Introduction
Psychological literature reveals a connection between mental illness and lucid dreaming. The literature examines the relationship between altered states of consciousness, like in Schizophrenia and in contemplative practices, and lucid dreaming. While the literature admits that lucid dreaming has the potential to treat depression, there are also risks – including disruption of sleep patterns and dissociation. Lucid dreaming therapy, or LDT, is a young field of science that psychologists are exploring. LDT can be helpful for individuals with depression, PTSD, and nightmares.
However, the research emphasizes the need to differentiate the difference between healthy and unhealthy lucid dreaming. The definition of lucid dreaming is also pertinent: awareness of dreaming while dreaming, and in some cases, control of the dream, is necessary for the phenomenon to be considered lucid dreaming. This essay will survey various ways LDT can be helpful and examine brain parts involved in lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming healed participants in these three domains: self-exploration, creativity/empowerment, and spiritual/transpersonal experiences. Important to the research is the potential to rewire negative thoughts and take control of intense nightmares. Because lucid dreaming is a relatively new phenomenon, and because dreaming resembles psychosis, this new field is relevant to neuroscience and treatment of pathology – especially when individuals are not responding to medication.
Therefore, studying the impact of lucid dreaming on the minds of individuals with varying mental health conditions is pertinent to the field of psychology. This essay will examine brain areas involved in lucid dreaming, depression, and psychotic disorders. This essay will survey the effect of lucid dreaming on young adults living with depression. Does LDT have an inverse relationship with depression, anxiety, nightmares, and PTSD?
Review of Literature
The brain on lucid dreaming
Mota-Rolim and Araujo (2013) substantiates that there is “a relation between dreams and madness.” Therefore, this essay will first define lucid dreaming and examine what happens to human beings during this phenomenon. The literature emphasizes that defining lucid dreaming is critical. While awareness of dreaming within the dream could be considered lucid dreaming, dream control within lucid dreams is positively correlated with better mental health. This essay will first survey the areas of the brain involved in lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreaming is associated with increased frontal lobe activity during REM sleep (Mota-Rolim & Araujo, 2013). Prefrontal cortex activity, associated with complex mental thought, is “inversely related to psychotic symptoms” (Mota-Rolim & Araujo, 2013). Lucid dreaming is not psychosis: rather, it is a form of re-awakening for sleepers. Psychosis leads to decreased frontal lobe activity (Meta-Rolim & Araujo, 2013), and lucid dreaming does not. Lucid dreaming, occurring during gamma wave brain activity, is involved in executive functioning and self-consciousness. These gamma waves indicate that the brain is functioning at its peak – they indicate that the dreaming individual is intensely focused. It is possible that gamma waves are involved in creative problem solving.
Other areas of the brain are also prominent during lucid dreaming. Sleep researchers Sackwild, L & Stumbrys (2021) report that “akin to mindfulness, lucid dreaming involves...metacognitive neural mechanisms, particularly in the domain of thought monitoring.” The frontopolar brain area, along with the temporo-parietal junction, is involved in this potentially innovative treatment that clients can access simply by going to sleep. Additionally, amygdala-related networks (Tzioridou et al., 2025) are involved in lucid dreaming. Tzioridou et al. (2025) showed that “increased activity in the sensorimotor cortex during the performance of a motor task [while in a LD]” lead lucid dreamers to have improved motor control in waking life. Therefore, lucid dreaming is beneficial for both physical and mental health. Additionally, this shows that LDT can be medically helpful as well as an excellent form of therapy for mental health, which the next section will discuss. It will focus on how to harness the power of lucid dreaming for happier, healthier minds of those who wish to try it. While lucid dreaming can be beneficial for physical health, this essay will focus primarily on mental health.
