Today I want to talk about lucid nightmares using the metaphor of frightening Near Death Experiences (fNDEs). Both of these states of consciousness are under-reported, most likely due to the taboos I explored in Part I of this series.
In general, Near Death Experiences have been compared to lucid dreams for decades. In both of these “altered states,” the dreamer/visionary undergoes a conscious journey into unknown territory. The journeyer often sees white light, goes through a tunnel or vortex, and meets with ancestors or recently deceased family members. Seeing images of the divine, and having conversations with unseen “entities” is also a strong pattern in both NDEs and lucid dreams.
REM Intrusion or Otherworldly Journey?
The difference, of course, is that NDEs occur after a serious brush with death. And, also, lucid dreamers interpret this class of experience as “a dream” while people who have a NDE interpret their experience as “real.” Interestingly, some neurologists have suggested that NDEs may be due to REM intrusion into waking consciousness. In my mind, this neurological perspective does not reduce a NDE to a biomechanical glitch.
Instead, this material layer complements the imaginal experiences. NDEs are psychologically real, and have been shown in many studies to change people’s views of reality and positively mark their lives forever, REM intrusion or not.
But not everyone has a good time in their NDE. The white light, the life review, feelings of love and acceptance…. these are the most common reports, but others have decidedly frightening NDEs. Bruce Greyson and Nancy Evans Bush first collected anecdotes and established a typology back in the 1980s. These frightening experiences include:
- Phenomenology similar to peaceful near-death experiences but interpreted as unpleasant
- A sense of nonexistence or eternal void
- Graphic hellish landscapes and entities
Are frightening visions authentic, or just a reflection of fear?
The attributes above are common in lucid dreams. For instance, the eternal void is something I have discussed recently in this post about imageless lucid dreams. And here’s how researcher P.M.H. Atwater describes the following characteristics of Hell-like visions:
lifeless or threatening apparitions, barren or ugly expanses; threats, screams and silence; danger and the possibility of violence and torture; a feeling of cold (or temperature extremes) and a sense of hell.
While some have suggested that these negative NDEs are reflections of the fear of the visionary, I believe they are equally valid experiences as positive NDEs.
By giving credence to the dark nights of the soul, we have an opportunity to face the wider spectrum of the human visionary capability. Brushing off negative imagery as reflections of fear only stigmatizes dreamers and visionaries, and therefore devalues the warnings and messages these visions may have for ourselves and our communities. We may be arresting psychological development, as well as our collective intelligence, by whitewashing spirituality to only appreciate visions of light, love, and wholesome interconnectedness.
What Comes Up Must Go Down
I tell this story because those dreamers who suffer from lucid nightmares often feel persecuted, misunderstood, and that they are “doing something wrong.” Any path (be it for fun, self-knowledge, or self-empowerment) is beset with darkness and light. This is true of dreamwork, spirituality, and any creative process.
The next step is to explore alternative ways of framing lucid nightmares. This means delving further into fear, our core beliefs about the world, and the cognitive underworld of dreams where these attitudes take shape. I’ll cover this and some tactics for navigating this bizaree world in my final post in the lucid nightmares series.
There’s some interesting psychology in the idea that these horrific images are “just” reflections of fear. Buried in that dismissal there seems to be a denial of fear. When you want to put on a tie or some lipstick, you don’t ignore the mirror because it’s “just” a reflection! It’s a useful perspective.
There’s some sort of blame psychology tangled up in there somewhere. Like, let’s dismiss these visions as “reflections”, because if we really look in that mirror seriously, the only psychological stance in our Judeo-Christian tradition is one of guilt and sin.
Of course your suggestion is exactly right: don’t dismiss them, take them seriously, but not with the woeful guilt consciousness of traditional religion.
good point, Gyrus. It’s easy to devalue that which we don’t want to see. Sort of like the psi cynics who loudly rail against the field of anomalous psychology but refuse to actually look at the data…. what is being threatened here?
So the larger question asks: is fear for fear’s sake in these experiences? ie, does the imagery and perception of the imagery change if fear is swallowed? That’s what I’ll be exploring next.
Hi. Just stumbled across your blog; interesting post. I was into lucid dreaming about 4-6 years ago. I was keeping a regular dream journal and was able to remember up to three dream a night in some detail. I have had numerous lucid dreams, both during that period and still every now and again I will have one. However, I always had great problems:
a) Getting too excited an waking up
b) Maintaining lucidity
I tried one trick, which was spinning around on my axis. This worked to clam myself down. I also found it very hard to do anything in lucid dreams. Last time I had one I tried to move someone across a room, but at first attempt I just ploughed my hand into their face. I guess it takes a lot of perseverance.
Looking forward to trying to get back into it now I have found this blog.
I have similar issues, when I’m dreaming a lot of times I don’t realize it at first
But as soon as I notice certain things about my surroundings like no feeling of air or out of norm happenings I realize I’m in a dream but still participate as if it was real life…
Many times when I lucid dream I like to climb tall buildings and jump off, it’s like a fun ride.. I feel like I’m falling but am aware that it won’t infact hurt me… But sometimes when I try flying I lift a few feet off the ground and then fall on my face… Why is that? What holds me back?
David, thanks for commenting. There are a lot of places on the web that specialize in lucid dreaming techniques – check out my resources page:
http://dreamstudies.org/resources/lucid-dreaming-resources/
I recommend especially LaBerge’s site, then stop by the forums. Good luck!
What role does expectation play in NDE’s? (Particularly negative NDE’s?)
ooh, good question. In Grayson and Bush’s research, expectation may explain the first type of their NDE type: “Phenomenology similar to peaceful near-death experiences but interpreted as unpleasant.” But I doubt that expectation (as fear) is the sole creator of “negative” imagery in many cases…. there is some other process at work, deeper than conscious expectation.
Hey, I am so glad I stumbled upon your post. Since I’ve turned 20 I’ve had ( demon dreams) very frequently and have lost a lot of sleep over it. I seen sources such as diagnostic of panic attack, or sleep apnea…but I don’t truly believe these are the sources… a lot of the dreams are repetitive, and I swear on my life I can feel things when I dream, you might think I am crazy lol but I know what I feel and see. Most of the dreams I have consist of the most horrifying things you could never even begin to imagine, or you might since you’ve had such dreams before… Just wanted to say thank you for writing this, its a bit easier to deal with something when you know a bit more what it is.
Peace:)
So far there’s no evidence that expectation plays a part in any type of NDE.
Very supportive site! Yes,the public response to frightening NDEs, lucid dreams–frightening anything–is pretty much the same rejection all around. Much too little solid information for folks.
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Nancy – thanks so much for coming by! Your work is inspiring. Can you point out any new NDE research? – feel free to add a link.
The whole issue of expectation = fear comes out in sleep paralysis experiences too. in that case, sometimes account for fear in them moment can be transformational. in other cases, the negative imagery continues to be expressed regardless.
I used to have terrifying Sleep paralysis when I was younger, now I have gotten over it, but it is amazing how realistic these experiences can seem, they seem like you are really there. The mind is a powerful thing.