Part Three of Four
Introduction
Last week, my blog examined Seven Tips to Remember your Dreams. This week, we will investigate Seven Advantages of Lucid Dreaming Plus!
I was twenty-three, and several times over several weeks, I found myself in a dream series where each dream was similar. A raging demon would chase me through the streets of a small town.
It was almost the same every time, except I would take different streets than before to get away, which I always managed to do, barely. I would wake still feeling the terror, his hatred pouring out at me, and even the foul smell of the demon’s dark spirit. It was a terrifying nightmare, one of very few I’ve had in my life.
The nightmares haunted me, and after a few of them, I realized something needed to be done. The nightmare guided me to look into the nature of dreams for solutions, so I did some research.
Research meant to read a few books on dreams to learn more. The book’s name escapes me fifty years later. Still, I remember reading about the Senoi tribe, who live in Malaysia and are known to have a healthy society with a rare, almost nonexistent crime rate or even psychological imbalances.
Their secret is a community that actively works with their dreams from childhood forward and practices peace to the point where neighboring cannibalistic and violent tribes feel the Senoi peace includes special protection and are left alone. A lot could be gleaned from the Senoi.
I read where it would be beneficial for me to confront the demon, so I sent an intention just like that to somehow be able to do that. The next time I dreamed of the monster, I “became lucid.” Lucid dreaming means to become aware that you are dreaming while still in the dream. Suddenly, I had conscious choices of what to do. I remembered all the streets in the town from prior nightmares, so knew how to double back on the demon. I picked up a can of gasoline along the way and opened the lid.
When the monster came around the corner, I threw the gasoline on him and lit him on fire with a lighter that my lucidity summoned. The demon went up in flames. Poof! I never had that dream or met that monster again!
Besides increasing confidence and problem-solving skills, lucid dreams are helpful in seeing fear lodged in the subconscious mind. There are many other benefits, too. Ultimately, lucid dreams increase Self-Awareness in that it becomes easier to translate being awake in our nighttime dreams over to seeing waking life as a dream in which we can also become lucid. More later on the latter.
Here are seven more benefits of lucid dreaming:
1. Lucid dreaming is safe and easy to learn.*
Lucid dreaming is safe and easy to learn. First, you get to practice in the safety of your home, room, and bed. It is an excellent pathway to connect our conscious mind with our subconscious mind and bring balance between the two, which always results in a deeper connection with our True Authentic Self.
*If you experience psychotic symptoms, you may not be a candidate for lucid dreaming without guidance. Check with your qualified health care professional if this is the case. Always use common sense.
2. Lucid dreaming increases Self-confidence.
When I became lucid and decided to become a monster slayer in my nightmare, I turned the tables on fear and rose to the occasion. I felt empowered in a way I never had before after that dream.
I could go on with similar stories I’ve lived and heard along the way, but while these may be inspiring, the real treasure is waking up in your dream. The direct experience increases self-confidence beyond any motivational mirrors that get you hungry for dream mastery.
3. Lucid dreaming can increase creativity and problem-solving skills
Let’s say you’re dreaming you’re at your job but have nothing to do. You wander about looking for a task, but it’s all dead ends. If you become lucid in a dream like that, you could have any number of ideas about how to proceed.
Look around for options, and because you are looking for them, you find them. You explore the one that attracts you the most. You wake up in the morning inspired by the inner dream wisdom that guides you to a different career; you have also seen why you’re so bored at work. It’s one big dead end.
This is just one example of how these dreams increase creativity and solve problems.
4. Lucid dreaming can be used for personal growth
Let’s say you want to make a shift in your perspective or a habit that gets in the way of your best health. Dreams can help, especially when you become lucid and can research possible compatible avenues for success in your dreams.
5. Lucid dreaming can help you deal with anxiety, stress, and fear and improve your perspective and attitude.
Lucid dreaming, by its very nature, helps us to relax in the present moment. Think about it. It is impossible to feel tension, anxiety, stress, and fear when relaxed. 😊
6. Lucid dreaming is a great way to have fun and experience new things
Once, I dreamed I saw a girlfriend riding a brontosaurus in the woods near her house. I became lucid in the dream, and asked if I could have a ride, too! Riding that great creature was something I would never have gotten to do were I not dreaming, yet it feels like I’ve done that. Lucid dreaming can be fantastic fun because you can dream fearlessly and do things you would never do in the daytime.
7. Lucid dreaming can help you improve your life outside of dreams
When we dare to explore other dimensions of our lives, our worldview expands, and it is easier to stop taking ourselves so seriously. Dreams are much like meditation, which is also a form of dreaming, as they both assist us in opening to what’s Real in the Greater Sense of Reality. We calm down, relax, laugh more, and begin to open to the idea that our whole life, inside and out, is a dream, and we can not only become lucid in our nighttime dreams but also in our daytime dream.
Further Tips
How to increase your chances of having a lucid dream
I love what Krista Hillis writes in her blog at https://www.thealternativedaily.com/how-to-practice-lucid-dreaming/. The blog covers nine thoughtful steps to help you begin to lucid dream. Nine steps may not be necessary and too overwhelming to start, so if this is the case, pick and choose a few to get started.
If you can only do one in my studies, I would recommend looking at your hands several times a day and asking yourself if you are dreaming. The idea is to do this enough that you will subconsciously repeat the act in your dreams, and when you do, you will see that you are dreaming and wake up in your dream.
Conclusion
We’ve explored seven advantages of lucid dreaming, from how easy it can be with earnest efforts to the confidence you receive when you can solve problems and create the life you know is yours. Clicking on the link to Krista’s blog on lucid dreaming practice opens your door to the actual course of action. Two blogs in one get you inspired and off to a good start regarding lucid dreaming.
Believe it or not, lucid nighttime dreaming is a worthwhile beginning to loosening old mind-models and waking up in the world dream. We’ll delve into this topic in next week’s Part Four, your Bonus Blog in the series.
Love and Fun in the Dream,
Kaye
P.S. I hope to see you next week! Comments? Make them below. It’s great hearing from you, too.
Yeah, torch that monster!
Looking at your hands is a technique described in the Carlos Castaneda books. He was one of the first to write extensively on lucid dreaming, although he didn’t use that term. In the books it is simply called “dreaming” in italics