If you are already a practitioner of lucid dreaming, you will know that you can do anything in a lucid dream—absolutely ANYTHING! While this is amazing, it’s also a quick way to become overwhelmed by endless possibilities and experience analysis paralysis.
With so many incredible things to try in a lucid dream, it’s hard to know where to start. Do you fly, shapeshift into a mythical creature, or create and explore a new galaxy? With the beauty of lucid dreaming comes the challenge of making the perfect adventure. So, if you’re struggling to pick, don’t worry—we’ve got you.
Here are our top 10 must-try things to do in lucid dreams to have a fantastic dream experience.
While lucid, you, as the dreamer, may control the environment, the narrative, and the dream's characters. Anything you can imagine that you cannot do in waking life, you can experience in a lucid dream. One of the best things about dreams is that the rules and laws of everyday life do not apply to them. We can defy the laws of physics and have amazing, freeing, and inspiring experiences. It is important to remember that because dreams can be unpredictable, sometimes things you attempt may not work or react differently than expected. If this happens, just roll with it and try not to get frustrated with yourself. Simply try again another way or try something else.
Flying is one of the most popular things to do in lucid dreams. It’s a superpower people have been obsessed with throughout our history. In a dream, there are many ways to fly; you can fly like Superman, jump into the sky vertically, or even grow a pair of wings. Flying is safe and easily achievable in a lucid dream. Even if you struggle a bit at first, assuming you’ve already achieved the ability to lucid dream, learning to fly in a dream setting is relatively simple. To have more control over your flight, try to have confidence in yourself and relax while lucid in the dream.
Shapeshifting is another exciting option for things to try in a lucid dream. Many lucid dreamers have experienced themselves as different animals, plants, objects, or people. It’s quite something to feel your human shape transform into something else, and it can be startlingly realistic on a sensory and kinaesthetic level. We can even find ourselves inhabiting two different dream bodies simultaneously on rare occasions.
There are many ways to make your appearance in a dream. You can get creative and try anything like spinning around, imagining what you want to transform into, or even commanding it out loud. Get creative with this and make up your method. If doors or mirrors surround you, try setting the intention that you will be transformed when you walk through them. Many find it helpful to create a reason for the change, like eating a special sweet or finding a machine that changes your form. Since there are no solid rules, you can what catalysis your transformation is up to you. What’s important is your confidence in your ability to shapeshift successfully.
One of the most thrilling things to try in a lucid dream is traveling to far-off or impossible places. Whether it’s the moon, an ancient civilization, or a futuristic city, your dream world is your oyster. You can even visit mythical realms or places that exist only in your imagination. Slowing down or speeding up the passage of time is also possible while lucid. You could even travel back in time to experience your past. This can be a healing experience for anyone with trauma or needing closure from a situation they are still ruminating over.
Lucid dreams aren’t just for fun—they’re also an incredible opportunity to practice skills and even improve performance! Sensory-motor skills already mastered in their rough outlines can be refined using lucid dreaming. Many athletes have used lucid dreaming to practice in a safe environment, and studies have shown the brain still forms neural pathways to remember the movements and improve their performance.
It is also theorized that new sensory-motor skills can be learned using lucid dreaming. There’s no limit to trying things in lucid dreams regarding learning. So why not try playing the guitar, or do magic tricks - or anything else you want really.
Read More: 7 Real-Life Applications Of Lucid Dreams
If you are lucid in a nightmare, you can talk to any monsters and ask them why they are chasing you. You can even ask the dream to show you your biggest fear. The environment of a lucid dream also allows you to practice situations from everyday life that usually stress you. If you are scared of public speaking, practice giving an amazing speech in front of a crowd! Knowing the people are just dream characters will ease your nerves while giving you a realistic, fully immersive simulation of public speaking.
One of the things to do in lucid dreams that Karl Jung would have loved is you can get profound, unique and unpredictable experiences if you talk to your dream characters. They can provide you with a lot of insight into yourself. They have even been known to give people business ideas and creative inspiration. Yung believed it was a way to speak to your unconscious mind. Although they are inside your dream, being compassionate and patient towards dream characters is important. Bothering or treating them badly will only affect your own psyche and may negatively change the tone of your dream.
One of the more profound and healing things to do in lucid dreams is reconnecting with someone who has passed away. Studies have shown that people sometimes have spontaneous dreams of the recently deceased. A Canadian study suggested that two-thirds of those with such dreams considered them as ‘visitation’ dreams, increasing their belief in an afterlife. Almost 70% felt more connected to the deceased after these lucid dreams. Some visitation dreams can prove evidential when the person you meet while dreaming gives you information you did not know but can confirm afterward. Consciously seeking out someone you want to see again in your lucid dream can bring feelings of healing and closure when needed.
Lucid dreaming allows you to explore places you have never been. You can use portals and doors to change the dreamscape to anywhere you want to go. Like seeing the pyramids, or flying to the moon. It also helps that you can breathe underwater in a lucid dream, so you can explore the ocean's depths and dive as deep and for as long as you want.
If you’re looking for things to do in Lucid Dreams, try painting a dreamscape, composing a song, or even writing a novel within the dream. Then try to memorize it to bring it into your waking life later. You can visit an art gallery or even ask a dream character to help you make a painting. You could also ask the dream to show you a hit song that does not exist yet. Many legendary songs and paintings were created this way. Salvador Dalí, for instance, used dream states to develop his surreal masterpieces.
Try sitting down with your legs crossed and practice mindful breathing meditation while lucid. Just see what happens! Experiences with meditating inside a lucid dream vary significantly. Many people report experiencing an interesting shift in energy or the dreamscape. Tibetan monks have been practicing lucid dreaming to meditate for centuries. When confronted with some strong emotion in a dream, try taking a moment of stillness to breathe deeply and dive in.
While there are many enthralling things to do in lucid dreams, it's important to approach them with care. For some, certain lucid dreaming techniques may lead to sleep disruption, fatigue, and difficulty holding a regular sleep schedule. If overused, these techniques may also contribute to derealization, where the waking world feels unreal, or intensify depressive symptoms. Practicing balance and proper sleep hygiene allows you to explore things to try in lucid dreams safely and enjoyably.
Another risk is sleep paralysis, where you wake up unable to move, sometimes accompanied by hallucinations. Though harmless, it can be deeply unsettling. If you experience frequent nightmares, emotional distress, or trouble sleeping, it’s best to consult a mental health professional to make sure lucid dreaming enhances your well-being.
Lucid dreaming offers endless possibilities for flying, feeling, and even finding lost loved ones. With so many things to do in lucid dreams, exploring at your own pace is key. Whether you seek adventure, creativity, or healing, lucid dreaming can be a powerful tool. Just remember to balance dream exploration with healthy sleep.
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