Lucid Dreaming

[Red Beret]

Has anyone else experienced this?

When I was I child I recall having these, and more recently I have started reding up on them. Using certain techniques I have been able to become partialy aware that I am actualy dreaming, but not yet control them. The Nova dreamer (an REM dection device) seems interesting, gently alerting you when you experience REM during sleep. But the only one I can get in Oz is around $500!!

It seems to me that lucid dreaming could give you the power to learn things while you sleep, unlock the hidden power of your brain, and possibly go on an LSD type trip without the risk.

What are all your thoughts on this? At the least it would be an interesting novelty. Perhaps linked to the mysterious Out Of Body experience (OBE)? On that matter, has anyone influenced themselves to have an OBE, if yes, how did you do it?

BTW, I'm not saying that an OBE is actually what it claims to be, I'm just refering to that phenomena by its common name.

[c.Tech]

I’ve had lucid dreams when I was a kid too. I’m thinking that maybe they occur more in children.

Did you get the idea from the show on 2 nights ago about near death experiences? It was quite interesting, talking about how OBE's work and ways people induced near death experiences states without drugs.

They also spun people around in circles, you know, like those things used for training astronauts, they blacked out for a matter of seconds, then came back. The spinning thing was meant to represent a fighter jet taking sharp turns because that is also where blackouts can happen.

Another machine they used for testing was a modified motorbike helmet fitted with electronics that created a NDE like effect.

I think both these devices worked I the same way as an NDE does, by cutting off oxygen to parts of the brain.

I still have it on tape, I might find a way it can be put onto computer and make a torrent. Are there any places you can go to hire appliances that will do this? Would DVD recorders work?

I have read a lot about psychedelic drugs, and am especially interested in amanitas http://www.erowid.org/plants/amanitas/amanitas.shtml although I’ve only tried them a few times. 1st time was smoked 1 gram, 2nd time smoked 2 grams, 3rd time 3.5 grams oral, 4th time 1 gram oral. Although I’ve had no such luck with the psychedelic effects or lucid dreams, just uncontrollable twitching and trembling the 1st time, next time I’m going to smoke up to 4 grams until I get high. All were dried mushrooms picked fresh.

http://www.erowid.org/plants/calea_zacatechichi/calea_zacatechichi.shtml another psychedelic substance, which I think is the stuff that they sell as a legal highs product ‘dream enhancer’.

[nbk2000]

Although I’ve had no such luck with the psychedelic effects or lucid dreams, just uncontrollable twitching and trembling the 1st time, next time I’m going to smoke up to 4 grams until I get high.


That statement has Darwin Award candidate written all over it. :D

[Red Beret]

Yes, I saw that show on TV, which put the subject back into my head. I have been interested in psychadelic drugs also, but never tried for fear of ending up psychotic or something.

Lucid dreams are definatly more common in kids, as they don't nesasarily know what they are, and don't try to have them. When you start trying too hard, it wont happen. You must be relaxed and positive.

I remember as a kid, waking up after a lucid dream, a flying one, feeling 'high' very, very high. Didn't understand at the time though.

I think anyone can have them, I am trying at the moment, to get the high, as I need to stay away from chemically induced highs from now on. Benefits are possible such as, increasing your learning power and actually learning in your dreams. If I come into any money soon I may invest in a nova dreamer.

[Jacks Complete]

My advice? Don't learn this skill. I did, and it will ruin your life. Imagine never, ever getting a good night's sleep again. That's lucid dreaming. Unless you can turn it off with drink, drugs or sex, forget it. Sheer exhaustion works, too, but only until you are awake enough for your brain to kick in again.

Sometimes, it is fun, other times it isn't. Always being in control of your dreams is great, but the being "awake" part wrecks it, and means you rarely feel rested.

[Lewis]

It's funny that this has been brought up, because I have vivid, often lucid dreams nearly every night these days. It's not nessicarily a skill to be learned as much as a brain type.

I recently was at the hospital where I had an EEG test performed on me (like a lie detector but for medical reasons). Apparently these experiences can be caused by certain overactive brains.

A doctor told me I had bursts of intense brain activity less than a second long at regular intervals, and this was causing all sorts of interesting things to happen in my sleep.

Just a random, related story I guess.

[c.Tech]

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#harmful
This doesn’t mention your problem Jacks complete. Maybe you should tell them to put it on their website warning others of what can go wrong.

