(Part 2) Best books about dreams according to redditors
We found 471 Reddit comments discussing the best books about dreams. We ranked the 126 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
![Lucid Dreaming: New Perspectives on Consciousness in Sleep 2V: Lucid Dreaming [2 volumes]: New Perspectives on Consciousness in Sleep (Practical and Applied Psychology)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51C0Gw9NLUL.jpg)
I love it. I can't help you, but I love it.
I used to work on lucid dreaming intensively, about 6 months in after all my techniques & known lucid dream producing practices I was able to achieve a state of lucidity while asleep each night. I believe in you friend!
Do you have a dream journal? They can help you begin recognizing your dream patterns.
Other than that I also highly recommend using the hand/face method. In dreams you have more or less than 5 fingers. While in a dream if you look at your hand and notice you have more/less than 5 fingers you can sometimes bring yourself lucid but it takes practice to not wake up immediately from noticing/excitement. Another thing is we don't dream faces, our subconscious fills them from the personalities our brains are thinking of, try and look at the faces (or lack-thereof) of the people in your dreams to remind yourself you're dreaming.
I'm working I tried to make the tips coherent as possible, sorry for any errors there may be.
There are a few books on lucid dreaming I highly recommend, I'll get you the names once I'm home.
It's something you have to keep at every night, but it's so worth the time it takes to achieve. Thanks for this post, I'm going to start getting back into it. Once you can reach lucidity while dreaming you get to live two lives and it's so rewardingly beautiful & fun. If you have any questions feel free to ask :)
Edit: Book #1 & Book #2 / Book #3
Those three books are all great ones for lucid dreaming, I only used the first two (Stephen LaBerge, very smart guy) initially but I added the third book to my repertoire later on and I highly recommend it as well. They're all pretty cheap on Amazon!
Supposedly, each person has a "continuum of consciousness" or "mind stream" that keeps going; it is the "stream of mental moments, each one producing the next, that continues through the process of death, intermediate state, and rebirth." This mindstream is "impermanent because it is an aggregated process comprised of discrete instances that act as cause and effect for one another, giving the appearance of an unbroken stream."
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The Dalai Lama: "If one understands the term "soul" as a continuum of individuality from moment to moment, from lifetime to lifetime, then one can say that Buddhism also accepts a concept of soul; there is a kind of continuum of consciousness. From that point of view, the debate on whether or not there is a soul becomes strictly semantic. However, in the Buddhist doctrine of selflessness, or "no soul" theory, the understanding is that there is no eternal, unchanging, abiding, permanent self called "soul." That is what is being denied in Buddhism. Buddhism does not deny the continuum of consciousness." http://viewonbuddhism.org/dharma-quotes-quotations-buddhist/mind-mindstream.htm
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Bhikkhu Bodhi: "The concept of rebirth without a transmigrating soul commonly raises the question: How can we speak of ourselves as having lived past lives if there is no soul, no single life going through these many lives? To answer this we have to understand the nature of individual identity in a single lifetime... The mind is a series of mental acts ... a succession of cittas, or series of momentary acts of consciousness... Now when each citta falls away it transmits to its successor whatever impression has been recorded on itself, whatever experience it has undergone. Its perceptions, emotions and volitional force are passed on to the next citta, and thus all experiences we undergo leave their imprint on the onward flow of consciousness, on the "cittasantana", the continuum of mind. This transmission of influence, this causal continuity, gives us our continued identity. We remain the same person through the whole lifetime because of this continuity... However, when the body breaks up at death, the succession of cittas does not draw to an end... The stream of consciousness is not a single entity, but a process, and the process continues. When the stream of cittas passes on to the next life it carries the storage of impressions along with it." https://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha058.htm
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Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda: "Rather, when death takes place, when the body dies away, the mental current, driven by the thirst for more existence, will spring up again with the support of a new physical body... The stream of memory may be interrupted and the sense of identity transferred to the new situation, but the entire accumulation of experience and disposition has been transmitted to the newborn being, and the cycle of becoming begins to revolve for still another term." https://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/96.htm
You may enjoy these books The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural
Light by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.
Dream Yoga is a practice that originated in India and has been an integral aspect of Vajrayāna for centuries.
