Such a nice and big collection of information, thank you people.

I have one question, is it really necessary to stop smoking any weed or it is a problem only when being abused and I can smoke 2-3 times a week and still easily train myself in lucid dreaming?

It seems to vary among different folks but IME and from talking with others, generally dream recall is best if you avoid it altogether.

I smoke cannabis like 1-2 sometimes 3 times a week and I still lucid dream multiple nights a week and always have my whole life. I have been lucid dreaming since I was a baby, even when I smoked heavily.

Maybe lucid dreaming just happens to some people more natural than others for some reason? Or maybe some people just remember dreams better so remember being lucid while some people don't ever remember at all. Cannabis can interfere with dream recall for some people.

So weed interferes rather with dream recall than with the experience of lucid dreaming itself?

^ Considering marijuana's effects on memory and REM sleep, it appears to be both.

You might find the following research helpful:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/164314

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih....pmc/articles/PMC2442418/

http://www.truthonpot.co.../03/marijuana-and-sleep/

Personally, I find lucid dreaming far more enjoyable and interesting than getting stoned, although I do like getting blazed out of my mind once in a while.

I used to wake up and smoke ganja in the middle of the night just to boost hypnogogia and dreaming. I dunno about other people but cannabis did not seem to effect my REM sleep when I was a regular daily smoker, smoking around an ounce a week.

So far as I know REM sleep where dreams occur is the shallowest level of sleep. The brain is still at a pretty high frequency similar to the state of being awake. This is where the most lucid dreams occur, that is right on the border. Delta wave is a low frequency high amplitude brainwave state the deepest state of sleep where no dreams occur. In REM the eyes move because they are tracking as if the dream is real. So for more lucid dreams I believe you would want to either a couple things. Either take naps with an alar set not allowing yourself to sleep to long thus slipping past REM, or dont attempt lucid dreaming when too tired. Also you could sleep deprive yourself and sleep with a spoon in your hand hanging over the ground when you start to drift to far you drop it and the noise wakes you, this is supposedly what Dali did access altered states.

As most other states of consciousness, lucid dreaming depends on both neuro-chemical and neuro-physiological aspects, which as SpartanII said are altered by cannabis use, and a learning and experience factor.

I'm not surprised that jamie is able to dream vividly or lucidly in spite of smoking some cannabis, because his experience (and probably how his brain is wired) makes easier for him to enter such states.

But for someone who is starting with dream work, cannabis will generally slow down progress. To anyone using cannabis and wanting to improve their dreaming skills, I'd suggest doing a little REM rebound experiment. Smoke a little cannabis for a few nights, then stop using, and both the first and the second nights without any cannabis, apply some of the lucidology techniques. You might have a surprise, then you'll know what's there to find, and perhaps the drawbacks of discontinuing cannabis use will be more tolerable.

I was in the proccess of doing this when circumstances have taken me back to regular cannabis use for therapeutic reasons, but the first full-blown lucid dream I experienced happened under REM rebound. And I definitely want to go back there soon.

I guess that I will have to stop smoking cannabis for at least quite some time. From the two options I am interested more in lucid dreaming. I've already had few spontaneous experiences and the possibility to discover this vast and unknown territory to me looks very promising.

That confirms what I thought before.

I smoke Cannabis since my 18th. Between my 18th and my 21st year I had alot of spontanious Lucid Dreams. I would just know, for no appearant reason, that I was dreaming. Some times I remembered to do a reality check and became lucid like that. In general I had very vivid & memorable dreams in that period. Despite the fact I smoked Cannabis back then. And quite heavily so from my 19th onwards.

Then suddenly came a "dry spell". Poor to no dream recall.
Except a rare few memorable dreams & one 5 second lucid dream I generally have had 0 recall for 7 ish years now.

I allways thought it was the Cannabis that gradually worsened my dream recall, but now I wonder if it could have been stress. 20, the age after which my dream recall gradually started fading away, was also the age at which my heart got shredded by a girl. "The" girl.

That caused me alot of grief in the years after that. Alot of stress. Still stuggling with it deep down. I'm guessing that stress may have had a more detrimental effect on my Dream Recall than Cannabis has.

It would explain why, before when I was unburdained by this pain & stress, I had loads of Lucid Dreams and my Dream recall was fantastic, despite my Cannabis use.

I still smoke Cannabis. The only difference is that since my 20th I have been burdained by this profound pain and the stress it causes. Just about the same amount of time when my Dream Recall first started declining.




I have been trying to pin down what surpresses dreamvividness & recall,
and I think I have long overestimated Cannabis and underestimated Stress.
I wish I could get rid of this burdain. It hinders much more than just my Dream Recall.

If you smoke often it might help by cutting back. For me cannabis usually helps my dreaming, but I'm not usually a daily smoker anymore. Even when I was though I would still dream vividly.

I think one of the major things you can do to enhance dream awareness and build recall are being diligent about keeping a dream journal every morning, and meditating at night before bed. Many things can help. Even just remembering to lay still the moment you wake up can really help memory. Once you start moving it starts fading much quicker.

Nathanial.Dread

Few oneirogens are as powerful as Silene capensis when it comes to inducing sustained lucid dreaming. I incorporated working with Silene capensis and a combination of mindfulness techniques and meditation in order to induce lucid dreaming.

Although after some time I had to reframe from using Silene capensis as its effects were to profound and powerful on my dreaming state that it became extremely difficult to be able to discern any level of separation between my dreaming state and my conscious waking state.

Meditation, mindfulness and dream yoga are incredibly potent tools but I do find that it is of greatest importance to combined these tools with vital catalysts like oneirogens and enthoegens in order to make true and significant progress.


Much Peace and Understanding

That is interresting. I once tried Silene Capensis tea, but to no avail.
How did you consume it? powdered root tea? Frothing the powdered root +
water into foam and eating that? What doses did you use and how many successive
nights/mornings of Silene Capensis ingestion before Oneirogenic effects became appearant?

I still have a few grams of dried root lying around so I may try to use it like you did.
Then again I may not have enough. I'll probably go looking for a european vendor that sells Silene Capensis root at a reasonable price.

I second that, same for Kirkii root. I'm open for suggestions if anybody has an idea.

SKA

I consumed the Silene capensis foam which is the traditional method of administration. I prepared 1g of powdered Silene capensis which would be stored in the fridge and used for three days before making another batch. The oneirogenic effects became apparent within the first week of working with the Silene capensis although I do have an acute sensitivity to oneirogens and entheogens so I guess I am a pretty good guinea pig.

The Silene capensis that I worked with was incredibly fresh as it grows locally where I live so perhaps this also contributed towards the potent effects that I experienced. It has been said that if you consume Silene capensis everyday for about three months or so the effects can and may become permanent but I cannot vouch for the validity of this personally as I haven't experienced it myself.

I hope this helps, wishing you the best of luck.


Much Peace and Kindness