Thread: speaking to husband and slight concerns about LD

I doubt there's anything slightly risky about Lucid Dreaming. Which book was this?

I don't see how dreaming could be dangerous. All LD is, is dreaming and knowing that you are dreaming. That is like saying if you take control of anything in your life you are going to lose everything. Doesn't make sence to me. I would like to see the book you are talking about though. And I hope everything works out for you and you husband.

Originally posted by Book_Lover
Hi guys

my husband has a degree in Philosophy and has read loads of books about the tao, buddhism, the mystics (you get the general idea anyway, the book shelves are stacked with them), and has practiced meditation as well as experimenting with various mind states. He was telling me that (and the book I have backs this up) if I follow LD or meditation to their natural conclusion, I would probably end up \"breaking set\" and kind of \"giving up\" on my life as it is now, which obviously includes him, our dogs and cat, our house (and we're also trying for a baby). I also need to complete a PhD and make some sort of success out of myself for the future.

Is there a way that I can prevent myself from taking this too far, or getting to that point which I have read can be compared with some pschizophrenic states, anti social or introverted character etc.?

I hope I'm not offending anyone here, it's not just my husband, the book also carries such warnings.

Several years ago I achieved 2 lucid dreams then lost the dedication, so I don't know how far I could take it.

I tried to recall my dreams (tell myself to remember before falling asleep etc.) last night, and I do remember SOME (and wrote it down) and this could be rubbish but I recall hearing, or imagining, a voice of an old man down in the living room (I was dreaming that I was in my bed waking up and doing morning things). He was saying \"I just don't know where to go\" OR someone was telling me that he just doesn't know where to go. This is an old farmhouse with a history of at least 2 suicides when farming was in trouble. Having said that, I don't easily believe in ghosts plus, I've never felt unsafe here. Also, my dog (who is ill and has been sick) could have been crying or being sick in the living room at the time. He may have felt that about being sick on our rug.

Don't mean to sound ridiculous, just sharing that!! Hey, maybe I'm losing my mind already!

ok, first of all, Welcome!

Second, I believe I understand your question, if not, then I'm sorry you'll have to explain it a bit more, but I believe your asking how to keep lucid dreaming from controlling your life? and getting to the point where its all that matters?

If that is the case, then I read in a lucid dreaming book once(Whose author is the foremost expert on lucid dreaming) that
He noticed that his Lucid Dreams were increasing at a rapid rate. And he began to wonder if could not control them. But at the moment he began to think about this, his lucid dreaming dropped off completely.

Another person asked him a question about it. It went like this

"Won't lucid dreaming cause me to be some kind of sleep-aholic? That doesn't want to do anythign outside of their dreams?"

He said, "No, your lucid dreams are at your will, you control them. But since they are more exciting than many real life scenerios then yes, people might favor them over waking life, but study has shown that this doesn't happen. Instead, people seek to make their waking lives more interesting."

To answer your question in my words, I don't think there will be any problem with lucid dreaming interfering with your social life, and character. Itis not something that totally changes your life. It is groundbreaking, but I'm fairly sure that even if you were able to lucid dream every night, you wouldn't be in any danger of it affecting you in such ways.

Take me for example, I lucid dream nearly every night, and it has had zero effect on my social life. What it HAS changed the most, is my perspective.

Hope that answered your question. if not, please clarify a bit, and I'll try my best again.

pssssttt - I've been doing it for 12 years now.

I love my wife and family dearly (the two legged as well as the four legged ones)

I like to think of it this way:
When awake, I enjoy my family and my waking life to it's fullest extend.
When I lay down at night, I enjoy my dream time to it's fullest extent.

If anything, it makes me calmer and more balanced to have a very active dream life.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. It seems that the people around here are more balanced than your average Joe off the street.

BTW, is your husband interested in learning?

hi guys and thanks for the responses. very reassuring too! the book is called "Lucid Dreaming: a waking guide for the traveller between worlds" and is by Malcolm Godwin. It's beautiful actually, full of colour plates of surrealist art, and ancient carvings and paintings etc. that are related to LD and generally to mysticism.

Although I am reassured by the responses I seem to have not explained myself very well. The book talks at length on what it says the mystics from around the world have been trying to tell us for thousands of years. That is, the waking world which we know as our reality is in fact an illusion, or a dream. The author of the book I'm reading goes on to say that because LD is so lucid, even more so than waking life, that dreamers may start to question the reality of their waking worlds, and that for some, that can pose problems in everyday life. (particularly for the instable). My husband was suggesting the same thing - that such paths can take people further and further away from their everyday lives in the pursuit of this awakening.

I don't think I'm in too much danger. 1) I'm doing this because last time I did it it was fun and a very significant time in my life and because I'm trying to better myself and appreciate my time here more 2) I don't think I have the dedication to take it that far anyway!

It's really good to know that some of you have been LDing a long time and still enjoy and function in the "real" world as well, if not BETTER than before. That makes me realise that I've made the right decision about starting this up again

Book_lover,

Thank you for giving me something so neat to think about. I had to drive out to the Winery for supplies during lunch, about a 45 minute round trip.

I had thought to mention that lucid dreaming does have a built in limit. You can only dream so much. But I see you have posted something totally different.

Yes, the line between lucid dreaming and reality can become very thin, especially when you have had one of the lucid dreams that seems to span days or weeks in time. There is often disorientation upon awakening, but that always smoothes out in a day or so.

We've discussed it here a number of times. One benefit that goes along with a rich life of lucid dreaming is your appreciation of the waking world. True, the dream world is amazing, but as a lucid dreamer, when awake, I will often just stop and look around at all the beauty that is the waking world.

I don't know how of why, but lucidity seems to highten your appreciation of the waking world.

