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Comment by clavalle | Hacker News Reader

Maybe my experience is different than others, but when I dream lucidly it is fun but my dreams lose a lot of spontaneity and richness because I realize I am in control of everything in the dream.

I suspect this is because the conscious mind is slow and single threaded compared to the unconscious mind which is faster and multithreaded. In a dream where the mind is in control of both the experiencing 'self' and all aspects of the environment, this difference causes a real loss in fidelity.

Thus, I don't understand the obsession with lucid dreaming and I really don't understand why people would want to do it every time they dream.

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I see where you're coming from. When I was first learning how to do it, I would go from being in trippy, vivid non lucid dreams. Then I'd become aware of the dream. Then all of the craziness would immediately drop off and I'd just be standing in a room or something.

What I came to learn is that expectations drive the dream. When not conscious of the dream, it's almost like those Google deep dream images. If our mind thinks something strange could happen, well then that's very likely to happen, and this reiterates and can converge on strange and fantastic mindscapes.

When we're aware of the dream, then our expectations become much more dry and realistic. Also, I think there is a difference between being lucid and being lucid and in control. Simply being lucid in a boring dream would not be so great.

However, being in control is wonderful. You get to explore and experiment with what is possible. One thing I'd enjoy doing is talking to someone to see what they'd say (not knowing what they would say while being aware that it was my brain coming up with what they were saying). Those were some of my most memorable dreams. Also, I've definitely have had dreams where I've maintained the richness and trippiness after become aware.

I can't induce lucid dreaming, and for that reason it happens quite rarely, but oh how do I love it!!

When it happens I start flying and fly and fly. It's one of the best, if not the best experience ever. I usually wake up having convinced myself I can actually fly, or at least escape gracity at will. It takes a while to get back to "reality".

What's so cool about lucid dreaming is, it feels exactly like reality (unlike, say, daydreaming). And you get to decide what happens and what do.

What's not to like.

I have never had control of anything other than myself during a lucid dream. My dreams become lucid extremely rarely, and that is why I want to experience it.

I have opposite control. When I try to make a layup it won't go in, when I try to punch my arm feels heavy and slow. It's strange but predictable.

I recommend Stephen LaBerge’s work.

One bonus is that it's much much easier to remember what happened when lucid dreaming. There's no point to the high-fidelity if you can't retain any of it; My favorite dreams are ones that I'm constantly remembering and forgetting that I'm dreaming, as it gives the best of both worlds, but this probably happens for me once in a blue moon.

> when I dream lucidly it is fun but my dreams lose a lot of spontaneity and richness

For me this is a function of how many of my dreams I have been writing down. The more I work to remember my dreams, the richer and more detailed they appear. This is orthogonal to the dreams being lucid or not.

Totally agree. Some years ago, I was very interested. I even bought some eye shade with flashing LEDs.

But then, I got how much dreaming contributes to creative problem solving. And decided not to mess with it.

> I got how much dreaming contributes to creative problem solving. And decided not to mess with it.

Why not do that in lucid dreams? It's a common use-case. If you can't be as creative when you're lucid, then ask one of the NPCs in your dream to help.

Because lucid dreaming is messing with it.

Hah. I have only achieved lucidity in a dream once, after a period of trying to induce it. I can't really remember what was happening prior but when I realized I was in a dream I thought:

"I am in a dream, I want to fly."

Turns out my body doesn't actually know how to fly and I woke myself up it seems, in the process of trying to take off.

Last year, I was walking near a sports ground a couple of miles from where I live. Someone came up and started talking to me about something extremely odd, and I wondered what was going on. I thought to myself, "Am I dreaming?" So I asked her about the papers she was carrying, and if I could look at them. She gave me one to read, and when I looked at it a second time it was different. I realized that I was dreaming, so I decided to change where I was - suddenly I was in my childhood home, as it was about 30 years ago.

I just made the decision to do things that I knew I could do, and it happened. I think I eventually even visited a Star Trek set. (Nerrrrrrd.)

Didn't really try to fly, I just changed the situation I was in from "I'm in a room," but I imagine that I could change it to "I'm in the air, and there's no gravity," without a shock sufficient to wake me up.

I've only managed it twice, myself, the first time I woke up because I was so surprised that I was aware in a dream. I want to try it again, so I can see what limits I have before I wake myself.

I tried thinking this:

   Dreams about falling are just reminders that in dreams you can fly.

It worked.

I always wake up the moment I realize I'm dreaming, so I've never experienced the "totally in control" thing. Seems like it'd be fun. :)

Not me, but I've met people who have nightmares quite often and for them I imagine it would help them sleep a lot.

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