Types of Dreams - Lucid Dreams and Nightmares

Nightmares

Most people have experienced nightmares at some point in their lives. Although unpleasant, it is thought that these bad dreams can have a beneficial effect, in that they help us to come to terms with trauma or inner stress. Sometimes nightmares are an indication of an area of a person’s mind that terrifies them so much they dare not bring it out into the open. However, careful, patient and successive analysis of nightmares can sometimes reveal enough about worries and past traumas to enable the dreamer to deal with these problems in a rational manner. Often, as each terrible thought or memory is confronted in waking life, healing takes place and the bad dreams fade away.

Lucid Dreams

These are dreams in which the dreamer knows that he or she is dreaming. There has been extensive study into lucid dreams and it has been found that people can signal to the outside world when they know they are dreaming. In such cases the dreamer often has the advantage of being able to wake him or herself up if the dream becomes unpleasant or allowing the dream to continue if it is enjoyable. Many people report being able to control and manipulate their dreams thus ensuring that the outcome is always satisfactory.