Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to
go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet
1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices
marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the
information given in the passage. Six Ways to Alter Your Dreams
It’s rare that I have an exciting or fun dream. Two-headed monsters
or the ability to breathe underwater rarely come up when I’m sleeping. The most
interesting dream I’ve had recently involved me returning to my college job as
an ice cream scooper and muttering to a coworker,"Man, this sucks! "It sure did.
Yet many of my friends tell me fantastic nighttime tales
of flying all over the world or of scandalous encounters with Clive Owen on a
train. I’ve heard that it’s possible to control the course of our dreams via
lucid dreaming, but I always assumed that it was an innate ability. In fact,
anyone can learn to take the reins from the subconscious and alter dream
situations. Using a variety of techniques, we can turn mundane dreams into
fantasies that make it even more exciting to crawl into bed. 1. Dream Journaling A good place to
start the lucid dreaming process is to keep a record of previous dre, ams. There
are numerous ways to remember your dreams, but one of the easiest and most
popular is to keep a dream journal. Put a notebook and pen next to your bed and
immediately upon waking write down everything you can remember from your dreams.
If writing is too much effort so soon after snoozing, try a voice recorder
instead. The point is to keep track consistently so that yore" dream recall
improves over time. After all, what’s the point of lucid dreaming if you can’t
remember it in the morning 2. Mnemonic Induction of
Lucid Dreams (MILD) This technique, created by
psychophysiologist Stephen LaBerge, stresses the recognition of dreaming while
it’s in process. Begin by making it a goal to wake yourself up when yon notice
that you’re dreaming and chronicle everything you can remember about the dream.
As you’re falling back asleep, focus on re-entering your previous dream, but
this time direct yourself to explore the dream instead of waking yourself up.
Keep that awareness as you fall into REM sleep (the sleep stage during which
lucid dreaming most commonly occurs). It might help to state aloud, "I am aware
of my dream state," as you drift off. Look for
indications-also called dream signs-that alert you to the fact that you’re
dreaming. These could be anything that are out of the ordinary or would be
impossible in real life (the previously-mentioned two-headed monster, for
example). This technique can take a while to master, but with steady practice,
you can learn to recognize dream signs while still in the dream state, thereby
putting yourself in control of the situation. 3.
Reality Testing Reality testing requires constant
attention to the world around us-both in dreams and in real life. When going
through your day, perform small checks to determine if what you’re seeing is
possible in reality. The answer will usually be yes since yon know you’re awake
(and it’ll probably feel silly at first), but the repeated questioning will set
your mind up to take the same actions in dreams. For example, something simple
like a car not starting is often overlooked in a dream because that’s something
that could happen in real life. But if a spouse’s hair is blonde instead of
brown, that’s a clear signal for someone using reality testing that he or she is
actually dreaming, and this knowledge allows more control over the course of the
dream. To get into the habit, set an alarm or make it a goal to do reality
checks a certain number of times per day. The checks are a way to teach yourself
to notice out of the ordinary occurrences in dreams so that you can reach that
coveted awareness without fully waking up. 4.
Wake-Initiation of Lucid Dreams (WILD) Those who use
the WILD method to achieve lucid dreaming must learn to stay at least somewhat
conscious (but not too conscious, since that might keep you awake) as your body
moves into deep sleep. According to the Lucidity Institute, a group that
promotes lucid dreaming research and theories, you must start with about five or
six hours of sleep before attempting WILD. Upon waking,
stay up for anywhere from half an hour to an hour, and then try to fall back
asleep while remaining conscious of what’s going on and thinking about your next
dream. Many people enter a hypnagogic state (the period of grogginess preceding
sleep) at this point, since their bodies have already passed through the
previous sleep stages during the five-to six-hour period. As you’re getting
closer to the REM stage, you might see strange colors or images behind your
closed eyes or hear odd noises-this is part of falling into a dream state. If
you can focus on these occurrences enough to know what they are without rousing
yourself to complete consciousness, they will turn into dreams that you can
manipulate. 5. Lucid Dreaming Induction Devices
(LDID) For those who can’t achieve lucid
dreaming on their own, there are products on the market designed to help you
enter the desired dream state. One example is the NovaDreamer, which was
developed by Stephen LaBerge. It involves a mask that goes over your eyes that
flashes lights or emits a sound when you fall into the REM stage of sleep. The
REM-Dreamer is a similar product that claims to have better technology than
LaBerge’s version. They’re both meant to serve as a reminder that you are
actually dreaming, and, with practice, that semi-awareness will grant you the
ability to direct the course of your dreams. 6. Lucid
Dreaming Via Food Though not as popular as the other
methods listed, some believe that ingesting certain foods before going to bed
will increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming. Some potential triggers are
mustard, dairy, pickles, and popcorn. However, eating these foods too late at
night might prevent someone from falling asleep altogether. Feel free to try it,
especially if a pickle craving is actually keeping you awake at night. However,
you might be better off attempting one of the other techniques first.
There are other similar methods suggested for lucid dreaming and
many of them center on achieving a certain state of consciousness while altering
sleeping patterns. What they all have in common is the need to stay focused and
keep our stress levels down, as constant worry will only produce anxiety-ridden
dreams. The ability to control our dreams requires effort, determination, and
consistent application. However, all that hard work might just pay off when we
dream about flying over the Great Pyramids or swimming with dolphins as opposed
to our spouses cheating, showing up naked and late to work, or fighting mutant
monkeys in space alongside Vin Diesel. When should we attempt WILD, according to the Lucidity Institute
A.As soon as we dream the first dream. B.After about five or six hours of sleep. C.When we have continuous bad dreams. D.At the beginning or the end of sleep.