
Pre-sleep treatment with galantamine stimulates lucid dreaming - rbanffy
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201246
======
bloomthrowaway
Just throwing this out there. I've had hundreds of lucid dreams and it's the
most amazing experiences I've have in my life. It takes practice to 1) figure
out you're dreaming with some level of reliability 2) learn to take control 3)
train yourself not to get too excited so you don't wake yourself almost
immediately.

I believe the first step is to train yourself to recognize a dream. It becomes
easier once you've done it, so I assume a few lucid dreams can lead to many
more. There are devices that supposedly trigger lucid dreams in many that have
never had one, I highly recommend trying it. Example of one of these products:
[http://sleepwithremee.com/](http://sleepwithremee.com/) . They detect REM
cycles and signal you in-dream with light through your closed eyelids, since
vision isn't actually suppressed during REM.

I've hit the point where I've had lucid dreams the seem to last over an hour.
Its insane, not even something I can describe to someone that hasn't lived it.
Like closing your eyes and thinking about flying, but with the same level of
detail as the real world. The sound, sights, feeling of the sun and wind, even
pain. To be a little inappropriate, sexual experiences also feel just the same
as the real version. I've had hyper real dreams too, especially with vision.
Colors that are impossibly bright and saturated, or impossible acuity.

~~~
deskamess
More of a pre-lucid dream question... can you dictate the content/topic of
your dreams? That would be some powerful stuff - virtual reality of another
kind.

~~~
bloomthrowaway
Yes. Once you're fully lucid you can do anything. I've flown across the US,
into space, banged movie stars in the white house, drove Ferraris off cliffs,
etc... Since your thought process is a bit disorganized the hardest part is
deciding what to do on the spot, knowing you've only got a few minutes to an
or so hour max

~~~
Al-Khwarizmi
I don't have that much power. For example, I can indeed fly, or jump as high
as I want, but I have problems creating objects or people out of thin air. It
seems easier for me to imagine that the object is behind me, and then turning
around, then it mostly works (not always). And people in my lucid dreams
sometimes have their own will, so I can try to bang anywhere (knowing that I
won't hurt real people and there will be no police) but I get rejected
sometimes :)

I suppose it's all a matter of practice or of becoming _more_ lucid, though.

~~~
bloomthrowaway
Sometimes things don't end up like I wanted either, but I've gotten pretty
good at "ejecting" those situations rapidly, a few seconds, in favor of what
I'm looking for. Not absolute God Mode, more like browsing an unlimited movie
collection for what you want

------
tekromancr
I've lucid dreamed a few times, and every time I am able to summon a "debug
menu". Sort of a drop-down menu with all of the dream parameters. I can never
think of anything more interesting to try than Physics>Gravity>moon.

I turned off collisions once, and spent like twenty minutes just putting my
hands through walls and giggling.

~~~
AgentME
It's weirdly common in my dreams to have low gravity or to have the ability to
swim through the air. I'm pretty sure my brain is recognizing that gravity
isn't applying to me in the way it should be if I were standing up (because
I'm actually laying down in a bed), and my brain is just confabulating an
explanation for it. So that makes me wonder whether that circumstance in your
lucid dream (and choices in lucid dreams in general) is really happening
because of your free choice, and whether the belief that you decided for that
to happen is just part of your brain confabulating an explanation. I assume it
and probably most decisions are a mix of both.

------
GoodOldNe
This is an interesting study but I have several methodologic concerns and feel
like nobody is discussing conflict of interest here. This is done at an
institute owned and managed by one researcher, recruited from attendees of a
seminar on lucid dreaming, approved by the ethics committee of that institute,
and using a gold standard self-report rating scale that the primary author
also invented. I am very curious about what they used for their active
placebo. I suppose research on dreaming and the interaction of drugs with
dreaming is pretty interesting and sparse, so I'll take what I can get but it
would be cool to see this replicated in a more generalizable way before anyone
starts trying this at home.

~~~
ianai
Indeed, the world needs a better way to fund health and research.

