{"id":6325,"date":"2018-12-22T12:55:13","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T17:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/?p=6325"},"modified":"2019-01-02T12:56:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T17:56:23","slug":"dreaming-can-help-heal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2018\/12\/dreaming-can-help-heal.html","title":{"rendered":"How Dreaming Can Help Heal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite dreaming being such a normal occurrence, scientists are still trying to figure out its true purpose. Although there are quite a few different theories, scientists have yet to agree on one that would explain why we dream. Since they can\u2019t even agree on the purpose of dreams, there are many who are skeptical about their healing power. There are those who think dreaming is simply a byproduct of evolution that has no benefit and merely represents an unintended consequence of sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, some scientists decided to dedicate their lives to learning how to understand dreams and use them for healing purposes. More specifically, they believe dreams represent a tool that can help us overcome mental health problems. Of course, you\u2019ll rarely get an epiphany or actually figure out a solution to a problem you\u2019re facing from a dream if you just go to sleep and wish an answer will come to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to experience this healing power, you will need to learn\u00a0<\/span>how to be self aware in the dream-world<\/span><\/a>. This practice is commonly referred to as lucid dreaming. If you\u2019ve never practiced this before, then you most likely don\u2019t have the ability to make your own decisions in dreams. However, when you learn the art of lucid dreaming, you will know when you\u2019re dreaming and you will have the ability to control what happens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although this may sound like a fairytale to some, lucid dreaming has been proven numerous times. In fact, it has a rich history in Asia, since Tibetan monks have been practicing this for thousands of years. Only recently have people all across the globe realized the power of this practice and started implementing it into their daily lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some people may be thinking that they don\u2019t even dream most nights, this is actually not the case. Typically, you experience three to seven dreams every night. Nevertheless, in most cases you forget them almost instantly. That\u2019s why the first step towards learning\u00a0<\/span>how to lucid dream<\/span><\/a> is to keep a journal and write down what you dreamt about. Do this every time you wake up and try to remember as many details as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s hard to control your dreams at first, you will first need to learn how to know when you\u2019re dreaming. You can do this by doing reality checks like checking the time or reading a sentence, which is incredibly hard to do while you\u2019re dreaming. That\u2019s why you should make it a habit to regularly do reality checks while you\u2019re awake until they become your second nature and you start doing them while you\u2019re dreaming. The next time you\u2019re trying to fall asleep, simply think about a recent dream you had and think about being self aware in the same setting this time. If you\u2019re start dreaming do a reality check and if that works, you\u2019ll start becoming lucid. Of course, you should also research some other\u00a0<\/span>techniques to help you with lucid dreaming<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you master the art of lucid dreaming, you will be able to overcome many issues you\u2019re facing. For example, if you have problems with confidence you can go through numerous scenarios that would normally make you uncomfortable and practice until you become comfortable. Lucid dreaming can help you even if you have a phobia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists are now figuring out that\u00a0<\/span>lucid dreaming can even be used to treat serious conditions like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)<\/span><\/a>. One of the main problems that people suffer from PTSD experience are the recurring nightmares. But when you\u2019re in control of your dreams, you\u2019re able to change its context or simply wake up if you don\u2019t want to experience it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the fact that it may sound too good to be true, lucid dreaming is a proven practice that can help you overcome many problems. Nevertheless, it\u2019s going to take some serious commitment on your part if you want to master this practice.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite dreaming being such a normal occurrence, scientists are still trying to figure out its true purpose. Although there are quite a few different theories, scientists have yet to agree on one that would explain why we dream. Since they can\u2019t even agree on the purpose of dreams, there are many who are skeptical about…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":224,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-dreams"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Dreaming Can Help Heal - Dream Gates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Dreaming Can Help Heal - Dream Gates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Despite dreaming being such a normal occurrence, scientists are still trying to figure out its true purpose. 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He is the creator of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of dreamwork and shamanism. Born in Australia, he survived three near-death experiences in childhood. He leads popular seminars all over the world, including a three-year training for teachers of Active Dreaming. A former lecturer in ancient history at the Australian National University, he is a best-selling novelist, journalist and independent scholar. His nine books on dreaming, shamanism and imagination include Conscious Dreaming, Dreamways of the Iroquois, The Dreamer's Book of the Dead, The Three \"\"Only\"\" Things, The Secret History of Dreaming, Dreamgates, Active Dreaming and Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing and Becoming Whole. His most recent book is The Boy Who Died and Came Back: Adventures of a Dream Archaeologist in the Multiverse. Over the past 20 years, he has led seminars at the Esalen Institute, Kripalu, the Omega Institute, the New York Open Center, Bastyr University, John F. Kennedy University, Meriter Hospital, and many other centers and institutions. He has taught depth workshops in Active Dreaming in the UK, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Brazil and Austria and leads a three-year training for teachers of Active Dreaming. He hosts the \"\"Way of the Dreamer\"\" radio show at www.healthylife.net. He has appeared on many TV and radio shows, ranging from Charlie Rose and the Today show to Coast to Coast and the Diane Rehm show on NPR. His articles on dreaming have been published in media ranging from Parade to Shaman's Drum.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.mossdreams.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/author\/rmoss"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/224"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6326,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6325\/revisions\/6326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}