Lucid dreams (LD) are most often a pleasant experience, saturated with vivid emotions. Surveys show that practitioners usually strive for mindfulness in dream for pleasure (flight, sex, etc.). Scientists from the USA, including such well-known LD researchers as Remington Mallett, Karen Konkoly, Ken Paller, Laura Sowin, and Rachel Raider, decided to compare the pros and cons of LD.
Among its advantages, LD offers the possibility of therapy, a treatment for nightmares and insomnia, skill development, creative inspiration, personal growth, etc. One can also indulge in personal recreation: performing magic spells, traveling or recreating events from your favorite video game, etc. Many lucid dreamers note a sense of freedom and awe at how realistic the dream scenario is. A positive mood in the morning is also a frequent after-effect of LD.
In the interest of objectivity, the authors also highlight a number of possible problems lucid dreamers may encounter. The first among these is sleep paralysis, although it is not necessarily a negative experience—some practitioners even look forward to it, mainly as a means of inducing lucidity. Reports of false awakening are usually emotionally neutral, although these can also be unpleasant in cases where they lead to confusion between dream and reality while awake, thus, demonstrating, once again, the connection between what we call the “phase states.”
LD can also have physical negative consequences. Some methods of triggering lucidity require sleep disruption. Another danger is that lucid dreaming can interfere with the restorative function of sleep. Lucid dreamers who naturally experience frequent LD, go so far as to call the phenomenon “exhausting.”
In conclusion, the scientists propose a model for minimizing problems and maximizing the benefits of LD. This model is built around two points of bifurcation. The first occurs during an attempt to induce LD and entails either success (lucidity) or failure. The second point comes after lucidity: the main question here is the level of control over the dream scenario. If there is sufficient control, the lucid dreamer will experience positive emotions and any of the above listed bonuses.
What advantages and problems have you experienced in LD?
The article was published in April 2022 on the PsyArXiv website.
