Lucid Dreamers Share Their Experiences
"Usually after I have a lucid dream, I feel a significant improvement in my happiness levels. I feel like I can ride this wave of joy and fun of floating…”
As part of my thesis, I conducted a qualitative study among lucid dreamers (regular and non-regular). The regular lucid dreamers experience lucid dreams from about once a month to several times a week. The analysis of the results shows that over two-thirds of the participants feel that lucid dreams have influenced their lives. They stated that lucid dreams help them understand how to act in waking life, acting as advice or messages, and help them make decisions in waking life as well. Additionally, 75% of participants reported thinking that using lucid dreams as a tool in psychotherapy can be effective.
How do lucid dreamers think lucid dreams affect waking life?
According to the dreamers, lucid dreams most significantly support spiritual development. In second place, they noted improvement in creativity and in the third place experiences that defy the laws of nature. Regular dreamers noted improved creativity and creative problem-solving as most significant, compared to non-regular dreamers who described spiritual development as most significantly affected. Additionally, twice as many regular dreamers mentioned dealing with post-trauma compared to non-regular dreamers.
What did the lucid dreamers share about their dreams?
“Lucid dreams brought wonder and curiosity into my life and helped me face my fears.”
“Lucid dreams can be used in in any possible area, starting with seemingly mundane events or subjects that concern the patient.”
“Lucid dreaming allows for regaining a sense of control in working with trauma and post-trauma. There is something empowering about the lucid dream experience in the sense that you can change reality.”
“Usually after I have a lucid dream, I feel a significant improvement in my happiness levels. I feel like I can ride this wave of joy and fun of floating (I usually float in my lucid dreams) and experience a sense of levitation in my waking life. My thinking is more open and optimistic; therefore my actions and their results are more accurate and successful.”
“It is possible to come into contact with content that is perceived as threatening or scary, but in a lucid dream, you know that nothing will happen to you. You can control what happens in the dream and create a story with closure and a “happy ending”. It is possible to meet with different people (living or dead), and tie up “loose ends”, solve unresolved issues, etc. I am reintroduced to how my brain works (or how it fools itself…) and can look at things from a different perspective”.