Amongst the two versions of the song below, which one do you like?[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AQe7cdbB-I&w=560&h=315]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCBtKn5pyak&w=560&h=315]
I love the song much and doesn't matter what the graphics are , its my most great motivational Rock song of all times, when society tries to take away your freedom, or someone tries to control you.
TALK OF DREAMS- WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THEM?
BUT LETS TALK OF SOMETHING YOU MIGHT HAVE
EXPERIENCED IN YOUR LIFE TIME>***LUCID DREAMING!
WHAT IS LUCID DREAMING?
Lucid dreaming is dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by
Frederik van Eeden (see Green, 1968), using the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream, when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream, such as meeting a person who is dead, or flying with or without wings. Sometimes people become lucid without noticing any particular clue in the dream; they just suddenly realize they are in a dream. A minority of lucid dreams (according to the research of LaBerge and colleagues, about 10 percent) are the result of returning to REM sleep directly from an awakening with unbroken reflective consciousness.
The basic definition of lucid dreaming requires nothing more than becoming aware that you are dreaming. However, the quality of lucidity varies greatly. When lucidity is at a high level, you are aware that everything experienced in the dream is occurring in your mind, that there is no real danger, and that you are asleep in bed and will awaken shortly. With low-level lucidity you may be aware to a certain extent that you are dreaming, perhaps enough to fly, or alter what you are doing, but not enough to realize that the people are dream representations, or that you can suffer no physical damage, or that you are actually in bed.
Lucidity and control in dreams are not the same thing. It is possible to be lucid and have little control over dream content, and conversely, to have a great deal of control without being explicitly aware that you are dreaming. Nonetheless, becoming lucid in a dream is likely to increase your deliberate influence over the course of events. Once you know you are dreaming, you are likely to choose some activity that is only possible in dreams. You always have the choice of how much control you want to exert, and what kind. For example, you could continue with whatever you were doing when you became lucid, with the added knowledge that you are dreaming. Or you could try to change everything--the dream scene, yourself, other dream characters, etc. It is not always possible to perform "magic" in dreams, like changing one object into another or transforming scenes. A dreamer's ability to succeed at this seems to depend a lot on the dreamer's confidence. If you believe that you cannot do something in a dream, you will probably not be able to.
On the other hand, the easiest (and perhaps wisest) kind of control to exert in a dream is control over your own behavior. This comes in especially handy in nightmares. If you become lucid in a bad dream, you could try to do magic to escape the situation, but many times this does not work very well. It is generally much more effective, and better for you psychologically, to recognize that, because you are dreaming, nothing can harm you. Your fear is real, but the danger is not. Changing attitude in this way usually defuses the dream situation and transforms it into something positive.
*** IN WHAT
STAGE OF SLEEP DO
LUCID DREAMS OCCUR?
Lucid dreams usually happen during REM sleep. Sleep is not a uniform state, but is characterized by a series of stages (1, 2, 3, and 4, and REM) distinguished by certain physiological markers. REM sleep, stands for "Rapid Eye Movement" sleep, and is pronounced to rhyme with "them", not "R. E. M." Stages 1 through 4 are often lumped together under the label
non-REM (NREM) sleep. Stages 3 and 4 are both referred to as "delta" sleep, for the large, low frequency brain waves evident in these stages. Although this is certainly a gross oversimplification of the complexity of the physiological and mental events in sleep, research has demonstrated that most vivid dreaming occurs in REM sleep. It is characterized by an active brain, with low amplitude mixed frequency brain waves, suppression of skeletal muscle tone, bursts of rapid eye movements, and occasional tiny muscular twitches.
The
sleep stages cycle throughout a night. The first
REM period normally happens after a period of delta sleep, approximately 90 minutes after sleep onset, and lasts from about 5 to 20 minutes. REM periods occur roughly every 90 minutes throughout the night, with later REM periods occurring at shorter intervals and often being longer, sometimes up to an hour in length. Much more REM sleep occurs in the second half of the night than in the first.
How do we know that lucid dreaming happens in REM sleep? Dr.
Stephen LaBerge and his colleagues at Stanford University proved this with deliberate eye movement signals given in by lucid dreamers during REM sleep. Most of the muscles of the body are paralyzed in REM sleep to prevent us from acting out our dreams. However, because the eyes are not paralyzed, if you deliberately move your "dream" eyes in a dream, your physical eyes move also. LaBerge's subjects slept in the laboratory, while the standard measures of sleep physiology (brainwaves, muscle tone and eye movements) were recorded. As soon as they became lucid in a dream, they moved their eyes in large sweeping motions left-right-left-right, as far as possible. This left an unmistakable marker on the physiological record of the eye movements. Analysis of the records showed that in every case, the eye movements marking the times when the subjects realized they were dreaming occurred in the middle of unambiguous REM sleep. LaBerge has done several experiments on lucid dreaming using the eyemovement signaling method, demonstrating interesting connections between dreamed actions and physiological responses. Some are described in his books (see below).
