The Dark Side of Lucid Dreams
October 8, 2008 by Ryan Hurd
Filed under Lucid Dreaming
Welcome to part III of my series Lucid Nightmares.
Many of us were introduced to lucid dreaming spontaneously ” when we found ourselves in the middle of a disturbing dream. What a wake up call!
Surprisingly, even though lucid nightmares are quite natural, we still do not know much about them. That’s because we usually wield lucidity as a tool, not an exploratory attitude. So we change the nature of the dream through conscious choice, making after-the-fact analysis difficult. But this much is for sure: lucid dreaming can be an effective strategy for banishing repetitive nightmares.
The Sacred No
Banishing nightmares is an important skill because the practice develops our strength and courage in the dream. This is what Nietzsche called the “Sacred No.” The dream ego can stand up to a menacing force and refuse to go along with the narrative. We can choose to transform the monster into something less threatening. Or we can simply walk away, or wake up from the dream. This is how I first dealt with my lucid nightmares. I was emboldened, and those particular nightmares went away.
Clinical studies in the 1990s that explored lucidity as a nightmare treatment report positive results. According to psychiatrists Ernest Hartmann and Frank Galvin, the lucid dreamers “felt their encounters to be enriching and empowering experiences both during and after their dreams.” One of the assumptions that empowered the dreamers is the idea that “this is only a dream; I am safe here; nothing can hurt me.”
In my later development of lucid dreaming, I began to question this assumption, especially after a new round of lucid nightmares came back. And this time, they would not take “no” for an answer.
Taboos against the Dark Side
This is the dark side of lucidity, and it is not discussed much in public. Yet many dreamers I talk to in private admit that sometimes trying to “conquer” their dreams only leads to more trouble. They don’t share these experiences in lucid dreaming forums because of the fear of social ostracism, that they are not “good” lucid dreamers.
Take my word for it, these experiences are a normal part of the learning curve. This class of nightmares seems not to be merely reflections of fear, but to have an autonomous energy all its own. There is intelligence in the eyes of the dream figures, and they don’t like to be told that they are a symbol of some waking-life fear, or that they are not “real.” They have their own story to tell, but we often don’t know how to listen….yet.
Dark experiences in lucid dreams can be found in some of the classic literature. For instance, Frederick van Eeden, the 19th century philosopher who coined the term “lucid dream,” writes that his lucid-control dreams are often followed inexplicably by “demon dreams.” He does not elaborate anywhere in his writings, leaving us only with that haunting phrase.
More recently, psychologist Scott Sparrow writes that at the height of his experimentation with lucid dreams, “all kinds of angry people began showing up in my dreams, and turning rather demonic to boot.” So here we have two experts, separated by a century and a half, noticing a correlation between controlling their lucid dreams and the appearance of “demons” and angry dream figures. This may be why lucid dreams have been labeled as “Satanic” from various Christian sources, and why the label has stuck despite all the evidence that lucid dreams can delve into transpersonal “Godly” experiences too.
This taboo against frightening lucid dreams and the private initiations that follow is why these dreams are under-reported in the literature. In Western psycho-spirituality, having a negative experience is considered a moral failure. In other cultures, this is not the case. For instance, in Tibetan Buddhism, deities have both peaceful and wrathful natures. And in many shamanic cultures, facing painful and terrifying ordeals in dreams is part of the journey towards the other realm, where ancestors and knowledge await.
Christianity and the Dark Night of the Soul
Actually, some Christian mystics have some pretty terrifying visions that sound a lot like lucid nightmares too, especially Teresa of Avila and Hildegaard of Bingen. And of course Dark Night of the Soul is a classic 16th century work by St John of the Cross that illustrates how delving into the unknown is an important part of psychological development and spiritual growth. So the tradition can be found in Western culture, although it is not mainstream.
This is just to say that the usual Western way of dealing with frightening imagery is not to rever it, but to push it away, back into the shadows. However, the shadows thrive in the dreamworld, and beginner lucid dreamers often unwittingly enter this cognitive landscape ill-prepared because our culture has only laid down half of the rules.
Some of you may be turned off by my focus on the spiritual elements of lucid dreaming. I certainly don’t think you need to be religious to develop your lucid dreaming skills. I was raised as a humanist. However, part of the process of dealing with lucid nightmares involves taking a look at your belief system - whether you are a Christian, a Buddhist, a follower of Odin, or an existentialist. The more you understand what you truly believe about this world - and the dreamworld - the better you will be able to navigate these fascinating and disturbing opportunities.
