Thread: Is there a general lack of interest in the practical uses of Lucid Dreaming?

Well, I have never done any right proper experiments for anything, so I will just provide answers based on my personal experience.

You cannot acquire new skills or new knowledge from lucid dreaming. At best you can practice skills that were obtained in waking life to fine tune them and formulate new ideas based on knowledge gained from the real world. That's still incredibly useful. You can use lucid dreaming to become better at old skills. You can use lucid dreaming as a source of inspiration to create something in waking life. Lucid dreaming can also be used to learn about yourself and explore your own mind on a deeper level to potentially work out complicated problems from waking life. Another minor thing it can be used for is stress relief.

That's all of the practical uses I can think of at this time.

I don't get it really, so many useful things.

Applications of Lucid Dreaming in Sports
Applications of lucid dreams: An online study | Melanie Schädlich - Academia.edu

Plus a few studies that Tadas Stumbrys is working on.

Either way, I have gotten over fears using dreams, and quite often use them to study as it not only saves me time, but gets me rested while studying. Whenever I take the time to study in a dream, will get relatively high notes, as opposed to regular or bad notes when not studying in a dream.
Also used it to get over the taste of garlic once.
Also for improving reaction time, which I was very bad at. Thats saved me of a few major lessons already, without ever doing sports or the like. But thats just my interpretation.
I will often try stuff I can't do in waking well, and have gotten slightly better at violin playing and drawing, though I didn't try for long with either in dreams, but still saw the improvement. While working on those two stopped waking life practice, and still improved. The thing I got best at was dealing with pain, considering how much of a crybaby I am, after experimenting in dreams can resist pain much better than before.

So many things to work with, so little time, so little interest.

I don't think you will see much research regarding practical uses until someone finds a reliable way to LD each and every night without fail.

I think one of the main problems is that people who do seek to experiment with certain things are almost always met with people who are so definitive in their views that it "cannot" be done under any circumstances, that it may discourage the person, or otherwise make it a more personal search. I mean, we lucid dreamers of all people should know that anything is possible. Though input from others can be very constructive and no one should be easily discouraged, I find that at the end of the day you don't have to prove anything to anybody...

From my own experiences I have also noticed that I for one, tend to be unable to focus on one particular thing so easily. There's so much to do that there is often confusion in regards as to what should be a priority and what ends up being done. There are times however, that even though one may be focused and be seeking constantly and actively, one may not be ready for certain experiences. So I find that when the time is right the awareness behind the dream will present it for you. I'd say the majority of my life changing dream experiences, if not all, have come when I have let go of control and when I least expected...

Thanks to all for your responses so far.

@Oreo: Yeah, I agree that improving skills you already have are a lot easier than outright building a new one from within the dream. Still, I will definitely give it a shot (learning a new skill without prior knowledge of it) whenever I have the chance; maybe start with something small and go from there. But, who knows.

@Hukif: That's awesome man! Your ability to use your time with lucidity for the purpose of studying is something I'm also very interested at, as the amount of information I must read, learn, and memorize on a daily basis is very large. I'm curious though, how is it that you study while in a dream? Do you imagine a book and start reading, or maybe you let your subconscious deliver what's to be learned through much more creative methods, like learning through first hand experience? An example of this would be with improving sport skills, or in your case, playing the violin. Maybe you would play out any sport game while in the dream, or participate in an orchestra. Additionally, you could materialize a part of your subconscious that could provide insight and/or flaws you may need improving. So many possibilities.

@Bobblehat: True, many aspiring lucid dreamers don't get past the couple of lucid dreams a month, or a year. I'm currently devoting a great amount of my time to increasing the frequency with which I can induce lucidity in my dreams. Then again, there's many in this forum and others as well who claim to have the capacity for daily lucidity. So, there's people who can do it, and if they can do it, then so can we. And I believe the methods are already there, and have always been there. The thing is, does everyone devote the time to actually build that skill?

