The Mystery

As technology continues to move us towards more immersive dreamlike experiences, one can only wonder what digital wonders lay just beyond the horizon of tomorrow. We may also question just how the future of virtual reality will impact the study and practice of lucid dreaming. Are we, perhaps, the last generation to whom lucid dreaming will maintain an appeal? Will our descendants forgo the challenges faced in attaining lucidity in favour of effortless virtual worlds? I expect this may be the case for many, however, one fact should keep the flame of lucidity alight, in spite of the growing competition from ever improving digital alternatives: Dreams, unlike man-made simulations, are a natural phenomenon replete with the inherent mysteries of our universe and the unknown. Our digital worlds are crafted in code, born from man's imagination but limited by a predefined structure. In any software simulation - all that can be known, experienced or discovered within it, already exists. It ...

The term 'hypnosis' is derived from the Ancient Greek word for sleep (hypnos). Hypnosis is a psychological state characterized by increased receptiveness and responsiveness, relaxation and heightened imagination. It is not precisely like sleep because the subject remains conscious during the process. The person focuses intently on the subject at hand. In conventional hypnosis, we follow the suggestions of the hypnotist, or our own ideas, as if they were real. Hypnosis has the power to alter both body and mind and people experience an altered state of consciousness during this phenomenon. In patients who can be easily hypnotized, hypnosis sessions have been shown to be effective in lessening chronic pain, the pain of childbirth and other medical procedures, treating smoking addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, and easing anxiety or phobias. The neuropsychological basis of hypnosis involves two main elements: induction and suggestions. The hypnotic induction is the phase...