My LD journey

Hi! I'm Anne. I'm 27 years old and I'm an accidental lucid dreamer. I've always had a wild imagination, which helped me get through my traumatic childhood. I suffer from PTSD, nightmares, and insomnia. (Along with bipolar disorder)

Over the last year, I came to realize during waking hours that I'd had odd dreams in which I knew I was dreaming. No control, or very little, usually just an awareness that passed after a minute.

I read about lucid dreaming and realized that that was what was happening, mildly at least. After a little bit of reading and practice, I'm starting to lucid dream almost every night and gaining more control each time. Sometimes I can change my nightmares into regular dreams, which is helped along by my Prazosin, a medication used for PTSD-related nightmares

I've been trying to LD and improve control for a few days and already I've had more LDs than I could recount. Maybe 20? At the same time that's balanced out by trauma and nightmares and a general struggle in my soul...it seems inevitable that I couldn't have one without the other. I'm ok with it; I see a poetic justice.

I used to be so terrified to sleep. I hated it. I had terrible insomnia, trying to avoid it. Once I didn't sleep for 2 days in an effort to avoid the nightmares. Now I'm excited to sleep. It's amazing. Practicing control over my fear in my dreams is crossing over into controlling it in waking life. I'm calmer. LD has changed my life. If it wasn't for communities such as this, I'd never have known how to develop this skill.

Hi Anne! I am very glad you have found Dream Views. I have been lucid dream for ever now, and I almost never have nightmares now. It is not that I am often lucid, but that the realm of dreams becomes a happy place and you just kind of are comfortable even in non-lucid dream after awhile. It is great that you seem to be taking to it so fast, as it will be great for you as far as your own nightmares and such. You will find a lot of friendly and helpful people here, and everyone will welcome you.

Welcome to Dream Views!!!!

Welcome to the forums!

It's awesome to hear how lucid dreaming has helped with your PTSD. Like sivason, I've had very few nightmares since I've started lucid dreaming. And in the ones I did have, becoming lucid and realizing that there's nothing to worry about is one of the most liberating feelings out there.

I wish you all the best in your journey, and let us know if you have any questions or need any help!