Thread: What good are lucid dreams?

Ok... I'm game.

1) Lucid dreams are FUN. Fun is a worthy human endeavor, in my humble opinion.

2) LDing is a challenging discipline. It isn't easy for most people, and brings a great sense of accomplishment.

3) LDing is an opportunity to explore "foreign territory." It is an adventure.

That's a good start.

Well, I thought about saying, "What if it's a nightmare?" in the first post of this thread.

Obviously I should have done that.

What about having sex while defying gravity...
Good luck trying that in real life!

Many people have conquered their fears in dreams. By flying and then diving very fast, I defeated my fear of falling. That's good isn't it?

A list has already been started somewhere on the site...
Anyway I'll say that it's a beautiful way exploring your mind without wasting any time! (meaning you are sleeping, obviously)

There are lots of practical uses too, all of them discussed in Exploring the World of Lucid dreaming. Some of these include- Practicing for real world events such as giving a speech in front of people.

What good is a vacation? What good is watching a movie? It's an endeavour into excitement and adventure.

It's an opportunity to make creative connections that may not occur to you in the waking state.

It's a chance to live life to its fullest and effectively extend the number of years you live. I don't mean in physical calendar years but, in years of mental experience.

It's a chance to do dumb, dangerous things without the dangers of doing dumb, dangerous things.

It's a chance to see and do things that aren't available to you in the real world.

It's a way for those who can't walk to walk and run.

It's a chance to "see" people that no longer live.

It's a chance to live out your wildest fantasies and be anything you want.

It's great fun and hugely satisfying.

Originally Posted by arne saknussemm

Well, I thought about saying, "What if it's a nightmare?" in the first post of this thread.

Obviously I should have done that.

You can completely eradicate nightmares when you know they are only dreams while they are occurring.

Originally Posted by Oneironaught

What good is a vacation? What good is watching a movie? It's an endeavour into excitement and adventure.

It's an opportunity to make creative connections that may not occur to you in the waking state.

It's a chance to live life to its fullest and effectively extend the number of years you live. I don't mean in physical calendar years but, in years of mental experience.

It's a chance to do dumb, dangerous things without the dangers of doing dumb, dangerous things.

It's a chance to see and do things that aren't available to you in the real world.

It's a way for those who can't walk to walk and run.

It's a chance to "see" people that no longer live.

It's a chance to live out your wildest fantasies and be anything you want.

It's great fun and hugely satisfying.


You can completely eradicate nightmares when you know they are only dreams while they are occurring.

that pretty much sums it up...

Gives you something to do while you're sleeping?

OK, how about the opposite...why not lucid dream? It seems as tho you may have reasons against it.

(Arne, what do you think of how people have completed the lucid task this month that you suggested? Do you have any new opinions? Just wondering.)

I have only one reason for lucid dreaming. I'm a writer and a filmmaker, and many of my ideas have come to me through non-lucid dreams. When I dream, my mind is not distracted by worldly concerns and devotes itself as near 100% to creativity as I will ever achieve. By harnessing the power of dreams, I can wield this creativity as a tool to create things I never could have even imagined in a conscious state of mind. To me, every other benefit of lucid dreams (the fun, the entertainment, the beauty) are just subsidiary perks, though even they alone would make it worth the effort.

Originally Posted by Moonbeam

Gives you something to do while you're sleeping? .

(Arne, what do you think of how people have completed the lucid task this month that you suggested? Do you have any new opinions? Just wondering.)

I didn't suggest any task here, and I haven't kept up with any task that might have been presented here as if I suggested it. However, I do know that at least one person who posts here did something he should NOT have done in a lucid dream -- the one thing that I specifically stated here that nobody should ever do in an LD. But he and I have discussed that privately.

My Yahoo Group has almost 70 members now, and I know what everyone there is doing.

Facing nightmare's in lucid dream's is also a lot fun!
at least I think so. It's alway's been one of my favorite
kind of Lucid adventure's. Maybe it's just an ego thing.
But I love the feeling I get, knowing there is nothing in
my dream world that has any power over me.

There are thing's I would not do in a Lucid Dream.
Like killing somebody, There is no reason for it.
I would rather let someone try and kill me. And laugh
at there surprised expression when they find out they
can not.

But I don't think anybody has the right, to tell anybody
what they can, or can't do in there own dream's.
just my opinion.

It's a great way for discovering things about yourself...
It's a great way to get inspiration for many arts...
You can project stuff for your life or your future in a lucid dream (you can go over many options of your life to help you choose, you can project your dream place and live in it, etc).

Most other stuff that was already mentioned.

Originally Posted by arne saknussemm

I didn't suggest any task here, and I haven't kept up with any task that might have been presented here as if I suggested it. However, I do know that at least one person who posts here did something he should NOT have done in a lucid dream -- the one thing that I specifically stated here that nobody should ever do in an LD. But he and I have discussed that privately.

