5 Traits of Natural Lucid Dreamers
March 9, 2010 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Lucid Dreaming
With lucid dreaming you can explore the crack between worlds, but first you have to break on through. Image by ATV Nut.
Sleep Paralysis, Fear, and Spirituality
February 26, 2010 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under sleep paralysis
Image by nima (cc)
The following is an excerpt from my soon-to-be published ebook, Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer’s Guide. This section illustrates how sleep paralysis is a complex set of experiences that includes body paralysis, waking hallucinations, and the fear that connects these two strands together, reinforcing the nightmarish aspects of the condition.
Sleep Paralysis Treatment – Dreams of Being Held Down
January 22, 2010 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under sleep paralysis
Sleep Paralysis is a troubling sleep condition that is deeply misunderstood in our culture. Experienced by millions as an incubus attack or being “ridden by a witch,” sleep paralysis (SP) has biological causes that are related to sleep hygiene, stress, and insomnia.
In SP, the dreamer is aware of the body’s paralysis that normally comes with REM (dreaming) sleep. This paralysis is what keeps us from acting out our dreams: a pretty important evolutionary skill that prevents us from injuring ourselves or our sleeping partners when we are dreaming about hunting tigers and bears.
5 tips for Powerful Dreams Over the Holidays
December 22, 2009 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Working with Dreams
Image by rachel.laureene ♫ ♥
How Dreams of Bereavement Reach Out to Us
November 5, 2009 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Visitation Dreams
Imabe by ~diP
In my last article about dreams of the dead, I gave short shrift to dreams of bereavement, which is a subset of dreams where we are visited by the deceased. Often, all visitation dreams are interpreted to be grief dreams, despite the wide range of characteristics shown in these bizarre experiences. So, now let’s take a look at dreams of the recently departed that do seem to be part of bereavement, offering up healing, closure and emotional release that aids the grief process.
Visitation dreams: When the Veil between Worlds is Thin
October 29, 2009 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Visitation Dreams
With Halloween on its way, it’s high time to take a look at visitation dreams, or dreams we have of the departed.
Dream Interpretation in Sufism Past and Present
October 14, 2009 by Dr.Muhammad
Filed under Dream Interpretation
Image by Lisa Dietrich
The reliance that Sufis place on dreams in their paths of spiritual progress is illustrated in a dream reported from the life of Imaam Abu Hamid al-Ghazzaalii (1058-1111). In Duncan B. Macdonald’s 19th century biography, it is said that Al-Ghazzaalii was beset by many personal struggles of a spiritual nature during certain phases of his religious studies.
Lucid Dreaming and Christianity: Entering the Light
October 8, 2009 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Lucid Dreaming
The loudest voices of the lucid dreaming movement cite pleasure, power, and fulfilling fantasies as among the benefits of becoming more aware in our dreams. Unfortunately this popular expression has added fuel to the smoldering and historic distrust of dreams by many contemporary Christians, who are told that dreams can only be temptations of the Devil. However, lucid dreaming also has a modern development in Christian spirituality that is largely unknown but growing in influence.
Lucid Nightmare Podcast
September 28, 2009 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Lucid Dreaming
As promised, here is the recording of my talk this past June about lucid nightmares.
The Snooze Method for Remembering More Dreams
September 21, 2009 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Working with Dreams
Image by H is for Home
If you want to get on the fast track to remember more dreams, it’s important to start keeping a dream diary. Still, it can take a while before the dreams make it from slumberland to the waking world. The reason for this lag between intention and dream recall is that our memory system is not geared for automatic dream recall, and also because we live in a culture that does not value dreams.
