Imagine something with me.
You’re driving to the store in your mom’s old, beat up clunker of a mini van: the old purple one she always picked you up from elementary school in. Picture the sliding door that always gets stuck, the candy wrappers that flood the cup holders, and the old happy meal toy lost under the backseat somewhere. You’re not quite old enough to drive yet, but this is your world, your imagination, so this fact is obsolete.
You continue on your way, avoiding potholes on the familiar highway until you reach your apparent destination, K-Mart: a store you rarely even think about, nonetheless shop at. You slip in between the sliding doors and begin to peruse the aisles, which suddenly have all been replaced with rickety, wooden, swinging bridges. Having both the fear of heights and that of being freely suspended in the air, you are instantly terrified and begin recklessly flailing about, yearning to find a place of safety. Inevitably, as soon as the end is in sight, the bridge breaks; you fall, not to your death, but back to the beginning where you’re forced to endure this over again and again and again, until you finally wake up.
Will this cycle ever end? It hasn’t for me, as this happens to be a situation of which I have dreamt often. The end has yet to make itself known. The reoccurring nature of this dream, and others like it, has led me to ask the question: Is it possible to gain control and change the outcome of my dreams?
At the time, Joel Allen was just an average high school student with average dreams. One look at Joel, and nothing out of the ordinary would necessarily stand out in passing. However, one night and one dream opened up a whole new world for Joel that many have yet to realize even exists.
On what seemed to be just another normal night, Joel had a nightmare. He struggles to recall exactly what it was that he was dreaming about, but he remembers being “legimately afraid.” Suddenly, in the midst of his fears, it was as if something clicked in his mind. “I just realized, wait, this isn’t real! And I woke up.”
“Lucid dreaming is being aware of the fact that you are inside of a dream while dreaming, and dream control would be being able to manipulate what happens in your dream. Those two potentially could be separate, but it’s much more difficult without one or the other.”
The phenomenons which Allen is able, at times, to synonymously experience are called lucid dreaming and dream control. He defines the terms as such: “Lucid dreaming is being aware of the fact that you are inside of a dream while dreaming, and dream control would be being able to manipulate what happens in your dream. Those two potentially could be separate, but it’s much more difficult without one or the other.” Allen admits that a majority of the time he is not in fact lucid dreaming; however, the handful of experiences he has had have been noteworthy.
Since his first experience with lucid dreaming in high school, Allen has become somewhat skilled in the art of dream manipulation. He says it usually begins with lucid dreaming; he first identifies that he is, in fact, in a dream, and therefore he is able to do whatever he desires. He no longer simply wakes up after becoming aware of his dream-state; he now has the ability to control the dream in order to “have more fun.”
They say every man wishes to be the hero and save the damsel in distress. One of Joel’s dreams reflects this wish; Allen describes a situation in which a band of thugs kidnapped his fiance, Jessica. Allen, both angry and terrified, attempted to enter the building in which she was being held hostage; shots meanwhile were being fired in his general direction. Then, it happened. Allen realized that he was dreaming and gained control of the situation. The fear disappeared as he “pulled out a gun, started shooting at them, killed them all, and rescued Jessica.”
“There are very few times when I feel like I can’t influence my own life, like things are spiraling out of control. There is always something I can do to change things.”
So, the question remains standing; can anyone learn to control the outcome of his or her dreams? Dreamer Joel Allen hasn’t reached a conclusion yet. However, he states: “There could be science behind it that makes one person more likely than another, but, I don’t know, I think that part of it comes from how you view yourself. And I definitely feel a lot of control over my life. There are very few times when I feel like I can’t influence my own life, like things are spiraling out of control. There is always something I can do to change things. And so, there’s the possibility that a mindset more like that would be more likely to control their subconscious.”
According to the Lucidity Institute, anyone can in fact learn the art of lucid dreaming and dream control. They explain that learning to dream lucidly and then manipulate it is as simple as learning any other skill, such as learning a new language. But, how does one go about attaining this sort of ability, and is it really that simple?
Experienced lucid dreamer Rebecca Turner answers these questions and the like on her website, World of Lucid Dreaming. She confirms that anyone can possess this skill, and she shares that in one study, “a group of committed students were able to have their first lucid dream, on average, within 3–21 days.” Supposedly, all it takes is practice, but committment is necessary. And of course, results vary based on the individual.
For some, as hard as they may try to become aware of their dreams, or even control them, it just hasn’t happened yet. For others, it seems to be a once in a lifetime opportunity thus far, despite the claims that it is as simple as any other skill. Allen’s fiance, Jessica, is one example of this. She explains that she has experienced being aware of herself dreaming once, yet hasn’t quite gotten a grasp on the skill of manipulation, even though she’s tried.
“Did I lucid dream or not? I have no idea…”
Coincidentally, Jessica’s roommate Krista has undergone a similar experience. One afternoon, she had been discussing the possibility of lucid dreaming with her friends. A few nights later, towards the beginning of the summer, she finally got to experience the topic that had been dominating their conversation. Well, maybe. Krista is unsure what to call it, as she actually was lucid dreaming while inside of another dream! (Yes, like Inception.) Unlike her college roommate, however, Krista was actually able to gain control upon the realization that she was dreaming. Unfortunately, she has yet to encounter this dream world a second time, and she isn’t the only one.
Stories like these are common. In a piece written by Susan Blackmore for the Skeptical Inquirer, it is stated that roughly 50% of people have had at least one lucid dream. Many will experience this only once or twice in their life without understanding how or meaning to. However, it is said that consistency is possible to achieve! The Lucidity Institute makes it clear that two things are necessary to learn lucid dreaming and dream control: motivation and effort. From there, one may begin to learn and practice this phenomenon. The Institute offers four simple steps to aid a beginner in the art of dream awareness:
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 will remember I’m dreaming,” repeatedly, like a mantra. Put real meaning into the words and focus on this idea alone. If you find yourself thinking about anything else, let it go and bring your mind back to your intention.See yourself becoming lucid.
As you continue to focus on your intention to remember when you’re dreaming, imagine that you are back in the dream from which you just awakened (or another one you have had recently if you didn’t remember a dream on awakening). Imagine that this time you recognize that you are dreaming. Look for a dreamsign—something in the dream that demonstrates plainly that it is a dream. 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 after you come to the point in your fantasy when you become lucid.Repeat until your intention is set.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until either you fall asleep or are sure that your intention is set. 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.
This seems to answer the question at hand, doesn’t it? I can learn to control the outcome of my dreams, and perhaps I can at last discover what lies at the end of this awful department store of swinging bridges. However, the more I’ve researched, the more I’ve come to ask another question: Do I even want to learn this art, and if so, why? What are my motives?
Does the art of lucid dreaming and dream control provide an unhealthy escape from reality? Could these fantasies cause someone to become dissatisfied with life in the real world? If I were to become able to control my dreams, would I exert less effort in the life I live now, simply because I know I can achieve anything while sleeping? Or, perhaps this will simply allow me to live more, to have adventures. Lucid dreaming and dream control offer a world only bound by the imagination, nothing more. Yet, could this limit me from seeking adventure in the world I live in by day?
These aren’t questions I necessarily have answers to, and I’m not saying that these are true for even anyone. However, these are questions I do feel important to reflect upon before I personally partake in the process of learning to lucid dream.
For some, lucid dreaming and manipulation is an escape, for some, an adventure, and for some still, it’s an accident, or rather, a discovery. For Allen, it’s just plain fun. Regardless of the motives behind the control, there’s no doubt that there’s more to the dream world than meets the eye.
words, photos, video, and graphic by Becky Spahr