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#preventwake is this like your problem, or are you talking about exhaustion from lack of deep sleep? Have you thought of seeing a specialist in the field or a doctor, if so what did they say?

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#drugs shows vitamins and prescription drugs which may help, most of the drugs are probably not dangerous.

[Anira]

I find that if you want to have dreams like that then go to sleep for a nap on a peacefull afternoon and sleep longer than you should (like a few hours). I often read a book in the afternoon then take a nap. A lot of the time I will end up with a dream that I am in the book and I have a degree of control over it.

[Diabolique]

What I do is enter a semi-meditative state, and focus my thoughts on a particular problem or idea. Time seems to disappear. Very relaxing.

It has helped me solve many problems by blocking out the 'noise' of everyday life. Useful, but do not do it on a bus, or you may miss your stop.

[oxbeast]

It's worth checking out Dr Stephen LaBerge's book on Lucid Dreaming. He appears to be the authoritive voice on the subject in the scientific community.

A description and a link to a copy can be found at:
http://www.avaxhome.ru/ebooks/034537410x_0877730776.html

[Jacks Complete]

c.tech, thanks.

Dreaming you are awake is a nasty one. How often have you dreamt you are awake and getting on with the day when you wake up again? I've had this happen up to twice in a row. And it sucks, too, as you have to get out of bed and do stuff, then do it again, then again... Then you find that you are still in bed, staring at the ceiling.

[akinrog]

It's not totally relevant to lucid dreaming and I don't know how many of you know this trick. But beware it's dangerous for adults especially those with cardiac and respitory problems.

Anyway the trick involves telling a person to inhale while bending (at the belly) (as if he shall touch the ground with his finger tips) and exhale while straightening up the body deeply twenty times in a quick fashion (to cause hyperventilation). You should also tell the subject that when he does the exercise 20th time, he should hold his breath and raise his arms.

When the subject does it twenty times, holds his breath and raise his arms a strong guy grabs him behind and squeze his chest strongly. The subject immediately faints for a few seconds and during his unconsciousness he dreams.

However the strange thing with his dreams, they are very fast dreams. The subject sees them as if they are accelarated movies. I volunteered a few times for this trick and it was awesome. :D

However, I was very young (a teen, to tell the truth). However, since a few decades past, I should not volunteer for such a trick now nor I recommend for anybody above thirty. Regards.

[c.Tech]

akinrog - From what I saw in that show I watched it is probably parts of the brain suffering from lack of oxygen. I will watch it again soon (probably tonight) and explain the parts of the brain when deprived of oxygen cause different effects in a NDE.

As for lucid dreaming, I’ve decided to practice techniques and recognise my dream signs, only 2 dreams so far and it seems like I have dreams when being in trouble.

The only thing that turns me off lucid dreaming is what Jacks Complete said, thanks for the warning. Instead of stopping teaching myself how to lucid dream I will just make sure I never go too far with it. If I feel hardly rested from my dreams I will stop immediately, possibility a good idea for anyone else to follow.

I still see potential in being able to dream lucid with out any ill effects, as people from the FAQ I gave a link to earlier. They seemed fine and gave no such warning.

I spoke to my friend about lucid dreaming and he also seems it feel hardly rested after he has them (once in a blue moon). One more strange thing he told me was he can sometimes control his dreams when his dreaming lucid, this I definitely want to try to develop.

I’d like to add, probably the funniest thing he has said with sleep is that he once went to sleep with his shirt off and woke up with it on :p.

EDIT: Most of the text is taken word for word from the documentary “is there life after death”.

The scientific explanation is when someone experiences an NDE it triggers neurochemistry in the brain.

Neurological studies show that when parts of the brain are deprived of oxygen, they react in a predictable manner know as the cortical release phenomenon.

For example, when the heart stops pumping blood to the temporal lobes of the brain, where memories are stored, massive amounts of neurotransmitters start to randomly fire. This releases countless fragmented images and emotions associated with past experiences.

When the parietal lobes loose oxygen, the visual cortex becomes impaired; this can cause a feeling of floating or a tunneling effect.

Research has shown that if blood flow is cut off to the occipital lobes subjects will experiences an intense bright light.

Skeptics believe that who is seen on the other side is determined by your psychology, your memory, your beliefs.

Some who experience a NDE see religious figures, some see loved ones who have died before.

