The impact of Lucid Dreaming on your life

[Sir_Realist]

Hello everyone, i'm new to posting on these forums but have been viewing them from time to time for the past few years (and a lot moreso recently). I would like to open up a discussion on how, if at all, LDing has affected your waking lives. I know how the preoccupation with thinking about LDing and ensuring one completes regular reality checks can and do slightly alter the day-to-day escapades of a LDer, but has it gone much further with anyone? for example, has it dramatically changed your perspectives or even perceptions of life and reality? Do you feel your Self altered by the realisation and practise of this divine art? Do you know of anyone, or yourself, who has stood on the precipice of obsession, or even total emmersion in a new outlook on life? Or do most people simply see it as a longlost and meaningless nocturnal playground for for our minds, a product of evolution and nothing more than a barrier against insanity? A facadé infront of the vaste emptines of existance? i know this is a heavy post which seems disjointed and sporadic, but if any of the aforementioned ideas seem relevent, or completely irrelivent, i'd like you to discuss it. Thanks

[PSPSoldier534]

No, not really. I just view it as a spare time activity.

[Hukif]

Not really... why would my second life affect the main? Not like they could mix anyway <.<

[Conkt]

An interesting idea... I don't think LDing has changed my perception of reality, but now my life seems to have switched around a little; I live to sleep. Moreover, I live to dream.

[PSPSoldier534]

second life There is video game titled like that, but looks like we have a better alternative .

[Hukif]

There is video game titled like that, but looks like we have a better alternative . Oh indeed, especially because lucids are real for the brain, fully customizable and you can play it daily withouth losing any real time, what can be better than that?

[photodreamer]

For sure it has changed the way I percieve my surroundings and reality. I think magic mushrooms and lucid dreaming have contributed to a significant shift towards a good in the last 2 years of my life. (I'm 21) All in all I think they have shown me what my life is about and what I'm about. Who I really am and who I want to be. They have shown me what really matters. Interactions with people and your environment. I think if not for Lding and the other, I would still be living the same mundane asleep life I was. I find myself very fortunate to have been jolted awake when I was.

[Sir_Realist]

thanks Photodreamer, that's what I was looking for. I'm also a fellow psychonaut and my research into psychedelics - mainly shrooms these days too - goes hand in hand with my reasonably newly found interest in dreaming and DMT. Message me sometime I completely sympathise with your comment about being able to understand yourself more and being happy with who you are.. I think these are important factors that people need to understand and discover for themselves, which stems from an understanding - or atleast the realisation of one's lack of understanding - of reality, be it through the use of psychedelics (which I wouldn't really advise) or through LDing (although one could argue at the influence of DMT) anyway i'm rambling agin, too much damn coffee... Jah word

[Sir_Realist]

I live to sleep. Moreover, I live to dream. This is one of the points I was getting at aswell; thanks for your input. To what extent do you live to dream, though? In it's simplest meaning, wouldn't this suggest that your dream life is, even if ever so slightly, detrimental to what most would term "reality"? Do you take your life as seriously, and hold the things that a great many people put a lot of importance on in any less significance? I'm on the verge of living to dream too, I believe.

[PSPSoldier534]

Life isn't about dreaming (or magic mushrooms ), but both are simply unnecessary parts of it.

[Conkt]

This is one of the points I was getting at aswell; thanks for your input. To what extent do you live to dream, though? In it's simplest meaning, wouldn't this suggest that your dream life is, even if ever so slightly, detrimental to what most would term "reality"? Do you take your life as seriously, and hold the things that a great many people put a lot of importance on in any less significance? I'm on the verge of living to dream too, I believe. I still take my life seriously enough; being awake is what I spend two thirds of my life doing after all . Before I learned about lucid dreaming, I would try to cram as much into waking life as I could, and not get much sleep. Now, however, I make sure I get ample amounts of sleep. Some days, especially weekends, my waking life has served as a waiting period, waiting until night so that I could dream. When I'm asleep, that is when I really live. And to PSPSoldier534, you're wrong, dreaming is an important part of life. If you don't dream, you're missing out on one third of your life.

[PSPSoldier534]

I still take my life seriously enough; being awake is what I spend two thirds of my life doing after all . Before I learned about lucid dreaming, I would try to cram as much into waking life as I could, and not get much sleep. Now, however, I make sure I get ample amounts of sleep. Some days, especially weekends, my waking life has served as a waiting period, waiting until night so that I could dream. When I'm asleep, that is when I really live. And to PSPSoldier534, you're wrong, dreaming is an important part of life. If you don't dream, you're missing out on one third of your life. A sixth. And what about magic mushrooms (Why would anyone want to freak out)?

[Sir_Realist]

Life isn't about dreaming (or magic mushrooms ), but both are simply unnecessary parts of it. Thank you for your input. Why do you believe dreaming is unneccessary? have you ever thought what might happen if we didn't dream? would we even exist? Could our minds cope? whether you're a realist or not I think it is quite obvious that dreaming is neccessary, else wouldn't the gene that stimulated the release of DMT in the pineal gland (this is what causes dreaming if you didn't know) have got lost in the chaos of natural selection? Also as a side note about the "unnecessity" of magic mushrooms (and more generally psychedelics): There are many, many venerated members of the scientific community who maintain that psychedelics are pivotal in the creation of contemporary humans. Many believe magic mushrooms (and the myriad other psychdelic substances and plants founds woldwide) where the lynchpins in the step from "monkeys" to "humans". For further research I recommend works of Terrence McKenna. Thank you for your feedback conkt; very insightful !

