Fear of lucid dreaming

**Ricochet1** · 01-29-2011 02:55 AM

I've been trying to lucid dream for a few months now, but every time I'd fall asleep I feel an intense emotion that frightens me. It usually happens after sleep paralysis, which tends to scare me even more. I haven't been able to sleep as a result. I really would love to lucid dream, but I'm too scared of this emotion. Can anyone help?

**Simplicity** · 01-29-2011 03:15 AM

It sounds like this is more of a problem regarding sleep than dreaming, which should definitely be addressed. If you're awake during sleep paralysis, it's understandable that you would be afraid, but there's no need to be. Fears like this can turn into subconscious beliefs that will make it very difficult for you to get over this fear in the future. You need to start using mental reinforcement to eliminate the fear. Just let yourself calm down, and always think in positives because that's how the subconscious percieves thought. Don't think "Nothing bad will happen," instead think "everything will be fine." Because it is fine. There's nothing about sleep paralysis, hypnagogic imagery, lucid dreaming, or any other related topic that can actually harm you - they're all natural biological functions that occur all the time. Just keep focusing on positive, calm thoughts until you can fall asleep. Overcome your fear first, then focus on lucid dreaming

**INeverWakeUp** · 01-29-2011 09:31 PM

Well said Simplicity.

**Ricochet1** · 01-30-2011 03:37 AM

I'm bipolar, though so I typically feel depressed and easily frightened... it'll be a bit harder for me. I'm used to the images. Tonight was a bit easer, I was able to experience the sleep paralysis without feeling as scared as I usually do. Is there another method that doesn't involve sleep paralysis?

**Michael** · 01-30-2011 04:13 AM

You just have to conquer the fear. There really is nothing to worry about. No boogieman or anything will happen.

But there is another way without having to be awake during SP. You can enter from a non-lucid dream with the help of reality checks and other things. and I think it's called DILD

**Simplicity** · 02-01-2011 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by Ricochet1

Is there another method that doesn't involve sleep paralysis?

definitely, in fact I've rarely ever used induction techniques that involved being conscious during sleep paralysis. The most typical lucid dreams (DILDs) are ones where the dreamer realizes that they're dreaming when they are already in the dream. The way you do this is to increase your dream recall through dream journaling, which in turn increases vividness of dreams. That combined with consistent questioning of reality and reality checks will make you more aware during the dream state, and one night you may just find yourself in the middle of a dream and it'll just hit you that you're dreaming and voila! You'll be able to practice dream control without even encountering sleep paralysis.

This technique can be more or less effective depending on the person, but there are plenty of other techniques you can learn that are similar to this. I'd suggest researching DILD's, MILD's or possibly WBTB (that one's iffy on the whole SP thing depending on how you go about it)

hope that helps!