Thread: Lucid Dreaming and OCD? help.

Can someone please help me?

I've been putting off lucid dreaming because I've had the same problem for about 3 or 4 months now.
Let me just start by saying, I haven't had very many lucid dreams yet and I'm pretty inexperienced over what it feels like inside of a dream.

Okay so now that I've got that out of the way. I have this thing called "Pure-O OCD"

Or pure-obsessional obbessive compulsive disorder. What this means is, what normal people would dismiss as a "weird thought" , my ocd brain would hang on to it. Torturing me with that negative thought for long periods of time. I've done research and I have learned that OCD is the complete opposite of how a person truly is, and OCD basically takes your worse fears and have you think about them constantly. If I try and fight with the thoughts, they'll just come back even stronger.

Its gotten to the point where I have been holding off lucid dreaming for so long now because I feel that when ever I do get lucid, these thoughts will just spawn inside my head and start having my worst fears manifest and stuff.

I am really hoping some of you experienced lucid dreamers could give me some insight on this. Is it likely that my worst fears will litteraly manifest inside of my lucid dream causing me to lose control, all because of some silly intrusive negative thoughts that often stick around?

I don't want to avoid lucid dreaming my entire life. I believe that I need to face my problems and not run from them, but I won't be able to do that until I am positive enough that none of these things will happen.

One of my thoughts consist of being sexually harassed or molested by my dad. (This hasn't happened in real life) and my brain just hangs onto the thought and keeps throwing it back at me. If I get lucid, I don't want this thought to actually manifest into reality and at that point I lose control and am unable to do anything lol.

I can handle these thoughts in real life. But the only thing keeping me unhappy is my uncertainty to how I'll be able to handle them in the dream world.

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Pretty much anything can happen when you're dreaming.

But, you could create a win-win situation for yourself by thinking about all of the good that can come out facing your worst fears in a dream. It's a lot easier to face fear when you know you're dreaming. With lucidity you can face that fear and say "I'm dreaming! I'm not scared of you! Nyahh Nyahh Nyahh!!!" All of a sudden, you're more entertained than scared. With this attitude, the scary stuff shows up less often and when it does, it's just more entertainment for you. You wake up feeling accomplished rather than scared.

It's best to go into lucid dreaming with an optimistic mindset like this.

Originally Posted by dolphin

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Pretty much anything can happen when you're dreaming.

But, you could create a win-win situation for yourself by thinking about all of the good that can come out facing your worst fears in a dream. It's a lot easier to face fear when you know you're dreaming. With lucidity you can face that fear and say "I'm dreaming! I'm not scared of you! Nyahh Nyahh Nyahh!!!" All of a sudden, you're more entertained than scared. With this attitude, the scary stuff shows up less often and when it does, it's just more entertainment for you. You wake up feeling accomplished rather than scared.

It's best to go into lucid dreaming with an optimistic mindset like this.

I've just recently got back into practicing my awareness and journaling my dreams. Do you really believe that if I just stay positive and continue lucid dreaming, I'll eventually solve all my problems and won't have any fears ? Like at some point or another. I'll feel confident of everything in the dream world right? Also if let's say one of these thoughts did manifest, which I doubt would happen since I'll known im the one in control. How should I feel whenever I wake up from the dream? I don't want to hate myself or something because of something that happened completely out of my control. I think I'll just have to practice dream control a lot.
Also, thank you for your reply. I feel better already. Would it be bad if I fought my father in my dream in an attempt to "conquer" this fear?

Originally Posted by Misanthrope392

Do you really believe that if I just stay positive and continue lucid dreaming, I'll eventually solve all my problems and won't have any fears ?

Getting rid of fear and problems in dreams might not make it them go away when you're awake but it will help!

Originally Posted by Misanthrope392

I'll feel confident of everything in the dream world right?

You'll feel more confident, yes.

Originally Posted by Misanthrope392

Also if let's say one of these thoughts did manifest, which I doubt would happen since I'll known im the one in control. How should I feel whenever I wake up from the dream?

You should feel analytical, if anything. Learn what you can from your dreams.

Originally Posted by Misanthrope392

Would it be bad if I fought my father in my dream in an attempt to "conquer" this fear?

I think hugging and talking to your father in your dream would be a better way to conquer the fear.

I think my problem really lies with me thinking my dad is the enemy in waking life. Thinking he'd hurt me and what not. I mean, yeah he could be annoying sometimes but who isn't lol. I think if I change the way I view my parents, such as by repeating a mantra like "my parents love me and would never hurt me"

That'll really help put an end to all of this. Along with making up with him in my dreams. Another thing. For recall, how important do you think it is to go to sleep around the same time every night? I'm willing to do this throughout the week but sometimes I like to stay up and relax on the weekend and sleep at like 3am lol. Nevertheless, if I go to bed KNOWING I'll remember my dreams when I wake up, I usually always do. So is going to bed the same time every night really that big a deal? Especially if you keep up with your awareness every day and journal dreams every morning?

It's best to go to sleep near the same time each night, but all is not lost if you don't. Just the dreams during the first half of the night will be more difficult to recall if you go to sleep late.