[Sir_Realist]

(Why would anyone want to freak out)? I don't think anyone does. This "freaking out" you are reffering to, do you mean just a general feeling of "what the HELL is going on" or the triggering of psychosis? Because the former is reserved inexperienced users and the latter... well, it happens but it's not common. I never thought "hey, i'd love to freak out, i think i'll hit some acid." i've always gone into these experiences with a certain spirituality and curiosity. An on returning to "reality", i've had some of those questions answered, i've become aware of yet more perplexing questions which guide my life in a positive way, and i've become someone who i am proud to be and i know i wouldn't have become without "trippin", as the case may be. But this is digressing, and not the direction i want this thread to go

[Darklight45]

It sometimes is disapointing in a way when I go back to reality.....but it kinda can be theriputic if nothing is going rite, in life u have something to look forward to every night [if u have completly mastered it]

[PSPSoldier534]

Let me rephrase my sentence: That dreams aren't really necessary, but they are however helpful and extremely fun and amazing. On magic mushrooms, abusing them is not something you should do. The freak out portion is exaggerated and related to magic mushrooms.

[Sir_Realist]

It sometimes is disapointing in a way when I go back to reality.....but it kinda can be theriputic if nothing is going rite, in life u have something to look forward to every night [if u have completly mastered it] The therapeutic idea is very interesting, thank you! would you say that you've "completely mastered it"? Do you think your disappointment has/could have an effect on the rest of your day?

[Sir_Realist]

That dreams aren't really necessary interesting... On magic mushrooms, abusing them is not something you should do. I think that's a given; abusing anything I would have thought would be something not to do. It's pretty hard to "abuse" shrooms anyway, thanks to high tolerance, lack of addictive properties and the fact that an experience is usually so profound that the subsequent desire is more about appreciating life rather than "getting fu*ked up again" thanks for your replies

[PSPSoldier534]

interesting... I have friends that only sleep 5 hours a day and have no dreams (sleep tests, no REM cycles, sleep disorder) and they're fine in waking life. I think that's a given; abusing anything I would have thought would be something not to do. It's pretty hard to "abuse" shrooms anyway, thanks to high tolerance, lack of addictive properties and the fact that an experience is usually so profound that the subsequent desire is more about appreciating life rather than "getting fu*ked up again" Well, by abuse I meant to do more out of desire. Not addiction. It can cause death. But abusing anything is unhealthy though. Exercise too much it gives a physical breakdown or cardiac arrest. Eat too much and get obese. Sleep too much and miss out on waking life, or even develope a disorder, or using too much computer destroy's your desire to go see the world. thanks for your replies Your welcome .

[Darklight45]

no I have not mastered it at all . I have only had 6 ld's. it depends on the type of disapointment if I had this really great chance to have a long lasting ld it probly would bring me down for about 15 minuets, or so but there are always more chances but letting that one thing ruin your day is just plane retarded.

[PSPSoldier534]

True. I lost a Counter-Strike tournament match today. I tried not letting it get to me, because my team-mate was a retard that was camping by boxes, hears shooting on the other side getting closer, and stares at my dead body to the left instead of focusing his reticule in the direction of the gunfire (it was on de_dust2).

[Javvier]

Since MANY people do not Lucid Dream, let alone remember dreams in general, I would hardly classify it as an outright necessity. Through experiences, many of us view it as such, but as others have said, I know people who have little interest in dreaming that seem to live happy lives. Thank you for your input. Why do you believe dreaming is unneccessary? have you ever thought what might happen if we didn't dream? would we even exist? Could our minds cope? whether you're a realist or not I think it is quite obvious that dreaming is neccessary, else wouldn't the gene that stimulated the release of DMT in the pineal gland (this is what causes dreaming if you didn't know) have got lost in the chaos of natural selection? It is a quite interesting point you make. The act dreaming is indeed a necessity, else, like you said, it would not have been included at all. Indeed, dreams are important to our minds in ways we may not know yet. Although our body dreams, it may not be a necessity for people to actually remember them. Of course, many may find it pleasurable to remember and experience them, but that is not as important as the actual act. That is in my opinion however, and coming from someone with not as much knowledge of the subject as others, you should take it as. That being said, I can see Lucid Dreaming having a rather profound effect on your life, and views of life. The experiences can easily give the participant a different outlook of life. The possibilities are endless.

[photodreamer]

Side note, I can't remember where this is taking place but I read in a medical journal that they are starting to test mushrooms as a type of treatment for depression. They state that a magic mushroom trip can leave one in a state of euphoria for months on end. I say sell it at drug stores everywhere. (not really) But yes, these types of drugs should never be abused and taken under the wrong circumstances. The thing is, for me at least, when you come up on shrooms you create your own reality and for this reason it is important to be in the right mindset. People often describe "bad trips". I think this is because they have doubts and are not completely open to it. I think shrooms are great for stripping away all the complications of your life and showing you the fundamentals that need to be mastered before the little details can be fine tuned....if that makes sense.

[Sir_Realist]

I think shrooms are great for stripping away all the complications of your life and showing you the fundamentals that need to be mastered before the little details can be fine tuned....if that makes sense. Perfect sense; an insightful point. Some obvious parallels with lucid dreaming and to Javvier and anyone else: since LDing is seemingly not necessary and dreaming probably is, does anyone think that maybe LDing is unhealthy of detrimental at all? I mean, LDing is clearly hard, and it's hard because our minds make it so, so if LDs are really as helpful and beneficial as we all seem to believe, why aren't all dreams lucid?

[Jonathan]

Besides lending me a unique connotation of dreaming, it has changed my waking life as part of a variety of forces and influences in my life that led me to struggle for an awareness in my life. To be awake in my waking hours, aware of my actions. It has also shown me ideas of how perception, intention and schema effect us. Dreaming, on the whole, has made my waking life somewhat richer.