Can Anyone Lucid Dream?
It would be nice if everyone could learn to induce lucid dreams, but it is not known at this time whether anyone could experience this rare animal. I would say that if you remove those people whom don't believe lucid dreaming is possible, and everyone not interested in being lucid, the population remaining can probably achieve lucidity.
I have heard of children knowing that they are dreaming while in dreams, but I think this is actually a confabulation. More likely, a child might experience a sort of contextual memory when in the dream state and exercise certain behaviors we would say indicate a level of dream-control, but this may not entail actually understanding a dream is occurring. Or, a recurring dream (and yes, there are only a few dream themes so they are bound to recur) may, upon awakening, seem so familiar that it is assumed "I knew it was a dream." At least in adults, the Dorso-Lateral Pre-Frontal Cortex (DLPFC) area of the brain - associated with the highest executive functioning in the brain - exhibits gamma-wave activity indicative of conscious thought. My issue here is that the DLPFC is not well developed until the early twenties for women and mid-twenties in men. And even then, lucid dreaming may require a level of reflective meta-cognition difficult to achieve. With the above difficulties mentioned, there is still hope. Becoming familiar with your dreams through journaling can greatly increase your familiarity with your dream-life, and simultaneously you will notice heightened vividness in your dreams. Having a solid induction plan, whether or not it includes a nootropic regimen, will greatly increase the odds of success for anyone who wants a lucid dream. |