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lucid dreams

yogi2yogi2
edited March 2011 in Buddhism Today
What is the impact of lucid dreaming on our health? Does lucid dreaming lead to hampered health.

Comments

  • MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
    I don't see why it would...? Unless you don't get enough rest, why would it negatively effect health?
  • DaozenDaozen Veteran
    edited March 2011
    On the contrary, lucid deaming can be used for great spiritual advancement.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_yoga
  • MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
    We sleep to give our body a rest. While lucid dreaming, are you sleeping and getting enough rest? If so, nothing is wrong with it.

    And no need to make double threads.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    I don't think that question has been studied scientifically.
  • still_learningstill_learning Veteran
    There was a PBS special I watched that was about dreaming in general. Some scientists theorize that dreaming is like running simulations in our minds to help prepare us for possible challenges or dangers we think we may encounter in our waking lives.

    Based on that, if you control your dreams all the time and don't allow your mind to run simulations, maybe you won't get enough practice to prepare you for important or dangerous situations.

    But that's just a theory. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    You won't be prepared for the zombie appocalypse!image
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Jeffrey - Behave. :skeptic:
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    edited March 2011
    You won't be prepared for the zombie appocalypse!image
    i dream about this all the time! it's the best :)

    i don't see how lucid dreaming would hamper health. i saw the same pbs special as still_learning, but even so, lucid dreams always seem sporadic (at least, for me).

    so out of curiosity, how many here have lucid dreams? and once you discover you are lucid dreaming, what do you do? i always choose to fly :)
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited March 2011
    @zombiegirl..Interesting....Try choosing not to.
    see what happens.....
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    @zombiegirl..Interesting....Try choosing not to.
    see what happens.....
    choose not to do anything extraordinary? huh. i think that might be more difficult! dream me is very impulsive, lol.

    i wonder if lucid dreams are not common. i used to have nightmares almost every night (i became an incredible insomniac partly for this reason) and then i discovered in my dreams that i could wake myself up from my nightmares if i wanted to. after i realized that, i began to think, "but if i don't wake up... i can do what i want." it is a very strange experience to have literal magic at your fingertips.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    What I'm saying is to exercise free will in your dreams. Because, if you can't, and find it difficult to do the opposite of what you want - then it's not lucid dreaming.
    I'd be very interested to know what would happen if you resisted the desire to fly.
    or even, if you could.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    If you resisted the desire to fly then the resisting would be a contra-desire, in my opinion. Like I want to have hamburger but I also want pizza.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    I would like to see if she can actually do that.
    My amateur theory is that she believes she is lucid dreaming and that flying is an option. My theory proposes that she believes she is choosing to fly, but in fact is merely imagining that she chooses to fly....So, she is actually 'flying' because that's the way her dream goes - and she actually DOESN'T have a choice....
    I would like to see if she can manipulate her choice, and actually decide there and then, to not fly.

    It's just an interesting proposal.

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    sychronicity Fed

    My mom said she had a light sleep but was well rested. I joked that maybe she dreamed she had a light sleep, hehe.
  • TalismanTalisman Veteran
    I had a Lucid dream yesterday where I turned myself into a wolfman and was running around an office building turning all the women into wolfwomen and hunting people as a pack. It was ... strange lol :wtf:
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    true dat..... :screwy:


    :D
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    For me a lucid dream is when I know I am dreaming. But I can't control anything.
  • VictoriousVictorious Grim Veteran
    For me a lucid dream is when I know I am dreaming. But I can't control anything.
    Start by looking at your hands. Then making yourself wake up and slipping back into the lucid dream again. After that I find flying to be the esiest "change" to try.

    Changing the dream is done in the back of your mind not in the front. If you understand what I mean?

    good luck.

    Victor

  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    edited March 2011
    I would like to see if she can actually do that.
    My amateur theory is that she believes she is lucid dreaming and that flying is an option. My theory proposes that she believes she is choosing to fly, but in fact is merely imagining that she chooses to fly....So, she is actually 'flying' because that's the way her dream goes - and she actually DOESN'T have a choice....
    I would like to see if she can manipulate her choice, and actually decide there and then, to not fly.

