Mind over matter: Students control their dreams through lucid dreaming

Dreaming is something that has never fully been understood.

Even more confusing is the practice of lucid dreaming, which occurs when a person is aware they are dreaming.

According to lucid dreamer Lindsay Soave, a lucid dream occurs when a person is aware they are dreaming and are able to think and control the dream but cannot explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.

“I guess the best way to describe my lucid dreams would be a state where I can think and control what is going on, but cannot logically explain what I am doing right away,” the Farmington Hills junior said. “It’s very strange and incredibly hard to describe, but is certainly annoying when I just want to sleep."

Soave said some incredible things have happened to her while lucid dreaming, including physically locking herself out of a hotel room and talking in her sleep.

Another incident occurred shortly after she began working at Kohl’s.

In her dream, she took her work home with her. Literally.

“I used to work at Kohl’s, and when I first got started, I would have dreams that people were trying to checkout at the register in my bedroom. I was physically sitting up in my bed, struggling to get people through the checkout line,” she said. “After a little while of 'acting out' the dream, I was able to stop myself and realize, ‘Why am I doing this? No one is here, it's midnight, and this doesn't make sense. I'm going back to bed.’"

Commerce junior Nicholas Visger said most of his lucid dreams are pleasant, as long as he has a clear, stress-free mind before he goes to sleep.

“To me, a lucid dream can be recreating a memory and playing with the details; seeing how my mind’s subconscious would think in a scenario and how it would act differently,” he said. “I've come to many realizations under lucid and regular dreaming about how to make my life happier.”

While lucid dreaming, Visger said he dreams about being a part of a video game or movie world. He said sometimes he dreams in a plane of un-reality that cannot be explained.

“I take faith that my mind is trying to tell me something, and I listen to it," he said. "I've made myself a lot happier listening and tuning in, as well as being self-conscious about my own situation, as shown through these dreams."

Manistee senior Valerie Spalding said she has had lucid dreams before. She said her dreams are out of the ordinary and sometimes actually come true in real life.

“My dreams aren't necessarily good or bad. They're more weird and bizarre than anything. I've dreamt of people I have never seen before only to meet them at some point in my life," she said. "I've been to places that don't exist. I've even come up with songs in my sleep only to be woken up by my own humming or singing"