A.  According  to  one way  of  thinking,  lucid dreaming  _is_ normal
dreaming. The  brain and  body  are  in the same  physiological  state
during lucid  dreaming as they are  in during most ordinary non- lucid
dreaming, that is, REM sleep. Dreaming is  a result of the brain being
active,  at the same time  as the sense organs  of the body are turned
off to the  outside  world.  In  this condition,  typically during REM
sleep, the mind creates experiences out  of currently active thoughts,
concerns, memories and  fantasies.   Knowing you are  dreaming  simply
allows you  to direct the dream  along constructive or positive lines,
like  you direct your thoughts  when you are awake. Furthermore, lucid
dreams can  be even more  informative   about yourself than  non-lucid
dreams, because you  can observe the  development of the dream out  of
your feelings and tendencies, while being aware  that you are dreaming
and that  the  dream is coming from  you.  The notion  that dreams are
unconscious  processes that should  remain  so  is false.  Your waking
consciousness is  always present in your  dreams.  If it were not, you
would not be able to remember dreams, because you can only remember an
event you have  consciously experienced. The added "consciousness"  of
lucid  dreaming  is nothing more  than the  awareness  of being in the
dream state.

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