My next post in this series compares lucid nightmares and frightening near death experiences. This comparison allows us to see how there may just be more to fear than fear itself. And finally, I will discuss how to deal with lucid nightmares including some tactics and resources for safely delving deeper into the dreamworld.
drew (1 comments.) on Tue, 25th Nov 2008 7:53 am
i had a dream jus a few minutes ago, where i was back in my old town. and long story short, i was told [by something evil that took the form on my father, which i dont talk to much] to meet him at night or something, or to give him something. and i didnt. and creeped out of the darkness with a knife to my throat. alot of stuff happened, but i cant remember the details. anyhow, i had a gaurdian in the dream, yet it was up to me to make my decision—; “the darkside”, or “the light”..
lately i have been channeling alot of my dark energies, and i am quite fond of the darkness, even tho i am defined light. like this message i recieved through aim, from a friend who claims he didnt write it, it was writtin in some sort of ancient language that cant be typed on a keyboard. and it was deciphered into the sentence; “to darkness, yet light, good you are “smile”… kid”
anyways, i am pretty sure my darkside was trying to consume me, and i chose the light. and banished the nightmare. in the end, im looking at myself in the mirror. and the flow of the dream, enters darkness, and i begin to appear in black clothes with an evil look. but then i change the flow, and the darkness fades into light begind me from the clouds. and i appear to be wearing white clothes with the light behind my hair.. i think i have overcome my darkside. but its not the end. for i choose to keep this darkness somewhere inside me. for i must go dark flow in times where light flow cant surpass the sitchuation….
Dungan on Tue, 25th Nov 2008 1:00 pm
thanks for telling your story, Drew. sounds like a potent mix: a murderous father, dark alleys, and magic mirrors. All these experiences have the calling card of “initiation” to them. I wonder, what is the gift not given? In the Wiccan tradition (drawing from your myspace page here!), darkness and light need to be balanced (whereas in Christianity darkness is supposed to be banished outright), so this dream reflects not only that you’re on the path of balance, but it perhaps also indicates where the next need for balance waits.
krystle on Fri, 5th Dec 2008 5:14 pm
I was just woke up by a dream like i had never had before. I am a pegan and believe that at night your mind is open to attacks when you are asleep. In turn my dream was of me and some friends,including my ex/bestfriend/love of my life all hanging out at my house. Well everything was going fine and then it got dark and it was just me and my ex in the house alone. Me and him got into an argument cause i wanted him to stay but he wanted to go home with some girl he didnt even know and i was trying to stop him from making a mistake cause i knew he didnt really want to. Anyways i screwed up while i was yelling at him and called him my other ex,tyler, and then my sisters no good ex,jason. I felt really bad about it and i started crying. When we looked outside his dad was outside and so he started yelling at me more cause his dad heard everything. When i told him i was sorry again and that i loved him with all my heart and soul he grabbed a knife slit my wrist and throat. Right after that was when i woke up. when i looked at my wrists i had three cuts and one long one…and a red mark on my neck…the long cut looked like it had already healed as well as the one on my neck but the 3 seperate ones still looked new. I know no physical person did it cause i lock my door and like i said i am a pegan and no that no pegan would mess with my head like this. I dont know how to stop it…i have tried spells before to block them but not for ones this powerful
Dungan on Mon, 8th Dec 2008 3:34 pm
Krystle, this experience is out of area of expertise, but here’s some leads: first and foremost, this may be a neurological symptom of a sleep disorder in which self-harm is possible during REM sleep. see this article about a wide class of “parasomnias”: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.3043249/k.21A0/Ask_the_Sleep_Expert_Sleep_and_Parasomnias.htm
and here’s another article about acting out in dreams including self-harm: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/rem-sleep-behavior-disorder
If you don’t usually have sleep problems, don’t worry, often they spring up suddenly from stress and can be managed by getting more sleep, and learning how to deal with life stress in general. (Cut back on caffeine, recreational drugs, alcohol before bed too). Also, parasomnias are rarely linked with a psychiatric condition aka you’re not crazy, this is normal, this happens sometimes….
That being said, the content of that nightmare may also reveal areas in waking life that need to be addressed, such as how can you feel safer around issues of intimacy? Working with these emotions and letting them see the light of day can reduce your stress levels too.
Also, addressing paganism: the belief that you may be harmed during sleep may be an invitation to be harmed (beliefs can become expectations so easily) so another thing to explore may be to focus on how to stay safe during sleep, and how to ask for help from the pagan community, allies and friends.
Feel free to PM me if you want to continue the conversation.
Natasha Haggard (1 comments.) on Wed, 4th Mar 2009 2:51 pm
How interesting.
Six or seven years ago I read Castaneda’s “The Art Of Dreaming”, and experimented with lucid dreaming. Very soon after, I started having dreams of myself in a strange city with broken buildings, surrounded by crazy, angry people.
One night I was dreaming that I was pregnant with a demon, that was made out of cracked clay with really big feet, and kept saying evil things. Another night it would be a large toad/dinosaur looking demon, with three feet and a rattlesnake tail, poisoning me. I’ve been having chronic nightmares like this for the past six/seven years. Last night I was chased by a witch/demon with hooves. I’m not really sure what to believe. Whether it’s something deep in my subconscious, or whether these really are actual spirit entities that are attacking me in my sleep.
