Ever had a dream that seemed so real? The ones where you are falling from the top of a building. Or, maybe you are meeting a loved one that has passed on. These dreams are ones that sometimes we just don’t understand. We wonder what the reason or meaning behind the dream is.
In this case, we may want to reach out for guidance. We may even want to have that dream again. That is where dream walking can be an asset to understanding your dreams. So, what is dream walking, and how is it done?
Understanding What A Dream Is
To understand dream walking, you have to start with the basics. This means that you have to know what a dream is. The dictionary defines a dream as a thought, image, or sensation that one experiences while sleeping.
Dreams are a phenomenon that people have tried to understand for years. They have been a topic of discussion for centuries and continue to elude us.
What is Dream Walking?
Dream walking is the act of entering another person’s dreams. During the walk, you can have a conversation with the person and even manipulate their dream. Before you can walk through dreams, you must hone a few specific skills.
During a dream walk, a person can spend time with the dreamer. You will be in the spiritual realm where you can interact and learn more about a person.
What Skills Do You Need to Dream Walk?
In order to dream walk, there are two specific skills that you will need to master. The first is lucid dreaming, and the other is an out-of-body experience, otherwise known as OBE. Both skills require dedicated practice and can take years to learn.
Lucid Dreaming
A lucid dream is when a person who is dreaming is fully aware they are dreaming. People who have experienced this say that they can manipulate their dream. Their dreams can become pleasurable.
This state of dreaming was first spoken of by the philosopher, Aristotle. In his treatise, On Dreams, he states that when we are dreaming, there is something in our unconsciousness that tells us we are dreaming. He goes further to explain how lucid dreams happen and what you can term a lucid dream.
Mastering the art of lucid dreaming is done by following a series of steps.
- Make your bedroom welcoming to dreams.
You can do this by using relaxing colors in your interior design. You can add aromas that help you relax, and low lighting can get your body ready for dreaming.
- Keep a dream journal.
Writing down the details of your dreams can help you revisit them in the future. You will become able to look for patterns or reoccurring themes. Your journal can tell you whether you have had a lucid dream or not. The way to know if you have had a lucid dream is determined by how many details you can remember upon awakening.
- Be aware of your dream signs.
Dr. Stephen LaBerge groups dream signs into four categories. They are inner awareness, action, form, and context. An example of this could be noticing you are in a place you have never been before, yet you feel very comfortable. It is as if you have always been there. Dream journals are an asset to discovering your dream signs.
- Exercise reality checks throughout the day.
You should take a few moments throughout your day to discover whether you are dreaming or not. This can be done by reading a line of text twice or touching the same wall twice. If you are dreaming, then the words will change, or you can pass through the wall.
- Perform the MILD technique.
The acronym MILD stands for Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dreams. To follow this technique, you will need discipline and patience. Each night before you fall asleep, you will need to repeat a mantra.
It can be something like, “The next time I fall asleep, I will have a lucid dream.” A person should use this technique is best used in conjunction with dream journaling and reality checks.
- Prompt the onset of sleep paralysis.
A way to do this is when your alarm goes off, don’t get up. Allow your body to go back to sleep while keeping your mind awake.
- Use the Wake Back to Bed Technique.
This technique involves setting the alarm at different intervals throughout the night. Each time the alarm wakes you, get out of bed, and stay awake for 30 to 60 minutes. You want to wake your mind while your body is still sleepy.
It is not recommended that a person use this technique long term.
- Play video games.
Video gamers are often in a fictional world. Their gaming experience means that they are more likely to remember the details of their dreams. It may sound crazy, but playing video games could help you have lucid dreams.
- Try to keep your dreams going.
A few ways to make this happen is to try spinning or to fall in your dream. Maybe try to rub your hands together and work on convincing your mind you are still dreaming.
A person will need to practice these steps regularly. Don’t be upset if you aren’t able to have a lucid dream quickly. Remember to continue trying, and success should happen.
What is Happening to the Brain While You are Lucid Dreaming?
Lucid dreaming is a phenomenon that has piqued the curiosity of scientists for centuries. Through research and dedicated study, scientists are trying to map out what happens in the brain when you have a lucid dream.
Understanding lucid dreams is a difficult task since we are not conscious when we are sleeping. A method of study called magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) has shown that certain parts of the brain are activated when a person achieves lucid consciousness. These parts are the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontal polar regions, and precuneus.
