Lucid dreaming to overcome fears subconsciously??

[Warbler]

Has anybody ever experiment with this? I've been reading about for a while and have tried it , these last 2 days I've recorded my dreams but cannot have one yet.

I heard you can overcome phobias like heights or spiders , but what about social fears? Anyone try this before? What was it like?

 

[Zoso]

I had a lucid dream after watching the movie Waking Life. I couldn't really control the flow of it but I was aware that I was dreaming and I could sort of manipulate things (one of the things the movie mentioned was that in a lucid dream you can't change the lighting, but I tried and I could ). Overall, though, it'd probably be a lot more practical to just get out there in real social situations and gain real experience. Some people seem to have a lot of success with affirmation excercises too, and that would be easier and probably more effective than trying to have lucid dreams.

 

[NaturallySelected]

Originally posted by Warbler
Has anybody ever experiment with this? I've been reading about for a while and have tried it , these last 2 days I've recorded my dreams but cannot have one yet.

I heard you can overcome phobias like heights or spiders , but what about social fears? Anyone try this before? What was it like?

I have tried lucid dreaming a few years ago I was really into it but I find that it's quite difficult to achieve. I do have lucid dreams, maybe 3 or 4 times a month (the ones that I can remember). That's without trying at all though, I haven't given it as much thought as I used to but I still have them.

Recording your dreams is a good idea, it can help you analyse your problems. Also get into the habit of looking at your watch. In dreams the time on your watch will change ilogically. Some people try look at their feet, and they're not there .

I normally find by the time I've asked myself "Am I dreaming" (which lots of sites recommend) I already know I am. You are most likely to lucid dream when you are nearly awake. Also if you get up early in the morning (maybe 3:30 to 4:00am) for only a few minutes (have water maybe) then go back to sleep, a lucid dream is more likely. The next problem I used to have (although I don't any longer) is that when I realised I was dreaming I would feel myself waking up.

To prevent yourself from waking up, look at something with detail. Like your hands, it helps the you "refocus" on your dream. Sometimes if I want to stop myself from waking or I want a new dream environment I will throw myself off something. Also if you feel like you want to wake up or you want a new dream environment spin around in circles, it feels really weird but it's cool.

I don't think it will help you overcome your fears, but it might. I just think the fact that you KNOW the fear you are facing isn't real lessens the therapeutic effect. I imagine if you had a REAL BIG fear as in TERRIFIED of spiders, or socialising then it will help lessen it, but never cure it completely.