When I was younger I read some freaky book that had me keeping journals and holding things in my hand when I slept so that I may experience lucid dreaming. And it worked. After awhile I was totally aware in-dream, and was doing some really cool sh*t in them. And I was totally flying in every single one.
Now there’s an easier way to achieve this control, says psychologist Jayne Gakenbach, a researcher at Grant MacEwan University. Play games. It’s possible that you’ll become dream aware and have some control as a gamer. “If you’re spending hours a day in a virtual reality, if nothing else it’s practice,” said Gackenbach. “Gamers are used to controlling their game environments, so that can translate into dreams….”
And this even extends into nightmares: Gakenbach conducted a study with about 100 people in 2008 that studied how video games affected control in nightmares. She found that gamers experienced less or even reversed threat simulation and fewer aggression dreams overall. In other words, you’ll take control of your nightmare, changing the situation to be in your favor.
And, again, I get this. I recently had a dream where I was being chased by some strange automobile with a face on it. Terrifying…until I became dream aware. After this, I turned around, sought out the faced thing, and tore it to shreds. And to show that I’m not totally crazy:
“What happens with gamers is that something inexplicable happens,” Gackenbach explained. “They don’t run away, they turn and fight back. They’re more aggressive than the norms.”
Anyone else get this?
Videogames train you for lucid dreaming?[boingboing]