Importantly, Mota-Rolim and Araujo (2013) recognize that “during waking, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the prefrontal cortex increases gamma oscillatory activity, [and] since LD would be associated with increased gamma activity in the frontal region during REMS, [they] predict that activating frontal regions by TMS could trigger lucid dreaming” (Mota-Rolim & Araujo, 2013). Gamma waves, discussed earlier, can be initiated with TMS. This is one application for lucid dreaming: the next section will discuss lucid dreaming as therapy. Another application is yoga, meditation, and dream yoga – all of which can induce lucid dreaming, potentially with therapeutic effects.
Importantly, Meta-Rolim and Araujo noticed that “long-term [yoga and meditation] practitioners have more rapid-eye movements during REMS, which may be associated with the observation that meditation is correlated with lucid dreaming frequency” (Mota-Rolim & Araujo, 2013). These concepts operationalize lucid dreaming, which is important for the advancement of the research.
Lucid dreaming as therapy
Sackwild and Stumbrys (2021) researched lucid dreaming as a therapeutic practice, Lucid Dreaming Therapy (LDT). LDT is helpful for “self-healing, psychological growth, and integrating traumatic experiences” (Sackwild & Stumbrys, 2021). Sackwild and Stumbrys explored LDT for self-exploration, creativity and empowerment, and spiritual/transpersonal domains. LDT helped clients experience different, positive emptions, speak with conscious dream characters (which are parts of their self), and rewire depressed thought patterns. For example, participants wished to stop their antidepressants as they were not working (Sackwild & Stumbrys, 2021), and actively working with their nightmares was a more effective treatment. Lucid dreaming is especially helpful for the treatment of reoccurring nightmares (Tzioridou et al., 2025). Furthermore, “LD has been used to solve waking life problems and to reduce performance anxiety” (Tzioridou et al., 2025). Two months of introduction to lucid dreaming resulted in a reduction in the average number of nightmares (Tzioridou et al., 2025). During LD, lucid dreamers “are able to control their behavior, change the ongoing plot, or have memories of waking life while in this state” (Tzioridou et al., 2025). Sackwild and Stumbrys (2021) further informs that “evidence suggests that lucid dreaming seems to possess therapeutic properties and positively influence the dreamer's waking life due to improvement in managing mental impulses, emotions, and conflicts.” These changes are beneficial for depressed and anxious individuals of any age.
Moreover, LDT enhances creativity and allows participants to solve problems. Often, participants experienced inspirational states, which are negatively correlated with insidious depression levels. Additionally, participants created new goals and actively used their dreams to work towards achieving goals. Additionally, LDT helped depressed participants spiritually, as a form of mindfulness/meditation (Sackwild & Stumbrys, 2021). LDT employs mantras as a lucid dreaming induction technique. This therapy allowed participants to heal on a deeper, spiritual level and perhaps root out trauma and depressive thoughts. However, the literature recognizes that this work will take time.
Aviram & Soffer-Dudek (2018) found that “lucid dreaming intensity and positive lucid dreaming emotions were inversely associated with several psychopathological symptoms.” However, they also emphasized that “lucid dreaming may be positive or negative, depending on lucidity characteristics” (Aviram & Soffer-Dudek, 2018). For example, some lucid dreaming induction techniques involve the lucid dreamer to wake themself up early in the morning (even as early as 3 a.m.). There are two such techniques: one is called WILD (wake initiated lucid dream), and this can disrupt sleeping patterns. The other is called WBTB (wake back to bed), a similar induction technique that requires waking up in the middle of the night. In depressed individuals who might already have such negative sleep habits, this may not help. However, spontaneous lucid dreaming can still be helpful if it is not induced in this manner.
Aviram & Soffer Dudek also found that a person’s ability to control their lucid dream once fully lucid was related to psychological well-being much more than that person simply being aware that they are dreaming. Another facet of lucid dreaming that is helpful is that “the occurrence of LD has been related to an internal locus of control and psychological resilience in the face of exposure to terrorism” (Aviram & Sofer-Dudek, 2018). Therefore, lucid dreamers may have dispositional positive attitudes that normal dreamers do not. Sackwild & Sumbrys (2023) proposed a twelve-step program for utilizing LDT for depressed and/or individuals with PTSD, which is still being created.