@Rodrodrod: Yeah, the responses given so far have made me realize that much of this aspect of lucidity is experimented for personal purposes only. When reading some of the threads in the Research section of the forum, I noticed discussions between people that prevented the advancement of the experiment. I don't know if the original posters of those threads felt discouraged or pushed away from further investing their time in sharing an experiment that was just seen as of no interest to many dreamers. Although any opinion is always welcome and can always enrich the learning experience of a group, many times the whole thing turns into a fight that ultimately hinders the growth of the experiment and the potential knowledge that could have been obtained.

I think it was Robert Waggoner who wrote about his experiences with interacting with his subconscious. He was saying that his subconscious was like another person and that it could give him insight which he himself could not. It seemed to have wisdom and perspective that meant that he could learn new things because they were things he was not consciously aware of.
Learning some deep and meaningful things about yourself must be one of the most awe-inspiring practical applications of lucid dreaming.

Yeah I read his book, it was a very thought-provoking read, with so much information and knowledge to absorb from it. Though many times he voiced out his curiosity to the awareness behind the dream, so to speak, instead of materializing his subconscious on someone he could talk to. But you're right, learning from your very own subconscious is fascinating, to say the least.

I remember a few examples from Robert Waggoner's book of practical applications for Lucid dreaming, an inventor summoning Albert Einstein to look over plans for computer circuit boards, and an artist visiting an art gallery to find an inspiring piece of artwork that he would study in the dream and then set about to replicate in real life.

One possible practical use that is highly controversial is that lucid dreaming may - in the (magical) future when it's easy - give the sexually perverted (like paedophiles and beastiality fans) a means to pursue their "interests" without messing up the lives of others.

Originally Posted by Wolfdog

A couple of days ago I began looking around the number of threads contained within the Research section of the forum, and I couldn't help but notice some things which I would like to mention. First of all, I read threads that went back almost 5 years (from 2008-2009), all the way to our current moment in time, looking for any evidence (whether anecdotal or otherwise) regarding the practical uses of lucid dreaming. In general, I noticed that much of the threads fell into a series of categories: threads involving the practice of X technique for X amount of days or a description of a new technique, threads regarding the effects of some drug for the induction of lucidity, threads involving some new and interesting articles on the subject of lucidity, and threads regarding the subject I was focusing on, lucidity and its practical uses.

Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that almost all of these threads (at least from what I could see in the Research section) originated around a very promising, interesting idea. Some of the experiments proposed were engaging, all ending in the possibility of them working or not. However, almost none of them were particularly undertaken. They were started, yes, but only for a couple of days to a week or two (at most), after which the thread ultimately found its end. Usually, a discussion rose from within the thread, with information and thoughts from dreamers who where both in favor or not with the possibility of the experiment delivering results. Even so, the most important thing, the actual experiment, was never done (at least from what I could see with the discontinuation of the threads read). It was all a discussion of ideas, intriguing ideas, yet it never got past that point. The results of the experiment never saw the light of day.

This got me thinking, is the general dreamer interested in the pursuit of the practical uses of lucid dreaming? Almost anything I see here are the experiences of people messing around in their dreams, yet almost none regarding things which could help them in their everyday life. What about acquiring new skills, changing character, habits, acquiring knowledge, health, information? What about other types of dreaming phenomena, like shared dreaming, precognition, etc.? What about using our subconscious and learning from it? Yes, there are threads every day about whether a lucid dream will help someone with some issue in their lives, yet the content of these threads almost always stay at the stage of discussion of ideas.

Or is it that dreamers are in fact interested in the topic, just that the quest for it is of a much more personal nature? I have also thought about this possibility, that maybe dreamers do pursue these things, but in their own time and for their own personal interest.

