The future of lucid dreams...

[CrazyInSane]

Everyone knows that "virtual reality" is something that we expect to occur in the future—you know, the futuristic concept where you're all hooked up to some gizmo and you experience a "virtual reality" where you can do things you wouldn't be able to do in real life? But wait a minute...Lucid dreaming would probably be a HUNDRED TIMES more realistic and satisfying than any "virtual reality" concept anyone could ever come up with in the future...so, will scientists perhaps eventually conjure up some device that allows us to LD any time, and make it as clear and lucid as possible with all the dream control we can get? I think this is plausible, but how would they do it? I know it would be much better than any virtual reality crap. They've GOTTA figure out how to do it.

[rose_red]

I doubt it. Most scientists would probably just laugh the idea off and go back to doing "important" stuff, like proving that evolution is right and that <insert religious view here> is wrong (i really don't care where we come from, it's where we will end up that matters). But I'm going off on a tangent. That would be awesome, but at the same time getting there is half the fun (imho, that's what gives the lucid experience a sense of accomplishment). But also, if today they make LD into virtual reality, tomorrow they will be playing advertisements in your dreams. So I guess i hope they don't.

[Rainman]

I agree 100% with rose. Plus they just wouldn't be fun anymore. When you become accustomed to something, it loses it's value, you know?

[Violajoker]

I dunno if I could get accustomed to lucidity. The only way it could get boring is if you run out of imagination.

[Casualtie]

Sounds like your underestimating the potential of future technology. To be honest, my lucid dreams aren't all that vivid or realistic, so it wouldn't take much for a virtual reality machine to outdo them. I think it is a definite possiblity that virtual reality could outdo lucid dreaming for multiple reasons. 1. You don't have to worry about working up recall by months of slaving over a hot dream journal. You just simply suit up, sign on, and have your virtual reality experience. 2. The virtual reality would be much more controled. You could go in for however long you want and comeout whenever. No disappointment of waking up from your dream right when your getting ready to do out it in some amazingly beautiful woman. 3. The possibility of interacting with other real people (people in real life who are playing along in the virtual world with you). One thing I would like see in the distant future would be some sort of way to record dreams as you are having them.. a sophisticated type of dream journal where all you have to do is have the dream and then you can watch it afterwards if you'd like to review anything or examine the details of it.

[CrazyInSane]

Yeah, Violajoker makes a good point, but I also agree that the introduction of lucidity into mainstream culture could have disastrous effects. But since I suck at having LDs and at controlling them when I actually get one, I'd love some damn scientific help..hehe.

[Xaqaria]

well in a way, that is what virtual reality will be. Sony has plans (and an application for a patent) to develop a device that uses ultrasonic waves beamed in to the brain that change brain wave patterns to induce fake sensory input. Essentially, if they accomplish their goal, they will be able to tell your brain that a world exists around you that isn't actually there fully equipped with images, sound, smells, tastes, and feelings. Of course, this scenario is more like a regular dream, in that the device has no way to read your intentions, and therefore you would have no direct control over what you were experiencing but if they are capable of understanding brain functions enough to tell you that you are experiencing things that you are not then its not that big of a step to be able to read your intentions from your brain wave patterns. Electronic device induced lucid dreams are surprisingly not that far off.

[CrazyInSane]

Yeah, you're right. I guess that's what I meant to emphasize in my post, that LDs will be the actual "virtual reality" of the future. But I didn't know about the Sony patent...wow maybe we'll actually get to experience EDILDs (Electronic device-induced lucid dreams) in our lifetime.

[LucidFlanders]

I'll create my own world full of dragons to slay, and be the biggest hero in the world!!!! lucid world, that is. I'll be called dragon slayer. Maybe i'll get bored of just dragons and add other things like hydras, or titans, or giant birds, or something. might and magic in extreme vividness all over again, if anyone's played that series.

[CrazyInSane]

Shutup, Flanders. Hehe j/k...had to quote Homer.

