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You've just met someone new and they ask you "What are your hobbies?" Along with the other hobbies you practice, you also say "Lucid dreaming." They ask "Lucid Dreaming? What's that?" You now have to explain what lucid dreaming is IN YOUR OWN WORDS without saying "Being aware that you're dreaming"
I'm making this thread because I can never get a good explanation that doesn't freak people out or make people think I'm weird.
It's where you get to be the god of your own universe, just for a little while.
I would just say it's another form of meditation. if they ask for further details, be sure to enlighten them, but i wouldn't allow anybody to make you feel weird about it.
Another form of meditation... That's good, actually! I should use that so I don't sound like a dork.Quote:
Originally Posted by dearly
your own world
Hoping to get more responses but while thinking about the question, I came up with this:
"Lucid dreaming is studying dreams while dreaming"
Maybe the question is harder than it sounds?
How about this: LD'ing is a chance to live that third of your life that you lose to sleep every night -- and live it in truly imaginitve style!
Maybe.... "It's a very ancient practice involving taking control of your dreams rather than being controlled by them"......too dorky?
If you figure out how to share it without freaking people out, please let me know! Casually explaining to someone you visit alternate realities with God-like powers as a"hobby" does come off rather strange.
Why do you have to misrepresent what lucid dreaming is to not be strange. It IS what it is. You become aware that you are dreaming and then you can do whatever you want. You want to have sex with hot celebrities, you can do it. You want to turn into a mythical flying creature, you can do it. Maybe the problem doesn't lay with appearing strange to people by telling the truth, but with one's own insecurities with how one is perceived.
I would explain that it is a unique mind/body state where the body is asleep yet the mind still has reflexive consciousness to varying degrees.
When something is explained scientifically, it's more authoritative and less freaky.
Of course, you may have to get their attention first by telling them it's a way to experience virtual sex like a boss.
Honestly Id have to say its basically another world where you can do anything. An entrance to your greatest imaginations, and ideas where everything feels AS real as REAL life, and even more real and vivid. Its a place where you come to life and where you "wake up" because this world is a dream compared to the dream world. Its where you come to explore and in a sense find out who you really are.
For most people this is an unknown topic, so it's normal that they don't understand, or even freak out a bit. So depending who you are talking to, you may want to avoid the topic, or if you decide to share it, be as specific as possible.
I don't think that just saying you're "aware" is enough for people to understand, and you can't pretend to describe it with a couple words for people to understand.
To make it simple, if I were to explain it to you, and assuming you were some known guy (a friend, or family member). This is what I would say:
You can then extend yourself talking about how hard it is to stabilize, learn some stuff, etc... but I think that as long as they get the idea is just some kind of Matrix of yours... is enough.Quote:
Well, it's about -waking up- on the dream... you know, both on dreams and daytime you are just in an autopilot, or zombie mode. Difference is on real live you notice if something is wrong, but in dreams you find normal almost everything.
This could be a dream of yours. I could have died 2 years ago and you woundn't feel anything weird until you woke up and said "hey, I dreamed with this guy!". Now tell me you never dreamt of anything that doesn't exist anymore in your life... a house, an animal, family...ha! You see? I knew it.
So, lucid dreaming is just about waking up as yourself, while dreaming, so once you get lucid (this is, you are aware it's just a virtual world created by your brain while sleeping), you just do whatever you want.
Good luck...
Me, I share my little experience with a co-worker, who is not into this but has a good dream recall and we use to share dreams we had several days a week... and it's funny, but he's had a couple of accidental LDs lately.
LD'ing is paying attention to the 4-D movies running on the inner screen during sleep, whilst also directing, and acting, in them whenever needed.
"You are in a dream, and suddenly you realize that it is a dream.
From that point you have the potential to attempt anything you want, while still being in the dream."
Unfortunately, this simple definition seems incredibly hard for people to accept. <_<
If you realize that you are dreaming, your dream becomes a virtual reality, which - with a bit of practice - is completely at your will's command. Think of regular dreams as your door to a holodeck much better than that of starship Enterprise!
What this person said. ^^ Honestly, I think that if other people can't see how awesome lucid dreaming clearly is when you explain it normally and accurately, that's their problem - not yours. Embrace the weirdness; embrace the eccentricity if that's how people perceive you. Or just don't mention it around people you know are gonna give you a hard time about it. For in the words of the ever-eccentric, ever-brilliant and ever-awesome John Green:Quote:
Originally Posted by anotherdreamer
"Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to love stuff - like, jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is, 'you like stuff.' Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, 'you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness.'"
When you get to tell someone that, as anotherdreamer said in his earlier comment, you can be the god of your own world or, as obmij said, take part in an ancient practice involving taking an unusual level of control over your mind or, as Rothgar said, visit alternate realities with God-like powers as your hobby and the recipient's reaction is to not see the obvious, blatant awesome-value of that but to be turned off precisely because it is unusual, I'd pity that person. Yes, it's dorky, but that's because it's cool!
... Although, if you really want to cater to others in this respect, what dearly said about 'another form of meditation' sound pretty good while retaining accuracy. >_>
A lost art which helps us with our everyday lives