Okay, so you’re here listening to this because lucid dreaming has, well, it’s really grabbed your attention. Yeah. This is the idea of like being awake in your dreams. Right. You want to know how to actually do it, don’t you? I think we all do, really. That’s what you’re going to be breaking down today. Playing the groundwork, yeah. So we’re focusing on preparation for learning lucid dreaming, right? That’s a first step, yeah. focusing on preparation for learning lucid dreaming right the first step yeah and we’re gonna be drawing mainly from Steven LaBerge is exploring the world of lucid dreaming that’s right which you know it’s kind of like your yeah it’s like a curriculum almost it’s a curriculum it’s like all this research and insights from like years of research yeah years of research thousands of thousands of lucid dream lucid dreamers. Lucid dreamers. Giving feedback. Yeah, feedback and stuff. So we’re going beyond the wow, that’s cool factor of lucid dream. It’s not just about knowing it’s possible. We’re going to actually do it. Yeah, and actually like try to equip you. Yeah, with the knowledge. The knowledge and the skills. And the skills to start your own. Your own lucid dreaming journey. Journey. Exactly. Okay. So let’s jump right in. This first chapter in the book. Yeah. It’s all about. Learning how to learn. Yeah. Learning how to learn lucid dreaming. Which is a very meta thing. It is. To think about. But he starts off. LaBerge starts off by acknowledging that, you know, sometimes people have lucid dreams just by hearing about them. Like just by, you know, that’s their first introduction to the concept. And their brain’s like, oh, you can do that in your sleep. Yeah. And it’s like their brain’s like primed for it or something. And then. Exactly. And then they have a lucid dream. Yeah. Kind of a like beginner’s luck situation. Beginner’s luck situation. Beginner’s luck, exactly. But we don’t want to. I don’t want to rely on that. No, we want to, you know. We want to actually. We want to learn how to. Do it intentionally. Intentionally and consistently. Consistently. Have lucid dreams. So this chapter really is like it’s laying out that groundwork, that background knowledge, the skills. That’s the foundation. Yeah, the foundation for all the all the techniques in the later chapters exactly like you wouldn’t try to understand how like a complex machine works without knowing the basics like these parts the basic parts yeah so we’re going to look at the basic parts of the mind okay and and how you know what’s necessary for lucidity okay so one of the first things we look at is the nature of awareness okay and you know awareness isn’t like some some mystical yeah it’s not just like a thing you know it’s a function like a brain function it’s a brain function exactly yeah so your brain is constantly receiving information through your senses. Through senses, yeah. You know, your eyes, ears, your nose, your… Smell, taste, touch. Your touch, yeah. Yeah. And it uses that information to create a kind of model, a conception of the world. Okay, so… So it’s like your brain’s always building a picture. Yeah, like a working model. Working model of reality, yeah. Based on all the data. Based on the data it’s receiving. Yeah, okay a working model. Working model of reality, yeah. Based on all the data. Based on the data it’s receiving. Yeah, okay. And that’s really useful, right? Because if you think about it, evolutionarily, if you know what’s going on around you, you’re more likely to survive, right? You can avoid threats. Yeah, avoid danger. Yeah, you can find food and shelter. And so this ability to be aware has been really crucial. Yeah. For all of us. To our survival. OK. So. So your brain’s not just creating like a snapshot of the present. It’s constantly updating that model. Yeah. And it’s even trying to predict. Yeah. Predict what’s going to happen next. What might happen next based on what has happened before yeah so it’s always like it’s constantly making simulation the running simulations yeah of the world around us yeah okay and this applies to dreams too okay but there’s a key difference so what’s the difference with awareness and dreams well in waking life yeah our awareness is driven yeah largely by that external sensory input. Sensory input from our senses. Yeah, our senses, yeah. So it’s all that external data. External data. But in dreams, the multisensory world that we experience, it’s all generated internally. Internally. Within our own brain. Okay, so there’s no… So there’s no external light. Like hitting our there’s no. So there’s no external light. Like hitting our retinas? Yeah, there’s no external light hitting our retinas. Or sound waves. No sound waves hitting our eardrums. Yeah. It’s all coming from within. Okay, so those vivid like sights and sounds. Faces. Faces and all the feelings. Yeah, and feelings. They’re all generated from our own minds. Exactly. Which is kind of mind bending. It is and feelings. They’re all generated from our own minds. Exactly. Which is kind of mind