Okay, I'm digging deep to feel sympathy, sister, because you have a brain a lot of us (for example: me!) would kill for. And you find it annoying.
But I see that your suffering is real. And I have some advice that I truly believe will help you.
I don't know how to change your brain into a non-lucid dreaming model. But experience, including suffering, is all about how you frame it. So instead of trying to make lucid dreaming go away, I suggest that you turn this negative experience into a positive one by changing what lucid dreaming means to you.
Read this book to learn how to control your lucid dreams and use them to have adventures and explore creativity:
https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-World-Dreaming-Stephen-LaBerge/dp/034537410X
Read this book to turn lucid dreaming into a spiritual experience that deepens meditation:
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Yoga-Illuminating-Through-Dreaming/dp/1622034597/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SWEFST6G5DJKYNVB6DDT
Good luck.
The answer is "all of the above." Dreaming is part of the body and brain rejuvenating. It's part of the mind incorporating and adapting. It's part of memory processing. It's part of emotional venting and psychological digestion. And more, it's the primary driving force behind your evolution as a person.
Dreaming can even be a channel to tune into the deeper layers of reality, where time is not as we know it and thoughts exist as forms.
My Crash Course in Dream Interpretation just went on sale today and it has a chapter on why we dream. I only skim the subject of prophetic dreams and other mysteries about dreaming, but I give the tools for you to figure out the experience for yourself.
I would read Waggoner for practical advice and techniques for becoming lucid, what you can do, and how to increase your desired effects. The "Gateway..." book is better, but spends more time on history, research, philosophies, cultural aspects, etc...
For those who prefer a more modern approach:
http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Awakening-Lucid-Dreaming-Mindfulness/dp/1781802025/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421785693&sr=8-2&keywords=charlie+lucid+dreaming
> Do we know what causes it? Is it associated with childhood trauma, etc.?
We don't know what exactly causes the condition. This article cites that Dr. Somer (whom I'll mention more about down below) drew a connection with trauma (in a paper he published on MD), since his six-subject cohort had all been sexually abused as children.
> Is any treatment in particular considered optimal?
Therapy. This can help identify the triggers and underlying causes of maladaptive daydreaming. Therapeutic techniques such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) may help expose underlying issues. A therapist might also suggest useful coping techniques.
A case study of one individual with maladaptive daydreaming showed that fluvoxamine (commonly used to help treat OCD) was helpful in managing daydreaming. However, there is currently little research to support the use of drug treatments.
> Is there any especially popular book/website/video(s) about it?
This buzzfeed article is centred around the recount of a woman with MD (published October 2017)
While I haven't read it, this book seems to have been received fairly well by those who have
This video by a clinically licensed therapist talks about MD in comparison to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
> Is there anyone who is generally considered the lead expert in regards to this phenomenon?
Dr. Eli Somer, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Haifa in Israel, first identified the condition in 2002. He described it as "a disorder where people spend about 60 percent of their waking life in a self-designed imaginary world".
He did an AMA on this subreddit last October
Hope this helped!
I suggest reading this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Phase-Shattering-Illusion-Reality/dp/1500578037
I read many books on AP and tried many different techniques. This book described a method dubbed "the indirect method" that worked for me after 2 weeks of attempts.
Basically, trying to AP directly from the waking state is the hardest way to go about doing it and requires the most practice and skill. The indirect method induces AP from either a lucid dream or as soon as you wake up from sleeping.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche also published a book on dream yoga. Both he and Tenzin Wangyal are of the Dzogchen tradition.
My next best advice: start keeping a dream journal. And you may be able to learn lucid dreaming, too!
I would think that keeping a dream journal would be what you are looking for. Dreams are surreal, of course. And they often tie into what's going on in your waking life. A good dream is like having a good surrealist story framework. Maybe make tables based on reoccurring motifs and stuff that appear in your dreams.
Maybe a dream interpretation guide could help? Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Dictionary-Stearn-Robinson/dp/0446342963/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1NGSTXJKLM6EV&keywords=dream+interpretation+books&qid=1570603491&sprefix=dream+interpretation%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-4
I think surrealism depends on allusion and metaphor. Probably more towards allusion. And always trying to be bizarre.
