Subliminal Dreams Website

Sleep and Dreams

Discover Sleep Programming and Lucid Dreaming

How many of us realise that sleeping (and dreaming) provides us with a wonderful opportunity for effortless self improvement ...

A) Sleep

As we all know, sleep is a naturally occurring state characterised by a partial or total loss of consciousness in which just about all sensitory activity is effectively suspended. However, we also know that it is a reversible state from which the subject will eventually awaken either naturally or as a result of receiving some form of sensory stimulus.

However, one of the really interesting things about sleep is that it is NOT

(as is often imagined) a time when most of our bodily processes ease off or shut down completely.

On the contrary, it is often a time when our body chemistry goes into overdrive - a time of rejuvenation and renewal for our neural, skeletal, and muscular tissues and for our immune system. This is particularly true of babies, and young children, for whom growth hormones are secreted at a much greater rate during the phases of sleep.

Sleep is also important of course at times of illness, when an immune system that has been refreshed and invigorated by slumber is better able to fight off the agents of sickness and disease.

The behaviour of the brain during the sleep phase has always been the subject of great interest.  Here again, there is a natural tendency to assume that the brain effectively shuts down when we go to sleep.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

The parts of the brain that 'sleep' are only the 'conscious' parts of the brain - such as the parts responsible for deliberate thought processes, the parts that deal with and interpret sensory stimuli (vision, hearing, and touch), and the parts that control deliberate muscular movement.

There is another very large and very important part of the brain that remains 'awake' and extremely receptive to external stimuli.

Sleep Programming

We all know that, in the right hands, hypnosis can be a very powerful remedy for all manner of phobias, habit disorders, and psychotic conditions.  The secret of its success lies in its ability to address issues that reside in the subconscious mind.

However, to be really effective, such therapies require the subject's mind to be totally receptive to the ideas that are being suggested.

This can sometimes be a problem when the subject is wide awake, because the conscious 'thinking' mind has a tendency to react or argue against the ideas that are being presented; whereas the subconscious mind is less inclined to raise such objections.

So just imagine how successful hypnotherapy might be in a scenario where the conscious mind is oblivious to what is going on, and yet the subconscious is wide open and receptive to ideas.

We are talking of course about the situation that prevails when we go to sleep !

Now we are not suggesting for one moment that you should take a hypnotist to bed with you each and every night - unless that really rocks your boat  :-) !

What we are talking about is a relatively new therapy called sleep programming.

Here's how it works:

You choose your topic for self-improvement as you climb into your pyjamas or nightdress, and you select the appropriate sleep programming session from your collection of CD recordings.   

All you then have to do is play the CD on loop as you fall asleep.

That's all there is to it !

Sleep programming works by feeding suggestions to your subconscious mind while you sleep - when your mind is at its most receptive.  It is like having an extremely powerful hypnosis session that lasts all night.

Dick Sutphen is one of the pioneers of Sleep Programming.

Dick has had a distinguished career in advertising and audio publishing.  In fact, he created the very first pre-recorded hypnosis tapes way back in 1976, and went on to market these through his own company, Valley of the Sun Publishing.  

The company is now widely regarded as a leader in this field - supplying more than 200 audio and video titles to a world-wide audience.

Dick Sutphen is above all else an accomplished hypnotist and has brought his consummate skills to bear in the creation of The Complete Sleep Programming Series.

The package consists of no fewer than 13 sleep programming sessions which cover a variety of key topics, ranging from relieving stress to sleeping off the excess pounds, and from learning to be assertive to increasing your income.

These programs are incredibly powerful audio experiences that can fundamentally change the way that you feel about personal success and happiness - and they do so whilst you enjoy a calm and restful night's sleep.

B) Dreams

The subject of dreams and dreaming has fascinated human beings from the beginnings of time. 

Different cultures have attached great significance to the meaning of dreams over the centuries, often regarding them as direct messages from the Gods or from the dead.  Others believed that dreams have the power to predict the future or provide solutions to impending problems in the 'real' waking world.

Modern science tells us that dreaming tends to occur mainly in what is known as the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep, when brain activity is high (as evidenced by the continuous movement of the eyelids).  Dreams themselves are regarded as an involuntary response to neural processes that occur naturally in the brain during sleep.

The content and imagery of dreams (which is frequently surreal, bizarre, and often completely ridiculous) is generally regarded as being beyond the control of the dreamer.

However, there is one scenario in which the dreamer is able to exert a degree of influence over the events that are unfolding in the dream state.  We are referring to a phenomenon which the experts call 'lucid dreaming'.

Lucid Dreaming

The term lucid dream was coined by a Dutch psychiatrist over a century ago to describe a dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that he or she is actually dreaming.

In such dreams, the dreamer can become actively engaged in what is going on, to the extent that he or she is able to influence or even manipulate some of the imagery and experiences in the dream state.

It was realised at a fairly early stage that people who suffer from nightmares might benefit from being able to realise that they are in fact only dreaming.  Furthermore, many people who have experienced lucid dreaming find it to be a refreshing and invigorating experience.

Small wonder then that much of dream research has focused on finding ways to encourage or induce the lucid dreaming state.

The World of Lucid Dreaming have come up with a step-by-step tutorial course, entitled The Lucid Dreaming Fast Track, which presents a whole range of techniques for controlling and prolonging lucid dreams, and for making them more vivid and memorable.

C) Sleep Deprivation

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world suffer from insomnia - and millions more do not get the amount and quality of sleep that they require to be able to function at their best.

The simple truth is that if we do not get enough deep, restful sleep each night, our mental and physical capabilities can be effectively crippled.

Dr Jeffrey Thompson is a scientist who has spent years investigating the healing and transformative powers of sound and music, and is the author of a number of audio programs designed to facilitate the healing process or improve our well-being and state of mind.

He has now come up with an audio program that might well be regarded as the ultimate cure for insomnia.  

It is called The Delta Sleep Solution and it works by guiding your brainwaves into the patterns of activity that are required for deep, restful sleep - thus preparing your mind and body for peak performance the next day.

The cleverly crafted musical soundtracks are combined with multilayered recordings of the sounds of nature, and are embedded with the low-frequency "Delta" pulses that your own brainwaves lock onto and follow, as you drift into a deep and peaceful sleep.

All you have to do is press 'Play' in order to fall asleep, stay asleep, and then wake up revitalised and rejuvenated the following morning.  

It really is that simple.

And the program includes an added bonus - the Little Sleep Machine - a small digital audio player that you can take with you to ensure a good night's sleep wherever you go.