These three areas of the brain all relate to the self-reflective state of a person. The biggest hurdle facing scientists is that we cannot visualize what is happening to our brains while we sleep.
The difficulty involved with studying the brain has not stopped scientists from continuing their work on dreams.
Scientists of the Charite in Berlin, the Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and the Max Planck Institutes of Psychiatry in Munich are excited to be studying people who are having lucid dreams and controlling their behaviors during these dreams.
Another study conducted at the Lucidity Institute of Hawaii and the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed a possible pre-sleep treatment to increase the number of lucid dreams a person has.
In this study, scientists researched the use of a drug called galantamine. This drug is normally used in patients with Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, and other nervous system disorders. What they found what that galantamine triggers the cholinergic receptor of the brain during REM sleep,
Because of the nature of this drug is to help with memory function, galantamine is believed to increase one’s chances of having a lucid dream.
What is the Link Between Outer Body Experiences and Lucid Dreams?
An out-of-body experience is the feeling that you are transported outside your body. A person can have out-of-body experiences while you are meditating or practicing a wake induced dream. Some researchers say that 1 in 10 people have or will have an out-of-body experience in their lifetime.
There is a secure link between out-of-body experiences and lucid dreaming. Some even say that an out-of-body experience is a type of lucid dream.
Having an out-of-body experience happens while you are lying down. Usually, you will have awakened from a dream. Your body will slip back into sleep paralysis, but your consciousness is still awake.
You may feel stuck in your body with the need to get out of bed. At this point, you will begin lucid dreaming.
What Dream Walking is Not
When a person is dream walking, they can manipulate their location or connect with other entities in someone else’s dream. This is entirely different from an experience called astral projection.
Astral projection is when a person leaves their physical body and enters the astral plane. In the astral plane, a person cannot manipulate or change their surroundings. You are not in control of the situation, but the experience is real.
To astral project, you must be conscious, unlike with lucid dreams where you are asleep. Once you leave your body, you will enter the astral plane. During this time, you become able to travel but will need to re-enter your body to end the projection.
Having success in astral projection depends upon the individual. Some use a technology where binaural beats are listened to while meditating.
Can Dream Walking Be Done on Purpose?
Since dream walking is when someone, other than you, enters your dream and manipulates the environment or actions, this creates the question, is dream walking done on purpose? Do you really want someone else in your dream?
The answer is yes. Sometimes you may want someone in your dreams. Maybe you don’t desire to experience a specific dream alone. In this case, you could ask someone to dream walk with you.
People who dream walk do so because they can learn about and influence a person’s thinking. Our subconscious governs most of what we do in our daily lives. Our memories, motivations, emotional reactions, and even our instincts tell our minds what to do.
In this case, we may need to change the way we are reacting or responding to daily stimuli. A dream walker can positively influence your mind. Their primary purpose is to bring about the desired response to a trigger.
Another purpose of dream walking is to feed off the emotions rendered while a person is dreaming. This is usually accomplished in what some call terror dreams. They can even be a lust dream. When this happens, a person enters your dream and causes a false sleep paralysis.
When Dream Walking is Accidental
As with every action, there are times when you begin dream walking accidentally. There are reasons for this, and no harm occurs typically.
Dream walking can happen when one or more people share a strong bond. This connection frequently happens with empaths. Empaths are people who are able to experience and share the emotions of others.
The one doing the dream walking is not there voluntarily and desires to not harm. The ability of a person to dream walk is a factor for the accidental invasion of someone’s dream.
What is the Difference Between a Dream Walk and a Nightmare?
Dream walking and nightmares are often thought to be the same. Since they both can make you feel scared, this is normal. The differences between them are not as noticeable, therefore making it harder to tell the difference.
A nightmare is normally centered around a personal stressor in one’s life. They are abstract and vague. The experience has images that are unclear. Events and characters in a nightmare are not logical.
A dream walk experience is described as logical and contains experiences that are persistent. The details are vivid, especially when interactions with people or things happen.
Practical Applications for Dream Walking
While dream walking or having lucid dreams are fascinating, there are practical applications for them. They can become more than just an exciting experiment or once in a lifetime experience. Along with a trusted friend, dream walking can have some practical applications for your life.
Athletic Training
An article by the Harvard Business Review shows that athletic training can be improved by dreaming. Dr. Erlacher presented his findings on this topic with the conclusion being that those who mentally prepared themselves would have better results.
