Thread: Can Lucid dreaming really change your personality?

I found an article that says lucid dreaming is bad for and can change your personality overnight, is this true? Heres the article:

http://www.lockergnome.com/shadowmyt...ming-part-one/

I like who I am, do I have to worry im going to change after having lucid dreams?

The suggestion that LDs could be harmful or have risks it total garbage. This guy says that he is blessed to have survived lucid dreaming? Complete nonsense. I've never seen a logical argument for lucid dreams having negative consequences.

it would not change my personality would it? Like change my chemical structure in my brain maybe and do phyiscal damage? I just want to make sure I will be the same person I was before I start lucid dreaming, does anyone have any bad effects from prolonged lucid dreaming on the mind>?

I don't even have to read it. It is utter bull! Some people have natural LDs and come out fine. Complete crap!

yea but im saying what if it could make you go crazy for instance, you can not tell the difference from reality and a dream?

the worst LDing can do is make you smarter by improving your brain connections.

and the best it can do is the most entertaining/pleasuring moment of your life xD

Originally Posted by dreamviewer2006

yea but im saying what if it could make you go crazy for instance, you can not tell the difference from reality and a dream?

thats what LDing is! the ability to distinguish reality from dreaming.

Originally Posted by dreamviewer2006

yea but im saying what if it could make you go crazy for instance, you can not tell the difference from reality and a dream?

The point of lucid dreaming is that you CAN tell the difference between waking and dream. It's the regular dreams when you can't tell the difference.
In a lucid dream you feel like the same person you are when awake.

You must be awful bad at LD'ing if it controls you rather than you controlling it. I would say the potential for POSITIVE change, should you choose to use it for that purpose, is far more plausible.

Complete crap.

There's no way it can mess with your brain; the same chemical reactions that occur 24/7 normally still happen. The only difference is that you're conscious during a dream, and can consciously control the dream if you choose.

As for changing your personality, it can. All experiences in life can change your personality, and lucid dreaming is no exception. But it is what you make it. Conscious dreams don't change anything, just what you do with them

Sometimes people have traumatic experiences in life and use them to improve their outlook on life. Sometimes people have great experiences in life that end up making their personality worse. It's up to you really.

I'm going to cause trouble here!

YES, LUCID DREAMING CAN CHANGE YOUR PERSONALITY!!!

But...for the better. Let me ask a question of the veteran lucid dreamers.

Are you not a kinder, better integrated person? Do you not handle the stresses of life better?

Yes, we are in direct contact with our subconsious minds during lucid dreaming. This gives us a chance to exorcise some of those demons that are lurking there, it also give us a great insight into why we maybe do some of those things we do.

I've been actively pursuing lucid dreaming for years and have notices an improvement in my personality. I am calmer, more friendly, less stressful, more tolerant, more understanding of others, and more in touch with the spiritual than I have even been.

I blame most of it on lucid dreaming.

Look, all the posts on this thread are right in some way. But the bottom line is: lucid dreaming does dozens of beneficial things, one more awesome the next. And assuming you have a good nights sleep, we all dream AT LEAST six dreams per night. And the only difference is, essentially, you know your dreaming.

And if you can communicate with, or even add new empowering beliefs and removing limiting ones from your subconscious, good for you. That can only be a good thing. Maybe lucid dreaming isn't for everyone, but it's never dangerous: bottom line!

Page Not Found

Damn, gone before I could also bitch about it!

EDIT: Just noticed the above poster bumped a topic 3 years old.

Kind of the opposite to the discussion, but could it change it for the better? Like say you wanted to become a little more outgoing, you could gain confidence in dreams because there aren't really any consequences, and thus you would maybe find it easier to be outgoing?

Originally Posted by lucidfish

Kind of the opposite to the discussion, but could it change it for the better? Like say you wanted to become a little more outgoing, you could gain confidence in dreams because there aren't really any consequences, and thus you would maybe find it easier to be outgoing?

No.

People like to theorize this a lot, but it just doesn't work. I question if the part of your brain that deals with human interaction is even active when you are aware your are talking to a dummy.

Originally Posted by Loaf

No.

People like to theorize this a lot, but it just doesn't work. I question if the part of your brain that deals with human interaction is even active when you are aware your are talking to a dummy.

