Am I Dreaming?

Thomas Peisel believes he can unlock the divide between our waking hours and our subconscious slumber—and he wants to bring you along for the wild ride.

Oneironautics — traveling throughout one’s dreams on a conscious basis — may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the practice in fact has roots all the way back to ancient Egypt and Greece. “It’s not about sleeping,” says Thomas Peisel. “It’s about waking up — waking up to your dream life.” Peisel, the co-author of “A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming,” also teaches a course titled “Journey to the Dream World,” in which he aims to help others find the emotional healing and self-awareness that he says come with mastering the skill of lucid dreaming.