Lucid Dreaming on Discovery Channel!

I don't know who else saw it, but there was a special program about the brain. About ten to fifteen minutes or so was dedicated to sleep and (lucid!) dreams. Stephen LaBerge was even interviewed when the subject turned to lucid dreaming! It wasn't too enlightening, basically everything I've learned here.

But it did tell me something I didn't know, which explains why lucids are so damn hard. When we go to sleep, our brain turns off our logic center. With this information, I wonder if there is a different angle we could approach lucid dreaming. Is there is some sort of way to keep the logic center on? Maybe we should do critical thinking as we fall asleep or something? :S

The show also said (according to theory) that dreams are what help us remember things. It's filing things away. If this is true, would constant lucid dreaming affect our memory?

Anyways, I thought I would point this out. I know anyone here would find the program fascinating. I'm sure they'll show re-runs in the future, so tune in! :)

Regarding the bit about 'logic centers' I agree that one should change the way they look at lucid dreaming from that information but I don't think the solution lies in trying to keep your sense of logic in dream. Rather, I believe the answer lies in finding ways to operate successfully in dream without the use of logic. This is where habitual responses become incredibly useful.

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Originally Posted by Snivellus

If this is true, would constant lucid dreaming affect our memory?

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Heard this one before. The problem with this is that there are many people who are always lucid when they dream, every single night, and have been this way for probably their whole lives. We call them "naturals." These naturals don't seem to be any different from us non-lucid dreamers in terms of memory or any other measure. Fact is, there is no evidence whatsoever which suggests that lucid dreaming has any detrimental side effects, physical or mental.

By the way, that sounds like a pretty interesting documentary :). Do you happen to remember the name?

yeah i watched it that show is fascinating especially the part you are talking about one of the replays literally just ended a couple minutes ago

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Originally Posted by DuB

Heard this one before. The problem with this is that there are many people who are always lucid when they dream, every single night, and have been this way for probably their whole lives. We call them "naturals." These naturals don't seem to be any different from us non-lucid dreamers in terms of memory or any other measure. Fact is, there is no evidence whatsoever which suggests that lucid dreaming has any detrimental side effects, physical or mental.

By the way, that sounds like a pretty interesting documentary :). Do you happen to remember the name?

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Yeah, now that I think of it the theory doesn't quite fit.
If it was just going through the data of the day, how would that explain reoccurring dreams?
But no, I can't remember the name of the program, sorry. :oops:

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Originally Posted by Xaqaria

Regarding the bit about 'logic centers' I agree that one should change the way they look at lucid dreaming from that information but I don't think the solution lies in trying to keep your sense of logic in dream. Rather, I believe the answer lies in finding ways to operate successfully in dream without the use of logic. This is where habitual responses become incredibly useful.

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I think I get where you're coming from. Like "going with the flow" rather than trying to do something more unnatural, therefore more difficult. Am I close to what you're getting at? :/

I don't know. I kind of think that's what lucids are. We're dreaming, then something triggers our logic center to turn on and we become lucid. It sounds impossible to me to be lucid without logic.

Yea its a great series. Very enlighting when it comes to the body and what not. Saw the episode where the mentioned lucid dreaming for the first time sometime last week. Its called Human Body: Pushing the limit btw.

Thaats what it was called! Thanks Soulboy. :)

But to bring up the logic center again, I googled "stimulate parts of the brain" and came up with something called "Transcranial magnetic stimulation". It totally gave me an idea.
What if someone made a little cap that you could wear at night that would send a current to the logic center of your brain when you were in REM? Would that trigger a moment of clarity in your dream?

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Originally Posted by DuB

Heard this one before. The problem with this is that there are many people who are always lucid when they dream, every single night, and have been this way for probably their whole lives. We call them "naturals." These naturals don't seem to be any different from us non-lucid dreamers in terms of memory or any other measure. Fact is, there is no evidence whatsoever which suggests that lucid dreaming has any detrimental side effects, physical or mental.

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Well there was a lady some time ago, who came here because she wanted to stop LDing. She was a natural and confused the waking life and "dream" life memories. I guess she usually wasn't doing anything supernatural in the dreams to differentiate between the real and dream world. But that's not the point, problems may occur with LDing, even with naturals. I think that's proof.

I found the show on youtube. I don't know if it's okay to post youtube links here, but search for "human body+pushing the limit".

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Originally Posted by Silent_Lucidity

I found the show on youtube. I don't know if it's okay to post youtube links here, but search for "human body+pushing the limit".

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Yeah, I found the one about sight and the one about sensation myself. I'm looking forwards to the rest, they were great! I can't wait to see the rest of the series. :D

Don't trust that tv show too much. When I watched it, it seemed like they just Googled lucid dreaming and talked about it.

If this is true, would constant lucid dreaming affect our memory?

I've had enough lucid dreams to know that their content is at least 50% subconscious at all times. I teleport to the moon, but it is not cratery, instead it is a talking face. At the end of a lucid flight, I meet an imaginary creature never thought of before. Subconscious thoughts still leak through, providing whatever function non-lucid dreams serve.

Whatever adaptation naturals have that non-naturals don't is balanced by the relatively low frequency of these lucid dreams.

Yeah, I did see this. The show is called The Human Body: Pushing the Limits and that episode was about "Brainpower". But can you imagine how boring our dreams would be if our logic center was turned on? I guess that might make it easier to become lucid but more boring after you attain lucidity.
Logic... hah, who needs it. Only mere mortals and as they say logic is the opiate of the masses. Or at least that's what I say.

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Originally Posted by DuB

Heard this one before. The problem with this is that there are many people who are always lucid when they dream, every single night, and have been this way for probably their whole lives. We call them "naturals." These naturals don't seem to be any different from us non-lucid dreamers in terms of memory or any other measure. Fact is, there is no evidence whatsoever which suggests that lucid dreaming has any detrimental side effects, physical or mental.

By the way, that sounds like a pretty interesting documentary :). Do you happen to remember the name?

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the name of the show is "The Human Body :Pushing The Limits"
their are about 4 different episodes the episode with LDing in it is at the end of the "brainpower" episode however,the other episodes are awesome

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Originally Posted by Venomblood

Don't trust that tv show too much. When I watched it, it seemed like they just Googled lucid dreaming and talked about it.

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Agreed

Hmm, maybe there is something to the whole logic centers thing. I've read counting is a good way to focus your mind as you fall asleep. Does the logic center really shut down completely, I've often recognized that I'm dreaming without even doing a reality test. Couldn't that have been a realization from logic?