The history of lucid dreaming goes deep into the past; in fact, it was only in the fifth century that it became a topic of much debate. The earliest recorded lucid dreams date from the fifth century; the record comes from St. Augustine’s letter in 415 AD. Another well-known account of lucid dreams came from Tibetan Buddhists in the eighth century, in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Buddhists have spoken of a form of yoga that is designed to maintain full waking consciousness in a dream state. These ancient dream yogis clearly understood dreams, which they considered more advanced than the knowledge we have today.
In the nineteenth century, after many obscure dream practices emerged, such as seeking another reality in a dream state or conjuring ghosts from the past through dreams, people began to look beyond these practices and accept dreams as if they were happening in everyday life. This has encouraged many people to explore the scientific reasons for lucid dreams.
Modern History of Lucid Dreaming Starts With Marquis D’Hervey
The Marquis d’Hervey de Saint-Denys was the most famous scientist to appear. In 1867, he published the book Dreams and How to Guide Them, in which he documented more than twenty years of his own research into dreams. In this book, the Marquis describes the subsequent development of his ability to control his dreams. He first vividly recalled the dream and realized he was dreaming. He was a pioneer in the field of dreams, proving that everyone can learn to dream consciously.
History of Lucid Dreaming Continues With Frederick Van Eeden
Then came the man to whom we owe the term “lucid dream.” Frederick Van Eeden, Dutch psychiatrist and dream researcher. Although he was interested in all aspects of dreams, he found lucid dreams most intriguing. His first work was written as fiction so he could freely express his ideas without the public being interested in such sensitive matters; it was called The Bride Of Dreams. Then, in 1913, he boldly presented an article on lucid dreaming to the Society for Psychological Research. He reported on 352 of his lucid dreams collected between 1898 and 1912; this article is titled “A Study of Dreams.”
The Most Famous Is Stephen Laberge
Several others continued to explore lucid dreams, but no one became as famous as Stephen LaBerge, who still explores lucid dreams today. In September 1977, LaBerge applied to Stanford University and wanted to study lucid dreaming as part of his doctorate program in psychophysiology. That was approved, and he started his work on lucid dreams. He soon gained access to a sleep laboratory at Stanford, where he began his research into lucid dreams with the help of Dr. Lynn Nagel, a researcher who shared LaBerge’s interest in lucidity. The research was unsuccessful at first, but as he continued, he found answers to some long-unanswered questions, such as “How long does a lucid dream last?” and “When do lucid dreams occur?” We also owe him all the latest research on lucid dreams, as his answers to such questions have sparked interest in modern research.
He described all these attractions in “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming.