Lucid nightmares: A survey of their frequency, features, and factors in lucid dreamers.

Abstract

This article reports the first systematic study on lucid nightmares-terrifying lucid dreams with a lack of dream control. An online survey was completed by 634 participants, of whom 574 had had previous lucid dream experience. According to the reports of lucid dreamers, less than half of them had experienced a lucid nightmare, and only 1% of them could be considered as suffering from lucid nightmares-experiencing them once a week or more frequently. Lucid nightmares appear to be as distressing as ordinary nightmares. Lack of dream control and intense fear are among their most common features, followed by violent autonomous dream characters and the inability to wake up. Lucid nightmares are more likely to occur for women and nightmare sufferers, yet also for more frequent lucid dreamers and for those who experience lucid dreams spontaneously rather than them being induced deliberately. Key methodological points, for example, whether the awakening criterion in the definition of lucid nightmares should be included, are addressed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares?

“…Lucid nightmares may be even more terrifying than common nightmares (Halliday, 1988); however, Stumbrys (2018) found that the levels of nightmare vs. lucid nightmare distress do not differ. Sparrow (1991), signifying dreamer’s harrowing experiences with LD, warned about the wholesale advertising of LD, since lucid nightmares frequency is associated not only to nightmare frequency, but also to LD frequency (Stumbrys, 2018). This makes patients with nightmares very vulnerable to lucid nightmares in a LDT.…”

“…Halliday (1988) and Zadra (1990) reported case studies in which lucidity was achieved, but without control, and it actually worsened the nightmare. Lucid nightmares are LD with a scary and unpleasant content, in which dreamers have no control over the situation, thus they just “witness” the unfolding of the dream, being unable to deliberately wake up (Hurd, 2009; Schredl and Göritz, 2018; Stumbrys, 2018). Lucid nightmares may be even more terrifying than common nightmares (Halliday, 1988); however, Stumbrys (2018) found that the levels of nightmare vs. lucid nightmare distress do not differ.…”

“…Lucid nightmares are LD with a scary and unpleasant content, in which dreamers have no control over the situation, thus they just “witness” the unfolding of the dream, being unable to deliberately wake up (Hurd, 2009; Schredl and Göritz, 2018; Stumbrys, 2018). Lucid nightmares may be even more terrifying than common nightmares (Halliday, 1988); however, Stumbrys (2018) found that the levels of nightmare vs. lucid nightmare distress do not differ. Sparrow (1991), signifying dreamer’s harrowing experiences with LD, warned about the wholesale advertising of LD, since lucid nightmares frequency is associated not only to nightmare frequency, but also to LD frequency (Stumbrys, 2018).…”

High-Level Control in Lucid Dreams

“…Importantly, because nightmares often involve diminished agency (i.e., helplessness, lack of control; e.g., McNamara et al., 2015), it is possible that lucid nightmares are even more difficult to control than regular lucid dreams. While comparative data are lacking, Stumbrys (2018) reports that a lack of dream control in present in about one third of lucid nightmares. In another study (Schredl & Goritz, 2018), individuals from the general population reported their most recent nightmare, which produced a subsample of lucid nightmares ( n = 39).…”

“…Furthermore, although most nightmares feature themes of aggression, interpersonal conflicts, or being chased (suggesting the presence of a threatening dream character; McNamara et al., 2015; Robert & Zadra, 2014), this is not always the case. According to a recent study (Stumbrys, 2018), only 28% of lucid nightmares feature a violent autonomous dream character. If a lucid nightmare does not feature a threatening dream character, the aforementioned strategies (i.e., fighting and dialoguing) cannot be used.…”