does it really run in family?

From a reply by ophelia (think she was kidding but may be interesting anyway)

may the tendency to have lucid dreams be recourring in a family?
and if yes, how much of this is due to living togheter- talking about and so?
The basic idea is a simple poll, but more detail may be added if useful- relatives living in the same or another house, children or adults, and so on - if it does make any sense for anybody.
I just put the idea...

(I couldn't find anything similar with search but may have done something wrong with the keywords)

I always found this question interesting.
I think the main factor, as far as passing on the trait, is talking about it. I'm the only one in my family that I know knows about lucid dreaming, so I had to find out through experience, but I have a 5 year old daughter that I've started talking to dreams about. She gets excited about telling me some of her dreams, now, and I've been telling her about the "you can do anything you want in your dreams as long as you know you're dreaming" deal. She about exploded when I told her I can fly in my dreams. LOL.
I also told her about dealing with nightmares, and how to tell her nightmare creatures to "go away!" and other little things, so I'm thinking she might be able to LD when she gets a little older.
We'll see. :wink:

Also, I've been telling my mom about it, and she is partially interested. She was actually going to read my copy of "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming," but that was before she saw Vanilla Sky. She saw Tom Cruise's ordeal at the end when he found out what was going on and was like "IS THAT WHAT IT'S LIKE?! That sounds a little too intense for me!" lol. I told her it's not always like that, but can be, at times. Now, she's a little more aprehensive, but I can tell she's still somewhat interested.

my mum too was a little worried when she saw vanilla skies and i said "well it's just like that sometimes"
but really that movie is a little too claustrophobic!

I had my first lucid dream spontaneously, before I knew anything about it. Not too long ago I brought up the subject with one of my sisters. She seemed to be somewhat interested, but no more than that.

The next time I approached the subject with her, she admitted "I almost always realize that I'm dreaming". So maybe there is something to the "runs in the family" theory. And in this case, at least, it wouldn't have been because there was a lot of discussion about it.

thank you a lot :D

Consider the fact that there are entire communities that can lucid dream. It is taught from one generation to the next. You do not have doubts and boundaries put up by society, as most of us know it.
They know they can and they do. So it may be inherent in us all.

Well, I have 2 cousins and a grandmother who LDs :P

that's interesting howtzer! really

ot: i'll stay away till monday or tuesday, i'm not disappearing
bye bye :D

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Originally posted by italianmonkey
that's interesting howtzer! really

ot: i'll stay away till monday or tuesday, i'm not disappearing
bye bye :D

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Actually the man who posted above you, Barbizzle wrote a very good piece on the history of lucid dreams.
Lucid dreaming has been a part of many older cultures long before this recent breed of LDers.
I think that our thought processes now are so muddled up with conflicting information that this process is harder than it has to be.
Since I use no names, I can say that some people think they have a gift A self proclaimed gift that they carry around a little bit of a chip on their shoulder like - I can lucid dream..can you? (I did when I first learned it! I felt unique)
Well I can tell you I have known four or five people that would be considered dolts, but have the ability to LD. They have the ability to simplify things.
I also believe that many people misconstrue what a true lucid dream is. Once you begin to discuss lucid dreaming in any detail you can quickly determine their ignorance towards the concept.

....
not sure i understand
i started to consider LD "strange" quite late, i didn't even know it had a name, and now i'm starting to think it's not quite different from, say, an exceptional love for carrots or a nice hand at drawing silly portraits of teachers. it gives pride but i think it's because it touches one in his feelings, like "deeper " in some way.
I don't like the "gift" word because it presumes something/someone that "gives" something and eventually asks something back, that sounds quite moral or so :? - and surely it doesn't suit a thing like dreams, that have no immediate pratical uses (do they?) and sure can't "pay back" the "god thing" giving the gift. (maybe i'm a little exagerate? :oops: )
but i noticed i wasn't the only in my family, and having learnt too little to have just heard lots of talking about it. i wondered if it was a family thing

where's the article you talked about anyway? i would be happy to read it^^

The History of LDs :)

I think what I was saying about other cultures is a good example of what you describe in your family situation. Just on a larger and perhaps more ritualistic scale.

thank you a lot

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Originally posted by italianmonkey
thank you a lot

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You are welcome a lot :!: :)

I know I did learn how to lucid dream but I thank GOD every night for giving me the ability to lucid dream. And I always pray that my skill increase and get better day by day! I'm very thankful!