Tzioridou et al. (2025) added to the discussion on LDT. LD can help researchers understand altered states of consciousness, which are linked to managing stress, anxiety, and trauma. The freedom to choose within the LD is important. Additionally, using LDT for wish fulfillment (for example, flying and sex) can lead to positive emotional valence for lucid dreamers. Furthermore, “the rationale behind the potential therapeutic lucid dreams was that if an individual were to become self-aware of their dream state while in a nightmare, the associated strong negative feelings would likely cease as the dreamer would no longer be under the impression of being in immediate real danger” (Tzioridou et al., 2025). Therefore, LDT can calm depressed individuals down and re-route their tendency to jump to panic. Additionally, the authors discussed fear extinction as a factor of lucid dreaming becoming an applied therapy. However, it is always important to be cautious when dealing with altered states of consciousness.
Depressed individuals are able to learn how to practice lucid dreaming. Tzioridou et al. (2025) found that “LD is a learnable ability, [and] interest in the phenomenon within the scientific community has increased and new methods to investigate LD in the laboratory setting have been developed.” Important here is that trained LDT guides can teach individuals how to utilize lucid dreaming for real, observable benefits in such an individual’s mental health.
Lucid dreaming and psychosis
Can lucid dreaming be harmful? It can negatively impact sleep quality, as mentioned earlier. Lucid dreaming “could disrupt the function of REM sleep” (Tzioridou, S et al., 2025) and lead to dissociation. Especially in individuals with Schizophrenia, LDT can blur the boundaries between dreaming and reality. Tzioridou et al. (2025) define hallucinations as “sensory perceptions that arise in the absence of corresponding external stimulus (e.g., hearing voices).” They found that “LD (or at least LD control) is associated with a potential blurring of sleep-wake and fantasy-reality boundaries” (Tzioridou et al., 2025). They found a strong link between lucid dreaming induced dissociation and positive psychosis symptoms (Tzioridou et al., 2025).
Earlier, this essay examined the structure of the brain of lucid dreamers. Mota-Rolim and Araujo (2013) writes that “dopamine D2 receptors in the mesolimbic pathway are activated during REM [as in, during dreaming], the same pathway involved in psychosis.” However, Schizophrenia and psychosis involve “low frontal activity [that] reduce[s] self-awareness and induce[s] delirious thoughts and lack of rational judgement” (Meta-Rolim & Araujo, 2013). Lucid dreaming, however, produces the opposite: biologically, increased frontal lobe activity, and psychologically, greater self-awareness. Lucid dreaming, if practiced properly, helps individuals deeply reflect on their identity.
However, this essay acknowledges that the literature warns of the potential relationship between lucid dreaming and psychosis. Therefore, while LDT can be helpful for individuals with depression, individuals with Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder may need additional monitoring. While this does not mean that LDT cannot help individuals who experience psychosis, it does mean that LDT guides/therapists will need differentiated training. However, the literature did find that “ludic dreaming frequency was associated with fewer memory disturbances but higher derealization” (Tzioridou et al., 2025) and only 4 percent of lucid dreamers experienced blurred boundaries between dreaming states and waking states. However, excessive preoccupation with one’s state may cause confusion. (Tzioridou et al., 2025). The safety of LDT for patients with psychotic disorders has yet to be tested. Fragmented sleep and blurred boundaries need to be explored in sleep laboratory research. One study in Tzioridou (2025)’s research “also showed that the wake-back-to-bed (WBTB) technique, which involves planned awakenings during the night, was associated with feeling less refreshed in the morning when controlling for sleep duration.” Individuals prone to psychosis may also be prone to poor sleep, which must be a consideration during this new field of research – lucid dreaming as therapy. Tzioridou recognized that for twenty percent of the population, poor sleep and tiredness were the main negative side effects of lucid dreaming. However, anti-depressant medications also have side effects, and choosing a safer induction method may eliminate the risk associated with LD.
