The relationship between nightmares and lucid dreams (LD) has been studied repeatedly. Usually, the effect is positive: lucidity makes it possible to control what is happening in the dream and get away from the frightening scenario. Recently, researchers from Pakistan—Farooqi, Atiq, and Ashraf—examined the issue from the opposite angle, positing the following cause and effect chain: nightmare—lucidity—psychosis.
The authors recruited 220 young Pakistanis of both sexes, without physical and mental disabilities, and conducted a comprehensive survey. First, the scientists identified a link between LD and nightmares: unpleasant, frightening dreams can provoke awareness so that the brain is able to direct the plot toward positive emotions. When a person suffers from nightmares too often, awareness increases, because he/she is constantly looking for ways to change the dream scenario.
However, the researchers issue a warning, since further analysis showed that LD is linked with a tendency toward psychosis. This is caused by the following factors:
– The dissociation that occurs in LD (a person sees themselves from the outside)
– The fact that the dreamer is both asleep and awake at the same time
– Hallucinations and sleep paralysis in the morning
– Cases of false awakening
– The fixation of lucid dreamers on their inner world as opposed to external reality
It should be added that the authors considered this topic through the prism of their culture. They added, for example, a sense of guilt for manipulating dreams, which often occurs in Muslim participants (and which can also lead to psychosis). At the same time, Pakistanis are more susceptible to euphoria from controlling their dream world, since the traditions of the country dictate that their real lives are often controlled by their parents. The researchers conclude, therefore, that in Pakistan lucid dreams should not be recommended as a solution for recurring nightmares.
Do you have any experience of getting rid of nightmares using LD?
The article was published in June 2022 in the Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research.
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