------
cassowary37
Missing a key analysis - note this sentence: "Side effects were more commonly
reported for both the 4 mg dose (p = 0.039) and 8 mg dose (p = 0.057) compared
to placebo"

It's highly likely that participants were unblinded by side effects, a common
problem in many placebo-controlled trials that is rarely addressed. If you're
a lucid dreamer, and interested enough to participate in a clinical trial, you
might be more apt to report the outcome of interest during active drug (= side
effect) periods. Note that this need not be a conscious decision, just an
unconscious bias.

Many RCT's include some language about asking participants to guess treatment
assignment - but this result is rarely reported...

~~~
joe_the_user
I'm very interested in lucid dreaming but I have never been able to lucid
dream consistently even using a lot of standard advice ("Be aware if you're
dreaming", etc, etc).

It seems as if anything that allowed many non-lucid dreamer to lucid dream
consistently would have to be more than a placebo effect.

------
Blinks-
This topic interests me, I have used indirect techniques to increase the rate
at which I get into a lucid dream state, drugs are not necessary with the
correct schedule. However like others here have noted sleep quality is reduced
and REM does not seem to have the same restorative effect if you spend it
lucid dreaming.

I was actually first taught how to do this by my Chinese martial arts teacher,
he recommended I spend any time I had in lucid dreams shadowboxing and sparing
with opponents and in situations (often against weapons) I fear the most. It
has actually increased my ability to think objectively during stressful
situations. Especially because when you get too excited in a dream it usually
collapses (look up deepening techniques if this is a problem for you).

One way I have heard people use this technique outside of martial arts is
practicing public speaking in the dream state to increase confidence and
create a realistic practice environment. Of course the possibilities are wide,
however I find it very difficult to do things I have not experienced in real
life, for example I can jump really high like I would if I was on a trampoline
but I can not fly around like superman.

This is the Guidebook that taught me the fundamental techniques:
[https://www.obe4u.com/files/the_phase/the_phase.html](https://www.obe4u.com/files/the_phase/the_phase.html)

Happy Dreaming all, it's the weekend give it a try!

------
tluyben2
I practiced lucid dreaming intensely when I was 18 for over a year and it has
been automatic since (it is over 25 years later); I would not miss it for the
world. It's like a strong hallucinogenic drug but without the side effects
(aka recovery is instant when I wake up). I like doing the things you would
think that are great; flying around, getting shot without being hurt (I did it
1000s of times and still find it interesting when the bullet goes in but it
doesn't hurt; very strange feelings as my brain signals imminent and possibly
lethal damage), fighting with robots, having sex and so on. And everything
(well, for as far as I know that is; many things I dream I have never
experienced, but it my brain at least thinks they would feel like that) feels
like the real thing. Also in real life I have fear of heights; in my dreams I
like to fly as high as I can and then swoop down over the lands (which are
often rain forests with maya temples for some reason).

I do solve programming problems in those dreams, at least I think so; I wake
up with a clear path to attacking those problems I went to sleep with and I do
have lucid dreams where I am discussing those issues with someone. Always
someone who I 'feel' I know, but who looks very different than they do in real
life. I definitely would find going to sleep a lot more boring without these
dreams. Advantage I find as well (I am not sure if everyone has this, but the
book I learned lucid dreaming from says it's one of the side effects) is that
I remember all my dreams.

I have long been curious about the following; since I have been wearing
wristbands like the Fitto, which measures sleep, I notice something which
could be related (or Fitto etc sleep measurement is just bullshit; I had it
with multiple brands though); compared to everyone I know, I spend far more
time in REM and deep sleep; far more than my comparable age group. I spend,
comparatively, very little time in light or awake state every night. Wonder
how this is for other lucid dreamers.

