Why We Should Let Dreams Show Us What We’re Afraid Of

The Hidden Benefits of “Nightmares”

How many of you, inside a scary dream, have found some way to become lucid or aware enough to either wake yourself up from a nightmare or act in a way that shuts the scary element down or protects you from it?

Some research has shown that lucid dreaming — the ability to recognize one is in the dream state — can reduce the impact of nightmares or put a halt to recurring nightmares. I believe there is great therapeutic benefit to this, especially for certain populations (ie. those with recurring nightmares due to PTSD or with sleep disorders like night terrors.)

However, I don’t recommend lucid dreaming as a standard solution for facing unpleasant or even terrifying dream content. In fact, if you’re doing dreamwork in the hopes of greater self-awareness or spiritual growth, lucid dreaming can actually keep you from becoming aware of your deepest fears, longings, and wounds. Same goes for waking yourself up from frightening or uncomfortable dream content — which I understand isn’t always within one’s control. Sometimes we seem to just wake up.