Scared to start Lucid Dreaming again

Hey there!

I’m unsure what to do at the moment - last year in August I found out about Lucid Dreaming and I did it alot in the following 2 months and had success since I was able to lucid dream approximately once a week.

However, that winter I had a depression. I dont know what caused it but I had it and I recovered from it only 1 month later.
Now, the thing is that Lucid Dreaming really fascinated me and I wanted to continue it. But for some reason I’m just scared to become depressive again.
I think that Lucid Dreaming might now be good for oneselves psysche because I heard that in dreams your brain “digests” what happened during daytime. And thats why people with sleeping disorders sometimes get depressive.

So whats your opinion on this?
As always, I still have a good dream recall. But at the moment I feel fine and can sleep very well.

Liebe Grüße

Nico

Lucid dreaming isn’t a sleep disorder. You still get normal REM sleep etc.
Also you have lots of dreams every night and only a small percentage will be lucid.

Lucid dreaming probably had very little, if anything, to do with your depressive episode. The causes of depression are many and obscure, but lucid dreaming, with the small exception of techniques used involving waking up in the middle of the night, doesn’t actually alter your sleep cycle any. Like moogle said, for most of us only a very small percent of all REM sleep will be spent lucid, so I’d say that it’s safe for you to come back into our realm. :wink: (Besides, if you can LD at least once a week you have a gift that should be put to use.)

Viel Glück!

I’ve hear that depressed people actually have more REM sleep than others. Perhaps your depression was the cause of your lucid dreaming success? Reallu, we don’t know enough about sleep and dreams to give a scientific answer to your question. Generally, lucid dreaming does not seem to cause depression, but you never know, maybe it does in some cases. If you start lucid dreaming again and find yourself depressed again, then you have good reason to be suspicious. Seeing as how lucid dreams do not generally seem to cause depression, you don’t have that connection yet to base your suspicion on, right? What is more, if you start lucid dreaming and find that you become depressed, you can easily remove the cause of depression by discontinuing your nightly escapades. With that in mind, most depressing thing you have to worry about is the fact that you can’t practise lucid dreaming.

Can LDing be dangerous? many would say no, but I think yes it can. As dangerous as life itself. When you have a bad experience in life that same feeling might come back to you, the same if you have a good experience. I have never had a negative experience with LD’s so for me it has only enriched my life.
It is a very powerful experince the first couple of LD’s one have. And if there is any connection with your depression then maybe it overwhealmed you and you got confused, our of control or doubting what is real. I know I have had all the above feelings.
I don’t think it had anything to do with your depression but I don’t want to tell you what I think, I don’t have the knowledge to take that resposebility, I can just tell you my thoughts :wink:

Thanks alot I appreciate your help alot :smile:! I’ll consider picking LDing up again - And you’re absolutely sure LDers get as much REM-Sleep as others? I mean, “real REM-Sleep” - I dont think when you Lucid Dream your REM-Sleep serves its function - Does it?

Don’t worry.

WE do.
In fact, you will maybe feel even more relaxed and refreshed than after a normal dream.
Many people do.

Lucid dreaming CAN’T harm you.

Your body still performs its normal REM sleep functions. Thus, it was not the cause of your depression.
You do get as much REM sleep as if you just had NDs. In fact you may feel more refreshed.
Idea: Why not ask a DC in your lucid dream why you became depressed? You would be in essence asking yourself, and supply yourself with an answer.