A year ago I had a conversation about lucid dreaming with a particular individual. Initially, I explained to this person about all the great things and all the much fun one could have while becoming lucid in a dream. The response I got was: "What's the point of it? What do you get from lucid dreaming apart from having fun? How can it be of use in my everyday life?" I continued, saying: "Come on, wouldn't you love to experience what is it like to fly, to visit other worlds, to live out your very own adventure?" This person insisted: "So what if I experience all these things you say, what then? There, I get to experience what flying is in my dreams, now what?" Of course, having fun while lucid is very much encouraged and is probably one of the main reasons we all felt drawn to the acquirement of this particular skill. But, I kept thinking about this answer, and I couldn't help but agreeing with this person, at least on the idea of using lucid dreams for the improvement of our waking lives.

Still, are other lucid dreamers interested in the use of lucid dreaming for the benefit of their own lives? I know many say they do, but do they actually pursue this, do they really practice for that goal?

I know there's many who are interested in pursuing this aspect of lucidity the same as I do, though to many, our level of experience might not allow for us to conduct a proper experiment, as of this moment. In effect, much more practice and experience is the top priority right now. But, to experienced lucid dreamers, have any of you actually experimented with this? At least an amount of experimentation that could allow for some anecdotal evidence? I'm sure many of us don't have the materials necessary for the outline of a proper experiment. Still, personal experience could offer some form of evidence which could be of use for that particular individual. And I mean proper experimentation (months or years of practice), not just: "Well, I practiced acquiring this new skill through my lucid dreams for a couple of days, but never got anything out of it."

So, I don't know if this may warrant a response from any of you dreamers out there, I just felt like sharing a few observations I had while navigating through the forum. As always, if any of you would like to express your thoughts on this, feel free to do so. Your opinion is always welcome and appreciated.

I certainly am. I use lucid dreaming as a mean of stress relief and inspiration for real life activities. Not to mention lucid dreaming is the very reason I started meditation!
I love the practical use of lucid dreaming, but I truly adore everything else.

Originally Posted by Wolfdog

A couple of days ago I began looking around the number of threads contained within the Research section of the forum, and I couldn't help but notice some things which I would like to mention. First of all, I read threads that went back almost 5 years (from 2008-2009), all the way to our current moment in time, looking for any evidence (whether anecdotal or otherwise) regarding the practical uses of lucid dreaming. In general, I noticed that much of the threads fell into a series of categories: threads involving the practice of X technique for X amount of days or a description of a new technique, threads regarding the effects of some drug for the induction of lucidity, threads involving some new and interesting articles on the subject of lucidity, and threads regarding the subject I was focusing on, lucidity and its practical uses.

Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that almost all of these threads (at least from what I could see in the Research section) originated around a very promising, interesting idea. Some of the experiments proposed were engaging, all ending in the possibility of them working or not. However, almost none of them were particularly undertaken. They were started, yes, but only for a couple of days to a week or two (at most), after which the thread ultimately found its end. Usually, a discussion rose from within the thread, with information and thoughts from dreamers who where both in favor or not with the possibility of the experiment delivering results. Even so, the most important thing, the actual experiment, was never done (at least from what I could see with the discontinuation of the threads read). It was all a discussion of ideas, intriguing ideas, yet it never got past that point. The results of the experiment never saw the light of day.

This got me thinking, is the general dreamer interested in the pursuit of the practical uses of lucid dreaming? Almost anything I see here are the experiences of people messing around in their dreams, yet almost none regarding things which could help them in their everyday life. What about acquiring new skills, changing character, habits, acquiring knowledge, health, information? What about other types of dreaming phenomena, like shared dreaming, precognition, etc.? What about using our subconscious and learning from it? Yes, there are threads every day about whether a lucid dream will help someone with some issue in their lives, yet the content of these threads almost always stay at the stage of discussion of ideas.

Or is it that dreamers are in fact interested in the topic, just that the quest for it is of a much more personal nature? I have also thought about this possibility, that maybe dreamers do pursue these things, but in their own time and for their own personal interest.