"I like you allot...Jennaaa"
~forrest gump

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Originally posted by phoenelai
I know I did learn how to lucid dream but I thank GOD every night for giving me the ability to lucid dream. And I always pray that my skill increase and get better day by day! I'm very thankful!


"I like you allot...Jennaaa"
~forrest gump

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You are right.
I think this is in part why I feel so motivated to show other people what lucid dreaming is.
So many people have no idea and it just seems too remarkable to let pass.
It is not religious in nature, so I never feel I am being evangelistic. More like expressing your excitement over any skill you have learned and want to pass on to others.
It seems natural to me to want to do this.

my mum and my grandpa (not my mums dad but my dads dad) both have lucids dreams i haven't asked my dad or my sister but i belive ur skill as in wether ur a natural or not runs in the family

I recently explained all about LDing to my parents, and as I went into explaining the WILD method, my mum said that she has these sort of experiences at least once or twice a month.

She said she gets sleep paralysis, has a sensation of spinning and rocketing forward, sees patterns/ colours and lines, and eventually she finds herself in a dream totally aware that she is dreaming. Although, until recently she didn't know what it was or what the potential of lucid dreaming is.

My son can LD and has WILDed. I have two cousins that LD. I suspect my deceesed sister also had the ability as well. Too bad I didn't get a chance to talk to her about it.

There does seem to be some natural ability involved with different people. Some people just "do it" others work hard for the few dreams they have.

Critical Error in Poll. ANYONE can learn how to lucid dream so the poll should ask. OF THOSE WHO DID NOT LEARN TO LD / STARTED IT SPONTANEOUSLY WHO HAS A RELATIVE THAT CAN LD?

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Originally Posted by Poison

Critical Error in Poll. ANYONE can learn how to lucid dream so the poll should ask. OF THOSE WHO DID NOT LEARN TO LD / STARTED IT SPONTANEOUSLY WHO HAS A RELATIVE THAT CAN LD?
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Hmm, interresting point; we can all learn to lucid dream but who learned it on his/her own...
I may yet repost such a poll at a later time in my academic studies if it hasn't been re-done by then...

As for me my father told me to think 'It's just a dream!' whenever I had a nightmare and from there I kind of just worked with it on my own.
I'm aware that the knowledge that one is dreaming is in itself a form of lucid dreaming (even if it doesn't involve controlling the dream..).

I just asked my father and he said that what he told me was what he did when he was little.
I proded for further information and he told me that he learned on his own...

On the other hand I've also noticed that people (like my best friend, Erik) who aren't familiar with the idea of 'dream control' find it very hard to learn (or so it would seem from my experience with such people as the idea seems alien to them).
I would therefore hypothesise that: Like learning a language, lucid dreaming is learned much easier at a young age.
I would further speculate that it's because the child hasn't been indoctrined that dream control is a 'silly' or 'impossible' idea.

I'm the only one in my family who's having Lds ,but I'm not sure about the whole family, and I don't like to talk about it with them ....

I know my mom has lucid dreams, but she thinks everyone has them and is a normal thing. I don't think she has gone the step farther as to try and control them though. When I told my family I wanted to try controlling my dreams and explained lucid dreaming, they thought I was nuts. Not about the lucid dreaming but the controlling part.

witht he exception of my dad i've told my whole family none of these seem to think its as cool as i do. my mom thinks its a cult

none of my other family members LD, but we all have exceptionally good dream recall =)

I know my Mother does for sure. And I my Grandmother did as well. I think she passed it to me when I was a child, very very strange story. I'll post it sometime in the future if I remember.

I think genes also might play a role. My uncle is an autist, my brother has Aspberger's, my father had something similar and I too am somewhat affected. We all dream a lot and have experienced dream control on a regular basis (not sure about my uncle as communication with him is difficult, but in regards to things he has said I would think so). I guess being 'detached' from reality in that way might help (Noone 'taught' each other or talked about it when we were kids by the way).

As far as i know i am the only one who has lucid dreams.

my mom never LDs, but my dad is a natural, having Lds every night. im pretty much imbetween

both my parents have had multiple lucid dreams in their life. It's not something they try and make happen, it's just something that happens to them.