*** WHAT PURPOSES CAN LUCID DREAMING SERVE?
Upon hearing about lucid dreaming for the first time, people often ask, "Why should I want to have lucid dreams? What are they good for?" If you consider that in dreams, *if* you know you are dreaming, you are in principle free to do anything, restricted only by your ability to imagine and conceive, not by laws of physics or society, then the answer to these questions is either extremely simple (Anything!) or extraordinarily complex (Everything!). It is easier to provide a sample of what some people have done with lucid dreaming than to give a definitive answer of its potential uses.
The first thing that attracts people to lucid dreaming is often the potential for adventure and fantasy fulfillment. Flying is a favorite lucid dream delight, as is sex. Many people have said that their first lucid dream was the most wonderful experience of their lives. A large part of the extraordinary pleasure of lucid dreaming comes from the exhilarating feeling of utter freedom that accompanies the realization that you are in a dream, where there will be no social or physical consequences of your actions.
Unfortunately for many people, instead of providing an outlet for unlimited fantasy and delight, dreams can be dreaded episodes of limitless terror. As is discussed in the books LUCID DREAMING (LaBerge, 1985) and
EXPLORING THE WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING (EWLD) (LaBerge & Rheingold, 1990), lucid dreaming may well be the basis of the most effective therapy for nightmares. If you know you are dreaming, it is a simple logical step to realizing that nothing in your current experience, however unpleasant, can cause you physical harm. There is no need to run from or fight with dream monsters. In fact, it is often pointless to try because you have conceived the horror in your mind, and it can pursue you wherever you dream yourself to be. The only way to really "escape" is to end your fear; as long as you fear your dream, it is likely to return. (For a discussion of reasons for recurrent nightmares, see p. 245 of EWLD.) The fear you feel in a nightmare is completely real; it is the danger that is not.
Unreasonable fear can be defused by facing up to the source, or going through with the frightening activity, so that you observe that no harm comes to you. In a nightmare, this act of courage can take any form that involves facing the "threat" rather than avoiding it. For example, one young man dreamt of being pursued by a lion. When he had no place left to run, he realized he was dreaming and called to the lion to come on and get him. The challenge turned into a playful wrestling match, and the lion became a sexy woman (NIGHTLIGHT 1.4, 1989, p. 13). Monsters often transform into benign creatures, friends, or empty shells (see Saint-Denys, 1867/1982) when courageously confronted in lucid dreams. This is an extremely empowering experience. It teaches you in a very visceral manner that you can conquer fear and become stronger thereby.
Lucid dreaming can also help people achieve goals in their waking lives. EWLD contains many examples of ways that individuals have used lucid dreams to prepare for some aspect of their waking activities. Some of these applications include: rehearsal (trying out new behaviors, or practicing them, and honing athletic skills), creative problem solving, artistic inspiration, overcoming sexual and social problems, coming to terms with the loss of loved ones, and physical healing. If the possibility of accelerated physical healing, suggested by anecdotes from lucid dreamers, is born out by research, it would become a tremendously important reason for developing lucid dreaming abilities.
*** IS LUCID DREAMING LEARNABLE?
The ability to have lucid dreams may be within the reach of most human beings. Research on individual differences has not turned up any factors of personality or cognitive ability that substantially predict lucid dreaming frequency. So far, the only strong predictor of frequent lucid dreaming is high dream recall. This is good news for would-be lucid dreamers, because it is fairly easy to increase dream recall (more below).
One question frequently asked about learning lucid dreaming is: How long does it take? The answer, or course, is that it varies depending on the individual. How well does the person recall dreams? How much time is available for practicing mental exercises? Does the person use a lucid dream induction device? Does the person practice diligently? Is the person's critical thinking well developed? And so on. Case histories may provide a more tangible picture of the process of learning lucid dreaming. Dr. LaBerge increased his frequency of lucid dreaming from about one per month to up to four a night (at which point he could have lucid dreams on demand) over the course of three years. He was studying lucid dreaming for his doctoral dissertation and therefore needed to learn to have them on demand as quickly as possible. On the other hand, he had to invent techniques for improving lucid dreaming skills. Thus, people starting now, although they may not be as strongly motivated as LaBerge, have the advantage of well-developed techniques, complete training programs, and electronic biofeedback aids that have been created in the 16 years since LaBerge began his studies.
Lynne Levitan, staff writer for NIGHTLIGHT, describes her experiences with learning lucid dreaming as follows: "I first heard of lucid dreaming in April of 1982, when I took a course from Dr. LaBerge at Stanford University. I had had the experience many years before and was very interested to learn to do it again, as well as to get involved in the research. First I had to develop my dream recall, because at the time I only remembered two or three dreams per week. In a couple of months I was recalling 3 to 4 or more per night, and in July (about three months after starting) I had my first lucid dream since adolescence. I worked at it on and off for the next four years (not sleeping much as a student) and reached the level of 3 to 4 lucid dreams per week. Along the way, I tested several prototypes of the DreamLight lucid dream induction device and it clearly helped me become more proficient at realizing when I was dreaming. In the first two years we were developing the DreamLight, I had lucid dreams on half of the nights I used one of these devices, compared to once a week or less without. In considering how long it took me to get really good at lucid dreaming, note that I did not have the benefit of the thoroughly studied and explained techniques now available either, because the research had not yet been done nor the material written. Therefore, people now should be able to accomplish the same learning in far less time, of course, given sufficient motivation."
