Some doubt about Lucid Dreams

"Lucid derams makes your subconscious more open and susceptible to outside influences, and exposes you to a plain where demons and spirits are very active, it is a gateway to possession."

That's something my mom tried to tell me when i told her about my newly found interest in Lucid Dreaming. Someone please disprove this, not so i can show her for her because she will never change her mind. But so i can continue my journey to uncovering Lucid Dreams.

Edit: Could someone move this to general discussions, i just realized i put this in the wrong place.

Possession? Pahah. Lucid dreams are dreams in which your mind becomes ''awake'' before your body does (in addition to the fact that you're aware that it's a dream). To condemn lucid dreams as that nonsense condemns all dreams as ''gateways'' to malicious entities, and on that basis we're all doomed regardless - which is, of course, bullshit. No offense, but your Mother sounds like a very delusional and closed-minded person.

However, it does help your sub-conscious to be more open, but in a sense where you become in-tune with your inner-self. There is no danger involved in any way, and (as a side-effect) as your awareness increases you actually function better in waking reality.

Pursue this goal of yours to your heart's content. It is a very unique skill to learn and the things you can accomplish using it have no limit. Personally, I think everybody should take advantage of it.

Well, if it helps any...

My mom is a devout Christian who would be one to worry about that kind of stuff. I mean, she never let me go trick or treating on Halloween because, oh no, it's an evil holiday with magic and witches and stuff. But I've talked to her about my interest in lucid dreaming, and she's never seen any reason to be the least bit concerned about it.

Sometimes sleep paralysis (SP) is associated with demons and stuff. I don't really think it has anything to do with demons, but having experienced it, I can easily see how other people would think it would. SP involves being unable to move temporarily, while waking up or falling asleep, and often involves potentially frightening hallucinations. Having a wake induced lucid dream (WILD) usually involves going through SP in the transition between waking and dreaming. If you're worried about it, maybe just don't try the WILD technique? Other lucid dreaming techniques (keeping a dream journal, doing reality checks, various awareness techniques, etc.) have nothing to do with SP.

I'd like to expand on Midori's post:

The reason why SP exists is due to REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) sleep. Before transitioning into the final stage of the sleep cycle (REM) the body goes into a state of atonia (sleep paralysis) in order to stop the individual acting out what they do in the dream(s).

Sometimes people become conscious before/after/during the transition and this is where the ''problems'' arise. As stated, the classic signs are the inability to move and hallucinations (mostly auditory). It can also feel like a lead blanket has been laid over you, resulting in a hindrance to how well you can breathe, but all of this is perfectly natural. If you're ever conscious during such, you may find it frightening, but there's nothing to fear. You experience sleep paralysis multiple times a night, but usually you're unconscious beforehand.

When it comes to the WILD technique, SP is quite often a main feature of the experience, although it is not essential (as I've achieved quite a few WILDs and only experienced SP once during such). To expand on what Midori said, what you're trying to do when WILDing is let your body fall asleep while you remain slightly aware. I want to stress ''aware'' as most people will tell you to remain ''conscious/awake'' and this is very misleading. What I mean by ''aware'' is letting your mind wander as much as you possibly can without becoming unconscious. To achieve a WILD, one must first be asleep. To become asleep, the body must think the mind is asleep (which is why being only slightly aware is key). When the WILD attempt is timed right, the body will fall asleep and go into REM, to which dream entry is very likely.

Well, as I see it, Lucid dreaming - and any other type of dreaming - is simply an other type of consciousness just like meditation is. So in other words it's all about you and your own mind. Nothing comes in and nothing goes out.
I don't think you'll find any real proof of either one or the other. It's all a question of belief and I believe you'll never get possessed, no matter what you do.

So forget your mothers worries - they don't have to be yours - and good luck with your lucids.

-Strit

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Graves

your Mother sounds like a very delusional and closed-minded person.

---

Hit the nail on the head, Hahahah.

Thank you guys so much, for reaffirming my belief.

"Possession"?

Eh, don't worry about her. I know a fair amount of people that know how to lucid dream at home. I can very safely state that none of them are possessed. And on here - well, how many people do you know that have been possessed? There are a lot of people on this forum, and of them, I think it's safe to say that we're all in complete control of our bodies.

One other thing - your mother sounds sorta... closed-minded. I know a few people like that as well. If the reason for your asking this question is that you want to prove to your mother that lucid dreaming is safe, forget it. Generally, closed-minded skeptics are going to stay close-minded skeptics, regardless of the information you present them. If, however, you simply want to prove this to yourself, then I can earnestly say that lucid dreaming is as safe as you make it. Don't worry about your mother. It is your mind, not hers.

Moved to general lucid discussion.

As for what she said, just disregard it. Why does it matter what she thinks when you're the one lucid dreaming, as long as you don't believe it?

Not so fast fellas. Mother's perspective may not be completely unfounded. Anyone who has read Castaneda (teaching of Don Juan) or any other primitive/mystic approaches to dreaming will be familiar with alien beings inhabiting other "dimensions" and dreaming is the plane on which they can most easily communicate.

Though from what I've read it seems one must first seek the interaction with -- for example -- inorganic beings. Like the Ouija board principle... or the Skeleton Key; Belief is key

Your mother is completely right.

I've been messing with some pretty intense stuff within my lucid lately and--oh. . . fuck. . .

FEAR NOT MORTAL! YOU ARE COMPLETELY SAFE WITHIN THE CONFINE OF YOUR OWN MIND AND SHOULD CONTINUE YOUR LDING UNHINDERED BY SUCH TRIVIAL WORRIES! MY PREVIOUS WORDS WERE MADE IN ERROR!

THERE IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF!

NOTHING AT ALL!

WHAT A WONDERFUL FONT!

That's some good encouragement Mzzkc....

Being A spiritual Dreamer myself I would say that being possessed through an LD would be nearly impossible.
Although I DO believe in Demons and spirits etc. I feel that there is little to no connection between the Dream realm and the Real world. its more like two Seperate exsistences.

By which i mean that if a "Demon" was to possess you in a dream that it would not be able to follow you into the Real world.

I have never heard of people being harmed in real life by entities from the Dream world, but fully expect them to be able to cause you havok while you are there.

I would'nt worry about it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raetin

That's some good encouragement Mzzkc....

---

Oh wow, when did I post that?

And why is it in Comic Sans? That's such a disgusting font.