Lucid Dreaming, Plain and Simple: Tips and Techniques for Insight, Creativity, and Personal Growth

by Robert Waggoner, Caroline McCready

Aimed at beginners, Lucid Dreaming, Plain and Simple shows the reader how to enter and fully experience the lucid dreaming. Among the amazing things Waggoner and McCready teach readers are how to:
This book approaches lucid dreaming from a more cognitive psychology stance, and focuses more on how to lucid dream and how to use lucid dream techniques for personal growth, insight and transformation. Whether a reader is completely new to lucid dreaming or someone who has experienced that incredible moment of realizing, "This is a dream!", readers will learn valuable tips and techniques gleaned from scientific research and decades of experience to explore this unique state of awareness more deeply.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Audiobook, Self Help, Reference, Spirituality, Science

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Kimberly Lindell · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some good info in this book but I cannot be the only one who noticed their jerk store description of introverts when speaking about how our perceptions in waking life alter reality.

"In the waking world, you sometimes see extreme examples of people who project their inner issues onto their experience. A paranoid person feels utterly convinced that the mail carrier secretly spies on him (along with all other government officials). A hypochondriac sees potential health threats in common body sensations or a neighbor's simple cough. An introvert feels isolated and ignored in a lonely world, even when invited to join the conversation at a family reunion."

So, sorry, all introverts are extreme examples of people projecting their inner issues? Let's look at these examples, paranoid (mental illness), hypochondriac (mental illness), introversion (personality trait that is just as valid to have as it's counterpart, extroversion). Granted, I might not be eager to talk to people at a family reunion but that's just because I don't like most of my family.

I may be introverted but I will astral project myself into this guy's mind if it means I can slap him upside the head....

[Susanne van Doorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Waggoner is one of the most experienced lucid dreamers arouns so any book he co-authored is worth while.
The book can be divided into four parts. First a few chapters about basic techniques for lucid dreaming. The second part is about fine
tuning these techniques. The third part deals with lucid dreaming and healing. And the last part is dedicated to lucid living.
You can see my interview with Robert Waggoner using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go9ts...

I think this is an excellent bok for people who have just started lucid dreaming. I hope Robert Waggoner will write a guide for experienced lucid dreamers
one day because he has such a creative and intuitive mind. To read my Mindfunda review you can see: http://mindfunda.com/lucid-dreaming/

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! This book dives into so many topics. Right when I thought, "yeah not sure how much more methods to becoming lucid I can sit through." The book completely changed gears and dove into areas I wasnt even expecting. If there weren't a few moments when I felt chapters lagged I would have given this a 5!

[Hugues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to discover what is lucid dream and why/how reach it

[Devon Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeahhhh I locked in to this! Loved the engaging simplicity of the writing & all the intriguing anecdotes, also very very interested in all the spiritual stuff in the latter half about the concept of a shared collective unconscious & the higher power within the dreams etc, many ideas to explore which feel so much more 'real' & significant than whatever trivial bullshit we distract ourselves with in the waking world. Isn't it interesting how we never use our phones in our dreams?

Very invested in practicing the techniques outlined here & reading some of the other books, I particularly like the one called 'finding your hands' because that's such a poignant & fitting name for the concept of locating yourself & your identity within the transience of space. I realised I was dreaming twice on my first or second night doing this ~ promptly woke up both times, but it's a promising start! My dream recall is also sooooo much better.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half contains interesting (and science-backed) information. The back half is significantly more pseudoscience-y and new age-y. (Which is saying something as a reader to came to more mainstream self help books via literal witchcraft books.) I was also continually frustrated by this book’s seeming instance that you must Do Something Important with your lucid dreams. God forbid you just explore and enjoy this world of limitless possibilities; you must seek deeper meanings, heal yourself, or - most dystopic of all - use it to improve job skills. Definitely would not recommend for someone coming to lucid dreaming for the first time, as I was.

[Hilary Whatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

May favorite part of this book is how he shows the power of intent and belief on the dreaming world, and then takes it a step further to imply its power in the waking reality (aka, placebo affect, or law of attraction). It definitely inspires me to practice these positive thought processes he describes in the book, both to induce stable lucid dreams, and to co-create my reality. :)

Although there is some overlap with other basic lucid dreaming books (and his other book), this one is solid. It will surely inspire you with lucid dreaming ideas (like healing yourself in dreams).

[Firsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked it slightly better than the LaBerge book. However, it lacks "some" stuff, most notably advanced forms of induction techniques, more reality check flavors, sleep hygiene advice, how sleep (and length of) affects dreams in an actionable fashion, nightmare control (ridicule the monster as in Harry Potter), techniques for most wanted dream activities, substances (both the effect of everyday legal drugs, illegal ones, and dream-optimized herbs). I mean how the hell can you write an LD book without mentioning calea zacatechichi or entada rheedii? A LOT more could be included. I liked the first half though and almost gave it four stars. The book is short yet it still manages to venture off topic with a few chapters that I didn't really understand why there was a need to include such as meditating in lucid dreams and emotional healing. I really wanted a relistenworthy lucid dreaming book that I could spam passively after the first listen, but this is not quite it, bummer. I guess it's too simple. Just go to the Dream Views forum if you wanna learn.

