# Lucid dreaming **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 5, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lucid-dreaming/315711 "2005-08-05T14:03:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lucid-dreaming/315711/21 "2005-08-07T03:44:51Z")
> [@Nature's Call](#): > > Q: I didn’t get the references to snakes and cigars. What was Ed getting at? It references the following quote, attributed to Freud. > [@Sigmund Freud](#): > > Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lucid-dreaming/315711/22 "2005-08-07T18:40:41Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > I have a question about lucid dreaming which may not seem serious on the surface, but which I can assure you is of vital interest—at least to me. All of the discussion so far in Cecil’s column and in this thread has pretty much revolved around the concept of lucid dreaming for the purposes of personal growth and the abolition of minor mental demons. But why has there been no discussion of using these techniques simply for the purpose of having a desirable dream? Personally, all I really want is just to have a three way with Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd. Is this doable? If so, do I apply the same techniques to achieve this as I would for the applications already discussed? Yes, it is doable. If you read my post, all I generally do is make dreams more interesting, if they need it. You certainly ought to be able to accomplish your task. I would guess you would wake up at the dream’s, um, climax. See Erin83’s post. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lucid-dreaming/315711/23 "2005-08-08T07:08:42Z")
I have lucid dreams about two to three times a month. I don’t do this with willfull intent. It’s just that _usually_ when something impossible occures in my dream I realize I’m dreaming with out waking myself up. As a funny side to that: One time, when I realized I was dreaming, I decided I was going to try to take advantage of the situation and have sex with Carmen Electra. So in my dream, I kept repeating to myself: “Carmen Electra, Carmen Electra, ect…” As luck would have it, that was the one time I wound up waking myself up. Me \<------- :wally ---
**Author:** ![KMaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8491ac/32.png) [@KMaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMaru)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lucid-dreaming/315711/24 "2005-08-08T13:32:55Z")
When I was about 11-12, I had frequent nightmares. I hated going to sleep at night which resulted in insomnia. When I was around 14, I had PBS on when I heard a story about controlling your dreams. I don’t remember the specifics other than the instructions that was given. To control your dreams, you should make up your own dream when going to sleep. Control the flow of your dream as you fall asleep. They said that if you create your dream, it will continue in REM sleep. If you learn to control your dreams as you fall asleep, you will be able to control them in REM sleep also. Eventually, you will not need to pre-dream. The control will simply exist in any future dreams. It took a few months, but I had full lucid dreams. I never had a nightmare since and no longer suffer from insomnia. I have full recollection of my dreams. I can continue my dreams from one night to the next without any effort, and I can change the plot if I don’t like where it is headed. I’m not sure if that is what the PBS show was trying to achieve, but that is what I got out of it. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lucid-dreaming/315711.md?page=1)