Lucid Dreams and PTSD

[Crabalocker Fishwife]

My dad suffers from some really terrible, violent dreams because of his PTSD. Sometimes they're so bad that they affect his waking life. I suggested lucid dreaming, but I don't know if it could actually help. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with using lucid dreaming to overcome the nightmares associated with PTSD, thanks.

[Shift]

This is a sadly absent part of the literature. The bottom line is that he can be successful and overcome his nightmares, though it will probably be difficult to face them. Teach him to turn his nightmares into dreamsigns, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, teach him about dream control first. Or, have him sign up so that he can get on the forums or the chat and talk about it. Teaching him to work hard to become lucid just so that he ends up in a nightmare and either panicking lucidly or losing lucidity because of fear is probably just going to turn him off the subject. Make sure he knows how to control them and turn them around before you start teaching him to attain lucidity.

[Dissociation]

honestly that´s the reason why I started wanting to have lucid dreams. I have the same problem as your dad. When I started doing reality checks it turned out really bad, because I didnt do them right. I had nightmares in which I did an RC but then came to the conclusion that I am AWAKE. Now guess what that meant for anxiety... I still wasnt able to get rid of my dreams, but I´m still trying with the best effort I can make. I´m sure lucid dreaming can help, that´s why I keep on trying to get better. But as Shift said, the most important thing is to control your nightmares.