~~~
codethief
> but the book I learned lucid dreaming from

I was going to ask you how you learned and practiced lucid dreaming. What book
was that?

~~~
tluyben2
This requires a bit of backstory; I grew up in a very small village with a
very small library. The village as a whole was very religious and most books
in the library were screened by bible thumbing community members. I had
‘internet’ of sorts through BBS systems which gatewayed to international
gopher, ftp and other systems but books were books. One of the books that
slipped through the cracks was a outer body experience book. I am an atheist;
always was while raised christian; I always asked the questions I was not
allowed to ask and I never found anything in religion remotely believable even
though everyone around me (without exception) was devout. I do not believe in
outer body experience but it was something else to read for a change. So I
read it and it contained a training for doing OBE, which is, in fact, lucid
dreaming. And I can see how someone can see lucid dreaming for OBE or even
signs of god and an afterlife. It is pretty convincing. I have spoken to dead
people, next to my bed. I remember the conversations. I have met and talked to
people I have never met and so forth. I have seen angels (as our earthly brain
would imagine them; lot of light and very friendly). But these were all dreams
and we all dream like that: most people just forget what they dream. This book
gave me the training to do this at will and even change my dreams
significantly.

The all fail the tests that come later in the same book (I will try to find
it); the book trains you to fall through your bedroom floor and check the
table in your own house for something. Then to prove it is OBE, someone puts
something there, like an ace of spades and the next day you tell what it was.
Cool so ofcourse I tried this; I fell through my bed, through the floor (which
was made of wood which it was not) and floated over the livingroom table, saw
a big white paper with a square. Told my sister this: there was no square,
there was an ace of spades. It was, ofcourse, a dream but I was far more
amazed I could get my brain so far as to do what I set out to do: create a
dream in which I do what I wanted before I went to sleep. That I can no longer
do at will; that required a lot of training.

------
pastor_elm
One thing that struck me from Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep was him finishing
up the section on lucid dreaming stating people don't know if lucid dreaming
is bad, good, or irrelevant when it comes to affecting REM sleep's normal
function. I never thought it might have some sort of negative cognitive
effects, but I certainly now would be hesitant to try to induce it chemically.

------
paul7986
Controlling what you dream about(?)

I had a friend of 16 years and more who is in love with a singer in a popular
90s band(obsessed) and it's no way reciprocated. She says he loves her in
another dimension and she controls her dreams to speak to him. I use to have
to listen to her talk about her fantasy conversations with him until i could
no longer take talking about some delusion. She is no longer the fun person I
use to know... just lost in a delusion and I and all her family/friends tried
to make her snap out of it.. but no one is more important then the delusion
:-(

Is there another reason why one would want to lucid dream other then to create
another reality that doesn't exist?

~~~
skmurphy
Sleep is another form of cognition that can unlock other problem solving
capabilities. See "The Committee of Sleep" by Deidre Barrett
[https://www.amazon.com/Committee-Sleep-Scientists-
Athletes-S...](https://www.amazon.com/Committee-Sleep-Scientists-Athletes-
Solving/dp/0982869509) for a number of well documented examples of scientists,
engineers, artists, and others solving problems or unlocking design insights
from dream experiences.

~~~
0xb100db1ade
Although I'm always worried that one isn't really getting actual sleep if they
are half-awake and thinking during it

------
lpasselin
If anyone wants to try Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming, I made this a long time
ago:
[https://asselin.engineer/FILD_Mouse](https://asselin.engineer/FILD_Mouse)

It simply plays a song when you aren't pressing left mouse button. I go to
sleep with a mouse taped to my hand and try to keep pressing he button. After
around 5-15 minutes the song starts playing on my laptop speakers. For some
reason, even if the music is plays, I lucid dream.

------
irrational
I've never dreamed. Or at least I've never had any recollection of dreaming
upon waking. I wonder if this would make it so that I could dream, or remember
that I dream (if I do dream)?

~~~
gouggoug
I rarely remember my dreams, except, when I make a conscious effort of
remembering them when I wake up.

One night, right before bed, make the mental note that you need to remember
your dream when you wake up. Maybe even write yourself a reminder on your
phone or post-it note. When you wake up, seeing the note might help you
remember what you dreamed off. Maybe the first time you still won't remember,
but I'm sure after a few nights you probably finally will remember your dream.

If you do remember your dream, have a piece of paper close by and write it
down immediately, otherwise you might forget about it after your shower.

~~~
irrational
Thanks for the suggestion. I've been trying it, but so far no dice. Though,
since I've never dreamed previously, would I recognize it if I started
dreaming now?

------
Memosyne
I wonder if the induction of lucid dreams could become a commercial endeavor?
Viewing it as an alternative to technological virtual reality, people would
start buying products which induce dreams instead. Companies would
subsequently market and patent items which enhance visual experiences in
dreams.

The future is daunting.

