This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here.
Is lucid dreaming a spiritual experience? How do some encounter God while they sleep?
In waking life, we’re used to having many restrictions, but in lucid dreams, there are no limitations on who we are, where we go, or what we do. While lucid dreaming, some even report encountering angels or even God.
Here’s how lucid dreaming can be a spiritual experience for some.
Explore Your Spirituality in Your Dreams
For some, lucid dreaming is spiritual. According to LaBerge’s research in Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, many people who have lucid dreams report having powerful spiritual experiences that change their understanding of themselves and reality. They visit other dimensions, commune with angels, or encounter God. Lucid dreaming can, therefore, offer a glimpse of magic and a sense of a much larger, mysterious reality beyond your everyday experiences.
Lucid dreams give you a degree of control that isn’t possible in waking life, but according to the authors, they can also lead you to profound spiritual experiences by allowing you to surrender that control completely. To do this, you let go of any agenda you may have and forfeit all control to something bigger than yourself. This can be any concept that appeals to you and doesn’t need to be tied to any one religion’s ideas about God—for example, your higher self, the collective unconscious, or the universe itself.
(Shortform note: Some psychologists use a technique called therapeutic surrender, which shares some similarities and differences with the surrender the authors recommend here. Instead of letting go of control in a lucid dream, with therapeutic surrender you work to let go of the impulse to avoid or distract yourself from anxious feelings in your waking life. To do this, you must resist habits like seeking validation from others on social media and repetitive actions like overeating, and instead focus on understanding and allowing your discomfort without judgment. Surrendering allows you to let go of the need for certainty and to find peace in the present moment, which can be particularly beneficial during times of uncertainty and stress.)
To experience what surrender can offer you, the authors recommend doing the following: When you find yourself in a challenging, confusing, or overwhelming lucid dream scenario, stop any actions and open yourself up to whatever spiritual experience is meant for you in that moment. According to the authors, many people report that their dreams suddenly transform and they have transcendent experiences such as feeling at one with the universe, sensing their sense of self expand, and encountering mystical realities such as heaven, Nirvana, and the Void.
———End of Preview———
Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold's "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" at Shortform.
Here's what you'll find in our full Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming summary:
- Ways to prepare for lucid dreaming
- How to purposefully “wake up” in your dreams
- The many ways lucid dreaming can improve your waking life