This shows those who espouse scientific explanation that a NDE is an interactive effect between neurochemistry, psychology, memory and cultural influences in ones life…

…Science cannot account for the spiritual nature of an NDE.

The scientist on this documentary believed that an NDE is a blueprint set by god where we pass through to the afterlife, a neurological gateway from this life to the next.

[Horus XCIII]

Yes, I saw that show on TV, which put the subject back into my head. I have been interested in psychadelic drugs also, but never tried for fear of ending up psychotic or something.


Don't even get me started on this one. Psychedelics are a class of drugs I feel very strongly about; suffice it to say that you will not "go psychotic". Dr. Strassman (a reputable MD, not some wacked-out acid-head with a doctorate like Leary became) did an extensive survey of heavy LSD users. "Adverse reactions to psychedelic drugs. A review of the literature". J Nerv Ment Dis. I found it at my local university library. Very interesting stuff. It's wise to be safe, but if you want to get into psychedelics you should. Just don't do LSD; up until the late 80s/early 90s most LSD was fairly clean, but during the late 90s all these new DOx compounds, with dosages low enough to fit onto blotter, started popping up on the internet, so you really don't know if you're taking LSD or some odd research chemical. And the stuff that is LSD is usually in very very low doses, and quite overpriced. At least where I live.

"Magic Mushrooms" (various Psilocybe, Panaeolus, Copelandia spp.) are a good psychedelic to start with. To reach the LD50 (this is based on animal studies of course), an 80kg human would have to ingest around 5 dried kg. And that's going on a toxic dose of Psilocybin in IV terms; you could probably eat many more than that and still live. You would easily lose all sense of reality before you'd even finished two ounces.

Sorry for ranting and raving and getting off-topic, like I said just one of those things . . . and I'm sure many of you know, with certainty, that your "girlfriend's ex took five hits of acid and went insane, and now he thinks he's an orange"; what can I say, I have science on my side.

If you're not in the mood to look up that journal reference, try this online one: http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_journal3.shtml. In fact, the whole erowid LSD vault is very good. The only thing I disagree with is their LD50 info of 12,000ug. The Family (group of LSD traffickers and chemists, very good people) would take a "thumbprint" to become a printer. This would involve rubbing your thumb in pure LSD powder and licking it off. That would easily be 400-500mg, probably more, or 400,000 - 500,000ug.

Getting into psychedelics definately will greatly alter the way you perceive reality, but not in the normal "psychotic" way. You won't be hallucinating while you're not tripping, for example. You'll just likely develop some very odd ideologies that most other people won't understand. And that will, of course, happen only if you really get into the experience. Doing a little "experimenting" shouldn't change you, so long as you stick to low doses (I'd recommend 2-2.5g dried P. Cubensis for your first trip; enough to get a feel for it, but not so much that you'll be completely out of it).

[jinxxxonu]

"Imagine never, ever getting a good night's sleep again. That's lucid dreaming. Unless you can turn it off with drink, drugs or sex, forget it."

I have to agree with Jack's, I've had lucid dreams since I was a child and as "Amazing" or "Fun" or "Trippy" as any of them have been, I'd trade them ALL for a normal sleep impulse or schedule.

However, If you are interested in altered states of conciousness, I once had a VERY lucid dream in which I followed one of the myriad mycological F.A.Q's on the internet and consumed about 1/8th of an ounce of psilocybin containing fungi and just "held on tight" for about the next 6-8 hrs. The results were VERY interesting and worthwhile.

[c.Tech]

Last night I had an idea using the nova dreamer or similar device. A nova dreamer can be improvised using a mobile phone, alarm or sound playing device instead of buying an expensive nova dreamer although the nova dreamer would be more accurate. I haven’t yet tried this but in theory it works.

Get a device such as your mobile phone to play a sound whilst your sleeping, set it to play during the time you would be most likely be in REM sleep, (not too loud or it will wake you up.)

When your awake play that sound and practice one or more of the following techniques or variations of them. http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#realitytest http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#mild You can also tell yourself with strong meaning many things like “I’m going to dream about flying.” “I’m going to realise I’m dreaming.” “Am I dreaming?” etc.

When you hear that sound play during your REM sleep one of the previous techniques may kick in.

