Vitamin B6 may help people better recall their dreams, new research suggests

Vitamin B6, which is found in tuna, bananas and chickpeas, may help people better recall their dreams. Taking a strong dose of such supplements for just five days improves people's abilities to remember their dreams by 64 per cent, a study found.

Although unclear exactly why this occurs, one theory is vitamin B6 helps to convert an amino acid to a chemical messenger that influences emotion and sleep. 

Study author Dr Denholm Aspy, from the University of Adelaide, said: 'The average person spends around six years of their lives dreaming.

'It may be possible to use lucid dreaming for overcoming nightmares, treating phobias, creative problem solving, refining motor skills and even helping with rehabilitation from physical trauma.

'In order to have lucid dreams it is very important to first be able to recall dreams on a regular basis.'

Lucid dreaming occurs when people know they are dreaming while asleep. 

'I couldn't wait to go to bed and dream!' 

One study participant said: 'It seems as time went on my dreams were clearer and clearer and easier to remember. 

'I also did not lose fragments as the day went on.'

Another added: 'My dreams were more real, I couldn't wait to go to bed and dream!' 

Results further suggest vitamin B6 supplements do not affect dream vividness, bizareness or colour, as well as having no impact on people's sleep in general.

Dr Aspy adds further research is required to determine if dietary vitamin B6 has the same effects as supplements'.

How does vitamin B6 lead to clearer dreams? 

Additional theories include that vitamin B6 leads to higher levels of chemical messenger that suppress the REM stage of sleep. REM is characterised by rapid-eye movements, faster heart rates and more dreaming.

This suppression may then cause a rebound effect that results in more intense dreams in the last few hours of sleep.

Some also believe vitamin B6 disrupts sleep and causes people to awaken more in the night.

This may allow more opportunities for dreams to be transferred from short to long-term memories.

How the research was carried out    

The researchers analysed 100 people aged between 18 and 40 from across Australia.

At the beginning of the study, the participants claimed to rarely remember their dreams. 

They took 240mg of vitamin B6 before bed for five consecutive days; this is the equivalent of 558 bananas.

The sweet fruit contains around 0.43mg of vitamin B6. Seventy-five grams of tuna and a three-quarter cup of chickpeas both contain 0.84mg.

The findings were published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills. 

What is Vitamin B6? and what foods contain it? 

Vitamin B6, which is also known as pyridoxine, allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food.

It is also involved in the formation of blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. Food sources include:

• Tuna
• Bananas
• Potatoes 
• Pork
• Poultry
• Fish
• Whole grain cereals, such as brown rice
• Eggs

Men need around 1.4mg a day and women approximately 1.2mg. People should be able to get all of the vitamin B6 they require from their diets. People should not take more than 10mg a day unless advised by their doctor.

Source: NHS Choices 

Less than eight hours sleep is linked to anxiety and depression 

This comes after research released last January suggested having less than eight hours sleep is linked to anxiety and depression.

Insomniacs are less able to overcome negative thoughts than those who get sufficient shut eye, a study found.

Being unable to nod off also reduces people's ability to disengage from negative emotions, the research adds.

Study author Professor Meredith Coles, from Binghamton University, said: 'We found that people in this study have some tendencies to have thoughts get stuck in their heads, and their elevated negative thinking makes it difficult for them to disengage with the negative stimuli that we exposed them to.

'We realized over time that this might be important - this repetitive negative thinking is relevant to several different disorders like anxiety, depression and many other things.' 

[dailymail]

Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• People can teach themselves new skills in dreams 
• Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective
• How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD
• A list of herbs that can activate lucid dreaming

People can teach themselves new skills in dreams

The idea of the surreal Hollywood blockbuster Inception, where people travel through someone's dreams to 'plant' an idea in his head may not be so out-there after all.

Researchers at Yale have found that 'lucid dreamers' - dreamers who have 'waking dreams' that they control - are able to learn new skills in their dreams. A team is now experimenting with the idea of 'training' people by telling them what to dream about.

People who can control their dreams can use the unusual ability to experience a sense of euphoria, as if they have accomplished something. But new research hints that people can actually 'use' dreaming as a tool to learn.

Being in command of dreams opens up opportunities to manipulate them for learning and training - although it may not be quite as precise as learning to play the violin while asleep.

Instead, 'lucid dreamers' can control areas of their brain to open up and 'learn' while they sleep. What's more, it seems that merely being a lucid dreamer seems to give you an advantage.

Researchers from Yale University found that lucid dreamers perform better in a gambling task, designed to test a part of the brain important to emotional decision-making and social interactions, said a report in New Scientist.

Peter Morgan at Yale University and colleagues think that this region can be trained. Him and his team are working on how to train people using dreams. Morgan hopes to be able to improve a person's social control and decision-making abilities. 

'We know that by engaging circuits in the brain we can change its architecture,' he says.

It's already been proven that people who practice tasks in dreams can be better at them in real life. 

One Swiss study, led by Daniel Erlacher of the University of Bern, showed that lucid dreamers who 'practiced throwing a coin into a cup were better at the real thing when they woke up.

Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD
• Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective
• A list of herbs that can activate lucid dreaming

Holiday Feasts and Lucid Dreaming

Today US celebrates Thanksgiving, the traditional harvest meal to celebrate family and friends. And most of us that sit at the Thanksgiving table will probably want a serious nap after eating. While the tryptophan in turkey is often blamed for this holiday nap effect, actually it’s more complex than that.

What is tryptophan? It’s an essential amino acid. Turkey has tryptophan. But so do the buttered biscuits, the cheese, the deviled eggs, and aunt’s famous garlic mashed potatoes.  Other meats like chicken, ham, fish and beef are high in tryptophan, too. It’s well represented in the dessert category, as well, including chocolate cake, pumpkin pie and banana fritters.

