First let's explain what lucid dreaming is. Lucid dreaming, a phrase coined by the Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in 1913, is the act of realizing that you are dreaming during the dream, thus allowing you to control what happens in the dream. Most of the time when we dream we will watch or be involved in a fantasy-like story with a level of disregard to physics or reality. Lucid dreamers are able to perceive when these anomalies occur in dreams. This perception allows them to become lucid, meaning they can alter the story of the dream to fit their conscious desires while their body remains unconscious. This is a scientifically proven phenomena that has been recorded in many studies, such as that of Frederik van Eeden and Stephen LaBerge . In 1988, Snyder & Gackenback conducted a survey which found that 20% of people claimed to dream lucidly frequently (every month) while 50% of people had done it at least once in their lives. The skill has been proven to raise perception and awareness, and people who regularly practice this skill report having more focus and drive on goals and desires. They later took their subjects and conducted a study to see if lucid dreaming affected their puzzle solving skills. They concluded that those who actively practiced lucid dreaming solved 25% more puzzles than those that did not. I have practiced this skill at a novice level, and although in this paper I want to use a scientific and near-unbiased perspective as can be achieved, I personally promote that everyone should try this safe and unique experience.
Now in addressing how we perceive reality. How we perceive the world around us will always dictate how we deal with it. In dreams, when we see a frightening scene, we become scared. If there is an obstacle, we must decide whether or not get past it or choose a different route. When dreaming lucidly, everything is perceived differently. Terrifying scenes become less terrifying because we know they are not real. Obstacles are not a challenge because we know they can be overcome. In a study performed at the University of Lincoln, UK, 68 students were asked to solve puzzles in a test to see if insight gained from lucid dreaming could pertain to empirical data. The results showed that, on average, participants who were frequent lucid dreamers solved 25 percent more of the puzzles than people who had never experienced lucid dreaming, according to the study, which was published in June in the journal Dreaming. "This suggests that the insight experienced during the dream state may relate to the same underlying cognition needed for insight in the waking state," the researchers said.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche perceived a world that would find her unattractive if she let people see her flaws. She created her own problems by seeing the world in a negative light, and ironically refrained from being near large amounts of light to hide her imperfections (both literally and metaphorically). If she had been more positive about the environment she was embedded in, she might not have ended up getting taken off to a mental institution. She lacked the confidence that she could face the world as herself, just as in our dreams we generally lack the confidence to face our fears when not dreaming lucidly.
We also often wish to escape reality. We use vices like television, alcohol, drugs, and many other tools to envelope ourselves in a new world that doesn't hold the same problems and consequences that we deal with in our lives. We escape the world by dreaming, and play out our fantasies of being the hero, the doctor, the race car driver, or maybe even the tranquil hermit. Lucid dreamers have the most control over this, being able to consciously decide that very dream what to do, like talk with a dead relative, or fly to the Eiffel Tower. Blanche desperately wanted to escape her reality. She believed she would never be accepted in the society she lived in because of her past transgressions. So she took to alcohol and pretending to be the posh aristocrat she was no longer in an attempt to fool those around her, and eventually fool herself. Everyone is guilty of trying to escape reality on some level, and this is a healthy practice in moderation. But eventually reality will catch up with everyone.
Changing reality is something that sounds impossible but is actually completely in our hands. How we behave in our lives ultimately determines the reality that we live in. In dreams, we have no control. In lucid dreams on the other hand, we are able to play god in our minds. I will use a personal experience as an example: In one of my most recent lucid dreams I was at a party with some friends. As I walked from one room to the next, the atmosphere immediately changed from a fun laid-back party into a horror scene. The lights dimmed quickly, and a cold draft rushed through the air. It was this strange occurrence that confused me and made me question the world I was in, and in turn I suddenly became lucid and aware I was in a dream. Normally I would have to endure the horrors of my mind as they are thrown at me, but now lucid I decided to change the reality I was being subjected to. I consciously changed the scenery with a flick of my wrist and turned my surroundings into a bright and happy child's birthday party. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the protagonist Blanche wishes desperately to have Mitch find her desirable. She changes her circumstances by feeding him liquor and placing shades on the lights. She planned to trick him into marriage so she would be able to change her bleak environment to one of security and acceptance.
Finally, in the end, we must all learn to face reality. This is not so much an acceptance that we have no control over our own realities, but instead that we must observe the obstacles and choices that are presented to us. Starting in dreams, we face our conjured reality in a way much like getting tossed around in the waves of an ocean. We are subjected to the constant change of chaotic rhythm all while just trying to keep our heads above water. If you are a lucid dreamer, you hold the power to control the seas, and are able to be carried to whatever destination you want. But in the end, you are still in the ocean, and until you realize you must swim and use the currents to your advantage, you will constantly be fighting a never ending battle with the tides. Blanche shows us that same struggle. She could not face reality as it was, and instead chose to create her own, proven by her line “I don't want realism. I want magic!” (Tennessee Williams, 1223). She ignored the life that was in front of her, and in turn was constantly fighting an uphill battle against the odds of which she could never truly win. This battle is one we all must deal with. We must all take a realistic approach on our lives and reality in order to change and shape the world we live in. Recognizing the difficulties and factors allows us to make the most clear and concise choices when dealing with our lives.
While dreams are not part of reality, it is not misleading to assume that they play a part in our lives. As I've previously explained, how we perceive the world determines how we will act accordingly. The practice of lucid dreaming allows us to take a different approach on choosing our destinies, one that is (while sometimes not terribly realistic) an instantaneous outcome to change our surroundings to that of a preferential one. This same practice is what we must take from our dreams and apply to real life. Although we do not have the power to change the color of the sky or bend time and space, we do have the power to alter the course of our lives, and also the lives of those we interact with. We have a great power and responsibility to the world, from the poorest beggar to the president of a country. We must realize that all of our actions have reactions, and to not miss a single beat, because everything counts.
Sources:
LaBerge, Ph.D., Stephen. "Lucid Dreaming: Psychophysiological Studies of Consciousness during REM Sleep." (2007): 163-69. Print.
Evans, Cerri. http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/news/2014/08/938.asp. American Psychological Association, 1 June 2014. Web.
Williams, Tennessee. "A Streetcar Named Desire." The Norton Introduction to Literature Portable 10th ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2006. 1165-1238. Print
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