Because I haven’t tried this yet I do not know if it is better to:
1. Focus very strongly on the technique or telling yourself things whilst letting the music play in the background nearly unnoticed.
2. Focus on the music so you will most likely realise it during your sleep rather than putting all your concentration towards the techniques.
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http://www.erowid.org/spirit/dreaming/dreaming.shtml this section of erowid is very good, it has lots of info on lucid dreaming and reports of other peoples dreams. Not to forget it has dream reports under the influence of psychoactive substances, off course it would, it is erowid.
_______

Ill like to point out some substance’s I’ve been trying to get my hands on for some time now. There called kava lactones which come in the form of a pill containing kava extract. More information on kava can be found here. http://www.erowid.org/plants/kava/

I’m hoping to one day synthesise kava lactones and test their effects individually, although I haven’t been able to find any good synthesis’s yet nor do I have the chemistry knowledge to do it safely.

Kava has many uses in dreams, increasing dream intensity, colours can become more vivid, usually the person gets a good nights sleep and wakes up feeling rested.

The only bad side effects I’ve read about happen with chronic use. They include liver damage, malnutrition, scaly skin.

If it was used occasionally as a recreational substance, to help with your sleep before important days or for use in your dreams its side effects would probably not be seen.

Here are some reports from erowid evolving kava and the parts relevant to dreams, I prepared it a while back so forgive me if it contains any irrelevant infomation.

http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=14609
I usually have wild, vivid dreams on Kava, and I wake up feeling very rested.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=14309
That night I had the most vivid dreams of my life. The dreams were more amazing then tripping or anything. I learned alot about myself, stuff that I can't even begin to explain.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=1956Method #1) Ingredients: 1 cup Kava powder, four cups water, 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (I've used olive or canola), and two tablespoons liquid lecithin. Blend at top speed for five minutes. The liquid will be 'coffee-and-cream' colored. Strain through a fiber filter. I usually use an old cloth diaper. You want something pretty loose, like t-shirt fabric or cheesecloth. Straining can take a while and takes some patience. Eventually, all the liquid is out and you have the solids in a ball in your strainer/cloth, and a bowl of suspicious smelling liquid. You can throw away the solid mass.

Drink!

Method #2) Loosely wrap a cup of Kava powder in a loose piece of cloth. Holding it loosely above the ball of Kava, plunge it up and down in 4 cups of water. Occasionally stop to squeeze out the kava ball. Keep plunging it up and down until the water is the 'coffee-and-cream' color. This should take 5-15 minutes.

Drink!

Method #3) buy some kava tincture and drink that. This method does not produce very good effects, just sedative-like, but is QUITE a bit easier than the other two methods which DO produce very good effects…

…Kava also gives me great and very vivid dreams coupled with an extremely restful deep sleep. Definitely something to do in the evening, several hours before bedtime. I have found that while both methods are nice and relaxing, method #1 gives me the vivid interesting dreams, and method #2 doesn't. However, method #1 is a bigger pain to prepare. I think the way it works, is that there's a couple types of resins in the root, some of which are going to be extracted in method #2, using just water. I know that there are some which are NOT water soluble and need to be emulsified, so hence the oil and lecithin extraction procedure…

…You'll know how good your kava is by how much it makes your mouth and tongue numb. Really good Kava is quite noticable. Bad kava doesn't numb out your mouth at all.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=14491
DOSE : 1 g oral Valerian (capsule)
6 mg oral Melatonin (pill / tablet)
1.5 g oral Vitamin B-6 (pill / tablet)
900 mg oral Kava (capsule)

BODY WEIGHT : 165 lb


I recently read several reports about a combination of valerian, vitamin B-6, and melatonin producing vivid, intense dreams. I became interested in dreams after an experience several years ago in which I spontaneously left my body (an OBE - out of body experience). After the experience, I attempted to voluntarily induce an OBE through several methods, including meditation, various drugs, and remaining conscious while falling asleep. I have since had more spontaneous OBEs, but have never completely succeeded at inducing one. The descriptions of people experiencing lucid dreams and leaving their bodies using this combination sounded promising, so I decided to experiment.