But all this tryptophan is not directly responsible for the family exodus from the dining room to the den. Actually, that’s probably due to old-fashioned carb-loading.

Here’s how it works. All those carbohydrates spike your insulin levels. This stimulates the uptake of large amino acids in the bloodstream — except for tryptophan. This gives you a suddenly high level of tryptophan in the blood, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the central nervous system. From here all that excess tryptophan is synthesized into serotonin. Much of this serotonin is further transformed by the pineal gland into melatonin–and it’s the melatonin that brings on the snooze.

Bizarre Dreams and Lucid Dreaming

What really interests me about the tryptophan-melatonin partnership is that they can bring on bizarre and vivid dreams. About ten years ago, dream researcher Tracey Kahan and associates from Santa Clara University ran a two-week study looking at changes in dream content after taking 6mg of melatonin supplement, compared to placebo. The melatonin-subjects’ dreams were analyzed to contain more “transformations of objects” and “overall transformations.” Kinda trippy.

There’s also a heavily documented link between melatonin and REM latency, the time between REM sleep phases, which is the stage of sleep most remembered dreams come from. Coming full circle, Tore Nielsen and company (2010) from the Montreal-based Dream and Nightmare Laboratory have noted an association between the REM sessions that follow long latency periods and the increased level of nightmares and disturbing dream imagery in general.

This REM effect therefore could make melatonin a potential aid for inducing lucid dreaming, albeit it bizarre and nightmarish lucid dreams. More weirdness in dreams means more chances to recognize “This is creepy and weird–hey, I’m dreaming. And I can fly!”

So is this really all by random chance that traditional harvest feasts involve carb-loading and tryptophan-rich foods, served for days-on-end with the seasonal sleep-overs of close family and friends?  I argue that harvest feasts also function as dream incubation sessions. Our culture has set us up to live together, dream together, and share it all in the mornings — just like the old days, if only for a night or two, before we go back to our neolocal lives.

So when your aunt says, “More potatoes, hon?”, that’s an invitation to dream a little deeper tonight.

Yes, ma’am.

[dreamstudies]

Also read:

• A list of herbs that can activate lucid dreaming
• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective
• How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD

Major breakthrough as scientists confirm out of body experiences are REAL

A breakthrough study in Sweden has shown that out of body experiences are real.

Many people have claimed to have experienced the phenomenon when they come close to death or when undergoing surgery, for example, claiming that they can see everything that is going on around them from a different perspective while unconscious.

Medical experts have debated for some time whether it is real, but a breakthrough study has seemed to confirm the existence of the phenomenon.

Neuroscientists from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet created an out-of-body illusion when they placed study participants in a brain scanner, and used an illusion to ‘teleport’ the individuals to different locations in a room.

The 15 individuals involved wore head-mounted displays and viewed themselves and the brain scanner from another part of the room.

On the display, the individuals could see the body of a stranger in the foreground and themselves in the background, protruding from the brain scanner.

They scientists would then prod the participants with an object at the same time they saw the strangers body being prodded on the display.

Arvid Guterstam, lead author of the present study, said: "In a matter of seconds, the brain merges the sensation of touch and visual input from the new perspective, resulting in the illusion of owning the stranger's body and being located in that body's position in the room, outside the participant's physical body.”

The scientists then used pattern recognition techniques to monitor brain activity and found that “the perceived self-location can be decoded from activity patterns in specific areas in the temporal and parietal lobes,” according to a press release.

Mr Guterstam added: "The sense of being a body located somewhere in space is essential for our interactions with the outside world and constitutes a fundamental aspect of human self-consciousness.

"Our results are important because they represent the first characterisation of the brain areas that are involved in shaping the perceptual experience of the bodily self in space."

[express]

Also read:

• Evidence of dream telepathy between people
• Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective
• The mystical sound of the cricket and astral projection practices

The mystical sound of the cricket and astral projection practices

According to the Aztec language, the word Chapultepec means the following: chapul or chapulin means “cricket,” and Tepec means “hill.” Therefore, the Aztec word Chapultepec must be defined as, “the Hill of the Cricket.”

In ancient Rome, during the time of the Caesars, the cricket was sold in golden cages at a very high price. In Mexico City, at the Museum of Anthropology and History, there exists a very interesting picture related to the teachings that were taught to the Aztec nobility and priests in their secret temples.

In this picture, we see two individuals floating over the Hill of Chapultepec. A chirping cricket appears at the summit of the hill. Next to this scene, a floating human face appears; from the mouth emerge two waves of light which symbolize the chirping of the cricket, or in other words, the symbol for the monotonous and sharp sound of the cricket that the two people who are floating over the foothill must produce in order to penetrate into the temple.

The chirping of the cricket is the “still voice” that Appolonius of Tyana utilized in order to depart in his Astral body. This is the small, still voice that Elijah heard when he went out, “and stood in the entering of the cave in the wilderness.”

The human being is a triad of body, soul, and Spirit. A mediator between the Spirit and the body exists. This mediator is the body of the soul, the Astral body. One possesses a soul, yet one is a Spirit. The Astral body is part human and part divine; it is endowed with marvelous internal senses with which we can investigate the great mysteries of life and death. The mind, the willpower, and the Consciousness abide within the Astral body.

In the Hill of Chapultepec exists a temple in the Jinn state; in other words, within the fourth dimension. One can attend this temple in the Astral body. The rector of the Temple of Chapultepec is the venerable Master Rasmussen. This temple is safeguarded by very zealous guardians with naked swords.

During the hours of ordinary sleep, all human beings act and travel in their Astral body; however, upon awakening, not all of us remember what we saw, heard, or did while acting within that body.