Bonus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJKNp7v5FOg
Congrats and welcome to the club...or maybe almost to the club (though it sounds like you were possibly close). :)
There are tons of books out there on the subject of Out of Body Experience / Astral Projection. You will find that authors generally fall into one of three categories: -1- traditionalists (with occult explanations for OBEs); -2- realists (believe OBEs are entirely internal experiences, lucid dreams, or some other natural phenomena / hallucination); -3 - mystics (believe the realms explored are real or diverging realities / planes of existence).
I've read and amassed a small library on this subject because it became very important to me when I started regularly having OBEs. Through my reading and personal experiences, I definitely recommend starting with two of the better known authors in the mystical camp: Robert Monroe (who has already been mentioned), followed by William Buhlman. The books you want are Journeys out of Body and Adventures Beyond the Body. These books will do a good job of covering many great OBE techniques, as well as provide inspiration and motivation. They're good reads too... :)
Some may recommend books by Robert Bruce, but I would advise against his stuff (at least in the beginning)...his energy work is an interesting approach...however, if your goal is to gain OBE / AP quickly, there are better methods.
I am currently working my way through Explorations in Consciousness by Frederick Aardema. This book is very very good. I would go so far to say that it is possibly my favorite book on the subject. The author does such a great job of pulling together information on the subject from all sides...it is (mostly) a non-mystical take on OBEs, but completely objective and inclusive of all possibilities.
Anyway, the topic of OBEs is something that is very personal and you should formulate your own conclusions. Give it time though and remain open. Read as much as you can on the subject. I think you'll find though that once you have a full-fledged OBE, you will figure out what you believe rather quickly. For me, I simply "knew" it was real. Hard to put in words, really beyond this knowing.
This is the LICKI brush. The frequently bought together items (at least for me) are Crafting with Cat Hair: Cute Handicrafts to Make with Your Cat and Cat Butts: A Coloring Book.
https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-1-2-3-Remember-Interpret-Live/dp/1571747028/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505764546&sr=8-1&keywords=1+2+3+dreams+interpretation
I think school here started around 7:30 am. I had issues falling asleep as long as I can remember, and I hated it to get up so early. When I started having classes for the theoretical part of my driver's license I realized I learn much better in the afternoon.
Interesting read about this topic: Sleep Thieves
> https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Believe-Angela-Grubbs/dp/0977297500
Hearsay, with no corroboration.
> https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation?fbclid=IwAR1YCQUiGkeHAVQX_NPym1Bam_S6MlKiTkULDyqgHtB0Q9Xe4A6dcsTpO3k#Evidence_for_Reincarnation
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3wewwJuxUk&feature=youtu.be
Hypnotic regression therapy is garbage. It's well-known that the hypnotherapist can (and often will) induce false memories in the patient. Unless external corroboration is provided, regression therapy-produced memories should be regarded as worse than hearsay.
This is not evidence for reincarnation, it's evidence for the astonishing ease of self-deception and implantation of false memories.
I would recommend a book called The Phase.
The Phase: Shattering the Illusion of Reality https://www.amazon.com/dp/1500578037/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_be3Dxb9Z2967S
I don't know why you think I would get any money for this. I'm giving money to the project, yes. But the payoff for this is not money in return. Also the book isn't 200 €. If it was, it would be right up there with other good books on the topic. This one for example is maybe a similar collection.
Read a couple books, there's more to it then we can get across in a reddit post. This one is a good one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738751448/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
But in general yeah you first need to remember and routinely experience your dreams before you can work on lucidity. Dream journal and also intention building leading up to sleeping, like getting yourself 'in the zone' and focused on the upcoming task (remembering and experiencing dreams).
> but I struggle with the wbtb and can’t resist the urge to move so i fail at lucid dreaming
Just keep focusing on remaining still and eyes closed when waking up and hold onto the last dream. It's legitimately just habit building here, we've spent our whole lives not doing this so you have to be persistent for awhile.
Eventually you'll automatically stay still w/ eyes closed and mentally play over the dream you just exited as you lay there, grab the journal that's within easy reach and jot down enough to later jog that memory that you made by replaying the dream while initially awake.
edit: I'm in the beginning part of this book and it's really good, you should read it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738751448/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you like sleep, I suggest reading Stanley Coren's Sleep Thieves. It talks about a lot of different aspects of sleep in a very readable manner.