~~~
modzu
u mean like sleepwithremee.com?

"the future is already here. it just isn't evenly distributed"

~~~
Memosyne
From their reviews, it seems like they aren't very successful in inducing
lucid dreams.

------
harshulpandav
Flying/weightlessness has been my all-time-favorite lucid dream.

I have been a lucid dreamer since a long time. It definitely is an amazing
thing. I have never really got tempted to wear VR headsets or such devices. I
can achieve this state just before I have fallen asleep completely. I get a
stronger control over dreams usually in the morning when I have mentally woke
up but have not opened my eyes yet.

1\. I can fly, hover, experience 0 G. Helps me save the money which I might
have spent in doing it in real life.

2\. I can solve problems. Programming problems or other real world problems.

3\. I meet people whom I may not get a chance to meet with in real life.

4\. I can "continue" a dream after waking up and going back to bed.

The best thing about this ability is that you have complete control on your
dream. You are aware that you are dreaming. You can direct the dream to go
whereever and however you want.

------
madeuptempacct
Tangentially related, but if anything "magical" exists, lucid dreaming is the
way to it.

Egyptians were supposedly obsessed with being lucid during dreams so they
don't "lose" themselves in the afterlife. Seems quite logical, since you
essentially lose track of yourself during a dream.

~~~
monktastic1
Indeed. The Tibetans claim that this is all a dream, and that the only way to
confirm this for yourself is to wake up. Until then, because all of the
internal dynamics follow rather precise and well-defined laws (i.e.,
correlations), it is easy to be fooled into thinking that it is real and
external. In actuality, it is all made of "your" mind, in the same way that a
dream environment is made of "your" mind. "Your" is in quotes because it is
not the mind of the dream _character_ , but of the _dreamer_. Ultimately the
character discovers that the two are the same, by introspecting precisely.

~~~
Eliezer
Who did the people who wrote that up think they were talking to?

~~~
monktastic1
I wish I could do this justice in one post.

The whole thing is like a snake swallowing its own tail. If what "they" are
saying is correct, then this is "my" dream. The Buddha is a character I
dreamed up to remind me how to wake up.

Why isn't this solipsism? First, because it's not my _personal_ dream (the
person being a character himself). Second, for a similar reason as MWI is not
solipsism. This branch really is my own branch (in a particular sense). What I
experience as other people are really "my versions" of them, but this does not
mean there aren't other perspectives analogous to mine.

This idealist perspective can be made internally consistent. At that point,
deciding between it and materialism may seem like a matter of preference. The
difference is that the idealist perspective can be confirmed, in the same way
that a nighttime dream can be: you discover, very precisely, how you
constructed the whole thing, including all the tricks you used to blind
yourself to the ruse.

~~~
Eliezer
Okay, but if you thought it was all your dream, why would you write up that
belief in a presumed attempt to communicate the same idea to another figment
of your imagination?

~~~
monktastic1
In a dream, it's possible to gain and lose lucidity repeatedly, and in varying
degrees. In the "breaks," one concocts all kinds of nonsensical strategies to
regain it. I suppose one of mine is arguing with others about the nature of
consciousness and its relationship to QM. In the best case, other people catch
on and contribute missing pieces of the puzzle, which alleviates remaining
doubts that were dissuading me from pursuing it in earnest.

------
bladecatcher
Those who’re interested in lucid dreams should definitely watch the film
Waking Life -
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Life](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Life)

------
always_good
I had what seemed like a lucid dream recently but realized I couldn't know if
I was merely dreaming that I knew that I was dreaming and was able to control
the dream.

What's the difference between that and lucid dreaming, and how can you
distinguish?

~~~
atentaten
If you know you're dreaming and can control it, then it is lucid dreaming.

~~~
always_good
But what's the difference between that and merely dreaming that you are?

Don't you feel like you have control and are making decisions in every dream
that you have?