Therefore, in the mornings, upon awakening from one’s dreams, one must perform the effort to remember all that one had dreamt. One’s dreams are nothing more than experiences within the Astral World. One must carefully take note of all of them in a notebook.

When you perform your dream yoga practices, concentrate on the sharp chirping of the cricket. This chirping must sound from within the smallest cells of your brain. If this practice is done correctly, you will soon be in that transition between vigil and slumber.

Increase the slumber and the sound of the crickets' chirping by using your willpower. Then get up from your bed and, with complete confidence, leave your bedroom and go towards the Temple of Chapultepec, or wherever else you wish to go. You must try to not lose the lucidity of your Consciousness.

Do not mentally get up from your bed in this vigil stats; instead, actually get yourself up. Nature will take charge of separating your Astral body from your physical body. The physical body will remain sleeping in its bed and the Astral body will become free to travel wherever you wish.

Daily exercise: Any time that you are at your work, in the street, in your house, in the presence of a strange thing, or in front of a person whom you have not seen for a long time, ask yourself: “Am I in the Astral Body?”

Then, perform a small jump and if you float it is because you are within your Astral Body. Thus, you can fly and direct yourself to any place in the world. If you do not float, it is because you are within your body of flesh and bones.

When one practices this exercise during the day, then it is repeated during one’s dreams and the result is that the consciousness awakens and experiences a lucid dream. One becomes aware that one is out of the physical body in the Astral World.

- Esoteric Medicine and Practical Magic, Samael Aun Weor

Dream Yoga Practice (Astral)

Learn to use your imagination and will, united in vibrant harmony Lying in your bed or seated in a comfortable chair, imagine a well-known faraway place (a house, a park, an avenue, a city, etc.) and lull yourself to sleep with that image in your mind. When you find yourself falling asleep with that image in your mind, make that image real; forget the place where your body is; put the force of will into play and, full of confidence in yourself walk through the imagined place. Walk in the imagined place as if you were there in flesh and bones. If the practice is done correctly, you will unfold and your soul will be transported to that place and you will be able to see and hear everything that happens there. 

-Introduction to Gnosis, Samael Aun Weor

Remember Dreams (Astral)

After returning to the body we wake up in our bed. Many disciples commit the mistake of moving in the bed in the precise moment of waking up from the normal sleep. With this movement, the astral body is agitated and the memories are lost. When awakening in his bed, the student of Occultism must not move! We must remain still, close our eyes and make a retrospective exercise to meticulously remember all those places we were at with our astral body, all the words we heard, what we said, etc.

 -Esoteric Treaty of Theurgy, Samael Aun Weor

Development of Oneiric Memory (Astral)

You need memory to remember your internal experiences. Do not spill the semen. Know that in the semen are millions of microscopic brain cells. You must not lose those cells.

Special food to develop the power of memory

Prepare your breakfast with acidic fruit and ground almonds with bee honey. In this way you provide the brain with the necessary atoms for the memory.

Esoteric Diet

Breakfast: Toasted bread with pure honey, hot milk, and fruit.

Lunch: Must consist of vegetables, fruits, and any type of grain.

Dinner: Bread with pure honey and hot milk. Nothing more.

Meditation should he performed at 10:00 p.m. nightly. Meditation should also be performed at dawn. If the student meditates during these hours, he will progress rapidly.

-The Yellow Book, Samael Aun Weor

Internal experiences 

While the body sleeps, the ego lives in the internal worlds and travels to different places. In the internal worlds we are tested many times. We receive initiation in the internal temples. It becomes necessary to remember everything that we do outside the body. With the instructions given in this book every human being will be able to awaken consciousness and remember his internal experiences. It is painful to know that there are many Initiates who work in the Great Temples of the White Lodge whilst their physical body sleeps, and yet they do not remember anything because their memory is atrophied.

-Perfect Matrimony, Samael Aun Weor

The Particular Keynote (Astral)

In an almost imperceptible manner, a keynote always resounds within the brain of every living being. That keynote is that of the ray to which each person belongs and seems to come from the cells of the cerebellum. Some hear the sound of small flutes of the Egyptian ray; others will hear the “gong” of the Oriental ray, others the roaring of the sea, of the lunar ray, etc.

If the disciple silences all his thoughts in the calm of the night, he will hear his keynote; then he can cause that note to vibrate loudly, with will and when the note is already so loud that it invades and semi-paralyzes the entire physical body, the disciple should get out of bed and betake himself to the Gnostic Church for the Masters of the White Brotherhood will receive him there with incomparable happiness.

-Zodiacal Course, Samael Aun Weor

Mantra EGIPTO (Astral)

Our disciples must acquire the power of Astral Body projection. This power is acquired by vocalizing daily for an hour the sacred mantra Egipto. The vowel “E” makes the thyroid gland vibrate and grants the initiate the power of the occult ear. The “G” awakens the chakra of the liver, and when this chakra has reached its full development, then, the initiate can enter and leave the Physical Body any time at will. The vowel “I,” combined with the letter “P,” develops Clairvoyance in the initiate, and the power to depart in the Astral Body through the window of Brahma, which is the pineal gland. Pronounce the letter “T” with force over the vowel “O, “ which is intimately related with the chakra of the heart; this is how the initiate can acquire the power to project the self through this plexus and thus travel in his Astral Body.

The correct pronunciation of this mantra is as follows: EEEEEEGGGGGGGIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPTTTTOOOOOOOO

Those who still do not have the ability to project themselves in the Astral Body with our clues, lack this power. Therefore, they must first acquire it by vocalizing daily for one hour the mantra Egipto. This mantra develops the chakras related with the projection of the Astral Body completely. This is how the disciple acquires the power of entering and leaving the Physical Body at will. Once the power for astral projection is acquired, the disciple will enter and leave the Physical Body at will.