Would you really realize your talking to a dummy though? I mean in real life during a conversation you never stop and think whether the person you are talking to is real or not. Would it not be the same whilst dreaming? I would think that while talking to someone the only known reaction would be that these people can still react to how you interact with them. Never had a lucid dream though unfortunately, so you definitely could be right.

Originally Posted by lucidfish

Would you really realize your talking to a dummy though?

I highly doubt you'd accidentally dream you were in a highly pressured social situation if you weren't fond of them. If you did, I doubt it'd be anything other than a nightmare, probably just making it worse.

Its borderline useless suggesting ways to utilize dreams if you aren't lucid in them.

Even if the article was true, i would fight to keep my personality

Originally Posted by Loaf

People like to theorize this a lot, but it just doesn't work. I question if the part of your brain that deals with human interaction is even active when you are aware your are talking to a dummy.

I think this is a pretty big (and most-likely incorrect) assumption.

This is why customer service representatives, salesmen and the like have "role play" as a training method. It is because going through the motions (even if you know that it is just a simulation) does help force familiarity with the situation, and improves performance.

(Coincidentally, I actually tried experimenting with this last night, in a brief moment of lucidity, but it seemed like it took forever to walk across the beach, to where the chick I was going to talk to was, and I ended up losing lucidity before I got to her. lol.)

Originally Posted by Oneironaut Zero

I think this is a pretty big (and most-likely incorrect) assumption.

This is why customer service representatives, salesmen and the like have "role play" as a training method. It is because going through the motions (even if you know that it is just a simulation) does help force familiarity with the situation, and improves performance.

But this is direct interaction with a personal in reality. I heard about a study once that showed the brain responds differently to communication online, even if its video chat, then when you are face to face with another human being. I propose that in the dream it would be similar, and the mixture of that, an altered conscious state, and unrealistic bizarre conversation and reaction from DCs will dampen any social growth on the dreamers part.

Originally Posted by Loaf

But this is direct interaction with a personal in reality. I heard about a study once that showed the brain responds differently to communication online, even if its video chat, then when you are face to face with another human being. I propose that in the dream it would be similar, and the mixture of that, an altered conscious state, and unrealistic bizarre conversation and reaction from DCs will dampen any social growth on the dreamers part.

I'm not proposing that there isn't a "difference," but I think that a simulation is still effective in presenting conditions that can help familiarize yourself with a scenario. Even video games have been shown to increase cognitive performance in situations. Granted, it may not be to the same degree as interacting with an actual person. I don't think anyone is making that declaration. But does it help? I think it does. Do you have any evidence that it's completely ineffective? Because most of what I've seen points to the contrary.

Thats garbage, dont believe it.

Okay, but say if it's not a huge pressure situation, just a conversation, could you act in a different way than you would in real life that would still feel realistic? And I'm suggesting that you are lucid in this situation. By the way I'm not trying to argue, and thanks for answering my questions.

Originally Posted by lucidfish

Okay, but say if it's not a huge pressure situation, just a conversation, could you act in a different way than you would in real life that would still feel realistic? And I'm suggesting that you are lucid in this situation. By the way I'm not trying to argue, and thanks for answering my questions.

Mmm, possibly. But social situations simulated in a dream are quite unrealistic. DCs can be really emotional or respond in unnatural ways. Unrealistic conversation would influence how you feel and respond.

In a real conversation, you might feel nervous talking to someone or you might have trouble breaking the ice. In my dreams for one, DCs start conversations, are really easy to talk to, and are always emotionally one sided. Its just too unrealistic for practical use I find.

Also I find the affect of most dream content wares off after I wake up. Like if I remember that oh so common dream where I found myself naked, in the dream it was a big embarrassing panic but in reality when you realize it never happened, it is a clean slate mentally.

Originally Posted by Loaf

Mmm, possibly. But social situations simulated in a dream are quite unrealistic. DCs can be really emotional or respond in unnatural ways. Unrealistic conversation would influence how you feel and respond.

In a real conversation, you might feel nervous talking to someone or you might have trouble breaking the ice. In my dreams for one, DCs start conversations, are really easy to talk to, and are always emotionally one sided. Its just too unrealistic for practical use I find.

Also I find the affect of most dream content wares off after I wake up. Like if I remember that oh so common dream where I found myself naked, in the dream it was a big embarrassing panic but in reality when you realize it never happened, it is a clean slate mentally.

Okay, that's understandable. Thanks!