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Awake in Dreams? What is Lucid Dreaming? A Brief Overview
A few days ago, I posted about my random dream about Alanis Morissette and how it was a lucid dream. I also have lucid nightmares, and when that happens, I can force myself out of sleep. So last night, I was lying wide awake because I drank an energy drink way too late in the afternoon…I thought, why not write a little more about this topic?
My curiosity to research this stems from the fact that I have found among my friends and acquaintances who have PTSD also experience lucid dreams more frequently than those without. It turns out that research has been done into this exact phenomenon. The research is tedious and wordy, so I figured I would break this down over a few blog posts as I have time. I hope you enjoy it!
What is Lucid Dreaming?
Imagine having the power to recognize you’re dreaming during the dream itself. This intriguing state of consciousness, known as lucid dreaming (LD), makes you aware that you’re dreaming and influences the dream’s narrative and outcome. Unlike the passive experience of standard dreams, where cognitive control and self-awareness are absent, lucid dreaming invites you into a world where self-reflection, memory access, and even dream control become possible. This unique state presents a promising avenue for therapeutic interventions, particularly in the realm of mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).