I do. There are some techniques for making it easier. One is to frequently check whether you are awake or asleep during the day. This habit carries over into dreams because it is a habit. You then have a chance to notice you're not in normal reality.... cause, you know, the giant caterpillar or whatever.
Another one is to resolve to look at your hands in a dream and take control of them. Usually we sort of flow along with dreams and don't have conscious control. Having a resolution of sorts that you make while awake can trigger your consciousness in a dream. I think it might also help to get in the habit of checking your hands every so often while awake, and consciously doing some kind of exercise with them. Then when you've resolved to do the same in a dream, you have two things reinforcing the likelihood of realizing you are dreaming.
Mugwort might also be somewhat helpful. You can put the essential oil in a warmer for a while before sleeping. A lot of people use it to make more memorable, vivid dreams, and it can help you wake up in a dream, so to speak, if that's your goal. Not entirely necessary though.
Here is a probably-useful book about people using lucid dreaming without even necessarily being interested in psychic or occult things: https://smile.amazon.com/Committee-Sleep-Scientists-Athletes-Solving/dp/0982869509?smdm-noredirect=true
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
amazon.com.au
amazon.in
amazon.com.mx
amazon.de
amazon.it
amazon.es
amazon.com.br
amazon.nl
amazon.co.jp
amazon.fr
Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
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I would like to learn to interpret dream meanings. I think it would be fascinating. Link I'm good with used. Thanks for the contest :)
I love this woman and need all of her books. Ever.
I'm totally fine with used. This is an awesome contest! If I don't work, I'm spending my labor day reading Stephen King :)
I'll probably come back with a quote, I can't pick one right now.
This is called "Rubber Band Technique", as given in one of these books
Freedom from Maladaptive Daydreaming: Self-Help Strategies for Excessive and Compulsive Fantasizing
Returning to Reality: How to Stop Maladaptive Daydreaming
I hope this method works for you :)
Thanks, will check it out! I am wondering about this one too, but haven’t decided about purchasing. Do you happen to know anything about it?
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming
>Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying is an absorbing account of the expanding dialogue between leading Western scientists and the foremost representative of Buddhism today, the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Revolving around three key moments of consciousness — sleep, dreams, and death — the conversations recorded here are both engrossing and highly readable. Narrated by Francisco Varela, an internationally recognized neuroscientist, the book begins with insightful remarks on the notion of personal identity by noted philosopher Charles Taylor, author of the acclaimed Sources of Self. This sets the stage for Dr. Jerome Engel, Dr. Joyce MacDougal and others to engage in extraordinary exchanges with the Dalai Lama on topics ranging from the neurology of sleep to the yoga of dreams. The conversations also reveal provocative divergences of opinion, as when the Dalai Lama expresses skepticism about "Near Death Experiences" as presented by Joan Halifax.
This is one of my favorites and i believe it is one in a series of such books: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Dreaming-Dying-Exploration-Consciousness/dp/0861711238
People here suggested sleep paralysis, which is correct, but their explanation don't go far enough. Sleep paralysis is how people get OBEs. The rocket ship seizure is what you get when you're trying to get out of your body. I's textbook OBE experience. Once out of your body (or almost out of your body), you can hear the mental thoughts and emotions of everything around you, even entities that aren't visible when inside your body (since the human brain filters them out). When you're in that etheric world, reality is not as solid as human reality is. So for example, if your wife is having a dream at the time where she argues with you, you will experience it as if she's trying to kill you. This is why this stopped when she woke up, her dream ended, and so her mental projection to you ended too. In that out-of-normal-reality world, thoughts become real to those who witness them. And you did, because you were not using your human brain to filter that stuff out anymore, you were slightly out of your body. I highly recommend you start reading this book (by a PhD researcher) to understand what I'm talking about: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0987911902/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Actually this is a pretty common idea. I haven't quite mastered my dreams enough to try, but I don't see why this couldn't be the case, particularly for artists. Check out The Committee of Sleep. It addresses what you're talking about through case study.
