Thread: Lucid Dreaming book reviews and recommendations

Are/is "hehe" there any good audio books about lucid dreaming?

For your trouble

I would recommend Jung's Approaching the Unconscious. Seems like it could help dreamers both lucid and non-lucid.

Cool, i will definitly give that a listen Any other suggestions?

Not that I can recommend! I hope someone else has good suggestions because I love audiobooks.

Andrew Holecek has a 6 hour audio book on dream yoga (titled "Dream Yoga"). You can buy it on Amazon. I've heard good things.

There is an audiobook version of Stephen LaBerge's 'Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming', but I'm not sure how available it is anymore. I'm sure it's floating around the internet somewhere though.

The book 'Dreams of Awakening' by Charley Morley is what inspired me to take up lucid dreaming. After further reading, it is clear that it isn't the most comprehensive guide on how to get lucid, but it offered to me a glorious vision of the potential lucid dreaming has for enriching all areas of your life. It was especially appealing to me because I am a Buddhist and his holistic approach to lucid dreaming through the system of 'mindfulness of dream and sleep' integrates very well into Buddhist practice. I have read it twice in the past month and will likely return to it many times for inspiration.

I can understand that some people might see him as trying to play the 'new age guru'. I guess that's ultimately down to personal taste. Personally my impression is that he's someone who is passionate about lucid dreaming as a means of human growth and wants to share the benefits with others.

Originally Posted by Rallan

The book 'Dreams of Awakening' by Charley Morley ....

....I can understand that some people might see him as trying to play the 'new age guru'. I guess that's ultimately down to personal taste. Personally my impression is that he's someone who is passionate about lucid dreaming as a means of human growth and wants to share the benefits with others.

I will check it out. I really miss reading books. I wish I had more time. Maybe I need to get more paper books that I can take with me and read during my mandatory break at work. I have tons of e-books, but nothing really to read them on other than my laptop, and I'm not taking that to work with me. Hrm, maybe a cheap netbook.

Re: New age.
I think many things are being labeled with that, as if it was a bad thing. To me, "new age" is just some old truth that is retold in modern language, so it's more appealing and we can understand it better. Why is Lucid dreaming, OBEs, chakras, and all that new age, if it was practiced already thousands of years ago? I think people give things they don't understand that label. Some books are written more scientifically, some more spiritually. To me, science and spirituality are not mutually exclusive.

In my opinion Morley's book is really good, and I don't think it's new age at all (even if you weren't really accusing it of that, Rallan). To me there is nothing new age about well researched material drawing on Buddhism, as Morley's book is.

@Gab; the criticism I think is not so much on ancient practices but on a certain engagement with them that is not based in familiarity with the primary texts and cultures from which those practices are derived, a long with philosophical naivete and a commercialisation of those very practices.

Morley was taught in Buddhism by Rob Nairn and the book has a pretty thorough reference list for the genre.

Maybe this is on the defensive, I just don't want anybody to be put off by an unjustified new age association (which would be far more appropriately applied to The Art of Dreaming by Castaneda and even Robert Wagoner's book).

The art of Dreaming is a novel (which just happens to have a lot of advice for lucid dreamers), and Waggoners first book is a psychologists take on lucid dreaming. I would not label either of them New Age. The typical new ager would not have the desire to read through such a dry book as Waggoners, and would probably not read Castanedas for anything but entertainment.

Well, IMO anyway.

I have read Waggonners book. His book really motivate me to continue lucid dreaming.

Originally Posted by Voldmer

The art of Dreaming is a novel (which just happens to have a lot of advice for lucid dreamers), and Waggoners first book is a psychologists take on lucid dreaming. I would not label either of them New Age. The typical new ager would not have the desire to read through such a dry book as Waggoners, and would probably not read Castanedas for anything but entertainment.

Well, IMO anyway.

I think Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions), among many other novelists of the era (including, yes, Castaneda) would beg to differ on a novel not being a New Age book. Also, many of the "typical new ager(s)" I knew back in the day* were more than willing to dive into the driest and densest of books (i.e., C.G. Jung and Hosfstadter were very popular with New Agers). New Agers were not all crystal-waving aquarians; they were generally just regular people looking for a different viewpoint. I think Waggoner's book would very much have been accepted by them as a New Age book.

* Note that I keep speaking in the past tense, as if New Age were a bygone era. That's because it is. The New Age movement started in the 70's, and I believe came to a grinding halt in the '80's, when the Boomers who were smitten by New Age tenets adopted materialism to replace spiritualism as their answer to everything. The concept of New Age was a specific response by those Boomers to their very confusing existence in the '60's and '70's, and it was made by many different sorts of people...and those people would find meaning and the simplest and most complex of books. Though I am sure there are a few aging boomers who still hold to the movement, I think that to define New Age as what their children and grandchildren are doing today is not an accurate exercise. Like so many other things, modern New Agers are simply a distant reflection of that movement, and not the movement itself. ... I know this is off-topic, but, well, just sayin'...