-The Seven Words, Samael Aun Weor

Mantra LA RA and the Anahat sound (Astral)

The human being can travel to any place in the world or in the infernos with his Astral Body. The key in order to consciously travel with the Astral Body is the following: Laying down on his bed, face up, the disciple must fall sleep while vocalizing the syllables “LA” “RA”.

The student will independently vocalize each syllable, that is to say, each syllable with a separate breath, as follows: LLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAA……RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA

The vocalization of these two sacred syllables must be done mentally.

These two syllables have the power of making the sexual energy intensely vibrate. Thus, the disciple must fall asleep while vocalizing with tranquility in his bed. Thus, this is how the sexual energies, the creative energies of the Third Logos begin to vibrate when the student vocalizes these two syllables.

These type of energies produce a sweet and subtle sound when they are intensely vibrating. This sound is similar to that of the cricket. The student must learn how to handle this sound, as this is the subtle voice which grants us the power to consciously travel with our Astral Body.

-Message of Aquarius, Samael Aun Weor

Meditation on the “Ursa Major” (Meditation-Astral)

Ursa Major is also known as the Great Bear and is a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere.

Ancient men grew spiritually under the influence of the “Ursa Major” and students should meditate intensely on the ‘Ursa Major’ if they want to awaken consciousness. That constellation radiates powerful spiritual forces and man should learn to converse with the sidereal Geni of that constellation.

There is a key to transfer oneself to that constellation. The key is to meditate profoundly on a “yellow stone” that exists in the astral. Do this exercise in the moments of transition between vigil and sleep and thou shall then transfer thyself in the astral body to the largest star of the ‘Ursa Major’, where a powerful and gigantic civilization exists.

-Zodiacal Course, Samael Aun Weor

Self-Remembering (Psychology and Self Knowledge-Astral) 

Gnostic students must remember themselves while in the presence of any kind of interesting representation, one must remember oneself and ask oneself the following questions: Where am I? What am I doing here? Could I be out of my physical body?

Then, carefully observe everything surrounding you; observe well the sky with inquisitive eyes; any kind of detail from the internal worlds; be it a set of foreign colors, be it a strange animal, the beloved shadow of a deceased person, ect., this will conform that you are out of your physical body; the you will awaken the Consciousness. It becomes very useful, in those instants of reflection and self-remembering, to hop with the intention of floating in that environment. It is logical that if we float it is because we are out of our physical body.

If all the dormants, while sleeping, ask themselves such  reflective questions, it is logical that they would awaken consciousness. If the ego, after death, asks itself such questions in the presence of any representation, then it would awaken instantly. Unfortunately, the ego never thinks about those questions because during its life it has never had the custom of questioning itself. It is necessary to grasp this custom and to live it intensely. Only in this way, can we conceive of the idea of asking ourselves such questions while sleeping and after death. The result of this practice is the awakening of the consciousness. Anyone who awakens their consciousness may become clairvoyant. Anyone who awakens the consciousness lives fully awakened in the Superior worlds while the physical body sleeps. The Great Masters do not dream.

 -Esoteric Course of Kabbalah, Samael Aun Weor

Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• Evidence of dream telepathy between people
• Siddhis: The Supernatural and Spiritual Powers
• Illumination by Manly P. Hall

A list of herbs that can activate lucid dreaming

How many of us remember our dreams? How many of us can control them?

People who have lucid dreams know they are dreaming, and they have the ability to control their dreams. They are able to navigate their dreamscape with an awakened mind, asking characters they come across pretty insightful questions about their spirit path. They can run, jump, and fly at will, gaining profound inner wisdom from the experience.

If one wants to dream more at night and maybe even experience the allusive lucid dream, there are several herbs one can take before bed that will help. These herbs have been used for centuries as both medicines and dream enhancers.

Caution: Although these herbs are completely legal, one should practice caution when taking them. On top of producing better dreams, these herbs also have medicinal properties. Take this into consideration when using them and perform proper research.

Wild Asparagus Root – Asparagus Racemosus

Asparagus root is called “Shatawari” in Ayurvedic medicine and Tian Men Dong in Chinese. This directly translates to “heavenly spirit herb.” Shamans, monk, Chinese Taoist, and yogis have cherished this herb for millennia because of it’s heart-opening properties.

It also known as “The Flying Herb” because it is believed that it helps one “fly through the universe at night, achieving magnificent dreams.” This was important because wisdom schools of ancient China place much value on lucid dream work.

According to Chinese folk medicine, asparagus root has a direct and positive effect on heart energy and dissolving our physical incarnation dualities. “This allows our consciousness to blossom into infinite space while we sleep.”

Effects: Improves quality of sleep, induces relaxation and stress relief, serves as a good anti-depressant and stimulates “flying dreams.”

Use: Brewing a tea of either the fresh or dried root is the best way to use wild asparagus. However, fresh asparagus root will be much more potent and efficient.

Valerian Root – Valeriana Officinalis

Commonly used in folk medicine as a calming aid, muscle relaxant, and to promote deep sleep for centuries, valerian root also tends to induce lucid dreaming. That is because it causes a heightened state of slumber.

Valerian also appears to help people remember their dreams. According to Robert Monroe, a famed specialist in Out of Body Experiences, “Most of us dream, and those who don’t simply do not remember them.”

Valerian root may be the thing one needs to remember their dreams and even navigate them successfully.

Keep in Mind: Valerian root will intensify any nocturnal adventure be it a good dream or a nightmare. Keep that into account when using it to enhance a dream state.

Warning: There is not enough information on the effect of valerian root on pregnant women to determine whether it is safe or not. If one is expecting, it is best to avoid it.

Use: More often than not, valerian is brewed in a tea. However, one must use hot water, not boiling water. Boiling water will destroy the delicate oils in the root. It is also possible to get a tincture from dried or fresh valerian root. These can generally be found in health food or online herb stores.