At 12:55 am I ingested four 250mg valerian gelcaps, each standardized to at least 2mg of valerenic acids, two 3mg melatonin tablets, fifteen 100mg B-6 tablets, and also three 300mg Kava gelcaps, standardized to 90mg of Kavalactones each. Valerian has very little effect on me, and I read one report with Kava included, so I decided it couldn't hurt. This brand of Kava seems somewhat weaker to me than others. After about 20 minutes, I experienced a slight isolation or dissociation from my body, not as pronounced as what I get from DXM or cannabis but still significant, along with a mild headache and touches of nausea. This dissociation was not at all similar to the feelings I get from Valerian, Kava, or melatonin, and was perhaps most like a low dose of DXM without the mental effects. I have had a series of intense fights with my ex-girlfriend over the past week that have left me physically and emotionally exhausted, this may have contributed to the negative effects I experienced. At this point, more issues with my ex came up and prevented my from going to sleep for another hour. At 2:30 I finally laid down on the couch in my dorm study lounge in order to avoid her. I had a difficult time falling asleep, but I'm not sure if it was because of the time, the couch, or my agitated state. The last time I checked my watch was 3:35.

Over the course of the night, I had one long, intense dream involving a Led Zeppelin concert, my ex, a grassy field with trees, and other details I don't remember. I was in control of my actions during the dream, but not aware that I was dreaming. The dream culminated with me lying on the couch, looking at the lounge windows, which were unnaturally patterned with red, green, and blue. When I realized that the windows didn’t quite look normal, it dawned on me that I was still asleep. My eyes were closed but I was still able to see the room in some way; this has been described by others as astral vision. I envisioned my arms and legs above my body, and felt them move to the position I imagined, while at the same time remaining on the couch. This strange split in body perception is something I have only experienced immediately prior to an OBE. With additional concentration I was able to move my whole body to a position about 2 feet above my actual body. My awareness became entirely centered in this projection of myself, and I was able to float up into the room, through the wall, and up the stairwell. At the top of the stairwell, I tried to pass through another wall, but lost my focus and immediately returned to my body. I tried a few more times to leave my body, without success, and slept the rest of the night without dreaming.

I am reluctant to attribute my experience entirely to the herbs and chemicals I ingested. I was exhausted and sleep deprived prior to the experience, and in the past I have had OBEs while physically exhausted. However, I don’t usually have an OBE while physically exhausted, only on extremely rare occasions. I plan to experiment further, when I am in a better state of mind, to see if something similar happens. Caution should be used when taking these substances. B-6 is described as having toxic effects after a single dose of more than 2g, with daily doses of 100-300mg potentially causing problems. Overdoses of B-6 can cause numbness of the extremities and a stumbling gait, along with nerve damage that may be permanent. I have no idea what long term effects may result from periodic doses of 1.5g. I may reduce the amount in the future, even though other reports indicate it could be the significant ingredient in this combination. Since 100mg is the lowest daily dose I have seen listed as causing problems, I am going to assume my body can eliminate 100mg B-6 daily, and therefore wait at least 15 days before trying this again. I think it might be wise for someone taking a B-6 supplement to quit for a while before trying this. Kava has also recently been described as potentially hepatotoxic, although this was a low dose and it was only included in one report I've read.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=8912
When I awoke the next day around 1:00 pm I was quite rested and thinking to my self that I haven’t slept like that in a long time. But that all faded when the memories of the dream that I had that night came to light. That dream, was probably the single most mind-blowing experience I have ever had. As far as I can recall the dream lasted from the moment I fell asleep to the point of awakening. The thing that was weird about the dream was that I was totally immersed into it. I could control my actions and was quite coherent in the dream. It felt like a movie where I was the star, with the point of view of a camera following me around. The dream was complete with each of the 5 senses and it was more detailed than any other dream I have ever had. I even felt emotions and pain in the dream. It’s hard to put words to this experience so please excuse the bland details.

Over all, the experience didn't change my life but provided me with some entertainment while I was sleeping. I have had very in-depth dreams before but none as far in as this was. I was in a very clear and levelheaded mind set when I took the pills, and the experience was set in one of my more favorite places, my bed.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=10102
We cracked open a few beers while playing some darts. I don't think my accuracy was affected negatively or positively. Like I said, I was just calm. I ended up drinking quite a few beers (for me, that can be 6). I went to bed feeling a bit drunk. Total time passed, probably about 5 hours since the first pill.

