There are some seriously scary aspects to lucid dreaming that not many people talk about. It’s good to be aware of these things before you dive into the wonderful world of lucid dreams.
Here are the main reasons people sometimes consider Lucid Dreaming to be scary.. Don’t worry, keep reading and we’ll discuss each one…
- Sleep paralysis. The feeling of being trapped on the bed and to see figures approach you.
- The feeling of experiencing something for the first time.
- Seeing graphic or intense situations.
There are many different things you can do with regards to lucid dreaming. You could explore alien worlds, experience all sorts of things, really whatever you can imagine, but there are some instances where you’ll ‘imagine’ something which you’re not quite prepared for.
For example, if you are in a Lucid Dream, and you decide to try flying, if you’ve never flown before in a dream you may find this experience a little frightening. Especially if you’ve seen films about superheros flying and your mind simulates that speed and power when you fly.
It’s important to remember if you’re in a scary Lucid Dream that nothing can actually harm you. For that reason, there’s nothing to actually be scared of, but as you probably know when you’re in the experience, your mind makes it real. Sometimes, your mind will show you things it knows you’ll find scary when you’re starting out.
Sleep paralysis can be terrifying
Sleep paralysis is probably the main thing that will scare you in a lucid dream, part of the process of inducing a lucid dream is ‘sleep paralysis’.
This is when you’re inducing a dream using the WILD method, you’re awake and you let your body shut down while your mind stays active. While doing this, you experience a wave of sleep paralysis which appears to ‘freeze’ you in place.
In fact, here are some scary lucid dreaming stories to consider:
By the way here are a few things you should never do in lucid dreams, let these serve as a sort of warning..
You are unable to move, and many have reported hallucinations and feelings of being trapped, even seeing scary dark figures approach them and threaten them. Some even report these figures trying to harm them while they’re laying there paralyzed. This may seem scary, but it is really nothing to worry about, as long as your mindset is right. Let’s explain..
You’re laying there, unable to move, because your body has frozen your muscles to prepare you for sleep. This happens every night, to everyone, it’s just when you deliberately keep your mind awake throughout this process, you actually experience the paralysis.
It’s very important to remember that although you will see things approach you at some point, they’re not real. They can’t harm you, and after a few minutes, you’ll drift into a lucid dream.
It’s easy to forget, and this is why many people consider this area of Lucid Dreaming to be scary. As long as you focus on the awareness, keep your mind awake and remember that whatever you see from the moment you start sleep paralysis, is a dream. Nothing more.
Experiencing something for the first time in a dream
When you do something in a dream for the very first time, it can seem very scary. This is because you’re not used to doing it so your mind thinks something is wrong, or it panics and you start to stress out or become distressed.
This is normal, and when you’ve practiced it a bit more, it will be less of a shock to, for example, walk on water. It’s basically your brain telling you that something’s not right, and it’s usually got to do with ‘laws’ of nature that you know deep within you should work, but obviously in the dream, they can be bent.
For example, if you become Lucid and you decide to use telekinesis and you get a bit curious and decide to topple the skyscraper in the distance with your mind powers, you may panic if it’s the first time you’ve done it, because you naturally think, ‘I’ve just destroyed a building and potentially killed people’.
It’s only with experience and practice that you learn not to worry about things like this, because it’s not real. It’s in your mind, so it doesn’t matter if you throw cars around, walk on water, or run rampage in the city to release your frustration. The first time you do something which conflicts with your ‘blueprint’ for how the world should work, you may feel frightened.
Graphic or intense situations in the dream
As you go through the amazing journey of Lucid Dreaming, there is something which you may find a little scary, and that is that your mind can create quite violent or graphic situations in the dream. Specially if you’ve seen horror films, know what gore and guts look like and/or have played video games.
Your mind can create this in a dream, and sometimes you’ll experience a situation where, for example, someone you know may be killed or injured seriously.
You may see your boss in a car accident and see the broken bone sticking out for example, it’s nothing to worry about because it’s just your brain being creative, but of course, it may feel scary to see that for the first few times.
It won’t happen all the time, and as you get more skilled you can learn to control that sort of thing, and focus on positive elements of the dream, so as to block out negative experiences such as this example, but certainly for the first few times, people will find that scary.
Don’t be scared of lucid dreams
Is Lucid Dreaming scary? Well, it probably will be for some, specially in the first stages of developing the skill, as you’re not used to it.
It’s the same as anything new, it takes time to get used to. If you’ve read this post, then hopefully if/when any of the things mentioned happen in a dream, you’ll worry less, because at the end of the day, it’s all in your head.
It’s going to feel real when you’re there, but as long as you’re Lucid, you should have more control and leverage over what you experience and how you feel about it.
Useful tips and tools
Lucid dreaming doesn’t have to be scary but there are some basic things you can do to make it less frightening at the start:
- Meditate every morning and evening. This will help you rise above your emotions and get a better control over your feelings
- Read about things like the sleep paralysis demon so that when it HAPPENS, you’ll be less scared because you UNDERSTAND it and know it’s nothing to worry about
- Learn how to lucid dream in simple steps and practice what you learn every night. This can help you avoid scary lucid dreams and sleep paralysis situations