Mugwort – Artemisia Vulgaris

Mugwort has a rich medicinal and metaphysical history throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Mugwort is referenced in Celtic and Norse mythology as a magical plant that can ward off evil. It was hung in doorways and burnt as incense to remove stagnant air and prevent illness.

Mugwort is known as “Molush” by the Chumash Indians of California, and its Paiute name translates literally to “Dream Plant”. It’s often smoked in indigenous ceremonies, and interestingly, is also hailed by various tribes for its power to ward off evil, bad spirits, and disease. 

Mugwort can be found almost anywhere. Take a look around the next time you go for a walk and you are sure to find some.

Use: Mugwort can be brewed as tea or smoked in a pipe. It smokes well with organic tobacco and other smoking herbs such as mullein or bits of white sage. The leaves of the plant are what contain the active chemical compounds used enhance dreams.

With careful preparation and planning, one can quickly learn to navigate their dreams with the use of natural herbs. Use your resting time to learn all that you can from the dream realms.

Mexican Dream Herb – Calea Zacatechichi 

Calea is perhaps the best known of all Dream herbs. The Chontal Indians of Mexico used this shrub traditionally for lucid dreaming.  Calea can be consumed in tea (the flavor is pungent and bitter) or by smoking the dried leaves. 

Effects: Apart from the intensification of visual imagery during sleep, you may find yourself feeling a sense of well-being, light-headedness and clarity the day after.

Use: Taking at least five grams of this herb is required to be really effective for most people. Drink the herb before bed, keep an intent in mind before falling asleep.

Sun Opener Herb – Heimia Salicifolia 

This plant was called Sinicuichi (or Sun Opener) by the Aztecs and is still used by Mexican shamans as a trance divination catalyst. This herb is regarded as sacred in that it enables vivid recollection of past distant events. Some users have reported the remembrance of pre-birth events!

Effects: Apart from the intensification of prophetic visual imagery during sleep, Sun Opener causes a yellowing of the vision and altered acoustic perception.

Use: Traditionally, fresh leaves are collected and allowed to wilt. The leaves are then put into a cup or jar, cool water is added, and the mixture is placed in the sun to brew and ferment for at least 24 hours. It is said that during the fermentation process, the knowledge of the sun is embedded into the potion, creating the “elixir of the sun” (hence the name).

Intellect Tree – Celastrus Paniculatus 

Celastrus paniculatus is a shrub used in Ayurvedic medicine in India. Celastrus seeds and oil have long been regarded in India as beneficial to the intellect and memory which makes it a wonderful supplement in dream recollection. Apart from its effectiveness as a dream enhancer, Celastrus is a great mental stimulant, or nootropic, that increases your mental “sharpness.”

Effects: Apart from the intensification of visual imagery during sleep, Celastrus is an effective brain tonic.

Use: Take 5-10 seeds one hour before bedtime for 3 to 5 days until vivid dreaming occurs.

Xhosa Dream Root – Silene Capensis 

Silene is regarded by the Xhosa people of Africa as a sacred plant. Its roots are traditionally used by shamans to promote lucid dream states in healers and other shamans during initiation ceremonies. It is noted as a “teaching plant” that is considered highly sacred.

Effects: Intensification of visual imagery during sleep.

Use: Mix this herb in small amounts in water and consume prior to sleeping. Silene also makes an interesting tasting tea but it can be bitter, so the extracted “shot” form is recommended.

Blue Lotus – Nymphaea Caerulea

Although it is nicknamed the Blue Egyptian Lotus, the Nymphaea Caerulea herb is actually a Water Lilly that shares no connection to the actual lotus flower. Nymphaea was used as a sacrament in ancient Egypt as a mild sedative. Today, the herb is used by herbalists to treat insomnia, but it has also been reported to induce lucid dreaming.

Effects: Improves quality of sleep and may intensify visual imagery.

Use: This herb is typically consumed in teas, elixir extracts, or by smoking it. If you have trouble dreaming or if you find yourself frequently waking up during dreams, blue lotus is a great supplement to use alongside one of the other substances mentioned in this article.

African Dream Bean – Entada Rheedii 

Traditionally used in African medicine to induce vivid dreams and enable communication with the spirit world, Entada facilitates entry into the dream world, and promotes increased REM awareness. This makes it easier for the sleeper to realize that they are dreaming and thus gives them an edge in achieving lucidity. Entada contains several active compounds, essential oils and alkaloids.

Effects: Improves sleeping states by increasing depth, length and awareness.

Use: The inner meat of the seed is consumed directly, or the meat is chopped, dried, mixed with other herbs and smoked just before sleep to induce the desired dreams.

RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT TAKING LEGAL PSYCHEDELICS

Always do a very well research before consuming any substance. 

Keep in mind that the type, quality, age, storage and care of these herbs are all factors that will influence your experience with them.

Not only that, but the set, substance, setting and right dosage, along with creating a strong enough intention are all essential elements that must be carefully considered before exploring the depths of your mind. 

Some herbs for external use 

Datura is a powerful, fragrant flower that has a history of uses around the world. Place a flower or two in your pillowcase for lucid and very vivid dreams.

Mugwort has been known to enhance vivid, lucid and prophetic dreams.

Anise‘s licorice-like fragrance can keep nightmares away.

Sage leaves can be used to bring more peacefulness and healing to your dreams.

Burdock is effective at keeping negativity, anger and sadness from your dream state.

Mullein can help you to ward off nightmares and have pleasant dreams.

Jasmine flowers are known to enhance erotic and romantic dreams, especially useful for women processing issues related to sex.

Lemongrass can boost your boring dreams by adding color and exotic elements.