Originally Posted by Sageous

* Note that I keep speaking in the past tense, as if New Age were a bygone era. That's because it is. The New Age movement started in the 70's, and I believe came to a grinding halt in the '80's, when the Boomers who were smitten by New Age tenets adopted materialism to replace spiritualism as their answer to everything. The concept of New Age was a specific response by those Boomers to their very confusing existence in the '60's and '70's, and it was made by many different sorts of people...and those people would find meaning and the simplest and most complex of books. Though I am sure there are a few aging boomers who still hold to the movement, I think that to define New Age as what their children and grandchildren are doing today is not an accurate exercise. Like so many other things, modern New Agers are simply a distant reflection of that movement, and not the movement itself. ... I know this is off-topic, but, well, just sayin'...

You do come across as a conservative idealist. "Ah, you see, back in the day ... "

But, fair enough, your point is well taken. I, however, view the New Age movement to be a dynamic entity, that persists to this day. And it's the current batch of New Agers I am referring to.

^^ I assure you I am in no way, shape or form a conservative idealist, Voldmer.

Note that I did not include a sighing phrase like "Ah, you see" anywhere in my post, and was not waxing nostalgic in any way. I just happened to live through that era, for better or worse (and there was a lot of worse), was very familiar with the New Age movement and its participants, and thought it fitting to offer an historic perspective to your dismissal of novels and serious non-fiction as things New Agers would have read. I do not miss those days, nor do I wish to go back to them, believe me.

That said, I am still alive today, and am still somewhat plugged into society, and I have some trouble seeing any kind of a modern New Age movement that equals, complements, or continues the movement for which the term was coined. Sure, there will always be folks who believe that crystals have mystical powers, who follow Wiccan traditions, who trust in magic, who think that The Secret is a real thing, etc, but their societal impact is simply not as significant as was the movement whose name they borrow.

That said, I suppose you could be right, at least about the non-fiction -- people who are just doing new age stuff tend to be of a much more homogenous makeup than those who find themselves absorbed into a movement, regardless of their initial beliefs or philosophical inclinations. So yeah, there would be no sense in picking up books that actually say something...

Originally Posted by ~Dreamer~

There is an audiobook version of Stephen LaBerge's 'Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming', but I'm not sure how available it is anymore. I'm sure it's floating around the internet somewhere though.

I will hunt this audiobook down. Like A Hungry Crack Whore Looking For Her Baby Daddy On PAY DAY hehe If i find it i will post a link. Would be superduper if you could do the same

Originally Posted by LucidJungle

I will hunt this audiobook down. Like A Hungry Crack Whore Looking For Her Baby Daddy On PAY DAY hehe If i find it i will post a link. Would be superduper if you could do the same

I hope you manage to find a copy!
Make sure you read the forum rules for posting links so you don't get in trouble:
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I just came across a new book that looks like something that would interest many of us! I'm only on page xxxiii so I can't offer my own comments yet, but it appears to have been written by an erudite yet open-minded scholar and comes highly recommended. It explores manifestations of consciousness (including "wakefulness, falling asleep, dreaming, lucid dreaming, out-of-body experiences, deep and dreamless sleep, forms of meditative awareness, and the process of dying") from the perspectives of both contemporary neuroscience and ancient Indian philosophy.

Here's the reference:

Evan Thompson, Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy (NY: Columbia University Press, 2015)

Originally Posted by Verre

...from the perspectives of both contemporary neuroscience and ancient Indian philosophy.

Here's the reference:

Evan Thompson, Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy (NY: Columbia University Press, 2015)

Oooh, the dual perspective sounds very interesting.

Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable - And Couldn't by Steve Volk

Though not a lucid dreaming book per se, Fringeology, published in 2011, has two chapters dedicated to the topic as well as others related to it. I discovered the book after hearing the author being interviewed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast where he discussed lucid dreaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F7y0U6L6cI (that part of the discussion starts at 1:46:15). I then searched out other interviews he did when promoting the book. Another interview where he talks about his experiences with lucid dreaming is on the Midwest Real podcast, episode 10, although the audio quality breaks down at that point in the discussion (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/...597282997?mt=2).

An investigative journalist who normally writes about crime and political events, Volk was inspired to write this book by a family ghost story he grew up with that remains a mystery. He investigates this and other paranormal subjects or ‘fringe’ topics from an unbiased, objective perspective. He looks at the divisions, overlap and conflicts between religion, science and parapsychology. I found this particularly interesting as a scientist who likes concrete evidence and logical thinking but who is also interested in the unexplainable (especially after having my first lucid dream as a WILD at the beginning of the night). Scientists are always happy to admit they don’t know all the answers due to a lack of evidence or technology to obtain it yet have a tendency to automatically dismiss a paranormal topic for the same reason. In the chapters on lucid dreaming, Volk takes us through his experience of attending Stephen LaBerge’s workshop in Hawaii and his subsequent personal experiences with the practice. Other chapters that I found most interesting were those on consciousness, meditation and Induced After-Death Communication (IADC).