He used the findings from his studies in Germany to back up his conclusion. He goes on to say there have not been studies completed in a sleep lab due to the lack of people who can have lucid dreams.
Improve Your Daily Life
Another application is to use dreams to make your waking life better. Maybe you want to lose weight or kick a habit. Start by dreaming about it. In your dreams, you can see yourself in this better place. That feeling can be replicated in the waking hours of your day.
Using a mantra each night is a way to use dreaming for your betterment. Repeat what your goal is as you prepare for bed. Often this leads to dreaming about that goal because it is the last thought on your mind before sleep.
Get Rid of the Nightmares
Dream walking can also be a useful tool to help with nightmares. If you have been experiencing nightmares, then your sleep patterns have been disrupted. They can make for an unsettled night of sleep.
Enlisting the help of another person can help you to change the environment of your dream. A dream walker can manipulate the situation to help you. This can take control away from the attacker in your dream.
Get More Creative
Artists and people in business alike have been known to use lucid dreams to become more creative. Some businesses have even had dream walking experts carry out workshops to help employees tap into their creativity.
One example is video gaming companies. Creating a new video game can start in a person’s dream. They can play out the journey in their dream and then turn that dream into a new game.
Overcome a Fear or Phobia
Having a phobia or life-altering fear is a struggle for any person. It can keep you from living the life you want. Dream walking can be helpful in your journey to overcome a fear or phobia.
During a dream walk, the walker and the dreamer are forced to confront the fear. Both parties will come up with a solution or learn how to heal.
Can Dream Walking Be Dangerous?
Dream walking is an experience that can be fun and exhilarating. There are times that dream walking can become dangerous. In order to dream walk, a person has to be having a lucid dream.
The walker can enter the dream of another and change the course of the dream. This can lead to a pleasurable dream becoming a nightmare. You will only be able to look in one direction because the walker and you will share the same view.
Dream walking is a skill that is difficult to master and can be dangerous to execute. If you are dream walking, the other party should be aware. This is not something that should be tried unless you have mastered the skill.
Are There Risks to Dream Walking?
In order to dream walk, you must have the ability to experience lucidity. Achieving lucidity means that you have encountered a lucid dream. While lucid dreams are fun, they do have risks.
When you are in a state of lucid dreaming, you are aware that you are awake yet you aren’t awake. This dream experience can be a scary place to be. You may want to move your arms or legs but cannot. There are ways to wake yourself, and you should know these before you lucid dream.
One also has to prepare themselves for the realistic feelings that happen during a lucid dream. These emotions can be euphoric in nature or a sense of intense fear.
There is also the chance one can develop dream claustrophobia. This is when you are in a dream that you cannot change or manipulate the situation or surroundings. Emotions of fear and sense of danger could run high in this situation.
A sense of escapism is possible when you experience lucid dreams. You may find that your dream world is more exciting than the real world. This can lead to wanting more and more experiences with lucid dreams.
Lastly, it is important to know that lucid dreams are not something everyone should experience. If you have a mental disability that leaves you having hallucinations or paranoia, lucid dreaming or dream walking is not for you.
Lucid dreams and dream walking are risky places if you are not prepared for them.
What Should You Consider Before You Choose to Dream Walk?
You may be fascinated by the idea of dream walking. There is an element of excitement that comes with the idea of entering someone’s dreams and learning new things about them. Before you take the leap, there are a few things to consider.
First, you should ask yourself why you want to enter that person’s dream. What is the attraction? Your answer should not be malicious in nature. If it is, then reconsider.
Consider what you are looking to accomplish by entering their dream. Is there something you want to learn? Are you trying to help them?
Wanting to learn more about a person is excellent. Before you begin walking in their dreams, consider other ways to get to know the person. Ask yourself, is this something I can do by spending more time with them? Could simple conversation be possible?
It is crucial to understand why you want to experience dream walking. You should always keep in mind how you would feel if someone walked through your dreams. This should not be something you do with malicious intent.
A Dream Walking Conclusion
Dream walking is a fascinating skill. There are a variety of things that can be treated with dream walking. People have seen results when overcoming fears and phobias. Athletes have seen their performance improve with the use of lucid dreaming.
While dream walking can be useful and fun, it can also be dangerous. When someone enters your dreams without permission, they may learn things about you that are personal. They could alter your thoughts as you dream.
If you are considering a dream walk, working on this skill is essential. It is not something that happens in one night. Don’t get frustrated and give up. Continue trying until you have reached the goal of dream walking.