Thread: LD Dangers?

Has anyone ever had bad experiences with lucid dreaming? I never have, but I wonder about it. Can it be taken too far, to an unhealthy extreme? Can we have to much of a good thing?

I believe that dreams and dream content serve natural biological and psychological functions designed to help keep us healthy, happy and solve problems. If we force lucid dreams unnaturally or make too much effort to control or sustain them, could we be interfering with the natural purposes?

Is our subconscious always in control for a reason? Doesn’t it already know how many lucid dreams, the intensity, duration, type of content, amount of control, when we are ready, how much we can handle and what we need,… when and why? Do lucid dreams start AND end for a reason? Are lucid dreams essentially unnatural?

... Is anything all good or all bad?

What are the dangers if any?

Don't worry, many members here have been lucid dreaming a long time and are still healthy. If anything became too extreme you would just wake up.

So just don't worry about it, it lucid dreaming were bad this forum probably wouldn't be here.

First off, there are some people that have lucid dreams constantly, naturally, and show no ill effects.

Secondly, even if you were to become lucid every night, your non-lucid REM periods would make up for whatever natural memory function normal dreaming produces.

Thirdly, lucid dreams can have very similar content to the dream you were meant to have. Settings and characters can represent the settings and characters you would've dreampt about while non-lucid.

I have LDs quite frequently, but I have to go on the assumption that everyone is different. I also am a natural, and keep it that way for my own reasons...

What's good for some people may not be so good for others.

Can LDs create problems for some people during their waking lives,… or would the subconscious naturally intervene at that point?

I have heard that some people have problems with spouses, parents and such as a result of their lucid dreaming on this board. Are their any other possible dangers we need to be aware of?

As a general rule, I think moderation is healthy in most everything.

I get in trouble for spending too much time on DreamViews, does that count?

I think there are a few dangers:

1. If you confuse yourself over a reality check then you may do something stupid in real life.
(Has happened to some people before)

2. You may find you want to spend all of your time in your dreams and not in real life.
(although this can only cause problems in very extreme cases)

Originally Posted by Who I Am

Has anyone ever had bad experiences with lucid dreaming? I never have, but I wonder about it. Can it be taken too far, to an unhealthy extreme? Can we have to much of a good thing?

I believe that dreams and dream content serve natural biological and psychological functions designed to help keep us healthy, happy and solve problems. If we force lucid dreams unnaturally or make too much effort to control or sustain them, could we be interfering with the natural purposes?

Is our subconscious always in control for a reason? Doesn’t it already know how many lucid dreams, the intensity, duration, type of content, amount of control, when we are ready, how much we can handle and what we need,… when and why? Do lucid dreams start AND end for a reason? Are lucid dreams essentially unnatural?

... Is anything all good or all bad?

What are the dangers if any?

The only potential danger is that it may affect Ur perception of reality. But that's really subjective....it depends on Ur grip on reality as a person. If Ur easily influenced into believeing that reality may not be real and that U may be living in a dream like environment then it may become dangerous as Ur subconcious will believe that as a fact and behave funnily as in U'lll feel as though everything around U isn't real and U go into zoned out mode.... But even if it happens..it can be rectified. Just stop lucid dreaming for a while and 'engage' back into reality....

IMJ

I'm pretty sure communists aren't the targeted audience for the YMCA...

Out of curiosity, Who I Am, do you feel the same way about violent video games?

Originally Posted by Khrysothemis

Out of curiosity, Who I Am, do you feel the same way about violent video games?

Thanks for bringing this up I've just been reading this thread and was thinking about video games/movies/other media the whole time.

I won't say immoral actions in LDs can't have an effect on our psyche or our real world actions, but I do think it depends on the person and how grounded they are. Some people are very impressionable or have a blured line between reality and fantasy, or they simple have a mental disorder. For these people I think it very well could and probably would have a negative effect on them.

But for most people, the line between fantasy and reality is very solid. I also think this solid boundary allows us to vent some of our negative feelings in a fantasy environment. So for these mentally balanced people, I think performing any violent tendencies and such in dreams can actually be beneficial, as it decreases the urge to do them in the real world. At least I know it does for me. I've had LDs where I've summon up people I'm angry with in the real world and then deliberately injured them. Because it makes me feel better without doing such a thing in reality and I understand that key difference.