It was in my sleep that I had the most incredible, insane, unbelievable dream I have ever had. I'm not sure I want to dream that dream ever again. It was so incredibly vivid. This was the most real dream I have ever had. It took me to a number of real world places that seemed exact, right down to all the people! Even their faces! There was no supernaturalness to the dream. The insanity came when, in the dream, I couldn't stop myself from tripping (like on acid or shrooms). I would trip extremely hard and not know what my physical body was doing for these times and I could not control when or where this happened. This was incredibly scary since I thought it was real. At one point, in my dream, I was on the floor in a fetal position, at my place of employment, SCREAMING, because I thought I was insane. I ended up working out the tripping issue in the dream (after 'days' of trying), but still woke up with a sense of disbelief. For almost that entire day, I was unsure as to whether or not I was really awake. I can't say it was pleasant. When I thought I had recovered, I told my friends about it and they said something like, 'Dude, it's not over.' and I didn't know how to handle that. I was very confused and worried for about half an hour after that. Eventually, I accepted this reality as real but I must say, I had my doubts.

I tried for a lighter experience by taking 7 capsules before going to bed but I don't remember anything.

Another night, before going out, I ate 8 capsules. While out, I had a few drinks (a few, enough to get me buzzed but not drunk), and then went to bed. I had another AMAZING dream, but this time without the insanity and doubt the next morning. I remember it being extremely colorful.

So, my theory is that a little alcohol and some Kava Kava extract will really make for an exciting night of sleep. While awake, it's just good. While asleep, it's quite amazing.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=6533
The only other thing I can say about the Kava is that it might have influenced my dreams that night. I got a lot of vivid dreams that I could easily remember when I woke up.

My conclusion: Kava prepared the 'wrong way' did nothing at all. Kava prepared 'the right' got us sleepy and maybe a little 'numb in the head'.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=11078
When I went to sleep I slept VERY hard and had very vivid and colorful dreams. The dream that caught my attention the most was of a welcome back party for one of my friends. I was sitting in a chair talking to people. Then I looked out these 3 windows that were side by side. I noticed that the windows were actually a TV screen on which a movie like White Fang was playing (lot's of Alaskan scenery and snowy mountains). I got so engrossed in the movie that I began to feel like I was actually in the movie. I soon became a character in the movie. The crazy thing was that I would alternate watching/being in the movie and looking back at the party to talk to someone. This was the first time that I have ever had 2 dreams at once.

I've experimented more with Kava, even finally trying it with hypnosis although this relaxed me so much that I fell asleep. However, I have never experienced the simultaneous dream effect again. I'm a lucid dreamer and I've experienced weird stuff like waking up in the middle of a dream and then going back to sleep and continuing the dream from where I stopped. I've even dreamt that I woke up. However, the switching back and forth between dreams 'mid story' is something new. I do realize that since my dream patterns are strange anyway, this could have had nothing to do with the Kava. Sounds like an excuse for more experimentation! ;)


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=6902
I remember dreaming a lot and sleeping very deeply, but I don't remember the dreams or what they were about.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=1957
Sleep is deep and restful, with many vivid dreams. This effect seems to be cumulative, in that it gets stronger with subsequent use. The effect on dreaming also seems to be retained; it continues for a few days after stopping the Calea.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=10001
and was then followed by the best sleep I ever had, with lucid dreams and virtually no interruptions.

http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=6050
When I finally feel asleep, I have very vivid, realistic dreams. Kava + Valerian was a very subtle combination, almost unnoticable. It wasn't worth paying for, but it's still an interesting experience.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=9993
The Kava seems to do three things:…

…3) It is maybe the best remedy for insomnia that I have ever found. Sleeping on the two substances is relaxing on a different level. Even my dreams tend to be better…

…Goodluck and kava pleasent dreams...


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=20174
Unhealthy food, visions of evisceration, and flashing. Nothing positive went near my body before I went to sleep, and I paid for it.

Perhaps this isn't a 'trip' report, but I feel that the substances had a definite effect upon what came to me in sleep. I am what one would call a 'disturbed' individual. Not a single dream can I EVER recall in which there wasn't the object or threat of voilence and/or death. Blame violent media, I guess.

The standard type of nightmares came about--pistol whippings by a 9 foot tall psychotic bum--and the always accompanying religious imagery--hunting Angels in great Obelisks and catacombs, but that night I was struck by visions of a more striking magnitude:

'Welcome to the Black Church. Prepare for Death.'