bending. It is, yeah. When you think about it. Yeah, it is. So understanding this. This internal source. Internal source. Is really important for lucid dreaming. Okay. Because it means that, you know, the rules of the external waking world. Don’t apply. Don’t necessarily apply in the dream world. So like gravity might not work the same way. I might be able to fly. You might be able to fly, you know, all sorts of. Yeah. It’s just the. Possibilities open up. Possibilities just totally change. Totally change. Yeah. When you recognize that internal source. Okay. So we’ve kind of, we’re starting to get the nature of awareness down. Yeah, waking life and in dreams. Okay, so now let’s talk about what happens when we fall asleep. Okay. What is the sleeper’s night journey? Yeah, so sleep isn’t just one uniform state of unconsciousness. Right. It’s actually made up of different stages yeah that we cycle through throughout the night okay so the first stage is called stage one and it’s that very light sleek yeah you’re just that you experience drifting off yeah as you’re drifting off yeah this is often when you get those like you get hypnagogic imagery yeah hypnagogic those those kind of like those fleeting like little images or sounds. Yeah, the flashes of weird images or sounds. Yeah, that pop into your head. Like you’re halfway between thinking and dreaming kind of. Well, exactly. Yeah. You’re on the border there. Okay. And then you quickly progress into stage two. Right. Which is considered true sleep. Okay. And this stage is characterized by these specific brainwave patterns. Oh. Called sleep spindles. Okay. And this stage is characterized by these specific brainwave patterns called sleep spindles and K-complexes. So those are like… They’re like bursts of electrical activity in the brain. Yeah. That are thought to play a role in memory consolidation. Okay. But during stage two your mental activity is It’s pretty… Pretty sparse. Pretty sparse, yeah. And it’s more like thought-like. Thought-like, yeah. Than those full-blown… Full-blown narratives of dreaming. Yeah, okay, so not too much. So not a lot of… Dream content happens. Dream content happening in stage two. Typically not. Okay. So then, after about 20 to 30 minutes, you enter delta sleep. Delta sleep. Okay. Which is also known as deep sleep. Deep sleep. Yeah. And it’s named for these slow, large brain waves. Called delta waves? Called delta waves. Yeah. That are happening in your brain. Okay. So it’s interesting that, you know. People don’t dream in delta sleep. People rarely report dreaming during delta sleep. Yeah. But it’s fascinating that you know some eastern mystical traditions see delta sleep as a state where we can connect with a deeper level of yeah a deeper level of consciousness okay beyond our everyday yeah beyond our everyday worries and concerns and ego and concerns ego and all that yeah so so so it’s like a different way of thinking about deep sleep yeah as a connection to something yeah as a connection to something more profound yeah okay so after spending some time in delta sleep okay you cycle back up through the lighter stages okay and then about 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep asleep. After you first fall asleep. Yeah. You enter REM sleep. REM sleep. Which stands for? Rapid eye movement. Rapid eye movement sleep. Yeah. And this is when most of our vivid. Our vivid narrative dreaming. Yeah, our vivid dreaming occurs. Occurs. And this is also where. This is where lucid dreaming. Yeah, where lucid. Which is most likely to happen. Most likely to happen, yeah. And these REM periods. Yeah. Happen in cycles. Throughout the night. Throughout the night throughout the night yeah okay so rem is the rem is like the sweet spot for a prime time prime time yeah for lucid dreaming and those rapid eye movements yeah they’re like people always people always say that you’re like you’re watching your dream watching your dream like the rapid eye movements yeah are showing you’re seeing. The exact relationship is still being researched. Yeah. Okay. We don’t know exactly how that works, but we do know. One of the big, one of the groundbreaking discoveries in lucid dream research was the ability of lucid dreamers to signal yeah from their dreams using eye movement using eye movements yeah yeah so during rem sleep during rem sleep they could do like pre-arranged signals eye movements and that would be recorded on a polygraph on a polygraph yes like leberge famously leberge famously had this dream yeah where he moved his eyes where he moved his eyes left right left right yeah and you could see that see it on the polygraph on the polygraph and that was like that was like really good evidence objective evidence yeah that lucid dreaming was was real was a real state of consciousness yeah and since then since then since then many other lucid dreamers yeah have successfully have successfully signaled from their dreams. From their lucid dreams. From their lucid dreams. Yeah. Okay. You also mentioned a study about physiological responses