Lucid dreams (LDs) are most often perceived as a positive experience. They can be a door into a magical world where there are no limits and everything is possible: you can access information, meet any person of your choosing, solve psychological problems, train to improve skills and abilities (for example, sports), or just fly and enjoy complete freedom.
However, a researcher from India, Riya Kewalramani, has recently raised a philosophical question about the responsibility of scientists in relation to lucid dreams. Lucidity disrupts natural sleep, which is necessary to reset emotions and memory. According to the author, sleep disorders are a frequent side effect of LD practice and can negate its benefits.
LD means that the person is aware of the fact that they are dreaming. However, the broad masses often misunderstand this. Many people believe that awareness means that lucid dreamers can influence the details of a dream, which is not always true. The sense of control can occur, for example, after waking up when the dreamer retraces the dream scenario in their mind. As the author adds, scientists should approach dreamers’ reports with caution and separate the true (initial) experience from possible additions in the waking state.
It is also important to exercise caution when teaching people to control dreams. This is unnatural, and the resulting harm may outweigh the potential advantages (even if the latter are health-related—for example, getting rid of nightmares), because there is an intervention in the physiology of sleep. A responsible scientist, according to Kewalramani, should not only open the world of LD to people, but also explain the need to get enough natural rest.
Have you experienced a lack of natural sleep as a result of LD practice?
The article was published in September 2022 in ResearchGate.
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