Those words still make my skin crawl to hear. In sleep I found myself in what I can only describe as 'a multichurch.' Inside of a great granite building seemingly carved from a single slab, I stood in an grand foyer which branched off into six congregation halls, all carpeted in blood red and filled with large gothic columns, flashing brilliantly as if from lightning flashes. Each hall had different definition of suffering or pain described in it--but I can only remember two of them. I was led by one or two floating humanoids who were totally engulfed in black robes--somehow translucent in the lightning flashes) past the hall (if only I could remember all of them!) one of which had statues of horror movie characters all flashing terribly. I gave a passing glance in this hall and felt my stomach twist, but kept following. I was taken into the second to last hall, which was completely darkened except for the lightning flashes--which were much less frequent here. I walked in and was inundated with what I describe as 'the horror of confusion.' The walls were covered with paintings of no possible earthly origin--black and white murals overcame me with their complexity. The complexity of the how the elements were interworked--and oh god how they changed with every flash of light. It was as if the walls were alive. I fell to my knees and (one of?) the hooded figure(s) turned around, stared me in the face and summarized the pictoral message on the walls in two sentances.

'Welcome to the Black Church. Prepare for Death.'

I woke up a mess--it took my girlfriend 10 minutes to convince me that I wasn't dying.

Moral of the Story: The unexpected WILL happen one day, and be aware of your environment. Always.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=4824
From then on I had the most extreme and intense 'dreams' I have ever had. They were so real I felt as though I had slipped into another dimension rather than sleepy land. All I can say is any one who likes wild and vivid dreams this is definately a good combination.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=32634
Waking up the next morning at 6:30 AM almost void of any after effects I was filled with memories of vivid dreams.

I could recall vivid states of intense euphoria, though I couldn't recall what actually felt good about it. Just that I had felt that way. There were no definite story lines to note, but a memory of vibrant images. Mostly scenes with colorful sets, familiar faces. It all seemed very real.

In retrospect I figure half dosing the Kava, and maybe excluding the 5-HTP would have allowed me to be more conscious of the dreams.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=19511

DOSE : oral Calea zacatechichi (tea)
oral Kava (tea)


I made a tea with a bag of Kava Kava and a bag of Calea. I filled a 36 Oz Emptied fruit bottle out, threw in the kava and the calea and some tea bags. Put in hot water and shook it up like mad. After an hour or so we drained the stuff out. Word had been going around that I had some herbs that gave you dreams and I had friends asking left and right for tea. I posted my first experience, and I'm going to give somewhat detailed experiences of my friends. (The 36 WRETCHEDLY tasting ounces went in a day in a half :)).

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Myself -
3 bowls smoked (Calea) - Vivid realistic dream that I mistook for reality the next day.
2 joints and a cup of my tea mixture - I had a dream of smoking out my dorm window and getting in trouble with authorities. Never happened yet I thought it did for a while the next day.

3 cups of my tea - Nothing on day one, I was somewhat euphoric and relaxed, I kept dropping objects and couldn't stop questioning reality, but the next day I had a hardcore dream with odd events, but I forgot what happened since I fell back a sleep after I woke up in the middle of the dream

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Participant 1 -
2 Joints (Calea) also with previous THC use - Noticed clearer thoughts, he had sex with his girlfriend in his dream, and when he woke up, stunned she wasn't next to him and then realized it was a dream, so realistic he ejaculated in his pants while sleeping.

About 2 Cups of the tea and some THC use - He became extremely hyper, took a tab and ended up never sleeping.

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Participant 2 -
1 Joint and a large cup of tea - We both noticed not being cold in cold weather for about 40 minutes. He slept, felt that he had a lot of dreaming but didn't remember anything.

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Participant 3 -
One cup of tea (mixed with Chocolate Milk to wash down, not bad) - Had a vivid dream that he could create a blue portal and teleport to any location he wanted to.

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Participant 4 -
A cup and a little more - Never mentioned anything to me about dreaming, but he actually liked the taste of Calea and Kava mixed! Two of quite possibly the worst tasting herbs.

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Participant 5 -
A little less than a cup - She claimed her dream to be very mind purifying. It consisted of her being back in Middle school in a sewer area with flowers everywhere. Her friend who had commited suicide in high school talked to her in the sewer.

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Participant 6 -
THC, a little alcohol, and my Tea - Nothing.

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Participant 7 -
Tea - Probably dreamt, but couldn't remember anything

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Participant 8 -
Tea - Just drank some
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Don't ask me what caused me to mix Kava and Calea, I had both herbs lying around and I was quite bored. Me and Part. 2 decided to make a bit of tea and we liked it. It made us feel warm in the cold, and relaxed. My friend's hip pain was completely unevident.

