I have become much more aware of the dream state since spending a lot of time in meditation; since meditation often induces conscious dreaming, or stated differently; lucid dreaming. Many times throughout my life I’ve witnessed being aware of dreams pass through my conscious awareness while dreaming. Sometimes thoughts or visions arise quite spontaneously apart from the originator of those thoughts; in other words they come from a higher source and bring messages back to us that offer guidance in the director guidance of our spirit towards decision making. For instance I remember specifically having a message coming through while in the state of cognitive awareness asking me in a melody: Tell me what you goina do with your life? What you goina do? In one unselfish moment, in one unselfish way?
Sometimes the conscious dreaming can also induce visions as well. These visions may be quite conscious during meditation practices. Although the visions are perhaps less conscious during sleep dreaming, they are nevertheless rememberable to the conscious awareness after awakening.
At times we/I have had remembered dreams of people from the past that have various relevancy to the present. For instance remembering the presence of someone in this life who has past on and has come back to let them impart the joy of their spirit that you had felt when they were with you in the physical. Quite fascinating to me is the fact their spirit can join you/us in sleep or the waking state; as I’ve witnessed both. It is also helpful to discuss this with others before they pass on because more of a link is established between you and another soul in which transmission is encouraged.
Meditation, Lucid Dreaming and Cognition
Studies since the 1970s have found fascinating links between meditation, lucid dreaming and cognition:
Meditators have reduced REM sleep but greater dream recall
Meditators have more lucid dreams, even after controlling for recall
Both meditators and lucid dreamers show more field independence*
*Field independence is a cognitive style of learning. It means you tend to separate details from the surrounding context (as opposed to field dependence, which is the inability to distinguish details).
Are you field independent?
Think back to your school days. If you relied less on the teacher for support, and were able to learn through extensive reading and writing on your own, then you are field independent.
The fact that you are taking a self-taught course right now also suggests you may be field independent.
According to a study by Jayne Gackenbach, this psychological mechanism underlies the emergence of lucidity. It is consistent in men and women.
What's more, it's linked to the presence of the organic compound COH in certain parts of the brain during both meditation and lucid dreaming.
This suggests lucid dreams may be considered a form of sleeping meditation.
https://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/how-to-meditate-for-lucid-dreaming.html#:~:text=Studies%20since%20the%201970s%20have%20found%20fascinating%20links,and%20lucid%20dreamers%20show%20more%20field%20independence%20%2A
