The Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
Posted on May 27, 2014 by Victoria Coronado, One of Thousands of Spirituality Coaches on Noomii.
Learning how to have lucid dreams can lead to a greater sense of well-being and an expanded view of your capabilities!
Yesterday afternoon I decided to take a quick nap after work before going out with some friends in the evening. I fell asleep easily and began dreaming that I was in an office building walking past some desks. Then I noticed something odd; on one of the desks was a pink elephant that I recognized from my childhood. While dreaming, I thought “that is strange, what is that doing there?” In that instant, I realized I was experiencing what is known as a Lucid Dream. With that awareness, I began to direct my dream, seeing how far I could push the boundaries of reality.
Immediately, I decided I wanted to fly. And so I did. At first I merely levitated off the ground, but then I began to soar and swoop and loop-de-loop! It was exhilarating. I was flying and it felt as real to me as if I were in my waking reality. Next, I decided that I wanted to flip my world on its side… I began to walk across the walls as if they were floors. It was so much fun… I actually did a little tap dance on one of the office doors!! The dream continued and I met my best friend there and had her join with me on my adventures. It was a feeling of lighthearted liberation to be able to experience these things, with no fear of being hurt, or fear of heights.Lucid dreaming is best explained as becoming aware that you are dreaming, while experiencing the dream as your reality. You know that you are in bed asleep, yet you experience your body as though you are awake. You can actually feel, taste, touch, smell and see just as you can when you are fully awake, yet you have the ability to go beyond the parameters of the laws of physics. So when I decided I wanted to fly in my dream, I truly experienced the sensations of flying. I felt the wind on my skin, the sensation of blood rushing to my head as I looped upside-down, and the viewpoint from above.
With practice you will likely find that you become more adept at staying within the dream long enough to enjoy some of the benefits of this phenomenon. You can take the opportunity to meet with people who are no longer in your life; giving you the ability to confront, forgive, or extend love. You can learn to see yourself in a new way by imagining yourself in a different body, a different profession, or a different relationship. Experiencing these things in an altered state of reality feels quite real and may help you to bring some of that experience back into your waking life. You may find you have an expanded sense of your capabilities since you have had a chance to “practice” what it feels like to be unlimited in your dream. And of course, you can also just have fun by breaking the laws of physics and knowing what it feels like to fly, breathe underwater, or walk through fire.
I suggest the following tips to induce lucid dreaming based upon my own experience:- Have a daily meditation practice to help expand your consciousness
- Keep a journal of your dreams and notice any objects that appear to stand out as odd.
- Train your mind before sleep to recognize those odd objects as a symbol to alert you that you are dreaming
- Be patient with your progress! With practice, you will be able to have longer sessions with lucid dreaming.