So why is lucid dreaming included in a book on paranormal or fringe topics? Because it’s not completely understood or widely accepted by people who haven’t experienced it. If it was it would be easier to discuss it with the general population. By this definition quantum mechanics and astrophysics are paranormal fields yet they attract funding LaBerge could only dream of despite him having experimental data verified through the scientific method. We’re all human beings trying to find answers to the same questions. That’s the sort of thing this book gets us to think about.

The book is very well written in a style that’s easy for everyone to read. What’s most impressive is the thoroughness of Volk’s research. Every source of information is referenced and listed in the back. I took a lot of information from that alone.

While this may not be a book you want to add to your collection on lucid dreaming, it’s well worth reading, especially if you’re new to lucid dreaming and the capabilities of the brain. At least borrow it from your library.

I agree with so much of this review. I just finished 'Are you Dreaming' and found brilliant throughout. Both scientific and philosophical. Hear Hear !

The Everything Lucid Dreaming Book by Michael R. Hathaway

In an interview with the author while promoting the book, Hathaway admits he is not a frequent lucid dreamer and that the subject was one he was “not that knowledgeable on” (MFA -Mystical Teachings podcast, April 26, 2013 - Lois Wetzel, MFA -Mystical Teachings | Blog Talk Radio Feed - Podcast Gallery). His training is in hypnotherapy and after writing The Everything Psychic Book he was asked by the editors of the “Everything” series to write a book on lucid dreaming. Thus he writes about lucid dreaming from a hypnosis perspective rather than personal experience.

The first thing I noticed was the typos and sentence structure problems that made some sentences and paragraphs hard to understand. I had to re-read some sentences to try to understand the meaning before realising two words may have been switched to the wrong places.

The first chapter covers the historical background of lucid dreaming which is quite good but, again, there are some errors here. Then the induction techniques are covered including WILD, MILD, DILD and what he calls ‘lucid dream trance’ which is a hypnosis method. Every chapter from there covers a different application of lucid dreaming to improve your life. There are references to The Secret, The Law of Attraction, heart energy, the Akashic Records and other mystic and theosophic concepts. The book assumes an acceptance of all these by the reader or at least it felt that way while reading it.

The book is very repetitive, going over the same ideas and techniques in every chapter. There are virtually no examples of lucid dreams had by the author or others. As such it didn’t keep my interest and motivate me the way other books have. Perhaps the first few chapters are useful to anyone new to the topic but after that you could just read the chapter titles to get an idea of the applications and then look for examples reported in other books. Having said that, it’s obvious the author genuinely believes in the power of lucid dreaming to improve lives and the relationships between people and that’s something I can appreciate.

A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics by Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel and Thomas Peisel

This book began as a Kickstarter campaign and some might ask why it was necessary when there are already similar books out there to introduce people to the subject. It seems to me that the authors wanted to write something to engage a young readership and so produced something with an easy to read, casual style, not overcomplicated and punctuated with humor. Makes sense given so many no longer have the attention span to read a book.

The authors say they wanted to pare down all the information already out there and present only what works best according to their experience, thus making it easier for the beginner. As a result this book covers dream recall, reality checking, and focusses on DILDs using the Wake Back To Bed method. WILDs are briefly explained and the rest of the book covers the dream ‘terrain’ and applications of lucid dreaming.

The chapter on the history of lucid dreaming was good, covering more cultures than I’ve read about in other books. The practical applications, particularly in discovering our true selves and becoming whole, were well covered. Recent scientific research is included to back up the benefits and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch. Overall an enjoyable read.

The only criticisms I have are regarding the ‘rules’ in the dreamscape. Statements like: “flying… is a skill that takes confidence and practice to master…….developing a capacity to fly with control takes trial and error and a bit of practice”, I believe are subjective. The author even explains that when he began lucid dreaming he “was surprised that flying had to be learned” and he had “a very difficult time, for example, on stopping or making sharp turns because I would always fly too fast”. My own experience was the opposite. My first attempt at flying was trouble free and I don’t expect to have any. I know of others who found it easy as well. But if someone inexperienced reads a statement like: “Flight can easily get unstable and out of balance” it could influence their expectations. In the same paragraph they state the only rule I agree with: “As long as you’re in control of your thoughts, the sky is the limit.”

Also, I borrowed my copy from the library so I wasn’t concerned when it started falling apart by the time I finished it. I guess Kickstarter didn’t provide enough funds to afford anything stronger than stationary glue. If this were any other field guide you’d be leaving a trail of pages on your journey.

Hi Aniseed,

Great idea and useful post.

Just this one:

Are You Dreaming?: Exploring Lucid Dreams: A Comprehensive Guide by Daniel Love

But if you want to get a boost, take gab's advice: get Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements by Thomas Yuschak. Just make sure you carefully read the whole book and stick with the dosage and combination instructions. It's not something to toy around with. Good stuff though

Also consider adding these two classics and many have suggested:

Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Wagonner
Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge

~EnergyWorker~

I just finished "the power of supplements" with thomas yuschak, extremely interesting!
Im now looking for more semi-advanced books about lucid dreaming. Not the basic ones, any suggestions?
Preferbly books and not e books!