Craig Sim Webb is a researcher of dreams, applied psychology, and consciousness, as well as a physicist and biomedical inventor. His life path was set in motion three decades ago when he nearly drowned on a rafting trip, and then suddenly began recalling up to ten dreams a day and having powerful vision dreams. He joined guest host Richard Syrett (Twitter) to discuss lucid dreaming and the dream experiences of music icons that led them to breakthrough inspirations.
Webb defined lucid dreaming as "a dream in which you have more presence." Essentially, the dreamer realizes they are dreaming and can potentially guide the dream as it unfolds, he said. According to Webb, numerous artists have credited lucid or creative dreaming for inspiring their work, including Phish bassist Mike Gordon who revealed his band has included a dream-inspired song on every album they have ever produced. For those interested in having lucid dreams, Webb recommended setting the intention or wish to have them before going to sleep.
He shared a story about a powerful dream Johnny Cash had, which led him to record a song by another famous artist. In the dream, Cash was in a dressing room chatting and sharing songs with singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. During the course of their time together, Nelson performed a song for Cash titled, "They're All the Same," Webb explained, noting Cash's dream ended after Nelson finished singing the song. Motivated by his dream, Cash contacted Nelson and asked if he was working on a song with that title to which Nelson responded he had been, Webb continued. Cash eventually recorded it, he added.
According to Webb, dreams like this may be explained by a connection that he called "the inner-net," also described by Carl Jung as the collective unconsciousness. This connection is likely made by a part of the brain, such as the pineal gland, and other parts of the body may also contribute to the connection, he suggested.
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Open Lines followed in the latter half of the program. Carlos from Carson, California, recounted the night he dreamed of professional baseball player Duke Snider, who Carlos had met when he was a child. According to Carlos, the next morning, he turned on the news to discover Snider had passed away the previous night. "[Snider] appeared to me as he was probably dying or had died," Carlos said, wondering if Snider had also appeared to other fans who he inspired during his baseball playing days.
Eric in Manchester, Tennessee, recalled the day in March of 1997 when he and a co-worker saw three black triangles in the sky over Debary, Florida. Eric estimated each craft was about 50-70 feet across and hovering 200 feet above the ground. The UFOs were completely silent and moved slowly to the southwest where they eventually disappeared, he reported.
Logan from Sonora, California, told Richard he suffered from recurring bouts of sleep paralysis, which felt like someone was sitting on his chest. Logan claimed he could still hear as well as see through slits in his eyelids, he just could not move his body. "It took about every ounce of willpower I had to kind of force myself to wake up, and ever since then, I became a very lucid dreamer," he said, adding "I can just force my dreams into submission and pick where I want my dreams to go."