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Surfing The Edge

Owning Your Dreams


"If you think of the subconscious, dreams, and sleep as the ocean, and you think of the waking, rational mind as
the land, then the place where water crashes into land is super chaotic. That's where all the waves are. And
that's where you surf. So liminal dreaming is surfing the edge of conscious and unconscious." –Jennifer Dumpert

When we say it’s time to chase your dreams, usually we’re being inspirational. Today? It’s literal. That’s because
we’ve been inspired by Jennifer Dumpert's research (more here) – a sleep expert who specializes in liminal

dreaming.

What is liminal dreaming? According to Jennifer, "Liminal Dreaming is the space between awake and asleep –
hypnagogia when you're falling asleep, and hypnopompia when you're waking up."

And, according to sleep experts around the world, this in-between space might be the key to some of your most
interesting subconscious insights. From artists to innovators to scientists, some of the smartest, most creative
minds in history have used liminal dreaming as a tool for self-discovery. People like Thomas Edison, August
Kekulé, Albert Einstein, Mary Shelley, and Edgar Allen Poe have all indulged in the practice of traversing the
space between sleep and wakefulness.

So, if you’re feeling brave (and sleepy), you can try it today:

Liminal Dreaming How-To Guide:

When you're sleepy, lie down on the couch or in your bed, and breathe really deeply.

Exhale. As you exhale, exhale out all of your waking energy and any tension that's in your body.
Soften your mind. Exhale your daily to-dos, your thought processes, and just wait for whatever shows up.

"It might be a little visual glimmer, might be points of light. It might be a sound. It might even just be something
that you're imagining, like you're daydreaming. And then let that come into your consciousness."

Exhale again. Exhale your waking energy out. Exhale any mental wordings that you have, everything.
Let that animate the beginning of the hypnagogic dream, and let there be a feedback loop. Keep breathing deeply
and continue to slow down your own mind and body, loosening your mental grip and letting all of the energy that
you're exhaling bring to life this hypnagogic dream.

"Then you'll just start to slide into the hypnagogic dream space. It's really a balance between not falling asleep,
giving yourself enough mental juice to stay in the space, but not waking up. It might be easier to find [that line]
when you're falling asleep at night, but then once you've learned to find it, you can always find it."

Ready to try it? Go grab a blanket, settle in, and give it a shot. Let us know what you find.

Catch Some Sheep


Feelin' Sleeping?
Sleep is one of the most basic processes humans are capable of. Today, people brag about how little sleep they
"need" to function. But functioning is not thriving, and getting quality sleep is what it takes for you to thrive all day,
every day. Help us shift the narrative about sleep Tune in to our Sleep Week Series.

Further Reading
Lucid Dreaming
Tear a page out of Inception's book and take a deep dive into lucid dreaming. Tim Post is another sleep expert
and can help walk you through the process.

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