[Clayton Kardas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeed an easy read, have had a couple successful dreams so far and excited for more. I’m very skeptical about the parts about healing, but am open to it being reality, especially after rigorous research on the subject. Hoping the best for lucid dreaming as a discipline to grow into a more mainstream part of today’s culture, but hope it grows towards the ideas surrounding nature itself rather than materialistic desires of advantageous people.

[Ribena Beetroot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully (and lucidly!) written book.

I read this in 2016 and had been dream journalling and lucid dreaming for a few months at the time. I found this book to be the most suited to me out of all of the ones I had read. The other two I read were Charlie Morley's "Lucid Dreaming - A Beginner's Guide", which was very readable but mainly contained information I had already accessed elsewhere - a great guide for early beginners - and "Gateway to the Inner Self" by Robert Waggoner, which was very interesting read, more towards the advanced side, with loads of great ideas of how to direct your intent in the dreamspace, but less instructional, more descriptive/anecdotal.

"Plain and Simple" was a perfect blend of clearly described techniques for beginners to practise, and deeper insights and practices to work towards. I circled loads of the passages and connected with many of the ideas. There are chapters covering all sorts of topics, such as basics like reality checks and how to improve recall, as well as practical ideas about how to stabilise dreams once you are lucid, how to maintain lucidity, and how to navigate the dreamscape, and also suggesting ideas of what you can use lucid dreaming for, and how to manifest your intentions.

It's also a very pretty book to carry around, which helps :)

I would highly recommend this to all beginning and intermediate lucid dreamers, and I'm sure even advanced lucid dreamers would find something to brush up their techniques in here!

[Tom Cornille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just experienced my first lucid dream thanks to the techniques in this book, my mind is blown... incredible experience. It seemed almost unbelievable but - take it from me - it's possible and true. It's hard to overstate the coolness of being fully aware and in control in a dream. Can't wait till the next one!

[Felice Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 2015, this is a solid foundational book for beginner lucid dreamers. However, even as an advanced lucid dreamer myself, it is still beneficial to read about what others have done and what the studies looked like then.

One fun stat is that the rare breed of ultra-advanced lucid dreamers will have over 1,000 lucid dreams per year. Nice to be part of this category!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me it's almost unbelievable. Tried for 2 days, but without desired effect :) Author suggests to keep trying for at least a month, so we'll see :) Well written, it was pleasure to listen to audiobook version.

[WolfgangBlizzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Learned so much. Need to re-read some parts though. Especially the methods of recognizing you’re dreaming. Also, need to re-read how lucid dreams can help your creativity.

As a musician, it could help me generate musical ideas and play them in real life

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating take.

[Jesse Bustos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Easy to read and actual results from studies make it really interesting and worthwhile.

[Josh Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucid dreaming is wild and wonderful

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Robert is one of the best authors on the field. I recommend also “Gateway to the inner self”.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on Lucid Dreaming, but it's basically a recap of the author's first book, with a lot of the same examples, but leaning more on the techniques side.

[Sara Casalino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! So much wonderful info about lucid dreaming! I'm a beginner at lucid dreaming and am looking to improve my lucid dreaming practice.

[James Lowery · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are several exercises to induce lucid dreaming early on in the book, but most of the book is a condensed version of "Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self" only with added exercises.

[L]

Started reading our physical copy of this book sometime in the week of Feb 9. According to Andrew, Monday or Tuesday.

[Ceirra Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful quick and easy to read.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm giving this a 3/5 even though I didn't finish it. That is because what I did read was valuable and I don't regret it, but I've decided the rest of the novel might not be worth my time.

It's not that I didn't finish because I couldn't get through it, but maybe just that I didn't understand the intent of the book going in.

It happens to meander through technique and theory in a very stream-of-consciousness way, and in all honestly doesn't say much new that you couldn't just learn by reading LaBerge and/or digging through some forums.

And w hile some of the techniques are interesting, ultimately it becomes a bit too new-age pseudosciencey for me by the latter half of the novel.

[Carla Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book written so

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book with good tips and ideas for lucid dreaming practices, but in listening to the Audible audiobook, I felt that the narrator fell a little flat. While he had a clear voice, I could have done with a little more variation in the reading, or it may have been easier to listen to if he had a more conversational tone instead of something similar to listening to a lecture, as if he is trying to speak loudly and slowly to a large room of people. It just made it difficult to listen to for very long periods, and I often found myself getting distracted or zoning out because of the narrator's tone.

Overall though, it's not a bad book, and had many interesting stories and suggestions. If you are interested in the concept of lucid dreaming, it's worth a read.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book! Well researched with plenty of examples to follow. The techniques and tips are clear and easy to follow. Who doesn't want to conduct their own science experiment? This is the most comprehensive lucid dreaming book I have read as it can be useful regardless your level of experience in the subject. A good read!

[Mike S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thorough and insightful book, filled with examples of lucid dreams, the results of several studies of lucid dreaming, advice about how to become a lucid dreamer and what to do and not do when you do, including fascinating experiments to try. The book covers every aspect of lucid dreaming and has a great bibliography for readers who are left wanting more.

[Cricket Muse]

Dreams. They keep us company at night, yet we usually forget them in the morning. Some dreams are memorable, those crazy ones where we fly or face monsters or wake remembering colors, sounds, even smells from our dreamtime wandering. These are what lucid dreams be made of and this slim little guide gives some notable pointers.

[Lisa]

Throw out all your other books about lucid dreaming.