during lucid dream sex. Oh, yeah. What was going on? An early study, yeah. Yeah. Where they monitored a woman’s physiological responses okay so like heart rate respiration vaginal muscle tone Wow and she would signal yeah and she was when she became elusive in the dream okay when sexual activity began okay and when she experienced an orgasm okay and and the results showed that, you know, there were these significant physiological changes. Which pretty much matched what would happen if it was real. That mirrored what would happen in waking life. Wow. So even though it’s like happening in the mind. Even though it’s happening in the mind. The body. The body reacts as if it’s real. Yeah. And this really underscores, I think. That’s really, yeah, it underscores how real. How real dreams are. Dreams are to the brain, yeah. To the brain, yeah. Yeah. And LaBerge really emphasizes that, you know, to your brain. The experience. The experience of dreaming something. Of dreaming something is. Is pretty much. Yeah, it’s equivalent to. Equivalent to actually. Doing it. Doing it. Yeah, it’s equivalent to. Equivalent to actually. Doing it. Doing it. Yeah. So dreams can feel so real. Yeah. Because neurologically. They are. They are a real experience for your brain. And this is a big, you know. Yeah, this has big implications. This has big implications for how we think about dreams. Yeah, we shouldn’t just. We shouldn’t just dismiss them as. Meaningless fantasies. Meaningless fantasies, yeah. We should actually consider them as like. Yeah, as shouldn’t just dismiss them as meaningless fantasies. Meaningless fantasies. Yeah. We should actually consider them as like. Yeah. As valuable experiences. Valuable experiences. That can inform and impact our waking lives. Yeah. Okay. So that’s huge. That’s a big part of why we’re interested in dreams. Yeah. And in particular in lucid dreams. Lucid dreams. Yeah. Okay. And lucid dreams, yeah. Okay, so now I know some people have some hesitations or concerns about lucid dreaming. Definitely. So what are some of the things that- First. Common concerns. Common concerns that he addresses in the book. Yeah, so one of the big ones is the fear of physical harm in dreams. Like dying in your dreams. Yeah, like if you die in a dream, will you die in real life? Yeah, will you actually die? Yeah, that’s a common fear. And LaBerge addresses it directly. And he says, there’s no evidence for that. There’s absolutely no evidence to support this. He even shares a personal anecdote. Oh yeah, tell me about this. Of a dream. Yeah. Where he experienced. Dying. And being reborn. And being reborn. And he’s saying. It made him feel like static. It led to a feeling. Like you woke up. Of intense joy and ecstasy upon waking. So it’s, that really I think shows that. That you know. Dream death. Dream death is not the same as. Or a think, shows that dream death. Dream death is not the same as real life death. And he really encourages us to approach our dreams with a sense of safety. Safety and curiosity. Curiosity, yeah. Yeah. And it makes sense. It makes sense, yeah. Because our brains know the difference. Our brains know the difference. Between a simulated dream. Between a simulated dream and a real corporate. Yeah. So. So. So we shouldn’t be afraid to explore our dreams. Exactly. We should explore our dreams. Another concern that I’ve heard people. Yeah. Have. Is about. Is manipulating dream characters. Yeah. Manipulating dream characters. Which. It can feel. It can feel a bit. Ethically murky. Ethically murky. characters. Yeah, manipulating dream characters. Which it can feel. It can feel a bit. Ethically murky. Ethically murky, yeah. Yeah. Because it’s like you have this. It’s like you have this. Control over. Control these other beings, right. Like who seem to be. Mention to be conscious. Conscious. Right. And so. How do we. You know, LaBerge suggests that maybe instead of. Instead of trying to control them. Trying to control them. Yeah. We should focus on controlling our own. Our own actions and reactions. Actions and reactions. Yeah. Within the dream. Okay. And that can actually develop self-mastery. Self-mastery, yeah. In the dream. Okay. Which can then carry over. Carry over to. To your waking life. Waking life. Okay. Which can then carry over. Carry over to. To your waking life. Waking life. Okay. So, you know, if you’re someone who often feels powerless. In waking life. Yeah. In waking life. Yeah. Maybe experiencing a sense of empowerment by taking control in a dream. Yeah. Could be helpful. It could be helpful. Okay. But he also acknowledges that. I do. You know, it’s not inherently harmful. Yeah. To. Take control of. A sense of. Power. Empowerment in a dream. Okay. So it’s not inherently harmful to take control of the sense of empowerment in a dream. So it’s about, you know. It’s about finding that balance. Finding that balance. Yeah. And using it for. Using it for personal growth. Personal growth. Rather than just. Exerting. Yeah. Arbitrary control. Arbitrary control. