Lucid dreaming can be a lot of fun. It can also greatly benefit your everyday waking life in multiple ways. But, if you listen to some people as they cite scary lucid dreaming stories you may be wary of learning this amazing skill. What is the truth behind these cary stories … can lucid dreams go bad?
Lucid dreams can go bad under certain circumstances but it is rare. It is more common to become lucid within a bad dream than it is to have a lucid dream turn bad. In either case, a trained lucid dreamer can instantly take control over the situation and alter the dream in any way they want to make it more pleasant and enjoyable.
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Can lucid dreams go bad?
Lucid dreams can sometimes go bad. Although it is very rare for this to happen it does sometimes occur. But it is not really something you should be worried about.
After reading this article you will realise why you should not be concerned about your lucid dreams going bad. So, let’s look at how lucid dreams can go bad and what you can do about it if this happens.
Can lucid dreams turn into nightmares?
So you’ve heard about lucid dreaming and are maybe even familiar with the many amazing benefits it offers the dreamer but you’ve also heard the horror stories of lucid dreams that have gone bad. This may scare you away from learning how to lucid dream but let me explain to you why you should not be at all frightened.
Lucid dreams can turn into nightmares but it is rare. Even when it does happen a trained lucid dreamer can change the dream and take control over every aspect of it. It is more common to become lucid within a nightmare that is already happening. When you are trained in the right lucid dreaming techniques you can then stop or change nightmare.
Although it is very rare to experience a lucid dream which turns bad it is something that happens to a small percentage of people.
Almost everyone who finds themselves in a lucid dream that goes bad are people who lack the training to properly control their dreams.
Proper training, like this, is essential to not only get the most out of your lucid dreams but also to equip you with the techniques you need to ensure you are always in total control over your lucid dreaming experiences.
Lucid dreaming does not give you nightmares but you can become lucid in a nightmare that is already happening!
Lucid dreams rarely turn into nightmares. However, you can become lucid in the middle of a nightmare.
Trained lucid dreamers can then choose to either stop the nightmare, alter it in some way or even learn from it (more on that later).
This makes nightmares less scary, or not scary at all, for lucid dreamers.
Being lucid in a nightmare is only frightening when you find yourself in an uncontrolled lucid dream.
What do I mean by this?
It is possible to have a nightmare, and while it is happening you become lucid (wake up inside the dream) but find that you have no control over the dream.
Although you are in a lucid dream where everything feels real, and the entire world is very like the real world, you don’t have the type of control that lucid dreamers talk about. This is known as a lucid nightmare.
Before I begin I should state that lucid nightmares do exist. They are real.
However, they are very rare. They also only usually occur when you become lucid in a nightmare that is already happening and rarely in a normal lucid dream.
If you are not a trained lucid dreamer, i.e. you have lucid dreams naturally without trying then it is possible you will find yourself in an uncontrolled lucid dream.
Although lucid dreaming is much more common than most people think it is, most of the lucid dreams experienced are uncontrolled lucid dreams.
In these dreams you are consciously aware, (mentally awake), and you experience everything as though it were real but you only have a similar level of control that you have in the waking world.
This means you can direct your own actions but you cannot control anything else within the dream unless you exert physical force over it – just like in the real world.
These type of lucid dreams are known as uncontrolled lucid dreams. You can read more about this of lucid dream here and learn how to change them into controlled lucid dreams.
Obviously an uncontrolled lucid dream is not a problem. It can be a little frustrating though (search on this website for “office” and you will find my story about being stuck in a closed office during an uncontrolled lucid dream before I had the skills that could have changed it to a controlled lucid dream).
It takes lucid dreaming training, such as the training offered in this course, to be able to alter an uncontrolled lucid dream and change it into a controlled lucid dream.
Although it is possible to become lucid in the middle of a nightmare, a lucid dream will not cause a nightmare.
This is something that many people get confused about. Because they “wake up” and become lucid within a nightmare they mistakenly think that the nightmare was caused by the lucidity.
This is simply not the case. In fact, by becoming lucid in the nightmare you will actually have a unique opportunity to stop the nightmare or even learn from it.
How to stop lucid dreams turning bad
Lucid dreams are the same as normal dreams, at least in structure and origin.
The main difference between a lucid dream and a normal dream is the level of conscious awareness the dreamer is displaying while asleep.
Therefore, just as a normal dream can sometimes turn bad so too can a lucid dream, though it is much rarer for this to happen within a lucid dream.
The reason why it is rarer for a lucid dream to turn bad, than it is for a regular dream, is because lucid dreams can be controlled.
So let’s look at how it is possible to take control on those very rare occasions when a lucid dream starts to turn bad.
Lucid dreaming is actually a cure for bad dreams
Rather than causing nightmares lucid dreams are actually the cure for them. As I outlined in the article can lucid dreaming stop nightmares, it is possible to take control over any nightmare merely by becoming lucid within it.
However, you can do much, much more than just stop the dream.
A nightmare is merely a vehicle, or method, used by the subconscious mind to either process life events and information or to convey something to the conscious mind.
You can use lucid dreaming techniques to learn the message, process the information or overcome the emotional upsets that are represented by the nightmare.
Using lucidity to process whatever it is that your subconscious mind is showing you via a nightmare can be a life-transforming and enlightening experience.
Of course you must be able to take control over the lucid nightmare and this can only be guaranteed through this type of training.
You can stop a lucid dream while it happens
There’s more good news!
Not only can you change a nightmare, learn from it or stop it in its tracks so you can enjoy something more pleasurable, you can even stop the lucid dream altogether and wake yourself up.
Using techniques taught in the aforementioned course, or any other reputable lucid dreaming training course, it is possible to wake yourself from a lucid dream at any point during it.
I have given a very effective method for waking yourself from a lucid dream in this article. That technique will work regardless of whether you find yourself in a controlled lucid dream or an uncontrolled one.
You can stop lucid dreaming entirely any time you want
As well as stopping a lucid dream while it is happening you can also take total control over the frequency of your lucid dreams (something that spontaneous lucid dreamers who lucid dream every night but cannot control them, often want).
You can also stop yourself from lucid dreaming entirely if you desire that.
If you currently lucid dream and do not want to, then read the article how to stop having lucid dreams.
However, if you are having unwanted lucid dreams it is almost certainly because you are having uncontrolled lucid dreams and are not getting to experience the wonders of controlled lucid dreaming.
If this is the case then I urge you to invest the small amount needed to get this type of training that will make your lucid dreams less problematic and more like positive life-changing experiences.
You see lucid dreams are not just about having fun (though they are great for that). Read how you can use them to affect reality, manifest your goals, study better and even become smarter.