[lucyloo]

You just reminded me of the movie Total Recall. I agree 100% with rose. Plus they just wouldn't be fun anymore. When you become accustomed to something, it loses it's value, you know? Same here. I guess, for me, is that I don't need "help" in gaining lucidity, and so, even if scientists were to come up with a way to LD any time, I wouldn't use it. I like the way I do it. But that's just me. I dunno if I could get accustomed to lucidity. The only way it could get boring is if you run out of imagination. ...and one can never run out of imagination. Imagination is what keeps me going.

[Infraredkelp]

I wouldn't say that LDs would be 100 times more vivd. They would probably be just as vivid if you were hooked up to some machine in your brain. I'm just talking out of my ass :p

[LucidFlanders]

Shutup, Flanders. Hehe j/k...had to quote Homer. Okaley dokaley.

[lucyloo]

I wouldn't say that LDs would be 100 times more vivd. They would probably be just as vivid if you were hooked up to some machine in your brain. I agree with this. Maybe they wouldn't even be as vivid as they could be if you (general you) did it on your own, you know? Maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

[CrazyInSane]

I doubt it. Most scientists would probably just laugh the idea off and go back to doing "important" stuff, like proving that evolution is right and that <insert religious view here> is wrong (i really don't care where we come from, it's where we will end up that matters). But I'm going off on a tangent. That would be awesome, but at the same time getting there is half the fun (imho, that's what gives the lucid experience a sense of accomplishment). But also, if today they make LD into virtual reality, tomorrow they will be playing advertisements in your dreams. So I guess i hope they don't. I agree with you concerning the evolution fanatics beign obsessed with shit that happened millions of years ago (who gives a flying crap about that), and that they'll probably never focus on anything of actual excitement like this.

[Caradon]

I dont think any machine could duplicate the way emotions are intergrated into the dream enviornment. And for that reason alone, (at least for me) that would make any artificial virtual world, a sorry alternative. I beleive that Lucid dreaming, is a natural step in the process of evlolving consciuosness. And that as time goes on, it will get easier, and more people will be useing it as a tool for bettering there every day life.

[Xaqaria]

A machine wouldn't have to incorporate emotions; you would do that regardless.

[CrazyInSane]

A machine wouldn't have to incorporate emotions; you would do that regardless. I think he's responding to "Casualtie".

[Xaqaria]

I think he's responding to "Casualtie". Okay, but that doesn't matter. My point is, the real world doesn't supply emotions either. How you percieve things during your daily life is largely dependent on your mood and emotions. This doesn't change in dreams, and theres no reason why it would have to change in a virtual reality 'dream' either.

[Caradon]

What I am talking about is, how in a dream your emotions are reflected in the enviornment around you. your every changing emotion alters the events, and scenes around you. as for an example, in a nightmare, the more afraid you become, the worse the nightmare gets. you lose your fear and vise versa. Also for me , my emotions are reflected in the vivid brilliance of the detail and colors. So that sometimes all I can do is stand there and look around in pure wonder. I really doubt a machine could manufacture the same effect. And there is also just the awsome feel to the dream world, that I know a machine would never get. but I'm not saying it would not be fun anyway.

[Xaqaria]

Well, if not a machine, then acid does it quite nicely.

[Caradon]

LOL your right, but it's more harmful.

[Sapphire]

People would probably get addicted to it and try to spend their whole lives in virtual reality.

[CrazyInSane]

People would probably get addicted to it and try to spend their whole lives in virtual reality. Well, it's better than people spendign their whole lives as druggies or alcoholics. We'd instead have "Lucidaholics"

[rose_red]

People would probably get addicted to it and try to spend their whole lives in virtual reality. Actually, if you were good enough to control this dream virtual reality, you could extend the time where 1 night's sleep would be equivalent to weeks or years. Then that problem wouldn't be as bad, because you wouldn't be like 'man i can't believe it's over already. i must have more'.