THE IMPACT OF EXTERNAL FACTORS ON LUCID DREAMS
In one instance, the experience involved entering a state of sleep paralysis with a very realistic sensation of an alien presence, as though it were right inside the head. It appeared as a black, demonic entity emitting a loud hissing sound, seemingly intent on consuming the mind. This entity and the associated fear seemed to be the factors causing the paralysis. Attempting to scream led to awakening. Some time later, awakening occurred under similar circumstances but with only the hissing sound, absent of any entity. A sudden awakening revealed that the source of the sound was a faulty car frequently driving past at night. Similar anxious awakenings later occurred repeatedly due to abrupt noises in the real world.
RESULTS OF LUCID DREAMING RESEARCH
Overall, it is difficult to establish what determines the quality and feasibility of entering such states. While it was sometimes easy, at other times it was not possible, and the experience itself varied. Factors like well-being and physical activity may play a role. In none of these experiences did the author receive any information about the future or real-world facts that were previously unknown. An exception was a single instance that likely involved a lucky guess; the author wondered if furniture had been removed and, in an unintentional lucid dream, found the room empty, which turned out to be accurate.
From these experiences, it became evident that staying in such a state requires a certain amount of energy. It could either be prolonged, less lucid, and with less spatial realism, or short yet more lucid and realistic. The most lucid states achieved seemed significantly more conscious than ordinary wakefulness. These states of awareness resembled those reached in extreme situations or moments of euphoria.
DISCOVERY OF TELEPATHY
Throughout these experiments, an issue emerged: upon reaching a heightened state of awareness, systematic disturbances began, often in the form of sounds made by people in the apartment or outside, invariably leading to awakening. A final conviction of the systematic nature of these disturbances came from the vocal and motor reactions of the author’s sleeping spouse, who, for some reason, began reacting whenever there was an increase in noise in the author’s head. It became clear that this state caused her anxiety, although it could not have physically affected her. Moreover, actual physical sounds or actions did not trigger such effects.
Over time, even when his wife was awake, this reaction to his active thinking persisted, often coinciding with the start of his intense mental processes. In a single case, he even received an answer to a question in the form of his wife’s sleep-murmured “no” or “yes,” though it seemed more an emotional agreement or denial than specific words. Similar reactions to his mental activity were noted repeatedly with other people, sometimes even those in neighboring rooms, ruling out a response to subtle physical cues, like a heartbeat increase. The response was not universal, nor was it constant; either it continued throughout one day or was absent on another. However, it always correlated with his mental activity: when his thinking paused, the response stopped, and when he resumed, it reappeared.
On one occasion, the author experienced strong emotional excitement due to a perceived extreme situation. At that moment, he received an unexpected call from his wife (who usually called at a different time), expressing concern and asking if everything was alright. No attempts to intentionally send or receive specific information, such as location or correct action choices, via extrasensory means were successful.
Evidently, emotional content, rather than logical thought constructs, triggered the reactions, making it possible to be sensed extrasensorily. These reactions typically surfaced during moments of contemplation or emotional importance or other mental activities causing arousal. This emotional principle seems to explain why extrasensory abilities are difficult to identify using conventional approaches that assume the transmission of specific information. When exploring extrasensory capabilities, it may be more fruitful to look for the transmission of emotional states.
LUCID DREAMS AND OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCES USING PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
As part of the experiments, plants like Datura and Atropa belladonna were tested, consumed as food. Their use requires extreme caution; for instance, belladonna can be lethal. Datura yielded negative results, leading to a state where dreams blurred with reality and felt ordinary. Initially, while in a specific place in the real world, the author thought he was getting up, doing tasks, only to find himself back at the starting point, repeatedly. As the effect intensified, he dreamed of his deceased father, who tried to convince him of something, with which he disagreed. When his father began hitting him, an attempt to retaliate led to awakening.
Belladonna produced good results, albeit with significant side effects. An indefinite amount of the plant was consumed in small doses at intervals to monitor its effects. This induced an aroused yet generally coherent state without clear signs of altered consciousness. When falling asleep, lucid awareness was achieved effortlessly, accompanied by intense, realistic auditory and visual effects that required some action, resulting in awakening. These included voices, surreal bending of the ceiling, and a pole turning into an arm. These objects were outside the field of real vision yet perceptible in this state, giving the impression that reality was turning into an ordinary dream where objects could behave strangely. Lucidity remained intact, creating a feeling of madness, so staying awake was necessary until the effect wore off. A milder effect during sleep persisted for a day after consumption. Once, with closed eyes, he saw a starry sky through the roof, even though it was cloudy in reality. Another time, a nightmare turned into a calm lucid dream where enlarging the body resulted in reaching the night sky.
After experimenting with substances, it was concluded that the most manageable and lucid state in dreams is achieved without them, although belladonna has a potent positive effect. No new information was obtained from these experiences, aside from an unusual red-lettered message dreamed under the influence of Datura. After waking, the author found an actual message addressed to him in red letters, though he may have previously seen it without paying attention.
