Lucid dreams

Lucid dreams 

By Jimmy Henderson

Hons BA (philosophy), MA (psychology ) FRC 

Being able to work within one’s dreams is a useful starting point for any journey of self-unfoldment. 

Lucid dreams can be described as those which are extremely real and in which one gains a degree of consciousness sufficient to make choices and simple decisions. These dreams sometimes occur spontaneously, but one can also learn to consciously activate, enter and even control these dreams. Once again, it must be kept in mind that what is seen during lucid dreaming is assembled in the mind using symbolic processes of interpretation and will depend largely on the dreamer’s framework of thinking and past experience.

One can also predispose oneself to lucid dreaming over time by setting intentions immediately before sleep, until moments of partial consciousness during sleep begin to occur and these moments are used to introduce a conscious thought to move forward into deeper areas of Mind. Further details of how to achieve lucid dreaming have been fully described in my previous book ‘Multi-Dimensional Perception’ (2010) and will therefore not be repeated here.

Lucid dreaming introduces an exciting new area of mind-exploration and development, as during a dream one is operating fully within the realm of the unconscious mind where the subliminal schemas which influence thinking and perception are maintained. And in a similar manner to the advanced imagery achieved during deep meditation, by consciously manipulating the dream, one can introduce changes to these schemas directly. Engaging a lucid dream also allows one to exercise mental energy, intent and will-power, skills that can be applied in everyday life.   

This experience is well known in older cultures and is recorded in tradition as the ‘dream-world’ of the Australian aborigines and the North-American Indians. Recent anthropological research has suggested that the Bushmen of Africa were also fully acquainted with this induced alternate (dreamlike) sense of reality, which provided the content of their spiritual practices as well as their paintings.

Similar to meditation, when entering a dream scenario, it will be experienced as subtle, flowing and flexible. Any new thoughts, ideas or emotions will immediately take on form and produce vivid images. However, a dream functions on a deeper level of mind than meditation and from this point, one can communicate instructions directly to the unconscious. These instructions can be directly formulated in the mind, such as a conscious intention to move through to a deeper level, or in a roundabout manner using symbols or metaphors, as this is a language that the unconscious mind readily understands. For example, as with meditation, one can create a flight of steps leading upwards, coupled to the intention that this leads to a higher level of mind, or produce a symbolic door with the intention that this leads to the threshold of new dimensions of reality. If the method is correctly applied, one’s unconscious should respond by opening one's perception to these new inner experiences.   

These operations within a lucid dream are not at all easy, and in fact, are very demanding in terms of energy. The waning of energy will be noticed fairly quickly as one begins to lose focus in the dream. However, with practice, control-time of the lucid dream can be lengthened. This is therefore also a useful exercise for increasing mental stamina and will-power. 

All lucid dreams should be ended by consciously setting an intention to wake up, as this establishes a pattern of voluntary control for all future excursions into this level of mind.    

Jimmy Henderson is a philosopher and metaphysician and the author of a number of books and articles on self-development. He has an Honours degree in philosophy (metaphysics) and a Masters degree in Psychology from the University of South Africa. He is presently busy with his doctoral thesis in cognitive psychology and is based in Durban.

His books ‘Multi-Dimensional Thinking’ (2007) and ‘Multi-dimensional Perception’ (2010) are available on Amazon.com and Kalahari.com together with a number of e-book guides and can also be ordered via his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com