Ever had a dream where you knew you were in a dream, even for a few seconds? That was an experience in lucid dreaming. According to Andrew Holecek, lucid dreaming is like “control over this ultimate video game.” You can use that control to compose a poem, talk with your departed loved ones, drive a Ferrari through the Alps, or gain profound spiritual insights. The founder of a nonprofit that provides dental care to children in orphanages in places like Nepal, Vietnam, and Guatemala, Holecek interrupted his dental career for a three-year meditation program at Söpa Chöling retreat. That experience kickstarted his writing life. His most recent book is called Dreams of Light. Part of the appeal of practicing lucid dreaming is practical. We spend about a month of every year dreaming, or about six years of an average life. Holecek compares lucid dreaming to “entering a type of night school.” Holecek is a pianist, and he practices entire compositions in his dreams. Although the dream-created piano isn’t real, the brain activity is—and practicing a skill in dreams has been shown to improve waking-life s …