DEVELOPING DREAM RECALL
As mentioned above, the most important prerequisite for learning lucid dreaming is excellent dream recall. There are probably two reasons for this. One is that if you do not remember your dreams, you are unable to study them to discover what about them could help you realize that you are not awake. Another is that you might have lucid dreams without knowing it, because you do not remember them.
The procedure for improving your dream recall is fully detailed in EWLD, and A COURSE IN LUCID DREAMING (see below) as well as many other books on dreams. The core exercise is keeping a dream journal, and writing down everything you recall about your dreams, no matter how fragmentary. You must not wait until morning to take notes on dreams recalled in the middle of the night because, no matter how clear they are at the time, they are apt to disappear entirely from your memory by the time you get up in the morning. You also should write them down first thing in the morning, before you even think about anything else. In A COURSE IN LUCID DREAMING we advise that people build their dream recall to at least one per night before proceeding onto lucid dream induction techniques.
Another dream-recall related exercise introduced in EWLD, and further developed in A COURSE IN LUCID DREAMING is identifying "dreamsigns." This is a word coined by LaBerge referring to elements of dreams that indicate that you are dreaming. (Examples: miraculous flight, purple cats, malfunctioning devices, and meeting deceased people.) By studying your dreams you can become familiar with your own personal dreamsigns and set your mind to recognize them and become lucid in future dreams. The COURSE also provides exercises for practicing noticing dreamsigns while you are awake, so that the skill carries over into your dreams. This exercise also relates to lucid dream induction devices, which give sensory cues--special, artificially-produced dreamsigns--while you are dreaming. To succeed at recognizing these cues, you need to practice looking for them and recognizing them while you are awake (more below).
*** LUCID DREAM INDUCTION TECHNIQUES
THE REALITY TESTING TECHNIQUE
This is a good technique for beginners. Assign yourself several times a day to perform the following exercise. Also do it anytime you think of it, especially when something odd occurs, or when you are reminded of dreams. It helps to choose specific occasions like: when I see my face in the mirror, when I look at my watch, when I arrive at work or home, when I pick up my lucid dream induction device or the NIGHTLIGHT. The more frequently and thoroughly you practice this technique, the better it will work.
Carry some text with you or wear a digital watch throughout the day. To do a reality test, read the words or the numbers on the watch. Then, look away and look back, observing the letters or numbers to see if they change. Try to make them change while watching them. If they do change, or are not normal, or do not make sense, then you are most probably dreaming. Enjoy! If the characters are normal, stable, and sensible, then you probably aren't dreaming. Go on to step 2.
If you are sure you are awake, then say to yourself, "I may not be dreaming now, but if I were, what would it be like?" Visualize as vividly as possible that you are dreaming. Intently imagine that what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling is all a dream. Imagine instabilities in your environment, words changing, scenes transforming, perhaps you floating off the ground. Create in yourself the feeling that you are in a dream. Holding that feeling, go on to step 3.
Pick something you would like to do in your next lucid dream, perhaps flying, talking to particular dream characters, or just exploring the dream world. Continue to imagine that you are dreaming now, and that you try out the thing you plan to do in your next lucid dream.
MNEMONIC INDUCTION OF LUCID DREAMS (MILD) TECHNIQUE
(Modified from EWLD, p. 78)
Developed by LaBerge and used by him to induce lucid dreams at will during his Ph.D. study, MILD is practiced during the night.
Setup dream recall. Set your mind to awaken from dreams and recall them. When you awaken from a dream, recall it as completely as you can.
Focus your intent. While returning to sleep, concentrate single-mindedly on your intention to remember to recognize that you're dreaming. Tell yourself: "Next time I'm dreaming, I want to remember I'm dreaming." Try to feel that you really mean it. Focus your thoughts on this idea alone. If you find yourself thinking about anything else, let it go and bring your mind back to your intention to remember.
See yourself becoming lucid. At the same time, imagine that you are back in the dream you just woke from (or another one you have had recently if you didn't remember a dream on awakening), but this time you recognize that it is a dream. Look for a dreamsign--something in the dream that demonstrates plainly that it is a dream (see NIGHTLIGHT 1.3 & 1.4 for more about dreamsigns). When you see it say to yourself: "I'm dreaming!" and continue your fantasy. Imagine yourself carrying out your plans for your next lucid dream. For example, if you want to fly in your lucid dream, imagine yourself flying when you come to the point in your fantasy that you "realize" you are dreaming.
Repeat until your intention is set. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your intention is set; then let yourself fall asleep. If, while falling asleep, you find yourself thinking of anything else, repeat the procedure so that the last thing in your mind before falling asleep is your intention to remember to recognize the next time you are dreaming.
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