Thread: psychoanalysis and lucidity

I wouldn't say the subconscious is entirely in control during a normal dream, rather it manifests certain situations and subject matter which can, according to psychoanalytic theory, be interpreted symbolically as subconscious expression.

However, once lucid, I do see how the direct subject matter of the dream, the setting, people, etc., can be controlled to some degree by your conscious/conscience. How the setting, people, etc. act in the dream is dictated more by the subconscious rather than the direct control of the conscious.

I don't know much about psychoanalysis, but I do know that many of my lucids have had some really interesting symbolism. In one lucid dream, I found myself in a place that I assumed was my subconscious mind. I found all kinds of interesting things there. For one thing, there was some random guy locked behind a door In several other dreams I've heard a voice and assumed it was my subconscious. In one of the most interesting ones, I realized that I could have direct communication with my sub-c by staying to listen rather than flying away to control the dream. I then got a message out of a book (which was realated to the dream I was in the middle of when I became lucid). The words affected me emotionally like they wouldn't have if I was awake, and the words had meaning that I had never understood before. So I would say you could definitely get as much or more to analyze from a lucid dream as you would from a normal dream.

Sometimes just exploring the dream while lucid can give you a lot of insights. Also, even when consciously affecting the dream, it's usually pretty easy to distinguish the difference between your conscious and subconscious. For example, let's say you consciously decide to materialize a field of grass but it turns out to be red grass. Maybe the color red could be analyzed as something from your subconscious (unless you planned for it to be red).

Your dream characters are manifestations of your sub-concious mind.

Ask a DC a profound question - their responses can be quite enlightening.

Originally Posted by Ailos

However, once lucid, I do see how the direct subject matter of the dream, the setting, people, etc., can be controlled to some degree by your conscious/conscience. How the setting, people, etc. act in the dream is dictated more by the subconscious rather than the direct control of the conscious.

i hadnt thought of that before, but it makes perfect sense, thanks.