Rose Petals will add a loving sense and warmth to dreams. Also especially helpful to women.

Clary Sage‘s super fragrant scent can provide you with some vivid and strange dreams. Ideal for the nocturnal adventurer!

[Sources: lonerwolf, thesacredscience, organicauthority]

Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective
• How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD

Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective

A new study has discovered that the area of the brain that enables self-reflection is larger in lucid dreamers — those people who can control their dreams.

According to researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, this means lucid dreamers might also be more self-reflecting when awake.

Lucid dreamers are aware of dreaming while dreaming, the researchers explain. Sometimes, they can even play an active role in their dreams. Most of them, however, have this experience only a few times a year.

For their study, the neuroscientists compared the brain structures of frequent lucid dreamers and people who never or only rarely have lucid dreams. They discovered that the anterior prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that controls conscious cognitive processes and plays an important role in the capability of self-reflection, is larger in lucid dreamers.

The differences in volumes in the anterior prefrontal cortex between lucid dreamers and non-lucid dreamers suggest that lucid dreaming and metacognition are closely connected, the researchers noted.

This theory is supported by brain images taken when the participants were solving metacognitive tests while awake. Those images show that the brain activity in the prefrontal cortex was higher in lucid dreamers.

“Our results indicate that self-reflection in everyday life is more pronounced in persons who can easily control their dreams,” said Elisa Filevich, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

In a follow-up study, the researchers said they intend to train volunteers in lucid dreaming to examine whether this improves the capability of self-reflection.

The study was published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD

How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD

The recurring nightmares began when Dr. Glen Just was five years old. Every night, soldiers would capture him, drag him onto a submarine, and drill a hole into his back as he screamed.

Just now believes these chronic nightmares to be symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by years of maternal abuse. He remembers his mother repeatedly smothering him in his crib. When she thrust his face into the pillow, her hand pressed down on his spine in the same place that the drill would penetrate in his dream.

He lived with his nightly terrors until college when he discovered self-hypnosis and succeeded in "reprogramming" his dreams. In a trance state, the student rehearsed the onset of his nightmare, and "like a remote control changing television channels," practiced transitioning to the dream of his choice. "I selected a dalliance with a beautiful woman," he explained. "She would appear, and I would have a relationship with her to the point of coitus."

Without realizing it, Just had taught himself to lucid dream—essentially to "wake up" inside of a dream and manipulate it. He isn't the only one. For months, I have been involved in a project collecting dreams from around the world, and have met a surprising number of people who can lucid dream at will, allowing them to live out their wildest fantasies as they sleep.

While virtually ignored in America until recently, lucid dreaming has flourished in cultures as diverse as Buddhist Tibet, Aboriginal Australia, and ancient Egypt, where the hieroglyphic for "dream" was an open eye. In all of these cultures, lucid dreaming was viewed as a way to access divine aid and insight.

As a new therapist in the mid 1950s, Just was eager to promote the healing potential of lucid dreams for PTSD sufferers like himself. Unfortunately, his ideas were denounced by the psychoanalytic establishment.

"They believed," Just lamented to me, "that any direct intervention [in a dream] contributes to the neuroses, so it was forbidden."

While that kind of strict Freudian ideology is no longer prevalent, lucid dreaming is still mostly unacknowledged in modern-day therapy. Dr. Joseph Green is a rare exception. For several decades, the therapist has employed lucidity techniques in his practice that build upon Just's early experiments. Instead of merely "changing channels" on a nightmare, for example, Green often recommends confrontation.

"A girl came to me after being bitten by dogs," he began. "She had this recurring dream of being chased by two dogs and hiding behind a tree. I told her, 'The next time you have that dream, and you're hiding behind that tree, I want you to say, "This is just a dream, and I can do whatever I want."' At our next session, she said, 'I did what you told me to do. I stepped out from behind that tree and I faced the dogs. I said, "I want you to turn into hot dogs." And they did, and I ate them.' She never had the nightmare again."

Green echoed the claims of several other lucid dreamers I spoke with when he insisted that "if you become lucid, and you face your nightmare, it will never return."

When a patient comes in complaining of recurring nightmares, Green actually sees it as a blessing in disguise. Lucid dreamer Jared Zeizel agrees. "It's weird to say," the co-author of A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming confessed, "but I love having nightmares because nothing helps me get lucid faster." His recurring dreams of zombies in high school provided an ideal entranceway into lucidity. "That was my first reality check," he explained. "Whenever I'd see a zombie, I'd know that I was dreaming."

It's a simple realization with profound consequences. Suddenly, the dreamer becomes nearly omnipotent in an environment that feels as real as anything in waking life. From personal experience, I can only compare it to the Buddhist concept of enlightenment—a single thought that brings immediate liberation from the world. Significantly, the original Sanskrit word for enlightenment is bodhi, which literally means "to awaken."

Zeizel spent his adolescence pursuing typical lucid dreaming activities like flying, sex, and fighting, but now he dedicates most of his time toward personal growth. "One the most meaningful things I do, is I'll ask for a negative version of myself to appear. I call him Dark Jared. He's a very gaunt-looking, shadowy clone," he said. "I'll have a telepathic conversation with him. Sometimes it gets scary because I can feel a negative pressure from him trying to influence me. Dark Jared is connected to an anxiety and to bad habits that stem from a part of my subconscious which he represents. I'm able to ask him questions like, 'Why are doing these bad habits?' and he can respond. When Dark Jared is there, I embody Light Jared, and I'm able to separate the negative elements of myself from the positive elements. Just the act of seeing that negativity as separate helps. When I wake up, if I feel anxious, I know that I can separate from it."