Same thing with Video Games or Movies. I watch a lot of violent movies and play a lot of violent games. I enjoy it, it appeals to the violent creature hidden within me. If I didn't do these things, I think I could have become a much more violent person that I am. And I am not a violent person, at all. I've never been in a fight or hurt someone physically.

Whether or not having LDs interferes with some function of the brain and does damage that way, I don't know. But I think even if it did, we have so few LDs compared to regular dreams that I think anything we're missing during LDs would surely be made up for in regular dreams.

I think everyone is different. Some folks may have nothing to be concerned about with this "side topic", others may. Some of us may be walking a much finer line...or already be mentally ill or psychologically impaired.

I do think lucid dreaming is much different than normal dreaming, watching TV, or playing a video game. In any dream, sleep paralysis kicks in for a reason. As we are sleeping the brain is sending signals to our body to act out the actions in our dream, but the paralysis stops it. In this scenario, the brain doesn't make the distinction between dreaming and being awake. To the brain it all seems real, or like a real experience. In normal dreams the mind can work out it’s quirks. Lucid dreams are special.

I personally steer away even from movies, games and hobbies with violent content. I do it out of personal choice and out of concern for my own well being and those around me. I’ve had violent tendencies and problems with anger in the past, and have tried to adopt nothing but peaceful hobbies and recreation. I can tell you from my own experience it helps… a lot! What I feed my mind makes a big difference.

Since so many people seem to like this topic,
There are other possible dangers we can talk about...

"Dream guides" and possible dangers of schizophrenia and demonic possession, come to mind…

At any rate, I don't think we need to argue or take offense to any of it,... because it's probably not provable or disprovable either way. We each have a choice and can do whatever we feel is best.

However, I do think that being aware of "possible" dangers, is good, and I don't see how it can hurt... or hurt to talk about it.

... personal attacks are another matter, and I think,... in poor form.
... but not that I or anyone else, is above it.

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Has anyone ever had bad experiences with lucid dreaming? I never have, but I wonder about it. Can it be taken too far, to an unhealthy extreme? Can we have to much of a good thing?

I believe that dreams and dream content serve natural biological and psychological functions designed to help keep us healthy, happy and solve problems. If we force lucid dreams unnaturally or make too much effort to control or sustain them, could we be interfering with the natural purposes?

Is our subconscious always in control for a reason? Doesn’t it already know how many lucid dreams, the intensity, duration, type of content, amount of control, when we are ready, how much we can handle and what we need,… when and why? Do lucid dreams start AND end for a reason? Are lucid dreams essentially unnatural?

... Is anything all good or all bad?

What are the dangers if any?

Lucid dreams arent bad for you at all. If anything, they are better for you. They help you to get in touch with yourself and reflect on yourself. and when you say like the natural order of dreams and stuff, dreams arent there to balance your psychological well-being. All a dream is is a vivid though. When you're dreaming, you're just thinking while in an unconscious state. this makes it more vivid because your mind can perceive the thought better, because it only has to focus on THAT thought. it doesnt have to worry about that math exam coming up next week, or taking the kettle off the stove. it only has to concentrate on that thought, making it more vivid, becoming a dream.

by the way, that is replying to the very first message in this thread.

Some people are into blood and gore type stuff, id rather have them take it out on DC's then any RL persons. ^_^

could be theraputic ^_-

Originally Posted by shotbirds

Some people are into blood and gore type stuff, id rather have them take it out on DC's then any RL persons. ^_^

could be theraputic ^_-

Sure,... carrying out these violent fantasies in LD is the lesser of the evils. However, please forgive me, but,... I don't believe there is any healthy form of blood lust.

I have learned the value and lesson of guarding my thoughts.

Originally Posted by Who I Am

Sure,... carrying out these violent fantasies in LD is the lesser of the evils. However, please forgive me, but,... I don't believe there is any healthy form of blood lust.

I have learned the value and lesson of guarding my thoughts.

I don't know, is it possible that you're projecting a bit? Maybe there's no healthy form for you.

My dad says if you use vitamin B6 too much it can mess up your head, permanently.

I can't think of any dangers, except sometimes it's a little scary when I'm entering that twilight area, and I hear someone calling my name. It gives me goospimples and sometimes that wakes me up feeling like I was in a horror movie. Other than that I have always thought of it as something special that most people don't understand or ever get a chance to experience.

K