I discovered in high school that I was a lucid dreamer when I learned that I could study complicated mathematical and geometry problems before going to bed and discovered that I was able to solve the problems when I awakened.

This phenomenon followed me through college and medical school. When I was in medical school, I began to apply my sleep-solving abilities to medical problems, quickly running through the questions of the day and usually finding useful solutions or useful additional questions in the process (even today I will occasionally wake up at 3:00 in the morning and call the hospital to order a special laboratory test on a problem patient, the possible solution of which had occurred to me in a lucid dream).

At this point, the greatest use to which I have been able to put this facility is in the practice of surgery. Each night before retiring I review my list of surgical cases and I actually practice these cases in my sleep. I have gained a reputation for being a rapid and skilled surgeon with almost no major complications.

This surgical "practice" has allowed me from the very beginning to constantly review the anatomy and to refine and polish technique by eliminating unnecessary motions. I am presently able to perform most major complex procedures in 35 percent to 40 percent of the time taken by most of my peers.

SOURCE: Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge & Howard Rheingold, 1990, p. 204. Original passage untitled.

EDITOR'S NOTE

I've criticized LaBerge's lucid dream approach as one-size-fits-all, but even I admit his techniques work well for several kinds of problems: nightmares arising from unresolved fear, guilt, and possibly PTSD (basically, lucid dreaming is like traditional therapy but faster and a lot cheaper) but also, as here, for rehearsal and skill-building in a safe space. This is a splendid example of the latter; and his books have examples in diverse fields: math, music, sports, art, programming, sales and scientific research.

--Chris Wayan

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