Techniques for Awakening Consciousness‏

Excerpts from C H A P T E R 8 Techniques for Awakening Consciousness in the
Dreamscape
When consciousness draws on us in a dream, it is as if we materialized in
the dreamscape. One moment we didnt exist, the next we do. The transition is
dramatic. The experience is very much like the Star Trek depiction of people
who beam through space and who suddenly arrive on new and distant planets.
The difference is that when we gain consciousness in a dream, we emerge into
the sensory environment of the dreamscape. Prior to gaining consciousness,
it is as if we did not exist in the dream at all, at least not in any
present-tense sense of the word. But once we are conscious, suddenly we can
see where we arewe are able to see our seeing, hear our hearing, touch our
touching and feel our feeling. With consciousness we can be where we are.
Consciousness is the doorway through which we enter the dreamscape.

If we wish to awaken our consciousness during dream sleep, we first must
learn to awaken our consciousness while we are awake. Then we can teach
ourselves how to bring consciousness into the dreamscape. The entire process
is at once this simple and this difficult.



Consciousness in Waking Experience
Consciousness, as we have explored, is a phenomenon of the mind that most
people associate with being awake. Indeed, most of us assume that when we
are awake, we are conscious. After all, when else could we be? It extends
from this observation that most people also assume that consciousness is a
continuous characteristic of waking experience that when we fall asleep, we
lose consciousness, but when we awaken from sleep, we regain our
consciousness and are conscious again all day long. This seems obvious, but
is it true?

If we keep in mind that consciousness refers specifically to our ability for
reflectivity, then we need to reevaluate our assessment of consciousness in
waking experience. For example, in many ways, thought itself if continuous.
When we are awake, we always seem to be occupied with thinking about
something. We think of one thing, then another; we think back to an
experience we had, then out attention is summoned by a task in front of us,
and so on. But these thoughts do not in themselves constitute consciousness.

Consciousness is our ability to observe our thought to keep track of it, to
watch its course of associations, and to see all of the ideas that either
complement or compete with the primary thought. When we are conscious during
these meanderings of our mind, we are aware of our thought experience as it
occurs. Remember, the as it occurs part of this definition is vital;
consciousness is a now experience. It is not looking back on a train of
thought that we had a moment or two ago.


To develop your memory for dreams, learn to write them down. This means
devoting five to ten minutes at the start of your morning to recording your
dreams. Consider this habit a practical aspect of improving your dream life;
however, be forewarned that this practical aspect is often the single most
difficult hurdle to surmount. When you awaken in the morning, you need to be
able to calmly; actively, and receptively peruse your mind for the fragments
and memories that are still lingering with you. The process of dream recall
demands your undivided attention. You need quite; you cannot be distracted~~
no television, no radio, no small talk about the day.

Recording dreams is the only way to learn more about your dreams. The
process of writing makes you organize your thoughts, helps you focus on the
events in the dream, and clarifies the sequence of events. As you write, you
will recall more details. Writing improves your recall of dreams, even of
dreams you think you remember fully. Associations pop into your mind as you
write, and these associations are significant clues to the connection of
events. They will help you identify how your mind associates some of the
more confusing aspects of the dream. Writing is also the only way to retain
the depth and richness of recall that you possess when you first awaken.
Once you put a dream on paper, you can later, at your leisure, reflect on
its meaning. Also, if you awaken in the middle of the night and do not write
down the dream, it is almost guaranteed lost. By keeping a dream journal,
you will later be able to review dreams that you otherwise would have
forgotten. Without a hard copy, the overwhelming majority of our dreams are
lost forever.
http://www.dreamdoctor.com/book/chapter8.shtml

If we keep in mind that consciousness refers specifically to our ability for
reflectivity, then we need to reevaluate our assessment of consciousness in
waking experience. For example, in many ways, thought itself if continuous.
When we are awake, we always seem to be occupied with thinking about
something. We think of one thing, then another; we think back to an
experience we had, then out attention is summoned by a task in front of us,
and so on. But these thoughts do not in themselves constitute consciousness.

Consciousness is our ability to observe our thought to keep track of it, to
watch its course of associations, and to see all of the ideas that either
complement or compete with the primary thought. When we are conscious during
these meanderings of our mind, we are aware of our thought experience as it
occurs. Remember, the as it occurs part of this definition is vital;
consciousness is a now experience. It is not looking back on a train of
thought that we had a moment or two ago.


For example, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DRIVING A CAR AND SUDDENLY REALIZED, YOU
CAN'T RECALL THE PAST 5 OR 10 MINUTES? It is a peculiar, but common,
experience. What happens to us during these periods? Does our mind go
completely blank? Clearly not, for the car remains on the road and we are
still driving. What does happen is that for an extended period of time, we
lose and this is what causes the event to be significant to use our
reflective stream of thought. Our mind was drifting and we were being
carried in the stream of voluntary thought. And we still were able to
perform some very complex behavior. We handled a one-and-a-half ton vehicle
at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour and maybe even changed lanes and
passed other cars, all without reflecting on our experience at all. Pretty
neat trick!
Or did you ever find yourself thinking about something unusual some event
long in your past without recalling what prompted your thinking about it?
The peculiar nature of the thought draws our attention to it. At this point
we may be surprised and wonder how we got to thinking about it. If we are
able to remember, we can trace our thoughts back to the original thought.
But notice that, often as not, we are unable to recall what ticked off the
association. If we can step back from ourselves, we can see that our minds
were drifting and we werent necessarily watching what was going on. We were
being carried along in a stream of voluntary thought. Notice also that
characteristic lack of memory for these types of occurrences. Failure of
recall for unobserved experience is extremely common; as a rule, we possess
poor memory for unconsciously experienced sensations.
To develop your memory for dreams, learn to write them down. This means
devoting five to ten minutes at the start of your morning to recording your
dreams. Consider this habit a practical aspect of improving your dream life;
however, be forewarned that this practical aspect is often the single most
difficult hurdle to surmount. When you awaken in the morning, you need to be
able to calmly; actively, and receptively peruse your mind for the fragments
and memories that are still lingering with you. The process of dream recall
demands your undivided attention. You need quite; you cannot be distractedno
television, no radio, no small talk about the day.

Recording dreams is the only way to learn more about your dreams. The
process of writing makes you organize your thoughts, helps you focus on the
events in the dream, and clarifies the sequence of events. As you write, you
will recall more details. Writing improves your recall of dreams, even of
dreams you think you remember fully. Associations pop into your mind as you
write, and these associations are significant clues to the connection of
events. They will help you identify how your mind associates some of the
more confusing aspects of the dream. Writing is also the only way to retain
the depth and richness of recall that you possess when you first awaken.
Once you put a dream on paper, you can later, at your leisure, reflect on
its meaning. Also, if you awaken in the middle of the night and do not write
down the dream, it is almost guaranteed lost. By keeping a dream journal,
you will later be able to review dreams that you otherwise would have
forgotten. Without a hard copy, the overwhelming majority of our dreams are
lost forever.
http://www.dreamdoctor.com/book/chapter8.shtml