Rebecca Turner (2 comments.) on Sun, 8th Mar 2009 7:53 pm
I run the website http://www.World-of-Lucid-Dreaming.com and sometimes people write to me with their lucid nightmares. I feel particularly bad for beginners who are put off the idea of lucidity together. It’s strange because I have been lucid dreaming for 11 years now and never experienced a true lucid nightmare myself. I have had normal nightmares in which I became lucid and changed the theme; and vivid or lucid dreams which showed me horrible images but which never produced any fear, only curiosity. Without sharing their experience there’s not much advice I can give. So this article is very helpful - thank you.
holly on Tue, 14th Apr 2009 9:24 am
Dugan I need some help to get rid of these dark dreams
Dungan on Thu, 16th Apr 2009 6:00 pm
Holly I just PMed you. for everyone else, I’m currently working on a report to help with reducing nightmares and more generally to help with getting started with dream work. coming soon..
Thomas Dickerson on Sat, 25th Apr 2009 3:28 am
Hi, I hope I dont bombard you with too many questions.
The first one: Is this a lucid dream. First off let me say I do no drugs, drink, or nothing. Let me say I’m an ecclectic Pagan for a year and 4 mos. I grew up Christian but denounced it in my 20s. (No offence.) I was supposed to my rituals daily, but skipped a day due to a severe toothache. I took a pill to ease the pain, went to sleep. Suddenly, I could tell I was sleeping, but at the same time, I was aware of my bedroom, the blankets I was under, everything in my room. I seen this bluish, whitish big light shining thru my window. It was like I automatically sat up my upper body. I was a little intimidated because even though I was aware of everything, I couldn’t control hardly my emotions or movements. Anyway, I was super calm. Like a peace I never felt before. So I acknowledged the light with praise and the voice, which was soft but clear, acknowledged me back. While I was in this state of mind,the tootheache was nonexistent. I laughed. The laughter was so genuine. Not the type you have when a joke is told, or when someone says something nice to you, it was just, I dunno, natural feeling. The stupid thing about it is I was still a little intimidated and had control of laying myself sideways. After I woke up. Note: I thought it was a hallucinagen I took. So I took the hallucinagen again to ease tooth pain about 7 months ago. Nothing happened. No dream. Nothing. Before you say I got issues, I wanted to share this with people because I’m tired of having it in my head. And perhaps, someone can give more light concerning this.
Thank you
kc on Tue, 28th Apr 2009 11:14 pm
hi, similar to you thomas ive had somehwhat that type of lucid dreaming that you have experienced but not in that good sense. ive had it for a couple years now and its always been the same but in a way worse everytime. i get it maybe once or twice a week and i have no idea why. what happens is i fall asleep and just like you im totally aware that iam asleep and of my sorroundings being in my bedroom lying down, on my couch, wherever iam sleeping at the moment. i also cant control my voice, emotions or movements unless i try really hard. they always persist in someone being next to me and me being able to sense them, a couple times the person would grab me and i know that their hand is on me and i somehow force myself to wake up by trying to move my body and whatnot.
the very last one i had i was sleeeping on my couch and just like all my other dreams i knew i was sleeping and could feel two hand coming around me from underneath the couch, while this was happening i could feel or sense my brother walking by me . in my dream as i could sense him walk by, with all my strength i somehow hit him with my arm and he told me to piss off and shook me awake. right when he woke me up i thanked him because of the lucid nightmare i was having.
im not sure why i get these dreams either and they’re very disturbing and i have no idea how to get rid of them.
Ryan Hurd (24 comments.) on Thu, 30th Apr 2009 3:32 pm
thanks for telling your story, kc. sounds like full-blown sleep paralysis complete with visitation. check out http://dreamstudies.org/2007/10/22/night-terrors-aka-sleep-paralysis/ there’s some resources at the end of the article for dealing with these kinds of nightmares.
Ryan Hurd (24 comments.) on Thu, 30th Apr 2009 3:46 pm
Thomas, what a gift of a dream. thanks for sharing it. light in lucid dreams is one of the most holy things you can experience, no matter your belief system. Buddhists, Christians, pagans, Hindus, Sufis all have a long history of blessing dreams such as this. if you are interested in research concerning lucid dreams and the experience of light, and especially the “fullness of light” that comes with that “inner calm”, I recommend the work of George Gillespie. http://dreamtalk.hypermart.net/member/files/george_gillespie.html
in regards to the pill, it sounds like it allowed you to move straight from waking into lucid awareness. rather than interpreting the event as an out-of-body experience, or a false awakening, you seem to be quite comfortable with spontaneous visions. in my opinion, this is a fruit of your waking life ritual work.
anv on Sun, 31st May 2009 3:46 pm
Van Eeden: “Only I would maintain that it is not my mind that is responsible for all the horrors and errors of dream-life. To say that nobody is responsible for them will not do, for there is absolute evidence in them of some thought and intention, however depraved and low. A trick, a deceit, a symbol, cannot be without some sort of thought and intention. To put it all down to “unconsciousness” is very convenient; but then I say that it is just as scientific to use the names Beelzebub, or Belial. I, for one, do not believe in “unconsciousness” any more than in Santa Claus.”
Ryan Hurd (24 comments.) on Mon, 1st Jun 2009 10:33 pm
great quote from the vault! he’s got a point, and James Hillman makes a similar point in his classic “Dreams and the Underworld.” To say something is not conscious does not really tell us anything, only that we’ve thrown it into the heap of things we don’t have access to.