A year ago I had a conversation about lucid dreaming with a particular individual. Initially, I explained to this person about all the great things and all the much fun one could have while becoming lucid in a dream. The response I got was: "What's the point of it? What do you get from lucid dreaming apart from having fun? How can it be of use in my everyday life?" I continued, saying: "Come on, wouldn't you love to experience what is it like to fly, to visit other worlds, to live out your very own adventure?" This person insisted: "So what if I experience all these things you say, what then? There, I get to experience what flying is in my dreams, now what?" Of course, having fun while lucid is very much encouraged and is probably one of the main reasons we all felt drawn to the acquirement of this particular skill. But, I kept thinking about this answer, and I couldn't help but agreeing with this person, at least on the idea of using lucid dreams for the improvement of our waking lives.

Still, are other lucid dreamers interested in the use of lucid dreaming for the benefit of their own lives? I know many say they do, but do they actually pursue this, do they really practice for that goal?

I know there's many who are interested in pursuing this aspect of lucidity the same as I do, though to many, our level of experience might not allow for us to conduct a proper experiment, as of this moment. In effect, much more practice and experience is the top priority right now. But, to experienced lucid dreamers, have any of you actually experimented with this? At least an amount of experimentation that could allow for some anecdotal evidence? I'm sure many of us don't have the materials necessary for the outline of a proper experiment. Still, personal experience could offer some form of evidence which could be of use for that particular individual. And I mean proper experimentation (months or years of practice), not just: "Well, I practiced acquiring this new skill through my lucid dreams for a couple of days, but never got anything out of it."

So, I don't know if this may warrant a response from any of you dreamers out there, I just felt like sharing a few observations I had while navigating through the forum. As always, if any of you would like to express your thoughts on this, feel free to do so. Your opinion is always welcome and appreciated.

The desire to conduct these experiments is there but the motivation may wane as it can be difficult to maintain a controlled environment when you're not a scientist. Eventually life gets in the way for those who do other things for a living is one reason I can come up with the unfinished experiments that are mentioned.

As far as the practicality of lucid dreaming....I had a friend also bring this up to me and it also made me question myself about what practical use lucid dreaming has had for me and how it can be applied in waking life. How about considering the fact that lucid dreaming provides the opportunity to live life to the fullest. The purpose of life is simply to live it. In regards to practicality, as a hobby itself lucid dreaming is a way to keep idle hands from being the devil's plaything in that it's another goal to achieve that can bring healthy satisfaction and is not harmful. How are lucid dreams not useful if they are enjoyable? Joy bring stress relief and a sense of fulfillment. The paradox you learn to understand of being awake while you are asleep can help you gain a different perspective on life itself-one that may help you learn how to control your emotions and eventually understand the situation better. Perception is our personal reality and perception can be manipulated and changed in order to experience a different reality-in both waking life and dream life. Confrontation with your subconscious mind is a mind-blowing experience in itself and one that can help you acquire knowledge about yourself. It can help you get to know what you are capable of creating and how these creations are related to your daily experiences. I find the dream journal itself to be very useful! It's cathartic for one thing. Not everything in life or in dreams has to have a practical use such as in applying it to get better at sports or gain ideas. Lucid dreaming in itself is an experience that can be highly satifying and fulfillment; this in itself is therapy. Besides, what is the purpose of finding practicality in things? The answer is to find life more fulfilling itself.

I think there are a lot of people who use lucid dreams for practical purposes already, so there's not much need to elaborate on it. Part of the International Space Station was designed by an engineer in his lucid dreams. Also, some musicians rehearse their songs in lucid dreams, and martial artists practice sparring techniques in lucid dreams.

Personally, I like to use them to meditate, mixing my mind on deeper and deeper levels with beneficial ways of seeing the world so that when I'm awake, it's easier and more natural to respond constructively to whatever happens.

I know someone who deeply looked into the meaning of life in his lucid dreams. But he has them all the time any time he wants. I haven't been that lucky so far. He says that for him, it's simply a matter of wanting to have lucid dreams, and he'll have them - no special techniques. I remember him telling me that at one point it got a bit too intense, so he stopped it and just has regular dreams now. I don't understand why anyone would stop them personally; I'd be awake forever if I could.

