Is Lucid Dreaming Therapy an Effective PTSD Treatment?

Since humans have existed, dreams have been regarded as a gateway to spiritual understanding. So I found it really interesting to learn dreaming was historically regarded as a form of physical healing. In 4th century Greece, as well as in other parts of the ancient world, dreams were considered to be their own medicine.

Sleep temples were an actual thing.

Most of us agree that sleep is awesome. Like, awesome. Imagine you could go to a place where sleep was a spiritual practice in itself. “Sleep Temples” in the ancient world were hospitals for both the body and the soul. An ailing person would undergo complex purification rituals and ingest holy water before practicing what is known as “dream incubation.” During sleep, it was believed that they would meet and commune with Ascelepius, god of healing, and awaken with new insight into their condition. Or, if they were lucky, they’d be fully cured.

This connection between dreams and healing has been part of the human collective consciousness for centuries. Recently, research has suggested that dreams may truly hold healing power.

Lucid dreaming has been studied as a possible treatment for post-traumatic stress.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is classified as a mental health condition, but it is equally a physical one. When a person develops PTSD, it means the nervous system has been pushed past its ability to regulate itself. This heightened activation of the nervous system mean heightened levels of stress hormones and is associated with an increased likelihood of numerous physical health conditions. A short list includes cardiovascular disease, arthritis, asthma, chronic pain, diabetes, and a number of gastrointestinal disorders. In fact, PTSD is associated with poorer physical health overall, even in those who only experience “partial” PTSD.¹

While not every person who experiences trauma develops clinically diagnosable PTSD, we do know the impact of trauma on emotional and physical health is profound. The majority of adults worldwide will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. Trauma is associated with reduced lifespan and early aging, and makes a person more susceptible to almost every type of physical illness. In developing countries, disability associated with PTSD is higher for almost any other medical condition.²

So how can lucid dreaming help PTSD?

LDT (Lucid Dreaming Therapy) is considered a cognitive restructuring technique where an individual can learn to gain awareness during dreams and control their narrative. Around 80% of people who suffer from PTSD experience nightmares that cause significant distress. The study not only showed a reduction in nightmares and distress caused by nightmares, it also showed a significant reduction in overall depression and anxiety.³

Nightmares are probably one of the most commonly associated and experienced symptoms of trauma. Nightmares do not only create emotional distress, they have a signicant health impact on our physical and cognitive health. Not only do nightmares lead to lower quailty of sleep, which impacts almost every aspect of physical and mental health, they can also be a major predictor of cognitive decline. One study demonstrated that middle aged adults who experienced only one nightmare per week were four times as likely to experience cognitive decline. Older adults were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia.⁴

Lucid dreaming may enhance the mind-body connection.

While ancient humans didn’t have fMRIs or peer reviewed studies, they still understood the connection between our minds and bodies and our mind’s ability to tap into healing. Those who visited the sleep temples of ancient Greece would often be prescribed treatments that involved basic rest and self-care, such as healthy diet, the gym and baths.

While these temples are regarded as a form of “faith healing,” they were still regarded as extremely effective. Texts from the time reveal numerous attendees who left believing their ailments had been cured. By altering their mental and emotional states, they experienced relief from their physical symptoms. Ancient life certainly wasn’t easy, so it’s interesting to consider how many of these physical ailments were symptomatic of traumatic, psychological disturbances or their response to adverse life experiences. 

Perhaps ancients understood that by connecting to our subconscious and taking control of the narrative inside our own mind, we could unlock our own potential to heal physically and emotionally. The research on Lucid Dreaming for trauma is still ongoing, but if you’re interested in exploring further, I’ve you can download a PDF guide for self-hypnosis to induce lucid dreaming here.