Upon encountering the idea of lucid dreaming and the concept of reality shifting it is easy for the novice to get confused between the two. At a base level they seem to be very similar, if not the same. So, are lucid dreams the same as shifting?
Lucid dreams and shifting are not the same thing. However, there is a lucid dreaming technique called dream shifting that often gets confused with reality shifting.
Shifting (as in reality shifting) revolves around the belief that you can change your life by moving your consciousness from one reality to a parallel reality.
Lucid dreaming is not normally used as a reality creation tool but is used as a means to experience your fantasies as though they were real through controlled vivid, lifelike dreaming.
Below I explore the difference between reality shifting, lucid dreaming and dream shifting.
Contents
Shifting vs lucid dreaming – is shifting lucid dreaming?
It is easy to see why some people get confused between shifting, also called reality shifting, and lucid dreaming. However, shifting and lucid dreaming are completely different things that are used for completely different objectives.
Before I outline the main differences between shifting and lucid dreams I will outline quickly what each one is and what it is used for.
This way you will have a good foundational knowledge of each of them and will start to see how they differ greatly from each other in both execution and in why they are used.
You will better understand how they are used for very different things when you better understand what each one is.
At this point though I will state clearly that:
Lucid dreams and shifting are very different things that are used for very different purposes.
Now, let’s delve into each one in turn to see what it is, how it is used and what it is used for.
Reality shifting meaning and process explained
At the time of writing this article shifting is all the rage on tiktok and reddit. It also pops up on many Facebook groups and online forums.
It is a trending subject that’s meaning seems to vary from one social media influencer to another. But, there does seem to be a common thread that runs through the explanations of shifting which we will look at that now.
The uses and concept behind reality shifting date back long before term “shifting” was ever used.
The origins of reality shifting lie firmly within the law of attraction community, which itself stems from the New Thought Movement of the early 19th Century that grew in popularity right up to the 20th Century.
Although some form of thought-manifesting has existed for a long time, in modern times the advent of quantum physics has given it a new spin.
The teachings of Neville Goddard in the 1930s – 1970s have become very en vogue in the 21st Century as have the exercises offered in Quantum Jumping by Burt Goldman.
These type of teachings have made the concept of shifting to a new reality very popular.
However, it is the immense popularity of Russian mystic Vadim Zeland’s Reality Transurfing teachings that really kickstarted the trend of reality shifting.
Shifting, the shortened version of Reality Shifting, is based on the belief that through a concerted effort of will and the use of certain techniques, usually meditation and visualization, you can shift from your current reality to a parallel reality.
For instance, if you are poor but want to be rich you can use shifting to move your consciousness from your current poor reality to a parallel reality in which you are rich.
You can shift by meditating and visualizing yourself in your new reality, and experiencing this reality as best you can from first person perspective i.e. seeing through your own eyes and hearing through your own ears etc.
By fully accepting that you have now shifted to that reality through this mental and emotional focus, it is believed you will shift to that new and better reality.
Does this shift happen immediately according to shifting doctrine?
No!
After completing a shifting meditation or visualization you most then move through a sequence of events, that will seem completely natural and normal, which will eventually bring you to your new reality.
I guess it’s a bit like goal-setting and go-getting but without all the hard work.
Does it work?
That question is beyond the scope of this blog post and would require an entire blog of its own (plus a lot of testing). I am slightly dubious about the ability of shifting to manifest things simply because it doesn’t work for most people who try it.
Having said that, I do think that this type of internally generated visual mental programming has its place. This is especially the case when it comes to goal-setting, goal-achievement and skill development (and many Super bowl champions and Olympic athletes agree).
But as a vehicle for physically manifesting tangible objects and new lifestyles I think the claims made for shifting can be greatly exaggerated.
However, I am really on the fence when it comes to the mystical side of shifting.
Having studied quantum physics at a very fundamental level for my bachelor of science degree I can see how the premise seems sound. I am just unsure if it actually works. Try it yourself and let me know if it worked for you.
