Thread: I Wonder.....

They say that lucid dreaming about something in particular can improve performance. For example, I've read about people practicing speeches, or practicing their swing in baseball. I haven't personally been able to do anything like that, but it's possible.

Originally Posted by emmytee

I was reading the site and thought it was a pretty cool idea, so I figured I'd try and learn - I am getting better at recalling my dreams but im still there.

What I wondered is that if you forced yourself to dream about........ say playing guitar all night, would you improve in real life? I mean, I know your fingers wouldnt get more flexible but with such things as playing a musical instrument 90% of it is mental and knowing where you want to put your fingers.
I was just musing on wether it would be possible (of course, it would require intermediate skill already so you knew off by heart what sounds each fret makes etc)
And Hi, by the way.
[/b]

First I will say "forcing yourself to dream" is never the way to go. But yes improving skills is one of the great benefits on LD'ing.

Firstly hi

It is possible to improve skills in LD's and help your memory of a certain song whilst dreaming too.

Also, if you're going to do it, make sure you highly concentrate on finger movements in real life and in your dream. Otherwise you'll just move your fingers in random places (or not move them at all&#33 in your dream and it would be useless.

Yes, it's been scientifically proven that the nuerotransmitters in the brain can't tell the difference between an action carried out in real life, and one imagined. So anything practiced in a dream is exactly just as valid as practicing in the real world as far as the brain is concerned. It will "think" that you are going through those movements.

As long as you do actually go through the movements and not just hold a guitar in your mind while making music play. There is a very significant difference.

who has had personal experience with learning something?

I am asking, because amongst other things this is something that was very important in my urge to learn LDing.

I am an experienced musician and want to focus on gaining deeper knowledge about an instrument and I also practice taiji for which it would be a dream come true (*beats thighs with maniacal laughter*... ) for me if I could train in the night hours in addition to my daily shifts.
I was intruiged by the martial arts aspect on websites about LD like the Lucid Crossroads (Lucid Dojo, this kind of stuff...).

So, who of you has personal experience with learning either an external (muscial instrument, craftmanship, sports) or an internal (martial arts, meditation, musical instrument) artform?

I haven't tried it, but I am assuming it would help with your technique at least, even if it couldn't make you fit or skinny, at least if you used it for instrument practice or improving form in some sport. On the other hand, I highly doubt that other than getting you to believe in yourself more it could actually help in running or something like that as that while technique is important, it is mostly fitness.

yea, if it's about physical aspects it won't help, i guess.

But for coordination, looseness, balance, things like that it is said to work. I hoped someone could account for personal experiences.

Maybe I can someday report back to this thread...

i suppose you could, but where is the fun in playing guitar in your sleep?

I disagree. The mind is a curious thing, how do you think you get more muscular? Your arms tell your mind they need to be rebuilt, and ready to sustain something like the beating they got when you did 50 push-ups. Is there really a difference if you do 2,000,000 push ups in your dream without feeling a thing, and then telling yourself you just did 2,000,000 push ups and your arms should be having a severe charliehorse? You would be telling your own mind that your arms need to be rebuilt, and then your mind would go build up your arms.
And since your mind builds muscles in your sleep...

Just try it. I'm sure you'll be amazed.

Originally Posted by Symbiotic

I disagree. The mind is a curious thing, how do you think you get more muscular? Your arms tell your mind they need to be rebuilt, and ready to sustain something like the beating they got when you did 50 push-ups. Is there really a difference if you do 2,000,000 push ups in your dream without feeling a thing, and then telling yourself you just did 2,000,000 push ups and your arms should be having a severe charliehorse? You would be telling your own mind that your arms need to be rebuilt, and then your mind would go build up your arms.
And since your mind builds muscles in your sleep...

Just try it. I'm sure you'll be amazed.
[/b]

*ridiculously long-after-post response*

the process of building up your muscles is composed of doing exercise, thus ripping the tissue of your muscle, and waiting for it to rebuild, and become a thicker, stronger tissue. your muscles don't rip in your sleep.

Scientists say that with mental exercise u can improve somehow your muscles to!!!??? unbelievable, they have done an experiment ,they had puted some guys to think that they puss a heavy thing with their finger every day for one month and in the end the muscles of their fingers grow up...if this is corect then u can work out your muscles to with LD !!

sorry about my english

I have experienced some useful insights into physical activities in dreams. Particularly T'ai Chi where I 'discovered' some subtle changes in technique which worked when awake - posture/ balance/ weight transfer etc. I don't know if they are better than the insights obtained whilst awake.

Also loads of (often very useful) insights about how to design or make a thing (related to my job) - sometimes by dreaming I AM the thing! (which can be very boring if the thing is say a bit of computer code or a brick...)

I don't recall having had experience of improving performance through dream practice in a kinesthetic / body-learning kinda way - but I imagine, and have heard, that its doable.

However if I ever get superpowers, I'd be an Olympic class aerial acrobat!

I love your english weasel no worries. I would take it easy, don't force it. Certainly don't stay up all night doing RC's, not the way to go, frustration and exhaustion will ensue both bad for LD's.

i've seen so may great ideas in this section, this has got to be one of the top ones, i play the guitar and i have little time to practice and i get frustrated that i lay something wrong, if i tried this it would be great, and if it works that would be even greater, theres so much stuff i need to try in terms of lucid dreaming but i jus can't induce them very well, or very often.

In "Exploring Lucid Dreaming" it mentions that a guy practiced his tennis serve in his LD, and then won all his games the next day. I play guitar, and in order to practice in an LD, I would already have to know how to form a G chord, for example. I think you can practice, as long as it's something you already know, but need to improve. Hope that Helps!

~Luna

Originally Posted by Lunalight

In "Exploring Lucid Dreaming" it mentions that a guy practiced his tennis serve in his LD, and then won all his games the next day. I play guitar, and in order to practice in an LD, I would already have to know how to form a G chord, for example. I think you can practice, as long as it's something you already know, but need to improve. Hope that Helps!

~Luna [/b]

that would definately work, the greatest feeling would be when you have practiced in your LD and the next day you wake and play something better than you did the previous day, as i said before a very good concept