In a hallway with flickering light bulbs, you find yourself running aimlessly, not knowing what you’re running from. Suddenly, you hear the whooshing of water in the distance and hope it’s a way out. But when you get there, it’s a dead end. Fear grips you as you await your fate from the creature chasing you, all the while you keep questioning yourself how did you even end up in this situation. Then, in a moment of clarity, you realize it’s just a dream. You open your eyes and there you are covered in a pool of your own sweat.
That was a small example of what a nightmare could be like. You’d most likely be unable to make sense of the circumstances or how you got there in the first place; it might seem as if you just appeared on the scene. When things don’t make sense or feel unreal to you, do a quick reality check by asking yourself if you’re dreaming. However, if you can just remember doing a reality check, you will be able to reach the state of lucid dreaming, which allows you to control your nightmares. But how can you use this skill to shape your dream world? Let’s dive in.
Nightmares
Nightmares are simply distressing dreams that can occur in both children and adults. These distressing dreams can disrupt sleep patterns, which can affect a person’s well-being. Nightmares often provoke feelings of fear, incapability, and anxiety. It seems like you’ve been forced back into a corner of a room with no way out.
Nightmares could be a rare occurrence caused by stress, medication, or illness. Nightmares, on the other hand, can happen repeatedly, creating a terrifying cycle. This could be due to emotional disorders, trauma, conflict, or other factors. A study conducted by Westenberg H. et al., states that “up to 71% of trauma victims diagnosed with PTSD have frequent nightmares (NM), compared to only 2% to 5% of the general population”. This could be because there are some feelings or memories that they haven’t dealt with yet, and they keep popping up in your dreams.
Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming is the state in which you become conscious of your dreams. It’s as if you awoke in your dream and immediately realized, “Oh, I think I’m dreaming.” The amazing thing about lucid dreaming is that once you recognize you’re dreaming, you can practically change the situation – you create rules.
Remember the case scenario at the beginning of the article, where you’re being hunted by an unknown creature? You can turn the tables and chase the creature to its death. You could even make the creature the size of an ant or simply ‘poof’ it away. Lucid dreaming can also help you expand your imagination; you might even find yourself floating over the night sky like Peter Pan.
How Can You Activate Lucidity?
There are a couple of ways to activate lucidity which can help you with fighting nightmares.
Lucid Therapy: Lucid dreaming is similar to a unique type of dream in which you are aware that you are dreaming while you are still asleep. In this dream, a therapist gives you suggestions before you go to sleep or uses recordings to influence your dream to help you deal with problems or face your fears. After that, you discuss the dream’s events with your therapist when you wake up.
Reality Checks: Throughout the day, use easy reality checks to figure out if you’re dreaming, such as checking the time or trying to push your finger through your palm. These checks may work in a dream to induce awareness if they are unsuccessful in the real world.
Dream Journaling: Keep a notebook next to your bed so you can record any dreams you remember when you wake up. This increases awareness of dream patterns and signs and helps with dream recall.
Setting Intentions: Before falling asleep, make a firm intention to become lucid in your dreams. Visualize yourself knowing that you are dreaming and deciding what you want to do once lucid.
Conclusion
Lucid dreaming can help you overcome nightmares, but it takes time and practice to master. However, you have to first figure out why you continue to have nightmares. Then you can follow through with awareness practices mentioned in this article like dream journaling, reality check, and intention setting. With patience and persistence you can be able to harness the full power of lucid dreaming.