What lucid dreaming is and how it differs from shifting
Lucid dreaming is completely different from shifting on a very fundamental level.
Shifting is designed to change your reality and move you into a parallel universe.
Lucid dreaming is a means for experiencing any reality you want, in a lifelike and vivid environment over which you have complete and ultimate control. This occurs through consciously controlled dreams.
In a lucid dream you can experience anything you want in an environment that feels just as real as real life.
Lucid dreaming is not usually used as a way to change your reality. It is a way to experience any reality, even a completely impossible one, as though it were really happening.
So rather than creating a new reality in the real world, lucid dreaming allows you to fully experience any reality you want while you sleep.
I should note here that lucid dreams feel real. They are not like normal regular dreams that often feel hazy and unclear.
Lucid Dreams feel just as real as everyday waking life. This is what makes them so exciting … but it gets even better.
Because you can control everything and everyone in a lucid dream this means you can use a lucid dream to do anything you want. You can also do it with anyone you want and anywhere you want to do it.
You are literally only limited by your own imagination.
Is lucid dreaming real and does it really exist?
Yes … you bet it does!
Lucid Dreaming is a real and proven phenomenon. In fact it is a lot less rare than people think it is. And, because we know what causes lucid dreams we know how to induce them deliberately.
Yes! Anyone can be taught how to lucid dream provided they follow a proven method for doing it.
The truth is that everyone can lucid dream with the right training.
Even though there are some people who claim that they can’t lucid dream because it’s too hard to learn or that they cannot control their lucid dreams when they do become conscious in them, everyone can learn this skill.
Everyone can learn how to lucid dream and can learn how to fully control them.
Lucid dreaming can be likened to a lifelike form of VR. But, it is virtual reality on steroids.
With this type of internal VR though, instead of being in a computer generated game-like environment in which you experience it through a headset and gloves, you experience a world that feels just as real as your waking world.
This lifelike lucid dreaming world allows you to experience anything you want through your own five senses in the same way you do when you are awake.
While this is happening you are also fully conscious and aware just the same way that you are right now while reading these words.
Read this if you want to know better exactly what lucid dreaming is like and how it feels to be in a lucid dream.
Dream shifting (or shifting in dreams) is a lucid dreaming technique
Let’s explore the shifting dreams meaning to better understand how it differs from reality shifting.
When you shift within a dream you are merely changing how you experience the dream.
You are not shifting reality in the same sense that law of attraction and law of assumption teachers mean.
Shifting in dreams is merely changing a dream. It usually occurs in a lucid dream.
The TikTok phenomenon that was all the rage is really about experiencing a lucid dream rather than shifting realities. This is the real meaning behind shifting in dreams.
Overview: The difference between shifting and lucid dreaming
Lucid Dreaming and shifting are completely different things and those who practice them have completely different objectives.
Shifting is a technique that, it is believed by many, can allow you to move from your current reality into a new and better reality where you have what you want, or are the person you want to be.
Although there is some evidence that lucid dreaming can be used to manifest this is not the main objective for using it. Most people use lucid dreaming as a fun way to experience things that they could never experience in real life.
Although lucid dreaming as a lot of benefits it primarily used as a fantasy-fulfilment vehicle.
Lucid dreaming is more like your very own virtual reality creation tool except lucid dreams feel more real than current VR ever could. In fact, lucid dreams feel so real that some people can develop false memories from having them.
While shifting involves meditation and visualization, where you create images in your mind that are naturally slightly hazy and unlifelike, lucid dreaming feels just as real as real life and doesn’t involve any visualization.
Everything in a lucid dream is as clear as it is in real life and you don’t need to do anything consciously to make it so.
Although lucid dreaming can affect reality in some very cool ways it is not usually used as a reality creation technique in the way that shifting is used. But can be be used in that way?
Some people say it can. If you are interested in using a lucid dreaming shifting method to achieve your desires then read this article.