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Another common worry is that people think that trying to lucid dream might. Disrupt their sleep. Disrupt their sleep. Yeah. Or make them. Or make them feel more tired. Yeah. Yeah. And LaBerge says that. Yeah. You know. Lucid dreaming is just as restful. Lucid dreaming is generally just as restful as non-lucid dreaming. Okay. And in fact, because lucid dreams tend to be more engaging. Yeah. Because they’re. More interesting. Yeah. And often positive. Yeah. You might dreams tend to be more engaging. Yeah, because they’re. More interesting. Yeah, and often positive. Yeah. You might even wake up feeling more refreshed. Okay. He says that. He says, like, how tired you feel. How tired you feel is more related to content of the dream. Yeah, like struggling in a nightmare. Yeah, like if you’re struggling in a nightmare. It’s probably more likely to make you tired. It can make you feel more tired. Yeah. Than if you. Than if you become lucid. Yeah, than if you realize it in a nightmare it’s probably more likely to make you tired it can make you feel more tired yeah then if you then if you become lucid yeah then if you realize it’s a dream and you can fly away and do whatever you want yeah yeah yeah so so his advice is to dedicate time and energy to lucid dreaming to dedicate time and energy to lucid dreaming when you feel rested rested yeah and you have the capacity for it yeah okay so we’ve we’ve talked about some of the some of the common common concerns yeah yeah now let’s get into the nitty-gritty how do we how do we actually recognize that we’re in a dream yeah how do we when we’re dreaming how do we know when we’re dreaming yeah yeah so this is where this is where the concept of. Dream sign. Dream sign becomes really important. Yeah. So tell me what. Yeah. So LaBerge describes dream signs as like. As the unusual, illogical or impossible element. Yeah. These unusual elements. Yeah. That often appear. In dreams. In dreams. And that can act as triggers. Yeah. To alert you. Yeah. To the fact that you are dreaming. Okay. So they’re. Like think of them as. They’re glitches. Glitches. to the fact that you are dreaming. Okay. So think of them as- Like glitches. Glitches. In the matrix. In the matrix. Yeah. Yeah. Those times when things just feel a little off. Yeah. Things that defy the rules of reality as we know them. Yeah. Okay. So LaBerge- Breaks these dream signs. Categorizes- Right. Categorizes. Categorizes these dream signs intoized categories categorizes these dream signs yeah into several types okay so so what are those categories so the first one is sensations okay sensation so these are these are odd yeah unexpected yeah unexpected bodily feelings bodily feelings yeah so this could be things like like uh floating sensation of floating. Yeah. Floating. Like lifting out of your body. Out of your body. Yeah. Or a sudden inexplicable. Yeah. Sudden inexplicable. Feeling of sexual arousal. Okay. Or strange pressure. Okay. Or tingling sensation. Okay. So those are, those are sensations. Yeah. Okay. What’s the next category? The next category is perceptions. Perceptions. So these are like unusual sensory experiences. Like seeing perfectly without your glasses. Yeah, like seeing perfectly without your glasses if you normally need them. Yeah. Experiencing like extremely vivid or psychedelic like. Psychedelic like visuals. Visuals, yeah. Yeah. Hearing voices or sounds that seem to come from nowhere or that are impossibly distant, but yet you can hear them really clearly. Yeah. Okay. So those are those sensory clues. Talkable sensory clues. That something is not quite right. Not quite right. Yeah. Something is not matching up with waking reality. Okay. So then. What’s the next one? The next one is action. Action. So this involves unusual. Yeah. Or impossible. Or impossible. Actions. Oh, okay. Performed by you. By me. is action action so this involves unusual yeah or impossible or impossible actions okay performed by you by me other dream characters or even inanimate objects okay so this could be you yeah effortlessly writing a unicycle writing a unicycle yeah when you can in real life when you can in real life. When you can in real life. When you can’t in real life. Breathing comfortably underwater. Yeah. to? Odd shapes, deformations, transformations of yourself, other people in your dream. Okay. Objects or even the entire dream setting. Go on. So like dreaming of suddenly being the opposite gender. Okay, opposite gender. Transforming into an animal. Transforming into an animal. Or an inanimate object. Okay. Or being in a? A building with impossible architecture. Yeah, or like? F with impossible architecture. Yeah. Or like… Furniture that… Yeah, furniture that’s changing. Hushing and shifting. And shifting around. Yeah, yeah. So those are… So those are examples. Yeah, those are… A form dream science. Yeah, those are pretty obvious clues. Pretty obvious ones. And then the last one is… The last one is context, host-speaker, context.

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