@starletdreamer: I agree, not everything in life or dreams has to have a practical use, but if the opportunity is there, if we can do it, then why not go for it? That doesn't mean it should be our only reason to spend our time lucid dreaming, but if it has the opportunity to further enrich our life, then I'm down for it. As for the purpose of finding practicality in dreams, well that lies in close relation with finding life more fulfilling like you just recently described.

Now, as far as life getting in the way, well I'm not too sure about that. I mean, the only time we're using is when we're asleep, and in the mornings when we jot down our dreams. The rest is our observations of the effect our dreams have throughout our daily lives. True, we're not all scientists, almost all of us don't have a lab to conduct a proper research, but we have a dream journal that can be of use. How much time can you spend dream journaling?

@Schmaven: That's awesome, it would be really interesting to know what he got from doing this, what he means about the experience getting too intense, and why that would make him choose not having lucid dreams.

Still, experiences like these aren't usually shared, unless specifically asked about, aren't they? So, why are these topics less shared, more so than others? I mean, you don't see a thread about the results of meditation in a dream, or the practice of some skill, or any other deep meaningful experience that could stand out, even less the journey behind all of them. Discussions that part from these experiments are, I believe, much more useful than discussing the possibilities of them working or not. It could enrich what we normally read from other's experiences and what people do while lucid apart from the usual stuff. Of course, no one is obligated to share anything if such person doesn't feel like doing it. Then again, it's something that leads to further expanding our knowledge of lucidity and dreams in general.

@SinisterDezz: That's great! I've read that meditating in dreams results in profound and meaningful experiences. I always wonder, does the time you spend in a dream enough for you to get with the meditating practice? Or, do you work first on extending/maximizing the amount of time you spend in a dream, then proceed to the actual meditation?

Originally Posted by Wolfdog

@starletdreamer: I agree, not everything in life or dreams has to have a practical use, but if the opportunity is there, if we can do it, then why not go for it? That doesn't mean it should be our only reason to spend our time lucid dreaming, but if it has the opportunity to further enrich our life, then I'm down for it. As for the purpose of finding practicality in dreams, well that lies in close relation with finding life more fulfilling like you just recently described.

Now, as far as life getting in the way, well I'm not too sure about that. I mean, the only time we're using is when we're asleep, and in the mornings when we jot down our dreams. The rest is our observations of the effect our dreams have throughout our daily lives. True, we're not all scientists, almost all of us don't have a lab to conduct a proper research, but we have a dream journal that can be of use. How much time can you spend dream journaling?

@Schmaven: That's awesome, it would be really interesting to know what he got from doing this, what he means about the experience getting too intense, and why that would make him choose not having lucid dreams.

Still, experiences like these aren't usually shared, unless specifically asked about, aren't they? So, why are these topics less shared, more so than others? I mean, you don't see a thread about the results of meditation in a dream, or the practice of some skill, or any other deep meaningful experience that could stand out, even less the journey behind all of them. Discussions that part from these experiments are, I believe, much more useful than discussing the possibilities of them working or not. It could enrich what we normally read from other's experiences and what people do while lucid apart from the usual stuff. Of course, no one is obligated to share anything if such person doesn't feel like doing it. Then again, it's something that leads to further expanding our knowledge of lucidity and dreams in general.

@SinisterDezz: That's great! I've read that meditating in dreams results in profound and meaningful experiences. I always wonder, does the time you spend in a dream enough for you to get with the meditating practice? Or, do you work first on extending/maximizing the amount of time you spend in a dream, then proceed to the actual meditation?

Meditating is extremely hard to learn to do WITHIN a dream. Outside, it's quite simple and straightforward.
A key difference that I noticed that helped me not wake up, or make sure I have enough time to meditate within the dream, is to not close my eyes.
I usually close my eyes when meditating in the real world, but not in a dream. In a dream, rather, I actually light a candle and stare at it, and I usually gain the same effect.
As far as the second question, I am not quite clear on what you mean. The time I get in a dream is usually enough if I start right at the beginning, since I am practiced on meditation. It takes no more than 5 minutes to really get into it.