Dreaming While Awake: Techniques for 24-Hour Lucid Dreaming

Another excellent book by Mr. Mindell I really liked the way he merges the essence of different spiritual traditions to create a unified dynamic way of experiencing life . I find his 24 hour lucid dreaming technique very effective in finding and understanding oneself. A very inspiring and enjoyable book highly recomended for those who like integrating teachings of different spiritual traditions into their own spiritual path.

Dreaming While Awake is one of the best books I've yet read on the subject of recognizing one's fullest spiritual identity. Author Arnold Mindell explains how playing with nonconsensus and consensus reality can help one attain a sense of lucid living... of recognizing the "Big You." Mindell describes how the Big You creates the world and sees through the illusory nature of consensus reality, to rise above the petty (yet often infuriatingly stressful) situations we find ourselves in. When you are not lucid, the universe can seem inexplicable. When you are lucid, you understand that you can stay present in the cloudedness of your ordinary senses, sensing information around you with highly tuned intuition. In a state of Big You lucidity, even your opponents are understood to be another part of the Big You... and you can find your way to better outcomes than you have ever imagined. I love the way Dreaming While Awake takes the reader on an odyssey of exploring the furthest reaches of consciousness, to discover how reality itself can be a magical symbol that flirts with our awareness. I also love the way Mindell includes real-life examples of how he has felt when he became aware of his own "Big You" and dealt with difficult situations from that elevated state of mind. Dreaming While Awake is a classic book on the subject of consciousness and reality that is destined to be read and re-read and cherished forever.

Arnold Mindell, Ph.D. has written more than a dozen books, and is known throughout the world for his work with dreams, bodywork, consciousness, shamanism, and conflict resolution. He's the founder of the therapy known as Process Oriented Psychology and has established training centers in 22 countries. Dr. Mindell has appeared on TV and radio and at conferences worldwide. He draws on his extensive experience and knowledge in his latest book, Dreaming While Awake: Techniques for 24-Hour Lucid Dreaming. In it, he explains that Dreaming (always with a capital letter) is "the energy behind everything; it is the life force of all living beings, the power of trees and plants, and the power of motors, business, and financial centers." While the dreaming we do at night has an important part in all this, Dreaming occurs 24 hours a day. Dr. Mindell says that "the Dreaming is always present, like an aura shimmering around the objects and events you call everyday life." His goal is to help readers "learn to move through and behind the world of everyday life, exploring the world of healing, divination, and immortality." He begins by defining Dreaming and discussing it in terms of religion, philosophy, and science. He then explains how it enhances personal health (mental and physical), relationships, and work situations. Dr. Mindell provides several simple exercises that individuals can use alone or with others to train themselves in becoming aware of the subtleties of Dreaming. He says that many people have an undefinable sense of something wrong or missing in their lives and says this is because they unwittingly are only seeing half their lives and half the world--they aren't accessing Dreaming. Dreaming While Awake is not a dream interpretation book. Instead, it guides readers on a journey of recognition. A hidden world of information exists, with clues provided by the unconscious on a continual basis. Individuals interested in learning to understand and use their Dreaming will find the help they seek in Dreaming While Awake.

As an aficionado of books about shamanism, dreaming, and quantum (meta) physics, I have been a fan of Arnold Mindell since reading Dreambody several years ago. Two of his most recent books, Quantum Mind and this one, Dreaming While Awake, are absolutely benchmarks. Arnold connects lucid dreaming, aboriginal spirituality, Buddhism, Hinduism, process psychology, group work, body work, and a host of other intriguing elements in a clear and practical way. Eminently readable and enthusiastically recommended.