PTSD and Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming, the practice of being aware and in control of your dreams, has multiple benefits. Current research shows that it could be an effective method of treatment for problems like anxiety and nightmares.

Living with PTSD can be overwhelming, with upsetting thoughts and nightmares disrupting your daily life. There are various effective treatments for PTSD, including talk therapy and medication. Recent studies show that lucid dreaming is promising in offering healing and peace to people with PTSD.

In this article, we take a closer look at PTSD and lucid dreaming. We’ll discuss post-traumatic stress disorder and the role nightmares play in its manifestation, and how lucid dreaming can help alleviate some of the symptoms.

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a mental condition that people develop when they witness or experience an emotionally or physically traumatic event. This event could be war, intimate partner violence, a bad accident, and natural disasters, among others.

Contrary to popular belief, post-traumatic stress disorder doesn’t just affect war veterans. Anyone, regardless of age, gender, and ethnicity, can have PTSD.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include but are not limited to intense and vivid flashbacks, anger outbursts, and nightmares. These symptoms can go away on their own or get better with time with the support of loved ones. In many cases, however, they can be severe and crippling, requiring professional help.

Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Nightmares

About 71% of people with PTSD experience nightmares. For comparison, only about 2% to 5% of the general population experience frequent nightmares. Post-traumatic stress disorder and nightmares are so interconnected that nightmares make PTSD symptoms more intense and PTSD increases the prevalence of nightmares. They go hand in hand.

People who experience nightmares before a traumatic event are likely to have more severe symptoms of PTSD after the event. Sometimes nightmares can go on for a lifetime even after other PTSD symptoms have reduced.

Additionally, nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder have been linked to increased suicidal thoughts, mainly due to feelings of hopelessness and despair.

Given this connection, treating nightmares, especially promptly, can help prevent PTSD progression. In one study, a nightmare treatment method led to a 60% reduction in nightmares and PTSD symptoms.

How Lucid Dreaming Can Help with PTSD

Nightmares are prevalent in post-traumatic stress disorder patients. Lucid dreaming therapy can work by reducing nightmares and alleviating some of the suffering. While lucid dreaming, the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming and can then control the dream.

Nightmares are usually accompanied by strong negative emotions such as anxiety. They affect sleep quality and, in turn, general mental health and daily life.

Lucid dreaming can be learned using several techniques. With practice, the patient is able to know when they are dreaming and even control the dream content. This restores peace and makes the nightmares less distressing. Lucid dreaming can also reduce nightmare frequency in PTSD patients.

A study was conducted to identify the effect of lucid dreaming therapy or LDT on nightmares for PTSD patients. It was suggested that lucid dreaming could help patients regulate the occurrence and content of their nightmares and, as a result, cope better with the other PTSD symptoms.

According to the study, LDT did not appear to have a significant effect on various sleep variables and severity of trauma. However, depression and anxiety levels decrease significantly during the treatment. This goes to show that lucid dreaming therapy can be effective as a complementary treatment for PTSD.

The above treatment was about three months long. Given how complex post-traumatic stress disorder can be, it’s possible that LDT can have more positive effects on people with PTSD. (The sample size was small; further research is required.)

In yet another study, it was discovered that veterans with PTSD are more likely to have lucid nightmares. More than half of the participants claimed to have lucid dreams, which almost always included lucid nightmares. Despite being lucid, they reported feelings of anxiety and not being able to wake themselves.

It is, therefore, important to include lucid dreaming study in PTSD sleep research. This might shed more light on post-traumatic nightmares and come up with better treatment options.

Note: If you intend to use lucid dreaming for PTSD or any other mental health-related issue, talk to your doctor first. Lucid dreaming is not recommended for people with underlying conditions like psychosis.

Frequently Asked Questions on Lucid Dreaming and PTSD

Can PTSD Cause Vivid Dreams?

Yes, PTSD can cause vivid dreams. Vivid dreams and nightmares are a common symptom of PTSD and people struggling with PTSD have a high likelihood of experiencing lucid dreams. These dreams usually replay the traumatizing situation or similar themes.

Can Lucid Dreaming Help With PTSD?

Yes, lucid dreaming can help with post-traumatic stress disorder. Over 70% of PTSD patients struggle with nightmares which can lead to more severe symptoms of the disorder. Lucid dreaming can be an effective treatment for nightmares. There’s also a study showing that lucid dreaming therapy can significantly reduce depression and anxiety in people with PTSD.

Do People With PTSD Dream More?

Yes, post-traumatic stress disorder can increase dream frequency. It is suspected that this is the brain’s attempt to process and make sense of the traumatic event without triggering defense mechanisms.

Can You Release Trauma Through Dreams?

While more research is needed to confirm this, it appears possible that you can release trauma through dreams. There are reports of anesthesia-induced dreams helping people let go of their trauma. In some of the patients, PTSD symptoms were almost completely gone after some months.

Conclusion

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition that develops after encountering a traumatizing event. Over 70% of PTSD patients experience nightmares and these nightmares may make other PTSD symptoms more severe.

Lucid dreaming is a practice that involves gaining awareness while dreaming. It can be an effective treatment for nightmares because the patient knows they are dreaming and can change the contents of the dream. This might help them relax and sleep more peacefully.

There’s also a study showing that lucid dreaming therapy can significantly reduce depression and anxiety in PTSD patients. Further research is needed to determine whether LDT can be effective in treating other PTSD symptoms.