While Zeizel's doppelgänger is an intentional reflection of himself, consciousness researcher Ryan Hurd believes that all elements of the dream are reflections of the dreamer. He spoke about a friend who had regular nightmares of being chased by monsters. At Hurd's encouragement, the friend asked one of the creatures why it was pursing him. The monster replied, "I'm disappointed." The man reported feeling a powerful emotional reaction, and upon waking, was able to explore and address the ways in which he had disappointed himself.

Hurd's own psychic wounds were less metaphorical. "There was a long-term cycle of bullying in my dreams left over from my elementary school days," he shared. "But, there was one dream where I was being chased by a bully, and I was just so angry. My anger was so intense that it made me lucid. I decided to turn around and face my enemy. We were both about 10 years old. I told him, 'Listen, all we have to do is accept each other. That's it. I'm not going anywhere.' I said this, even though I really wanted to leave. I felt so much hatred coming from him—all these projections about how I was weak and small. But then, he suddenly got this look on his face, and he got it. He realized that he didn't have to attack me. I felt a strong love for him. When I woke up, I felt ecstatic. And, I don't have bullying dreams anymore."

Hurd's description of ecstatic love echoes that of many lucid dreamers. Emotions and states of consciousness during dreams are often reported to be more vivid, more pure, and more universal than those felt in waking life. Another common theme is existence without a body, accompanied by a diminished ego presence. These phenomena are reminiscent of hallucinogen-induced mystical states, whose healing powers are becoming increasingly apparent in a growing body of psychedelics research. Even the dreamscape itself can serve as a conceptual example of the divine unity that characterizes many religions. The dream is generated by the dreamer's single consciousness, yet produces a multitude of characters that appear as discrete individuals to the dreamer. Upon waking, the separation between these persons is revealed to be an illusion.

The ability to summon and engage with people in dreams has important implications for grieving as well. Dr. Green spoke of a patient whose friend had been killed a few feet away in a Vietnam firefight. The veteran carried the haunting memory for decades until the therapist encouraged him to meet his comrade in a dream. The veteran was able to tell his dying friend, "Get up. The war is over. We're going home." The wounded man smiled, stood, and they walked off the battlefield together. The alternate ending provided instant closure for the patient that endures to this day. Green reports similar results from bereft clients who have contacted departed loved ones in dreams. "The deceased almost always says, 'I'm OK,'" Green noted. "They almost always look their best—like they're in the prime of their life." The therapist himself still regularly finds comfort in dream meetings with his dead father.

For many lucid dreamers, these kinds of intentional therapeutic uses remain unexplored. "Like most people," Rebecca Turner explained, "the first application I discovered for lucid dreaming was escapism." Turner, who runs the popular World of Lucid Dreaming Facebook community, described an adolescence filled with shyness, anxiety, and low self-esteem. In lucid dreams, however, she stated, "I could do anything. I could fly, and sing, and do awesome gymnastics. It was liberating." Best of all for Turner, the feelings of liberation and mastery have raised her confidence and well-being in waking life too.

Turner insists that lucid dreaming has also boosted her creativity and problem-solving abilities. The dream-space offers limitless opportunities to experiment and to pursue different solutions with instantaneous results and zero risk. Increased subconscious access also spurs novel and counterintuitive solutions. Turner cites numerous examples of dreams that have changed history—inspiring accomplishments as diverse as the theory of relativity, the sewing machine, and even a few Beatles hits.

The potential benefits are clear, but as Turner cautions, "It's not an easy solution for the average person. [Lucid dreaming is] something that takes commitment over time." The process typically involves keeping a thorough record of dreams every morning (in a journal or with an app like Shadow), analyzing them for themes, and performing regular reality checks. Even then, for many individuals, lucidity is elusive.

Dr. Ursula Voss may be about to change that. In a recent experiment, the Goethe Institute professor was able to induce dream lucidity in her sleeping subjects through electro-stimulation of the scalp. If pursued, and commercialized, the breakthrough could bring about a day when we will all have instant access to our deepest desires and our most authentic selves.

[Vice]

Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• Evidence of dream telepathy between people

Evidence of dream telepathy between people

Dream telepathy suggests that human beings have the ability to communicate telepathically with another person while they are dreaming. 

This isn’t a new concept, scientific interest in telepathy dates back to the fathers of the psychoanalytic movement. Freud, for example, looked at the implications of telepathy on psychoanalytic thought. He also considered dream telepathy, or the telepathic influence of thought on dreaming, on multiple occasions. Carl Jung believed in the telepathic hypothesis without question, and even developed a theoretical system to explain “paranormal” events of this nature.

It seems that all great minds encourage the study of various types of non-physical phenomena.

“The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” – Nikola Tesla

According to Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. and professor of psychology at Saybrook University in California:

A wealth of anecdotal and clinical material exist which supports the possibility of telepathic effects occurring in dreams (Krippner, 1974). However, an experimental approach to the topic did not become possible until psycho physiological laboratory technology became available. It was discovered that sleeping research participants awakened from periods of rapid eye movement (REM) activity were frequently able to recall dream episodes. As a result, it was possible to request a “telepathic receiver” to attempt dreaming about a target stimulus that was being focused on in a distant location from a “telepathic sender.”

Experiments and Results

In the mid 1960’s, Montague Ullman, MD, began a number of experiments at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York to test the hypothesis that people could be primed to dream about randomly selected material. In other words, they could choose what they wanted to dream about before going to sleep, and this could include anything, from artwork to movies to photographs and more. Shortly after these experiments began, Ullman was joined by Stanley Krippner (quoted above), who has a very impressive background in the scientific study of dreams, psychology, and parapsychology.

The experiments they conducted lasted a span of more than 10 years, and “yielded statistically significant results.”

