Dreaming While Awake: Techniques for 24-Hour Lucid Dreaming

Dreaming While Awake is the best book I have come across that offers instruction and guidance on how to connect with deeper reality beneath the veneer of day-to-day ordinary life – a realm that Arnold Mindell calls the Dreaming. Mindell is certainly not the first person to explore this topic – he is drawing from Aboriginal, Taoist, Buddhist, and shamanic wisdom, as well as his experience as a Jungian analyst. But his straightforward and simple presentation communicates profound teachings and practices in a crystal clear way, on a topic that is ephemeral and non-conceptual.Mindell, who is also a physicist by training, puts into words subtle experiences that often go unspoken and unconsidered. He describes how when we are attuned to the Dreaming and let go of our firm grip on how we think “reality” works, we can tap into the living, energetic world around us. Here’s an example he offers on allowing ordinary household objects to express themselves to us: “You may notice your broom ‘flirting’ with you. Then if you become lucid of this sentient experience, you notice the dirt on the floor is flirting with you as well. You, the floor, and the broom are in the midst of a relationship triad. Suddenly, sweeping the floor happens.”It is this notion of lucidity that is the key in Mindell’s book. Many people are aware of the idea of lucid dreaming – becoming conscious while in the midst of a dream – but very few consider extending this concept to daily life. By becoming conscious within our waking dream, Mindell says, we can change our relationship to the world around us. In fact, we might discover we are the world around us.

This book is quite inspiring and helpful to our every day life. I say that because it tells us and shows us how our hidden feelings affect our life. It provides readers techniques to help to sort out problems, in which most of the problems are caused by the hidden feelings we had but being neglected for a long time. In order to notice those hidden feelings, we need to be lucid all the time, not only during dream state but also during waking state. If we achieve that, life will be easier and much more beautiful than you never have expected.

I have opened my mind, adapted my skills, and expanded my awareness in my personal life and my professional psychotherapy practice since reading this book. I look forward to reading more from Arnold Mindell and from Amy Mindell. I would also love to engage in professional Process Oriented Psychology training and practice in the future. Very heart-mind opening and inspiring work. Thank you Arnold Mindell for your great work.Jennifer HallKISS Principle Counselling and Psychotherapy

Arnold Mindell seems to think that dreambody experiences are limited to "body knowledge". Although this is an important point, there is a vast universe of lucid dreaming waiting to be explored for those who invest the energy. My point is: do not buy this book because you're interested in lucid dreaming. It will teach you nothing in that area. Also, I'm a little skeptical as to whether Mindell's techniques actually does put you in contact with the "big mind", or if it's just a cute little mind-game you (or Mindell and his wife) can play for yourself, telling yourself you're making great progress on the spiritual path. Come on...! This is lucid dreaming for the old and weary.

This book is one of those you could read again and again. Each time you can find new, inspiring things in it. Connecting our psychology with modern theories of phisics and ancient teories and practices of buddhism and shamanism, the book makes connection between past and present of human life. I love it.

One of my all time favorites! A comparative look at our state of conscious consensus reality and dreaming as seen through four disciplines.

it is ok, but packaged very poorly. what more can i say? most packages are poorly wrapped. packaged poorly…thats just about all that can be said.

Another good book on lucid dreaming. It's difficult to elaborate on the subject matter without sounding somewhat mystical but it is really very down to earth and easy to understand.

Arnie is a legend. Being awake and aware enriches our lives. Explore how we are all connected and 'flirt' with each other and the Tao.

I ordered this book while looking for something else. It arrived in good time and in excellent condition. I was very pleased with this purchase which was exactly as described.

essential reading

As correctly pointed out by another reader, if, like me, you bought this book to learn how to become lucid in your dreams, pass it, because the term "lucid dream" is used, in my humble opinion, to attract more readers! This book is indeed about the power behind our everyday consciousness and is based on Aborigenal culture in Australia as well as theories in quantum physics. That's all good; except that from page 150 (out of 250) this book is about couple and relationship psychology, psychotherapy, etc, so is even less related to awareness in dreams. All this book is about is "how to become more lucid in your awake daytime consciousness". Period. Then there are some syntax annoyances, due probably to the somewhat matriarchal USA culture, that makes the (male) author using the "she" almost all the time, but, ok, that's a minor thing...