Thread: a newcomers' question about the risks

As someone who has experienced lucid dreams on purpose and without trying I can say that you need not fear. You won't change yourself in any fundamental way.

I began having lucid dreams at least 30 years ago, before sites like this one existed. I didn't even know what a lucid dream was when I was young...I just knew I was aware I was dreaming in the dream and it was pretty cool.

Accounts of lucid dreaming date back thousands of years, and has been experienced by many of the most note-worthy statesman in history. In every way, lucid dreaming is a natural ability, though not everyone recalls the experience or puts much thought into trying to remember their dreams because they think dreams are useless memories.

Lucid dreaming won't screw with your psyche, nor will you have any other risks. The worst thing that happens to some people is losing a little sleep because they woke up in the middle of the night and simply became "too awake" for a couple hours.

Pleasant dreams!

I agree with Melanieb. You may be opening up to a new way of approaching dreaming, but this will not cancel out normal sleep and dreaming experiences. Some people seem to notice they have a few less dreams when they start lucid dreaming, but the numbers tend to even out over time.

When I started lucid dreaming, I had some similar concerns, but lucid dreaming will not break or alter your psyche. I say that assuming you are not schizophrenic or borderline. It seems the rarest cases where people can get to a point where every dream is lucid, if they are lucky and really try at it.

@melanieb
hey thank you! i'm happy you touched on the fact of lucid dreaming being part of human experience. I can't say anyone ever told me that (before), but I definitely seemed to have forgotten (in the sense that it's one of the things you just know - if you're in touch with the world and all.)
I'm happy to be here, and I guess I'm going to be doing some dreaming now

@RedNaxela:

thank you!
I guess there is a reason why I posted in the health thread. In retrospect: I'm patting myself on the shoulder right now because it was a sensible thing to do, considering my health is not too good. I tend to blend that out quite often.
So thanks for including that remark about borderline and stuff, I should give that some thought.
-sanshiro

As many others have said, there really are no risks, only benefits. Simple as that.