Overall, I liked the mix. I drank three cups over a period of three hours. I noticed my eyelids force closing after exerting my body, and I would drop stuff as if I had been up for a few days straight.

Music was noticably better, I was very relaxed. Later in the night I started going crazy, as if I was watching everything from a movie. I couldn't stop questioning reality. The night had been very wierd, and I couldn't help having thoughts like, maybe the world is all in my head, and since I drank the tea thats why everything is wierded out. I didn't feel too messed up, but when I woke up in the morning remembering the night before I noticed a bit of a change.

From what I noticed, the Kava might make it harder to sleep, but it may just be that anticipation of dreaming that keeps me up. But the relaxation of the Calea, and the Kava effects mix well for a night you don't have anything to do on. Almost like a tranquilizing effect. I also noticed it doesn't really matter how long you take the Calea before sleep to really make a difference. In fact, most of the best experiences came from drinking the tea earlier in the day.

I hope this sheds some light on this underated herb. I plan on buying a lot of Calea and running some somewhat proffesional tests on Calea, making sure no one mixes any other drugs with it, how long they wait to sleep etc.

http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=10696
I mean I sleep every day, so every day I have a chance to try a new formula. Personally I feel all the drugs listed above are key players, if I had to shorten the list, I would take them off in this order: sleeping pills,St. John's Wort,B6,Nerve Tonic. Those are what I would part with if I had to. The other three(kava,valerian,melatonin)are a must. Also I didn't like having to give up the Tonic and B6.

Anyway, I previously described my usual formula for a great night of dreaming. With this recipe, I have experienced the most real and entertaining dreams I've had. What I mean by real, is that I get so invovled in them. I really feel like they are happening. When I wake up, I can remember so much of my dream and enjoy the memories they create. In a way they are so real they become surreal. I've had dreams where once I wake up, immediately think I have to do something, that I'm late for something, or think I'm somewhere else than my room, and I then realize that that thing was just my dream. And it is such a great feeling to just revel in the fact that I don't have to do something, I'm not late, and I am in my room. I have also found that I have more control over what happen in my dreams. I can't necessarily create a whole experience so much as dictate what I do in a situation. It's not like you're watching from the sidelines any more. You can think and reason wht you are doing or what yo want to do. On the wierder side of things, there has been a dream or two where I saw into the future. I saw things I would do that day and things that would happen, and I did those things and those things happened. It creates the most pleasureable feeling of deja vu because I can remember the dream from the night before.

In short, sleeping(dreaming) has become one of my favorite things to do. My days and nighs are back to normal(although some nights I do turn in a little earlier. Just to get some extra dream time. The way I see it is I have to sleep and in turn dream, why not make it a better experience.


http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=3001
We slept a very strong 7-9 hours each day...and on the final day -- we both had intense dreams.

[GibbsFreeEnergy]

As for experiencing psychedlic effects via entheogenic catalysts, I'd recommend using some well known drug like mescaline or lysergic acid diethylamide. Muscimol (the active principle in Amanita Muscaria; plus ibotenic acid) is one of the hallucinogens that is rather commonly associated with "bad" trips and reactions; e.g. the muscle twitching and discomfort you have mentioned. The best hallucinogen, strictly in my opinion, for a first time experience has to be psilocybin. These mushrooms come on rather gradually and let you experience something like you've never experienced before. I believe psilocybin mainly acts as a partial serotonin agonist, recreating the effects of serotonin on the brain. A rapid tolerance to psilocybin is built up because of this physiology. What you will experience is a feeling much like being stoned, yet amplified in many ways. Your body will reverberate with an overall feeling of vibrance, your vision will seem brighter, sharper, and far more interesting than ever before. Edges and patterns will tend to meld together and certain textures will appear to be "breathing" to some rhythym be it music or your own respiration. Psilocybin makes the user question everything- you will have no sense of ego on this drug. Never take any drug unless you are well prepared mentally, physically, and have a place to go with comfortable people and people who are capable of tending to you in an inebriated state. Use caution and logic. It is my feeling that this is the main reason mushrooms are becoming outlawed; it makes users realize how outlandish our society has become.

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No amount of mushrooms will make the above post easy to read. Only paragraph breaks can do that. ;)

NBK