You are dreaming… but you know you are dreaming. Has it happened to you? Well, it is something that can have benefits for your health and well-being. And really, what are lucid dreams?
It is one in which the person knows that they are dreaming and can exercise some control over the dream. This gives the dreamer the opportunity to potentially influence her dream life. And, among other things, it can be useful in reducing the frequency of nightmares in those who suffer from them. This is what research published in a 2023 issue of Encephale. It may also reduce the severity of insomnia.
Benefits
«Some people who dream lucidly do not want to disturb the dream. “They just want to explore the dream and see what it has to offer.” This is pointed out by Antonio Zadra, professor of psychology at the University of Montreal (Canada). “It’s a way to explore your own mind.” It was in 1913 when Dutch psychiatrist Frederik Van Eeden coined the term “lucid dreaming” based on his own experiences. It was later proven that it occurs during REM sleep.
On a personal level, lucid dreams can enhance creativity and contribute to people’s well-being. It can help them learn things about themselves that they wouldn’t otherwise know. They also offer people the opportunity to practice their skills. Practicing motor skills in lucid dreams is a form of mental rehearsal. On a therapeutic level, lucid dreaming has been found to help combat insomnia and nightmares.
Techniques to induce it
Knowing what lucid dreams are is not enough to have it. There are techniques to induce them. One of them is that during the day you stop several times to ask yourself if it is a dream or reality. So this can be incorporated into the real dream. You can rehearse a dream during the day and visualize that you are lucid while saying to yourself, “The next time I am dreaming, I will recognize that I am dreaming.” With the Wake Up and Go Back to Bed technique, the person sets an alarm clock to ring after about six hours of sleep. She stays awake for about 30 minutes and then goes back to bed with the intention of becoming lucid if she starts dreaming.
Through a process of trial and error, you can see which one works best for you. And live your dream in a way you never imagined.