Originally Posted by arne saknussemm

All right, people dreamed about trees and then they tried to physically merge with a tree.

How is that "controlling the dream?"

See if you can will the tree to pull itself up by the roots and start walking around, the way you can in a waking fantasy. If you can do that, then you'll be "controlling the dream."

But just as important, this was a completely daft thing to have people do in a lucid dream. Where did anyone get the notion that it was a good thing to do?

Of all things, people should stay away from trees in lucid dreaming. Don't touch them. Don't have anything to do with them.

That task.

Why are you afraid of tree's?

Originally Posted by Caradon

Why are you afraid of tree's?

Nitpick: You don't use an apostrophe there.

My running theory is that he was attacked by a tree in a dream.

I don't know where that quote of arnesaknussemm came from but, since it's here now:

How is that NOT controlling a dream. When you purposely carry plans over from waking life then execute them in a dream then you've controlled the dream.

How is merging with a tree - or touching them or "having anything to do with them" - a "bad thing to do"?

We obviously have wildly different ideas of what lucid dreaming is all about.

A man can have sex with Marilyn Monroe anything me wants to when he's awake. That's called a daydream. Dreams when you're asleep are an entirely different matter.

Why does that need to be said? It's a no-brainer.

And no, "he" wasn't attacked by a tree in a dream.

If you insist on touching a tree or talking to one in a lucid dream after I've told you not to, then go right ahead.

And if you're wondering whether the experiences of the 68 people who are carrying out tasks in my lucid dreaming group have altered my thinking in any way whatsoever as to what dreaming and lucid dreaming are about, the answer is emphatically no.

I dont really have a problem with trees, I was just wondering why you do.
No big deal though, to each his own.

just a note: your belief's creat your experience.

Originally Posted by arne saknussemm

If you insist on touching a tree or talking to one in a lucid dream after I've told you not to, then go right ahead.

You missed the important part -- 'Why?'

Sensible things an umbrella would say concerning this thread:

- Arne saknussemm is not making a lot of sense

- It seems lseadragon was right about the fact that Caradon likes the apostrophe key a lot

- Some good reasons for lucid dreaming that aren't tied to lucid dreams directly include the fact that even normal dreams can be incredible stories which can teach the dreamer something about him/herself, and the fact that keeping a dream journal is a good start in fighting a lack of discipline.

Non-sensible things Rabindranath Tagor said concerning trees:

- "Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven."

Originally Posted by arne saknussemm

A man can have sex with Marilyn Monroe anything me wants to when he's awake. That's called a daydream. Dreams when you're asleep are an entirely different matter.

Why does that need to be said? It's a no-brainer.

And no, "he" wasn't attacked by a tree in a dream.

If you insist on touching a tree or talking to one in a lucid dream after I've told you not to, then go right ahead.

And if you're wondering whether the experiences of the 68 people who are carrying out tasks in my lucid dreaming group have altered my thinking in any way whatsoever as to what dreaming and lucid dreaming are about, the answer is emphatically no.

Arne, in the other thread where you said that you didn't think people could control their dreams, I begain to wonder about control and even wonder if you were right. I mean, even tho you suggested the tree-walking thing, and said that it would prove that people could have control, AND I did it, I still wondered. How did I know that I didn't just dream that I had control, if that makes sense, and if it is different than actually having control. I have talked to several people (who seem to have good control), and, combined with my own experiences, I think now that it is real control, and not just an illusion or part of the dream that you happen to be lucid in. In a way, my own usual lack of control is a little evidence (for me) that on those rare time that I have control, something different is happening.

Arne, do you believe that dreams are something other than experiences contained in the individual's brain? I mean, do you think that dreams have a reality outside the person and are influenced by outside forces? Is your argument against control and interacting with trees something metaphysical or spiritual, or do you have neuropsychological or other scientific arguments against it?

Just wondering what we're talking about, exactly. You have made me think a little about the subject and helped me clarify what I believe to be happening, so thank you; however, I'm confused about what you're really trying to say to us about dreaming.

I've stated here very clearly and more than once that things are going on in people's dreams that have nothing to do with the dreamer.

And instead of telling me that you "controlled your dream" in a task that I didn't assign, why don't you join my group and carry out a real task?

Originally Posted by arne saknussemm

I've stated here very clearly and more than once that things are going on in people's dreams that have nothing to do with the dreamer.

And instead of telling me that you "controlled your dream" in a task that I didn't assign, why don't you join my group and carry out a real task?

Why are the tasks here not "real"? Why would you believe people anymore if they do your tasks than if they do the tasks here? Do you believe that peoplke here did the walking-tree task? (I know I did, and I assume the others did too.) Can you give an example of one of your tasks?

PS I missed a little of your above post, so I guess you do mean that you think outside forces are controlling dreams?