Lucid Dreams: The First Virtual Reality :: essays research papers

Lucid Dreams The First Virtual pragmatismPsychologicalSean Pasinsky LibEd 316-2 5 Feb. 1997     For ages people have thought of dreams as curses or blessings that wecould non prevent nor manipulate. This "place" c exclusivelyed our dreams has constantlypuzzled us, because it is here where all things atomic number 18 possible and seem to occur.In our dreams we perform superhuman and grand feats that would normally beimpossible in the "awake world". We reveal the manpower or women of our dreams,depending on our sexual orientation. While we dream, these wonderful things mother our temporary reality. Yet sometimes while dreaming we whitethorn birth themost horrifying events imaginable, called nightmares. E realone has their ownversion of horror, my most terrifying nightmare has been where my family andfriends have been taken swan of by evil monsters that cannot be stopped. quite an than kill me they make me watch old 1970s television shows ove r and over.For years, men have thought that there should be a way of preventing orcontrolling these nightly events.     Humans must, like any animal, sleep. We do not fully understand why wemust sleep. We only know that if we are deprived of sleep long enough that wewill most sure enough die. The same is true for dreams and dreaming(1). If wesleep long enough we will move over an advanced stage of sleep where our body beginsto experience rapid eye movement (REM). It is during this REM period that weexperience most of our dreams. Many scientists see to speculate the reasons fordreaming through biological our psychological means. This proves to be veryfrustrating for someone trying to find empirical meaning and justice closely his orher dreams.     There are countless books written about dreams with just as manydifferent interpretations and meanings for specific dream references. Forpsychics, astrologists, or psychologists who attempt to i nterpret dreams, thereare numerous factors that must be considered when endeavoring to find meaning ina dream. Because of these numerous factors that contribute to the author ofdreaming, many different paths have been created for exploration. From Freudssexual symbolism to the current random recollection theories diversity in dreaminterpretation abounds. However, there is a way to dream and not be at the mercyof your subconscious mind mind.     For the past ten years a bright psychologist at Stanford University, bythe name of Steven Laberge, has been studying dreams and the physiology of thehuman body during the dream state. His research may sound commonplace if itwerent for the added fact that he is training people to control their dreams.