The Effects of Lucid Dreaming in Waking Life*

"Sumerian King List on the Weld-Blundell Prism, 1800 BCE"

“An eagle seizes a lamb from the sheepfold. A falcon catches a sparrow on the reed fence...The churn lies on its side, no milk is poured. The cup lies on its side; Dumuzi lives no more.”

— An excerpt from the first recorded dream in history, by the Sumerian king Dumuzi, circa 2500 BC.

Dreams are the echoes of our subconscious against the contours of our waking mind.

We experience a kind of parallel reality when we dream, a projection of our waking life that shines across the ocean of our consciousness. They leave us with memories of absurd, fantastical, sometimes frightening, and oftentimes mysterious experiences. And we have struggled to understand their meaning for thousands of years.

Becoming lucid within a dream, recognizing that you’re dreaming, is as personal as dreaming itself. The degree of lucidity can vary widely, from simple awareness, to full control over the dream. For some, lucidity can stabilize the dream, while others experience rapid changes, or get so excited they wake up. The origin of lucidity in dreams, and their effects on waking life, have been the subject of scientific research for decades.

Despite their spontaneous occurrence, lucid dreams have been shown to be quite common. Most people have had at least one lucid dream in their life, and about 25% of people have them at least once a month [Saunders 2016]. Lucid dreamers describe their experiences as having fun (81%), transforming their nightmares into positive dreams (64%), solving problems (30%), gaining new insights and creative ideas (28%), and practicing skills (21%) [Stumbrys 2012]. These experiences are not only transformative and enjoyable during dreaming, but translate to profound impacts on the waking lives of lucid dreamers.

In studies, up to 90% of lucid dreamers reported some benefit of lucid dreams on their mental and physical health [Erlacher 2021]. Further research supports this, showing that during their waking lives,* frequent lucid dreamers have a lower rate of physical and psychological complaints. They have heightened assertiveness, an increased sense of autonomy, and elevated self-confidence [Doll 2009]. These studies show that we’re not only having fun in lucid dreams, but also confronting our innermost selves to become more actualized, happier, and healthier people.

*Lucid dreaming can also have positive effects on our nightmares, and lead to transformative effects on our waking lives.* Nearly 80% of people with post-traumatic stress disorder suffer from nightmares, compared to 4% of the general population, and lucid dreaming can dramatically decrease their level of depression and anxiety [Holzinger]. When we gain awareness and control of our dreams, we can alter the course of these nightmares and assert a mastery over the experience with therapeutic and personally transformative results.

Lucid dreaming is not merely a type of sleep, but also a powerful means for self-improvement and psychological healing. *Research substantiates its therapeutic value, highlighting how it can bolster our mental and physical health, mitigate trauma, reduce anxiety, increase life satisfaction, and overall happiness in our waking lives.* Embracing modern scientific insights we can leverage these dreams for their therapeutic value, while still reveling in the mystery of the experience, just as the earliest dreamers did.

*Prophetic is not offering any medical advice or making any claims about its products or services.  This blog post is provided for informational purposes only.  Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare professional if you have questions about a medical condition.  Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information you have obtained through Prophetic.  The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated any claims about Prophetic’s products or services.