Additionally, Tzioridou et al. (2025) recognized that lucid dreaming can give psychotic patients insight into their disease. These benefits may greatly outweigh the risks. Tzioridou reflects that “increased awareness of the disease state may encourage abidance to treatment [although] it could also produce feelings of worthlessness and despair” (Tzioridou et al., 2025). More research on LD applications for extremely mentally ill individuals is therefore needed.
Bouchet, Christian (1995) is a psychoanalyst who explored real individuals lucid dreaming experiences. He found that some lucid dreamers have a wish to stay asleep or amuse themself with their lucid dreams (Bouchet, 1995). This is especially relevant for depressed patients, and this psychoanalytic idea has yet been applied to lucid dreaming research. For example, is spending so much time fixated on remaining in the lucid dream healthy or unhealthy? Well, that depends on the dreamer and how the LDT is designed. Talking with Jungian or Freudian psychoanalysts could be a helpful way to begin. Bouchet explained that in lucid dreaming, “the need to understand is thus an expression of the waking consciousness’s attitude to that which escapes its immediate grasp” (Bouchet 1995) and Bouchet realized that lucid dreams can be analyzed the same way as normal dreams – this allows psychologists to understand the mind state of their patients/clients, and thus use psychoanalysis to direct them towards better mental health.
Conclusion
Finally, Michael R. Sheehy (2023) concludes this synthesis. Earlier in this essay, LDT was discussed through the lens of psychology. Buddhism takes the lucid dreaming research to the spiritual dimension. He talks about enlightenment and eastern practice and how sometimes, language makes it hard to explain a metaphysical experience. He explored a contemplative practice called Dream Yoga. Sheehy (2023) wrote that “like distorted appearances of dreams vanish when waking from sleep.” Lucid dreamers, sometimes individuals who don’t fit neatly into traditional psychology, can understand the positive aspects of lucid dreaming in ways trained psychologists cannot. For example, Buddhists and other spiritual practitioners use lucid dreaming for spiritual awakenment. They explore errant cognition – an idea that all consciousness is a hallucination because of the manner the brain interprets the physical world. Essentially, Buddhist thought has enriched psychology – it has influenced psychology through thoughts, practice, and awakenment.
Lucid dreaming can be an effective therapy program, even a twelve-step program. The field of lucid dreaming research is still relatively young. Psychologists who have personal experience with lucid dreaming can be helpful in designing an LDT program. The idea of lucid living also needs to be explored. Sheehy (2023) define lucid living as “attention without distraction.” Once individuals harness the power of lucid dreaming, they will inevitably harness the power of lucid living. Meditation is a helpful tool for both lucid living and lucid dreaming. Once they harness this, lucid dreaming practitioners can explore spirituality with grace and emotional control. These lucid dreamers can become guides to lead depressed individuals and/or individuals with PTSD to safely learn how to lucid dream. Can programs for creating such guides be created? Perhaps, psychology master's programs tailored towards lucid dreaming need to be created. While the literature did not analyze lucid dreamers specifically in the young adult population, the literature did recognize psychological benefit to individuals of any population.
One weakness in research includes defining lucid dreaming. Psychologists differentiate between dream awareness and control of the dream. The problem of definition can be mitigated by creating a separate concept: lucid dreaming with control of the dream. These two phenomena are both related to depression levels. Once these phenomena are properly defined, more sleep and dream research can be conducted.
To study brain patterns of lucid dreamers, understanding brain scan technology is an essential tool. Are the brains of lucid dreamers different than non-lucid dreamers? More research on the impact of lucid dreaming on the brain – whether it fosters psychological health or not – is important because LD is not a phenomenon that will disappear soon. Tzioridou et al. (2025) rightly recognizes that “LD is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon but exists on a continuum; a dynamic process rather than a static moment of clarity.” Perhaps even a small dose of lucid dreaming therapy can be beneficial.