I've been told I have an almost childlike enthusiam for life and for experiencing new things. I belive that is because of my lucid experiences.

As far as taking me away from reality....what is reality?

Thanks again for an enjoyable lunch

hey Seeker, no problem!

thanks for all the replies - it seems I was right to think LD would make me appreciate life more. now all i have to do is get there........ i think if i take it slowly it will come when it's ready.

See you!

I see why some would have precautions about lucid dreaming. It is a matter of will power, and a matter of just common sense in a way. You can use it to 'better' your waking life, and fully enjoy it, or you can retreat to the dream world, to run away from the life that you have.

Its perfectly healthy and THE DOCTOR reccommends it! (LaBerge that is!)

Firstly Welcome!


I almost went crazy myself, walking that knife edge, yes I question reality constantly and I do think that this is just a dream as well, but it has a stricter set of physical laws then in dream, and I do enjoy dreaming alot, its an amazing world, and infinite. My natural instincts are to protect and to explore I get to do both there to a degree that I dont get a chance to do here.

However, with some help I came to the conclusion, Myself and Now are real, when I am in dream that is reality for me, when I am waking and here that is reality. Neither is more real than the other, they are just different.

My life here does not suffer from my dreaming its enriched and even gives me impetus to make changes to my life, for the better, things I have learned in dream. I have an average social life mostly kuz im just shy anyways, and I explore and want to see as much as I can of this world.

So yes I would say it can be risky if you are slightly unstable *twitch* but with will you can keep control and make your life much fuller =)

Odd how all those mystics from different cultures came to the same conclusion isint it...

Just don't walk towards the light...

heh, Ive walked into it many a time, and will do so again
A truely wonderful experience.

Originally posted by Lowercase Society
Its perfectly healthy and THE DOCTOR reccommends it! (LaBerge that is!)

did you even READ the first chapter of EWLD?

I'll be totally honest with you, Lucid dreaming isn't 100% safe, but how many great things in life are? Yes, the line does sometimes get thin, and even blurred. But taking risks is part of life. Lucid dreaming can be used as a tool, but is can also be misused. Its up to the responsibility of the dreamer to maintain control.

"I have spread my dreams as a net under your feet. Tread lightly, for you are treading on my dreams"

Originally posted by Rtex
I'll be totally honest with you, Lucid dreaming isn't 100% safe, but how many great things in life are? Yes, the line does sometimes get thin, and even blurred. But taking risks is part of life. Lucid dreaming can be used as a tool, but is can also be misused. Its up to the responsibility of the dreamer to maintain control.

Alright now what did you mean there.



As 4 u Book lover The only thing i can see you giving up on in life around Lucid Dreaming, is Lucid Dreaming.

For weeks on end (somtimes months), i don't have lucid Dreams. Have i quit, no. You wouldn't belive it but i just had a Lucid Dream last night (first time in weeks)

Pats self on back.



The way i see it is, i got the rest of my ife to perfect this tecknique. Maybe i should try the wild path

(just pretend you understand. say something nice like "thank you for the advice shawndow")

Welcome, Lover of Books I see no harm in lucid dreaming at all, but I could see how someone that is psychologically "unstable" or has a chemical imbalance could be in danger of something like this.

First of all Welcome Book Lover,

This is what I think, Lucid Dreaming is in a way like video games, some people are completely addicted to them. But they are also very fun. My mother always tells me that you half to balance your life out, not to much of anything. The people who are not addicted to them know how to balance their life out, and not play to much of them. I personally do like video games a lot. but before I play them I always make sure I have my homework and chores done, so I can have balance and not play to much of them.

I think that the same goes for Lucid Dreaming, it is such a cool thing. And I don't think there is anything unnatural about it, because if there was we would not have natural Lucid Dreamers. But you must learn to balance your life out with it. Which means when you are awake you pay attention to the waking world and do what you have to do there. And when you sleep sense you are not doing anything else, you can Lucid Dream. Therefore balancing it out.

Originally posted by Paperdoll EP
(just pretend you understand. say something nice like \"thank you for the advice shawndow\")

lol


shes right. I have a lot of fragmented ideas and senteces. Not to even mention my spelling.

WHAAAAA>>>>> how can this be dangerous at all... anyone in their right mind knows whats real and whats not... and most peopel know that dreams are just a way of sorting out things and resting your brain... (no harm)

Plz tell me if im gonna go crazy....

Ok wait.. do u mean that people who lucid dream alot will start to think they are dreaming all the time and question reality all the time... hence walk up to someone u hate thats way bigger than u and tell them to **** off ..but they dont turn into a mouse or they dont get scared and you get beaten to death...

Originally posted by BlueMystik
WHAAAAA>>>>> how can this be dangerous at all... anyone in their right mind knows whats real and whats not...

Right, anyone in their right mind, but not everyone is in their right mind.

a lil off topic here but could someone elaborate about the mystics from around the world reaching the same conclution about life. what was their discovery, how did they attain it, from what cultures? sorry for all the questions but it just struck me as fasinating.

Originally posted by Paperdoll EP+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Paperdoll EP)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Lowercase Society

Its perfectly healthy and THE DOCTOR reccommends it! (LaBerge that is!)

did you even READ the first chapter of EWLD? [/b]

hell yah, its good. duh.

Originally posted by Lowercase Society+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lowercase Society)</div>

Originally posted by Paperdoll EP@
<!--QuoteBegin-Lowercase Society

Its perfectly healthy and THE DOCTOR reccommends it! (LaBerge that is!)

did you even READ the first chapter of EWLD?

hell yah, its good. duh.[/b]

excuse me, second chapter. read it. read page 29, in which the statment "...we cannot recommend lucid dreaming to everyone." is made.

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