Classic Misunderstandings About Conscious Dreaming
Let’s do the math: we sleep a third of our lifetimes away, and slightly less are dreams. Many say that lucid dreams are the perfect answer to winning back those “squandered” hours. Experts in dream research, however, have never suggested that ordinary dreams are a waste of time. Rather, lucid dreams can be seen as opportunities to deepen the work that is already being done in our usual nightly adventures in dreamworld.
The broadest definition of lucid dreaming is to be aware you are dreaming while still in the dream state. The popular assumption that being aware in the dream means you can perfectly control the dream is actually false. Rather, dream control is best achieved as self-control: learning to modulate emotions, attention, and intentionality in the dream. In particular, emotions are so volatile that without vigilance the lucid dream can spiral out-of-control into fears and confrontations.
That’s why there is so much focus on dream control: in order to defend against these powerful emotions. Scholars of dream science suggest that being aware in dreams is an opportunity to face fully those strong emotions that appear in the dream, instead of using awareness to shut the emotions down. No wonder dream control sounds so tempting! Lucidity is a special ability in dreams, but it can be easily applied to keep us from truth as easy as it can show us new truths. Throughout the world and in countless countries, lucid dreaming is part of healing traditions. Learning how to face and deal with powerful emotions is the first part of the process of learning the healing path of lucid dreams. To sum it up, focusing on self-control is the best way to learn about the gift of awareness during dreams.