“Even frequent lucid dreamers often fail to achieve or reliably indicate dream lucidity in the sleep laboratory setting; respective studies are costly and time consuming...the final results are regularly based on just a handful of subjects or dream events” (Tzioridou, 2025). Not all individuals capable of lucid dreaming can lucid dream on command. Additionally, even when they can, it is not always possible to indicate this to dream researchers. Because of this, research on the therapeutic use of lucid dreaming can be relatively limited. Does anecdotal evidence from regular lucid dreamers add to the discussion on the impact of lucid dreaming on depression, nightmares, and PTSD? The research heavily relies on non-clinical lucid dreamers, like Michael Sheehy – a Buddhist exploring sleep, dream yoga, and spirituality.
LDT is a young science. While some LD induction methods do disrupt sleep, even methods like WILD that disrupt sleep can be helpful. Yes, boundaries between waking and fantastic experiences are blurred. This can be a good thing, though, and must be explored. Small doses of fantasy will result in enhanced creativity. Other forms of lucid dream induction include DILD (dream initiated lucid dreaming) and MILD (mnemonic induced lucid dreaming). The hope for the direction of the research is to examine all of these induction techniques. While practitioners can wake themselves at three a.m. to perform WILD – individuals dream more near the morning – it is also possible for lucid dreamers to wake up at five am, induce a lucid dream, and receive two more hours of deep, meaningful sleep. This sleep can also include spiritual work designed to re-write destructive, negative thought patterns common in depressed individuals. Moreover, the research produced mixed findings for the impact of lucid dreaming on mental health. The aim to understand ways lucid dreaming can be beneficial or detrimental to mental health is vital for future direction of the research (Avram & Soffer-Dudek, 2018).
This paper examined lucid dreaming as potential therapy, but any individual can harness the power of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming can be a component of any spiritual practice, whether in religion or in therapy. While masters’ programs can train lucid dreaming guides, lucid dreaming is a free phenomenon. The more people who access it, the more sleep and psychology researchers can study the concept. Therefore, it is not only individuals with depression, anxiety, nightmares, or PTSD who can benefit – it is any individual open to deep, spiritual healing.
References
Aviram, L. Soffer-Dudek, N. (21 March 2018). Lucid Dreaming: Intensity, but Not Frequency, Is Inversely Related to Psychopathology. Front. Psychol. 9:384 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00384
Bouchet, C. (1995). Psychoanalysis and The Interpretation of Lucid Dreams. Diogenes, 43 (170), p109. https://research-ebsco-com.kean.idm.oclc.org/c/tde3ey/viewer/pdf/5szdzy3mdb?route=details
Mota-Rolim, S. Araujo, J. (2013). Neurobiology and Clinical Implications of Lucid Dreaming. Medical Hypotheses, 81 (5), p751-756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2013.04.049
Sackwild, L. Stumbrys, T. (2021). The Healing and Transformative Potential of Lucid Dreaming for Treating Clinical Depression. International Journal of Dream Research, 14 (2), p307-319 https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/IJoDR/article/view/81533/78870
Sheehy, M. R. (2023). Cognitive Illusion, Lucid Dreaming, and the Psychology of Metaphor in Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen Contemplative Practices. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 42 (2), p63-80 https://research-ebsco-com.kean.idm.oclc.org/c/tde3ey/viewer/pdf/iy4rj4svdv?route=details
Tzioridou, S. Campillo-Ferrer, T. Cañas-Martín, J. Schlüter, L. Torres-Platas, S. Gott, J. Soffer-Dudek, N. Stumbrys, T. Dresler, M. (2025). The Clinical Neuroscience of Lucid Dreaming. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 169. https://doi-org.kean.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106011
