(Newswire.net — September 7, 2017) — Have you ever woken from a dream with the feeling that you were actually aware that you were dreaming and felt conscious during the experience? This type of dream is called a lucid dream and is where a person is able to exercise some control over the dream’s characters, environment or scenario, and it is a more common occurrence than you might think.
The study of dreams and dream lucidity has fascinated people for many years. This scientifically proven method has also helped people during their everyday lives with issues such as phobias, nightmare terrors and previous trauma. So what does it take to gain this heightened mental state and can you really control your dreams through lucid dreaming?
Types of lucid dreams
A dream-initiated lucid dream is a common state for many people, in which you suddenly realize you are actually dreaming in the middle of the dream. A deeper and heightened experience comes in the form of a wake-initiated lucid dream. This technique explores going from a normal waking state directly into a dream. This practise is harder to accomplish but you can teach yourself lucid dreaming to control your experience.
How do I control my dreams?
It is said that the moment you recognize you are dreaming, you are in a lucid dream state. So the more conscious you are of your dream, the easier it can be to control. It is also said that everyone has the ability to lucid dream but many very rarely tap into this higher mental state during sleep. A key thing to remember during lucid dreaming is that making it real in your mind, will make it real in the dream. Beginners may find the process of lucid dreaming hard to grasp at first but calming your mind and getting a focused mindset helps to control your thoughts for a lengthy, revitalizing experience.
What can you do in a lucid dream?
Well the short answer is practically anything. The dream world is infinite so there are no rules or restrictions to what you can create in your mind. It has also been suggested that lucid dreamers are also able to tap into other parts of their psyche with manifestations of characters that represent different parts of the personality or inner self. This can help promote self-awareness and build on personal strengths during your everyday life.
What are the benefits of lucid dreaming?
There are several benefits that can help your mental state during everyday situations. Initially lucid dreaming might look like an escape from reality but it’s much more than this for the person experiencing it. If you practice lucid dreaming it can open a range of opportunities to explore your inner-self. These dreams can provide a sanctum for personal reflection or a deep meditative state. They can also help you mull over important decisions or keep you focused before big events such as exams, presentations or work meetings.
Are there any risks?
This type of dream state is a very safe and enjoyable experience for the dreamer yet there are some things to watch out for when experimenting with this practice. Almost every night during the REM cycle, many people experience sleep paralysis; this itself is totally normal as this state stops you physically acting out your dream but it can also be a frightening experience as you cannot move. It is largely uncommon during but is something to be mindful when experimenting with lucid dreaming.
Another issue you may face is that sometimes your thoughts and mindset can be clouded with negative feelings such as in real life. So the vivid feelings of fear, sadness and pain can sometimes manifest themselves during this time but for experienced lucid dreamers they can be easier to control.
Can it help release inner creativity?
Tapping into your dreams has been known to help with clarity in your woken state. There are several famous people that put their creations, problem solving and masterpieces down to their thought processes during sleep. For example, Paul McCartney composed the melody for the hit acoustic song Yesterday in a dream and Niels Bohr often spoke of an inspirational dream that led to his discovery of the structure of the atom.
Can it be seen as a permanent escape from reality?
Some people have suggested that unlike normal dreams, lucid dreamers run the risk of escaping into a perfect world and losing touch with reality. Lucid dreaming is a technique that is mastered over many years and these types of dreams only last as long as the REM cycle during sleep. So in short, they are a welcome escape but only occur over a short period much like the feeling when you settle down to a good book or video game, perhaps just a little more enlightening.