During the experiments, there was usually a “telepathic sender” and a “telepathic receiver.” They met in the laboratory for a short period of time before being placed in completely separate rooms just before going to sleep. The telepathic sender had an envelope waiting for them in the room in which they’d sleep. It would contain something like a picture or a drawing. The receivers were then purposely awakened shortly after Rapid Eye Movement sleep (REM) began so the researchers could take a dream report.

A Very Significant Session

One very memorable and significant session of dream telepathy experimentation took place where the selected art print was “School of Dance” by Edgar Degas, which depicts a several young women in a dance class. According to Krippner, the receivers’ dream reports included such phrases as “I was in a class made up of maybe half a dozen people, it felt like a school,” and “There was one little girl that was trying to dance with me.” These results are fascinating, and the idea that one can influence another’s dream opens up a lot of doors. Although we might not understand the process behind the transfer of information, and we can’t see this transfer take place from mind to mind, we have proof of it occurring. This is quite common when we examine scientific studies that have evaluated parapsychological phenomena – we know what is happening, but not how.

Another significant session conducted by Krippner and Ullman took place on March 15th, 1970. In this session, a large group of people at a Holy Modal Rounders rock concert was selected to send something telepathically. A local media artist by the name of Jean Millay took responsibility to ready the telepathic senders for “target preparation.” She did this with help from the Lidd Light Company, a group of artists who were responsible for the light show at the concert. Millay gave the audience a brief verbal set of directions before the image was flashed on the large screen that the telepathic senders were looking at. Six slide projectors were used to project a colour film about eagles and their nesting habits, as well as information about various birds from around the world (including birds from mythology, like the phoenix). This all happened at the same time Holy Modal Rounders were playing their song, “If you want to be a bird.”

There were five volunteer telepathic receivers for this experiment, and they were all located within a one hundred mile radius from the telepathic senders. All of the receivers were aware of the concert location and were told to record their images at midnight, because that was when the material would be sent to them.

According to Krippner:

One “telepathic receiver,” Helen Andrews, had the impression of “something mythological, like a griffin or a phoenix.” The second, third and fourth research participants reported images of “a snake,” “grapes,” and “an embryo in flames.” The fifth participant was Richie Havens, the celebrated American singer and recording artist, who reported closing his eyes at midnight and visualizing “a number of seagulls flying over water.” Both Mr. Havens’ and Ms. Andrews’ reports represented direct correspondences with the target material.

More remarkable results were seen when the rock group “Grateful Dead” also volunteered to participate in a dream telepathy session over a span of six nights. These results were actually published by the American Psychological Association.

These are usually the instructions given to subjects who participate in these experiments:

1. You are about to participate in an ESP experiment.

2. In a few seconds you will see a picture.

3. Try using your ESP to “send” this picture to the receiver.

4. The receiver will try to dream about this picture. Try to “send” it to them.

5. Then, receivers will be made aware of the sender’s location.

Possible Explanations?

Quantum physics has shed light on the vast interconnectedness of everything in the universe. One possible explanation is quantum entanglement. For example, consider two electrons that are created together. If you send one to the other side of the universe, the other will respond instantly, regardless of their distance from each other. This is one way of interpreting how everything is really connected in some way. Einstein called it “spooky actions at a distance.”

The truth of the matter is that we have no way to explain how this works. The researchers involved were only able to observe and record what was taking place, which again, is very common for parapsychological phenomenon.

At the same time, these experiments involve dreams, a completely different and altered state of “reality” that we really don’t know much about. It’s a world separate (or at least we think is separate) from the world in which we are “awake” (although, of course, the world we perceive when we are awake could very well be just a dream). 

Parasychological Phenomena Have Been Proven and Documented All Over The World

Parapsychological (PSI) phenomena have been studied, documented, observed, and proven (over and over again) by a number of renowned scientists in laboratories all over the world. The Department of Defense has had a huge interest in this subject (and has studied it) for a number of years, yet the scientific study of it is concealed from the public and left out of universities and mainstream science, which is not fair, and not right. It isn’t as though this information is inaccessible to us, some of this documentation and these publications are available in the public domain.

Books we recommend on this topic:

• Dream Yoga: Become Conscious in the World of Dreams by Samael Aun Weor 
• A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics
• The Art of Dreaming by Carlos Castaneda
• Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner
• Journeys Out of the Body: The Classic Work on Out-of-Body Experience by Robert A. Monroe

You can find some of the book on the right bar of our site.


Also read:

• Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism
• People can teach themselves new skills in dreams 
• How lucid dreaming could help treat PTSD
• Lucid dreamers are more self-reflective
• Vitamin B6 may help people better recall their dreams, new research suggests
• A list of herbs that can activate lucid dreaming

Dream Yoga: Lucid Dreaming in Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan dream yoga is the original form of lucid dreaming. It is a philosophical practice created in Tibetan Buddhism at least 1,000 years ago. Just like lucid dreams, the aim of this is to awaken the consciousness in the dream state. However, Buddhist monks have more esoteric goals in mind...

Their aim is to harness the power of the lucid dream state and then complete a number of set tasks to take them to the next level. These tasks include:

• Practice sadhana (a spiritual discipline)
• Receive initiations, empowerments and transmissions
• Visit different places, planes and lokas (worlds)
• Communicate with yidam (an enlightened being)
• Meet with other sentient beings
• Fly and shape shift into other creatures

The ultimate goal in Tibetan dream yoga is to "apprehend the dream" (attain conscious awareness) then dissolve the dream state. When you are deprived of physical stimulus (from the sleeping body) and conceptual stimulus (from the dreaming mind), you can observe the purest form of conscious awareness.

That sounds like an excellent goal for any lucid dreamer.

My favorite book: Dream Yoga: Consciousness, Astral Projection, and the Transformation of the Dream State by Samael Aun Weor (find the book on the right bar of this site)

Also read:

• Siddhis: The Supernatural and Spiritual Powers