    It's just an interesting proposal.

    hm, i'm not sure about this. lucid dreams are characterized by knowing that you are dreaming. so therefore i can't "think i am lucid dreaming" and not be. i have had very cool wish fulfilling dreams, but i do not characterize those along with lucid dreams because the preceding event is always that i realize i am dreaming. usually i do not have so much power over my dreams unless i am made aware. it seems doubtful that i could remember this post on this board in the moment i realize i am lucid dreaming. that's what i meant when i said that "dream me" is very impulsive. they do not happen very often, so when they do, i have a strong sense of making use of the time.

    i think what i do also depends on the context of the dream. i do usually choose to fly, but sometimes lucid dreaming can be very depressing for me. i remember one dream, years ago, where i had found a treasure chest and thought to myself, "this is amazing, i will never have to worry again!" but then realized i was dreaming and pretty much putzed around lol. in the end i decided to wake myself up just to confirm it, still hoping it wasn't a dream... but of course, it was.
    every story/comic i have ever produced tends to be inspired by a dream. and several nights ago i had a very intense romantic dream of a sort. i was very impressed by it and at some point i became aware that i was dreaming. i remember being so angry that i had realized this because the dream was essentially shattered once i realized i was the orchestrator behind everything. i remember longing for the surprise and unpredictability. the dream went on for a while like that, but i didn't enjoy controlling everything so i woke myself up. it did help me with a certain part i had been struggling with in the novel i'm writing, however. basically, it allowed me to experience very intense emotion through my characters that i had been struggling to comprehend. this is why it was ruined once i realized i was dreaming.

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited March 2011
    I once controlled things and I went looking for my ex. I decided to look for in hell (which is kind of funny in itself). And then I heard my Lama singing from the sanga chanting liturgy CD distinctly. It was symbolic of how I had taken a different path and also I felt grateful. And possibly the idea that I had been protected.
  • yogi2yogi2
    thanks for clarify my doubts regarding lucid dreaming
  • weirdgirlweirdgirl
    It all depends on these three things: How you feel upon waking up from the dream, your interpretation of the dream, and you're feelings/moods in the dream.
  • still_learningstill_learning Veteran
    I'm not worried about the Zombie apocalypse. I've been playing Left4Dead, Dead Rising, and Black ops. And I recently watched Zombieland.

    Whenever I am able to lucid dream, I also do some flying. Flying is very very fun in dreams.

    I met someone who could lucid dream whenever he wanted. That's cool, he said he always have good dreams. I would take naps all the time if I could do that.

    I used to have a recurring nightmare with monsters in it. One night, I was able to become self-aware in the dream and I defeated those monsters. I never had that nightmare again.

  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    I'm not worried about the Zombie apocalypse. I've been playing Left4Dead, Dead Rising, and Black ops. And I recently watched Zombieland.

    Whenever I am able to lucid dream, I also do some flying. Flying is very very fun in dreams.

    I met someone who could lucid dream whenever he wanted. That's cool, he said he always have good dreams. I would take naps all the time if I could do that.

    I used to have a recurring nightmare with monsters in it. One night, I was able to become self-aware in the dream and I defeated those monsters. I never had that nightmare again.

    i think if i could have lucid dreams all the time, i would sleep a lot more as well. this could probably be the negative aspect of lucid dreams. but as it stands for me, they are just the occasional enjoyment. i see nothing wrong with this, since it's quite out of my control anyways. :)
  • VictoriousVictorious Grim Veteran

    i think if i could have lucid dreams all the time, i would sleep a lot more as well. this could probably be the negative aspect of lucid dreams. but as it stands for me, they are just the occasional enjoyment. i see nothing wrong with this, since it's quite out of my control anyways. :)
    One small perk of practising Buddhism is that it shows a way to control Real Life and that is so much more satisfying than all the lucid dreams you can think of.
    After all at the end of the night a dream is just a dream but in real life you can make a difference that lasts for yourself and for others...if you know how.

    Just an opinion

  • revkusalarevkusala
    Interesting topic, and something to look into. Check out Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's book; "Tibetan Yogas of Dream & Sleep"
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