Dali

I heard somewhere that Salvador Dali used to go to sleep holding a
metal spoon over a plate. When he would slip into a deep sleep, he
would drop the spoon and wake himself to remember the half-dreams he would have. Many of his works were inspired by those thoughts/dreams. While I was in Spain I got to visit his home near Cadaquez (a gorgeous seaside village). I realized there that it wasn't only his half-dreams that were totally bizarre, but I digress. My exercise for anyone reading this is to try it. You don't need the spoon & plate, just try and stay 'conscious' when you are falling asleep. Its a lot like meditating in that you stay in the moment and let thoughts come to you and float on by. Don't focus on one thing happening, just let things be. It is totally amazing what my brain does when I achieve this and I would be interested to hear what other people experience. These days I am so tired I am usually asleep before my head hits the pillow, but on those great, rare occasions I will achieve 'brain surrealism'.