Has it been published in a peer reviewed journal, though? It just sounds like it is going into an edited volume (this one? http://www.amazon.com/Lucid-Dreaming-volumes-Perspectives-Consciousness/dp/1440829470) Edited volumes typically aren't peer reviewed.
I've actually got a book at home on the subject of lucid dreaming and mindfulness.
It's called Dreams of Awakening
I must admit I haven't read a great deal of it but to the best of my knowledge the author finds no conflict between lucid dreaming and being a practicing Buddhist - in fact he argues that it can help to increase ones mindfulness!
I did a Dream Yoga retreat with Andrew Holecek. https://smile.amazon.com/Dream-Yoga-Illuminating-Through-Dreaming/dp/1622034597/
I don't practice Dream Yoga anymore, but I can answer some questions about it.
btw you said...
>There’s a reason these things have to be argued for on Internet forums instead of academic circles.
You can find these things discussed in many academic circles from here to Russia. Maybe not in depth togyal light meditation (which isn't as important anyway) but you can find dzogchen/meditation and consciousness being studied by many scientists.
[Here's one example] (https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Dreaming-Dying-Exploration-Consciousness/dp/0861711238) where they're directly referecning dzogchen: Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness Paperback – May 1, 2002 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Author), Francisco J. Varela Ph.D. (Editor)
The entire Mind & Life Institute is dedicated to this topic.
Have you tried The Phase by Michael Raduga. By "phase" he means astral or energy depending on the context. His eBook is free here.
One of the things I recently discovered makes it difficult for learners is that trying to AP directly as your body falls asleep is much more difficult than learning to do it right when you wake up in the morning or after a nap.
This more "indirect" method is commonly called the 4am method. (It can be 6am, 8am or whatever time works best for you of course.). It allows you to identify when your mind state and level of bodily relaxation are ready to go AP.
When I add a image to the sidebar. The link name
> A book about dreams by a Redditor, for Redditors.
appears above the image. How do I remove the link name without removing the image?
Try doing "out of body experiences". The trip is way more intense than drugs and perfectly legal. Best part is that you actually remember it. I read this book in a day and was traveling to other galaxies, through time and other dimensions by the next week.
The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
There’s a great book that discusses this topic. https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Traveler-Out-Body-Experiences/dp/0451197607
> My main question is, how do you guys deal with sleeping, are there any techniques you'd recommend?
Oh, my goodness, was it hard when I was young. So much tossing, turning, and ticcing. Things that have helped me:
https://www.amazon.com/Interpretation-Dreams-Complete-Definitive-Text/dp/0465019773/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3385R0D1AWQHE&keywords=the+interpretation+of+dreams&qid=1573505349&sprefix=the+interp%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-3
Read this, it'll hurt and then it'll help
Here's the link :D Cat Butts: A Coloring Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/1545200130/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bvn-AbGV97RG6
>this is a ridiculous oversimplification of neuroscience and physics in general.
Granted, but so is the argument I'm replying too. Stating that science has definitively disproven that a spirit exists is a blatantly wrong statement. First one would have to define what a "soul" is. Then one would have to prove that the hypothesis that I presented is demonstrably false, which can't be done in light of the physical evidence that supports the hypothesis.
>are you playing semantics with the word "soul" here?
The first aspect of any argument is semantical, as truth and meaning is the ultimate goal. I often disagree with many interpretations and meanings people apply to the concept of the "soul" or "spirit." Does that mean that because I disagree with some meanings of the word, that I should then disagree with all others? Of course not. Just because I don't recognize that the Earth is flat doesn't mean that I should then assume that the Earth doesn't exist.
The concept of a soul extends beyond just one particular religion. Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Christianity, and Islam all recognize some sort of third aspect of the human beyond body and mind.
The concept of the superego provides utilitarian evidence supporting the third aspect of the human, the spiritual aspect. The id focuses on the body, our instincts and physical drives. The ego focuses on the mind. The superego focus on the spiritual, higher self.
>verified accounts of reincarnation
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation?fbclid=IwAR1YCQUiGkeHAVQX_NPym1Bam_S6MlKiTkULDyqgHtB0Q9Xe4A6dcsTpO3k#Evidence_for_Reincarnation
https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Believe-Angela-Grubbs/dp/0977297500
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3wewwJuxUk&feature=youtu.be