Is it really that interesting if you happen to dream that you're controlling a
dream vs dreaming that you're controlling your flight around the world or
whatever nonsense we dream about?

~~~
defertoreptar
I know what you mean. I want to say I've had both types of dreams, but as
you're pointing out, how could I know for sure?

I will say that when I'm having a genuine lucid dream, after I wake up, I know
without a doubt it was a lucid dream. With regular dreams, I look back on them
and don't exactly identify with my "dream self." That guy didn't realize how
absurd the scenario was. He resembles me, but he wasn't me.

With a genuine lucid dream, I look back at the dreamer and can say, "yeah that
was 100% me." Also, I find that becoming lucid always sort of pulls the dream
into a more realistic scenario. It goes from chaotic and weird to just plain
normal life (only, the rules have changed now).

So I guess what leads me to believe that I've had these "pseudo lucid dreams"
is that I look back on them after waking and don't identify with the dreamer
the same way I do with a genuine lucid dream. It feels more like I was
watching someone else, like a recording, than as though it was a real
firsthand experience

~~~
always_good
I wonder how lucid dreaming compares to a phenomenon where (A) we dream that
we know we are dreaming and (B) it happens to line up with reality enough that
we are convinced we had control.

Maybe philosophically there is no difference. But it would certainly dispel a
lot of the folk magic around lucid dreaming.

~~~
defertoreptar
The way that genuine lucid dreaming differs from those scenarios is that it's
been shown empirically that the dreamer is in fact aware that he is asleep and
is dreaming.

Check out Stephen LaBerge for more info. They found that while asleep, a
person is basically paralyzed with exception to their eye movement. In a lab
setting they were able to have the dreamer use a signal, using eye movement,
that they were dreaming.

One thing they did was to test the theory that subjective dream time is
different than time experience while awake. They did this by doing the eye
signal, counting down 10 seconds, and then signalling again. They found that
there was no "time dilution" when compared to wakefulness.

------
wil421
Has anyone taken Chantix to quit smoking? I did about 10 years ago and it gave
me the craziest most vivid dreams and nightmares.

~~~
AnthonBerg
Yes. I dreamt I was sending psychic messages out of a dream, and woke up, and
sent an SMS to apologise for the psychic message, and woke up again. So
attempting to communicate out of dream layers two dreams deep.

Woke up to what I believe is reality. Am there still.

~~~
AgentME
I've had this weirdly commonly (without Chantix ... just maybe some sleep
deprivation), if you replace "psychic messages" with texts or other online
messages. Though amusingly, "psychic messages" and "online messages" don't
really seem so categorically different in this context.

------
aaroninsf
For those interested, galantamine is a prescription medication "indicated for
the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type." Nice long
list of reported side effects:

[https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_galantamine_razadyne/drugs-c...](https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_galantamine_razadyne/drugs-
condition.htm)

However...

[https://www.amazon.com/Galantamine-Dreaming-Nootropic-
Supple...](https://www.amazon.com/Galantamine-Dreaming-Nootropic-Supplement-
Tablets/dp/B010N3D1H2/)

Hmmm.....

------
LinuxBender
Looks interesting, but I would use with caution if you have renal or gut
issues. Research this one extensively before using.

~~~
hartator
Can you be more specific? On wikipedia, they say "no side effects".

~~~
LinuxBender
Certainly. Here are a few starting points [1] [2] [3], but it would be best to
enter "galantamine dosage" and "galantamine risks" into a few search engines.
Perhaps report the wiki page.

[1] - [https://reference.medscape.com/drug/razadyne-
galantamine-343...](https://reference.medscape.com/drug/razadyne-
galantamine-343059)

[2] -
[https://www.drugs.com/dosage/galantamine.html](https://www.drugs.com/dosage/galantamine.html)

[3] - [https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a699058.html#side-
effe...](https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a699058.html#side-effects)

------
oldpond
This happens to me all the time, and I'm in my 50's. I'll be lying in bed
thinking about some topic, and my wife will poke me and say, "Turn over,
you're snoring", and as far as I can tell I never fell asleep at all. It
doesn't affect my rest as far as I can tell. I find it enjoyable.

------
davebryand
"Lucid dreaming is a remarkable state of consciousness..."

Like anything else, it's only remarkable until you've understood and
experienced it. I look forward to the time when this is considered a _normal_
state of consciousness and is just something people do to enhance their life
experience.

We in the west have a pretty weak relationship to the limits of consciousness.
It's great to see this changing with studies like this popping up more
frequently.

That said, I've only achieved mixed results with my lucid dreaming experiments
as I found the training to hamper my energy the next day. I'm going to give
galantamine a try and see if I can get some more consistent results.

------
babbadook
Ive been a fairly regular lucid dreamer for probably 8 years now. Having more
regular LDs would certainly be welcome. Im also quite interested in this bit:
"Galantamine also significantly increased dream recall, sensory vividness and
complexity (p<0.05). Dream recall, cognitive clarity, control, positive
emotion, vividness and self-reflection were increased during lucid compared to
non-lucid dreams (p<0.0001)."

------
blubb-fish
i usually try to materialize a hot chick and have sex ... afterwards i tend to
blame myself for not having used the opportunity for constructive self-
inspection.

