At the end of 2021, the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) held a two-week online conference on lucid dreams (LD), combining the scientific and esoteric. On the one hand, the absolute majority of lecturers were PhDs and MDs. On the other hand, many of the topics covered were on the verge of mysticism.
Scott Sparrow, former president of the IASD, shared his personal experience in his opening speech. He was twenty years old when he experienced a false awakening. One night he was “woken up” by something outside the window. He jumped out of bed and saw a bright sphere descending from the sky. A beautiful alien woman in a blue jumpsuit then appeared out of the sphere. After this incident, he had numerous lucid dreams that involved meeting inhabitants of other planets, travelling through alien worlds, and communicating with deceased friends.
According to the program posted on the Glide Wing website, among other topics, the conference included many presentations on psychotherapy and healing in LD, as well as creativity. However, some presenters veered off into more mystical directions: engaging the “invisible teacher” in LD, self-improvement, and even the laws of magic.
What topics and lecturers would you be interested in seeing at a lucid dreaming conference?
The text of Sparrow’s opening speech is available on the website of the DreamStar Institute founded by him.
