Advantages of Experiencing Lucid Dreams
Research shows that everyone has got to experience lucid dreams at least once in their lifetime. Lucid dreams happen when the dreamer is sleeping and aware that they are dreaming. This means that the dreamers can control some aspects of that dream such as the activities, characters, and locations. These dreams are known to have some therapeutic benefits to those experiencing them. The following are some of those benefits of lucid dreaming.
First, lucid dreams help in overcoming nightmares. Most adults experience occasional nightmares, and it is a normal thing. However, if you experience nightmares more often, you may end up getting stressed or anxious. Nightmares are often associated with conditions such as Post-traumatic stress disorder, stress, insomnia, and even depression. This can be controlled by lucid dreaming because the dreamer will be able to control whatever is happening in their dreams. Also, while the people are dreaming, they can be able to recognize that the nightmare isn’t real hence they will not be affected by those dreams. There are therapists who use imagery rehearsal therapy using those lucid dreams in treating the patients. You will narrate to the therapist about that particular nightmare and they will reimagine it using a better storyline. In that way, you will be convinced that it wasn’t a nightmare after all.
The other benefit of these dreams is that they relieve anxiety. You may be anxious about for some reasons apart from those induced by nightmares. When you can control your dreams, you are in a good position to control whatever they are dreaming about. This allows them to face the situations which are causing anxiety to them. The anxiousness can lead to other complex conditions such as depression which will be harder to treat. However, when you can face those situations in your dreams and control how the dream goes, you will feel less anxious. There are other therapies which involve cognitive behaviors which makes dream control even easier. Studies showed that this therapy enabled the veterans who were experiencing nightmares to control them. When the cognitive behavioral and imagery rehearsal therapies were used together on the veterans, they were all able to manage and control their dreams even better.
Finally, lucid dreams help in improving motor skills. Physical rehabilitation is made possible by lucid dreaming. The physical ability of doing motor skills is increased by motor skills that are mentally performing. This means that, if you are physically disabled, you can practice to make movements through lucid dreaming. This is because your brain and the physical aspects will be able to coordinate better to initiate those movements. Even the people who aren’t physically challenged can improve their motor skills while lucid dreaming. However, you should be careful because lucid dreams may as well lead to lack of enough rest at night because you will be waking up several times at night. You may also have a feeling that everything in this world isn’t real because you are unable to differentiate dreams from reality. You should thus be careful with lucid dreams so that you don’t condition your body to them so much.