OP, I've been able to do it a few times without any trouble myself. However, I've had LDs where the lights refused to go back on at all and I just had to leave the area to fix it.

I also laugh at the "dreams aren't in color" myth. I came up with a fun little lucid experiment which disproved that several years ago. Just created a bag of marbles, took them out one by one and named the colors. If our minds really "insert" colors after we wake then I would not have been able to consciously see and describe the vivid colors. then I morphed each marble into something representative of it's color (i.e. a fire hydrant for red).