Revelation 8/14/21

Escaping Lucid Nightmares

By Lily Macintosh

From the author’s blog “Lucid Wellness," posted 3-12-14

Whether you explore your dream-world for spiritual health, to connect with the universal energy, or to train a skill in less time, eventually you will find yourself lucid dreaming about something less than pleasant. Our dream-worlds represent the best and worst of our spiritual subconscious, and none of us is perfect. If you bring negative energy to your dreaming practice, your dreams will reflect that destructive intent back upon you. I see it as a very literal manifestation of the Rule of Three.

I had my first lucid nightmare in early November 2010, about one year after I began my dreaming practice. I’d had a very rough week: I’d cut a (formerly-) close friend out of my life because her negative energy had finally become too toxic for me to handle. It was the right choice, but I still hurt from the guilt of refusing a soul in need. Between that pain and additional frustration at work (my high vibration means that others turn to me for help with tasks they could complete themselves), I was feeling low. My good friend Katherine, whom frequent readers will remember as the best aura reader I know, told me that I looked duller than she’d ever seen me.

I hoped my dreaming practice could offer some relief. In fact, it did quite the opposite.

I don’t remember how the dream started, but eventually I found myself walking through a ruined city like something out of a zombie movie. All the people in the city had been replaced with department store mannequins. The streets were full of rusted-out cars, and every one had a blank white face behind its wheel. It was simply the creepiest thing I’d ever seen.

I became lucid when I walked into a fast food chain restaurant. I have unusually strong secondary senses in dreams, and the smell was overpowering. The mannequins at the tables were hunched over plastic trays of raw meat. Blood and gore smeared their unmoving faces and arms.

I’m not sure I knew I was dreaming at that point, but I certainly hoped I was, especially when the mannequins began to move. A quick finger test confirmed that, yes, my unsettling surroundings were nothing but a dream.

Usually, if I’m losing control of a dream, I can wake up easily using my blinking technique. This time, though, I nearly panicked as repeated attempts failed to free me from the dream.

I won’t describe the rest of the dream in detail, because it would probably frighten my more sensitive readers. However, the experience left me capable of providing advice should your own dreaming practice trap you in a similar situation.

1. Before anything else, remind yourself that you are dreaming. No matter how real such a situation feels, it can’t hurt you physically. Use the finger test, the reading test, and the hands/feet test to remind yourself if you begin to doubt.
   

2. That said, take care of your dreaming astral body. If you need to eat, eat. If something chases you, run. Although dreams are not real, the fear and pain they induce can have a very negative effect on our wellness practices.
   

3. Using your lucid practice, attempt to create a safe refuge from the nightmare. Focus on imagining a favorite peaceful place, such as a nature walk or meditation garden, and perhaps the dream will take you there. This is not guaranteed to work.
   

4. Pay close attention to your surroundings. Small details could help you weather a disturbing situation. Look for places to hide and useful tools and weapons. Remember how much intention matters in dreams: even the most mundane item can be useful with a little willpower and imagination.
   

5. If a dream starts out bad, it’s likely to stay bad. Don’t immediately trust any part of the dream that seems oddly inviting. A nightmare is a nightmare.
   

6. Remember to take care of yourself after the dream. Although dreams cannot hurt our real bodies, negative lucid dreaming experiences can contaminate our auras and cause lasting trauma. Keep a white quartz crystal close and up your meditation game. You might even consider dedicated aura therapy after a particularly traumatic experience.
   

Follow these steps, and you’re sure to minimize harm from a lucid nightmare. You might even come to enjoy the thrill of a more frightening dream, just like a good spooky movie. I’ve visited that ruined city three times now, and I’ve felt more comfortable every time. It’s honestly starting to feel a little like home to me.

Sleep well, dreamhearts!

Lily “White Witch” Macintosh