~~~
drveen28
So summon her and ask her to be your guide and partner in your inspection? :)

------
3x
Has anyone ever experimented with Calea zacatechichi, Entada rheedii, or any
other natural oneirogens to induce lucid dreaming?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calea_ternifolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calea_ternifolia)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entada_rheedii](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entada_rheedii)

~~~
Nursie
Calea, yes.

Smoked it, the smoke is thick and a bit... sorta soapy. Apparently the tea is
disgusting.

Next two nights I'd have a lot of dreams, but also sleep fitfully and not feel
well rested. Definitely an interesting herb, but not a habit I'd want to make
frequent because of the tiredness. That was a few years ago now.

------
noetic_techy
This has been known for more than 10 years. Goes to show that science is still
catching up to what the lucid dream community already knows.

This book from 2006 detailed Galantamine and other nootropic stacks that
stimulate lucid dreaming long before noots were "cool":

[http://a.co/f30L9Ub](http://a.co/f30L9Ub)

~~~
Mizza
Yeah, but "known" by an online community and empirically-meaured-by-scientists
are different things.

------
chousuke
Man, I see people describing their dreams as having vivid colours and sounds
and weird stuff and I can't relate at all. I very rarely dream at all for some
reason and the few times I can remember having dreamt there's only a very
indistinct feeling of visual impressions and no detail.

makes me feel like I'm missing out on something...

------
zygotic12
Lucid dreaming is dangerous. I used it to debug code - no shit. I've spent the
last 15 years trying to err.. 'become normal' and sleep (again) err..
properly. Currently I do 2 sleeps per night with a 1-2hour break in between.
One day I hope to sleep through a whole night. On the plus side sunrises......

------
freedomben
This comment is late so may not get noticed, but I've been able to trigger
lucid dreams using kava. Get the good stuff, and avoid tinctures. Alcohol
makes it seem good at first but I've had some bad hangovers from it, which
shouldn't happen.

------
germinalphrase
I’ve only ever had a small number of lucid-like experiences. I only remember
my dreams 4-5 times a month, but those few lucid experiences were wonderful.

If anyone has any advice that’s worked for them on stimulating (lucid)
dreaming, I would love to hear it.

~~~
madeuptempacct
Either do reality checking every day for an hour or so, or lay down, relax,
and don't move for 5 hours while staying awake.

Keeping a dream journal will make the above less necessary.

I find my "bandwidth" limited during lucid dreams - I can't explore wide open
spaces and if I look at details, I am prone to waking up. I never found the
"just like being awake and being there" trope to be true. I spent a lot of
time on detailed lucid dreaming - mainly, I wanted to test OBEs, so I would
have an "OBE" and go to a place I have never been, but could check later, like
a neighbor's house, or a store. It would always be absurd and "poorly
rendered", nor would it match, when I checked it later irl (what a surprise).

~~~
rangibaby
This gels with my experience.

I noticed I was dreaming and tried flying. It worked for a second, until “god”
decided it wasn’t possible and I was pulled back to the ground by an
invisible, irresistible force (EDIT: I think it’s called gravity?!). Trying to
fight it just woke me up.

The poor rendering of places I’m not meant to go to is something I noticed
when I gained control of a dream and tried going into a random building that
was a “decoration”. The inside was completely empty, and the walls were gray.
It seemed like a polite “fuck you” from my brain.

In a normal dream someone threw me a ball and it followed an “uncanny valley”
trajectory. Almost right, but so wrong at the same time. Nice try, brain.

