if you’re willing to put in the legwork. Your dreams can be a sanctum for personal reflection and deep
meditation; a place to chat with your true self and mull over big decisions without the distractions of the
waking world. Dreams can also be a place to practice real-life activities. Think of the dream world as a mental
rehearsal space, where you can go over your big presentation for work, concentrate on your athletic routines,
or even further your studies before a big exam.
If you’re a creative type, lucid dreams can be an endless source of artistic inspiration. The dream world is
your canvas and you can create anything in it. Lastly, dreams are a safe place to experiment and
overcome anxiety. You can stand up to a bully, practice being social, find the courage to ask your boss for a raise,
or conquer your fear of public speaking.

Lucid dreaming is generally very safe for those who are mentally stable, but it’s important to go over some of
the potential risks associated with the practice.
Sleep paralysis occurs for almost everyone at night during the REM cycle—to keep you from physically acting out
your dreams—but some people experience a state that’s in between dreaming and waking when they try lucid dreaming.
This can be frightening since you can’t move, you’re aware that you’re awake, but still may be experiencing
hallucinations from your dream. This kind of sleep paralysis is uncommon, but it’s definitely a possibility
while experimenting with lucid dreams. Fortunately, there are ways to either wake yourself up from this state, or
induce a full sleep/dream state.

One of the best perks of lucid dreams can also be one of the worst pitfalls: realistic feelings.
The lucid dream state can offer euphoric feelings of sight, motion, and happiness, but that means feelings on the
other side of the spectrum can happen as well. Fear, sadness, and pain are all possible in a lucid dream too.
That said, negative feelings like that are still more likely to occur in the waking state since, unlike the
dream state, you have less control over the world.

There’s also the possibility of “dream claustrophobia,” which is when people become lucid in a dream scenario
they are unable to manipulate or awaken from. But those aren’t that different from normal dreams, they’re
just more vivid. And lastly, some fear that using lucid dreams as a form of escapism will force them
out of touch with reality. After all, why would you want to spend time in the normal world when you can be in your own
personal world where you have unimaginable power? Well, lucid dreams only last as long as your REM cycles occur
while you sleep, and training to be lucid at any time you choose takes years and years of training.
In short, your dream escapism sessions won’t be any more harmful than watching a movie or playing a video game, except
perhaps a bit more enlightening.