Lately I just try to enjoy my dreams. Paying attention to details can spoil a
fun dream (I have to be careful to never check my wristwatch in dreams!)

~~~
jerf
"I noticed I was dreaming and tried flying. It worked for a second until I was
pulled back to the ground by an invisible, irresistible force. Trying to fight
it just woke me up."

This may be a Can't Unread sort of thing for some people, but... flying in my
dreams is now a source of frustration for me since I noticed that no matter
how "high" I fly, there is always something on the horizon higher than me. If
I fly over this building, another one even taller will be behind it; if I fly
over this tree, another one even taller will be behind it.

My theory is that dreams, unsurprisingly, come from your own personal
experience and the neural nets you build, and my visual field in real life
_always_ has something above me; buildings, trees, etc. I essentially never
stand on the top of the horizon, let alone personally fly for real in the
cockpit. Consequently, it is essentially impossible for me to dream that I'm
truly flying. (I've managed some exceptions a couple of times, but it's not
reliable.) Real flying is frustrating because seeing it out the side through
this tiny window is not enough visual stimulation to fix the problem; I really
need the cockpit view, preferably during takeoff, and preferably more than
once every few months.

However, as a compensating factor, I appear to have over the years watched
enough Star (Gate/Trek/Wars) and played enough space flight sims that I can be
"in space" with reasonable freedom. I have managed to jump from "the ground",
which is as I described above where something is always above me no matter
what, to "space", by closing my dream eyes and transitioning. It's a risky
move, in the sense that it definitely pushes me closer to just plain waking.

~~~
politician
When I was younger, flying was hard because I'd inevitably crash the
experience by looking down. However, after spending a lot of time staring out
of windows on planes I discovered that I could actually now "look down" in
dreams and not crash.

Reflecting on your comment about there always being something on the horizon,
I realized that I've always imagined being surrounded by a fairly sparse cloud
layer while "in flight".

So my two pieces of advice are: (1) Build up your neural network's ability to
support large scenes by observing large scenes, and (2) consider things that
would be reasonable to find around you while in flight (clouds, planes, other
flying people, birds, etc) and actively try to find "yet larger buildings" as
unreasonable.

Staying in a lucid dreaming state, for me, seems to be more about knowing when
the density of ambient "plausible reality" drops too low and steering (or
snapping) yourself away from those areas.

~~~
therein
As strange as it sounds, I find that spinning on my axis to stabilize the
dream reality really helps.

The dream getting unstable feels like how being extremely tired in real life
feels like. Your vision might get slightly blurry, your head will feel like it
is moving back and forth, left and right, if that makes sense. And then you
lose control. Unless you do something to stabilize the scenery. I find that
spinning helps in these situations. Brings you right back.

------
godelski
Keeping a dream journal really helps with dreaming.

That being said I only lucid dreamed once but I went from no dreams (which is
why I started) to remembering 5 a night. But I don't keep it anymore.

------
jl2718
This is awesome, but scary. Lucid dreaming is s game where you try to figure
out what is real and what is imagined, and your brain tries to trick you.
Eventually, your brain wins.

~~~
antidesitter
But what’s the difference between you and your brain?

;)

------
modells
Shit, I could use that because I don’t dream anymore. I only get vivid dreams
when missing a dose of antidepressant, and then a hangover the next day.

------
bookofjoe
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galantamine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galantamine)

------
oyebenny
Galantamine is Rx in the US. :/

~~~
chrisweekly
Looks like it's usually prescribed for dementia. I wonder what its effects
might be on someone with normal cognitive function, while they're awake...

~~~
z0r
Got curious (tempted to maybe try it) and found this -
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27222217](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27222217)

Looks like it may impair your working memory if you have normal cognitive
function.

------
asah
I had a lucid dream that I was reading HN.

Then I woke up and realized I was at work.

Then I fell asleep and dreamed I was in Inception.

Then I had a lucid dream that I was taking galantamine.

Then my self driving epistemology went into an infinite loop with my AI's
sense of self awareness.

------
WalterSear
I wonder if it has any effect on the hypnotic class of psychedelics.

------
modzu
and then there's this thing called astral projection

