Heal Your Mind and Body in a Lucid Dream

By Dr. Clare R. Johnson
 

Is it really possible to heal your body in a lucid dream?

For those who believe in the separateness of mind and body, this idea may sound fanciful. These days though, there is ever-growing acceptance of the mind-body connection: we are consistently told that too much stress will kill us because it lowers the body’s immune system functioning. We are told that physical addictions such as smoking can be overcome through hypnotherapy and mental training. The media is filled with reports of people overcoming major illnesses such as cancer against all the odds, and the mind-body connection is explored in thousands of books.

Lucid dreaming has strong parallels with hypnotherapy. Both of them work with unconscious imagery; both can involve changing this imagery to reflect a healthier body image and mindset; both unwrap the metaphoric and symbolic language of dreams and recover repressed memories. In both, the underlying reason for our fears and obsessions can be recognised and understood, and in many cases this simple recognition can be cathartic and lead to positive, lasting change.

In states like deep hypnosis and lucid dreaming, where conscious and unconscious work together, suggestions can result in changes on the physical level. Harvard psychologist Dr. Deirdre Barrett says: “I’ve been able to help very hypnotizable people constrict blood vessels and stop profuse bleeding, interrupt severe asthma attacks, and erase the rash of poison ivy within minutes.”

In a lucid dream, we become the equivalent of a “very hypnotisable” subject because we are conscious in the unconscious. We are in a three-dimensional, multi-sensory, thought-responsive world which can look, feel, taste, sound and smell as real as waking reality. When we work with the deep unconscious imagery and memories which arise, we may therefore be able to trigger healing responses in the body.

Lucid dreamers have reported success with physical healing from the lucid dream state, and I’ve investigated these cases in my books on lucid dreaming. Here’s one example, from Maria Isabel Pita, who healed a painful strained tendon in her lucid dream.

“I remember my intent. Raising both hands before me, I point the index finger of my left hand at the junction of my right wrist and thumb, willing a healing energy into it. I’m delighted to see a stream of lovely blue and violet sparkles… I can see beneath the skin… I’m quite fascinated to be seeing the inside of my body as I continue directing healing energy that consists of a shimmering violet light indistinguishable from my intent, which is the real mysterious source of the “corrective” power I’m focusing on my wrist and thumb.”

The next morning, Maria noticed a difference:

“At once I told my husband about the dream, and removing the cloth brace said with complete faith, “Look!” as I moved my wrist and thumb around in different directions without any pain whatsoever. “It’s still not one-hundred percent, but it’s much better! And morning is when it hurts the most! I wish I’d had more time!” The full lucid dream report can be read in Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming.

We have this capacity to enter our dream world consciously, so why not experiment with all that might be done in this state? After all, what do we have to lose by experimenting in this way? What we stand to gain is surely much greater – insights into the nature of the mind-body connection; swifter healing or the lessening of physical pain; and a deeper understanding of our own illness.

If you have broken your leg, you might want to try sending it healing energy in a lucid dream, focusing on seeing the bones knitting tightly together and healing quickly. If you have an itchy rash, why not announce your intention to heal it when you next become lucid? Perhaps a healing potion will appear in the dream, or you’ll see white light covering the rash and clearing it. The lucid dream is full of surprises but if you formulate your intention clearly, the dream will conspire to help you by providing the imagery you need.
 

How to do a lucid dream healing

Ø Set a firm, clear intent to try healing a particular illness or body part in your next lucid dream

Ø On becoming lucid, recall your intention and direct healing energy towards your body in any of the following ways:

Ø Point your finger at the afflicted body part or lay your hand on it

Ø Imagine healing energy pouring down from the dream sky

Ø Ask the dream directly to heal you

Ø Decide to find a healing pool of water behind you, then turn around and jump into it

Ø Words can heal, too. Ask the dream why you have this illness or announce a healing affirmation such as “My swollen knee joint heals quickly and easily: all is well.”

When experimenting with lucid dream healing, note down the details: symptoms before the lucid dream; what happened in the dream; any change in symptoms after the lucid dream healing attempt.

If you don’t have many lucid dreams yet, and need healing right now, the wonderful news is that we can also effectuate deep healing in other lucid states of consciousness: through waking dreamwork, deep relaxation states such as yoga nidra, and those blessed states of awareness where we connect with pure healing light. I share how to access these states in the upcoming Dreamwork Summit with the Shift Network.

Lucid dreaming is also recognised to be highly effective for emotional healing: studies show that lucid dream therapy can help to resolve trauma, relieve anxiety and depression, and reduce nightmares. My own view is that nightmares can be seen as healing gifts because they contain so much energy that when we harness this power and direct it towards healing and self-understanding, huge internal shifts happen.

One woman who had been in an abusive relationship had recurring nightmares that she was being chased. In a lucid dream, the realisation that this was “only a dream” enabled her to release fear. She turned to face her pursuer and told him: “You have no right to chase me, and no right to appear in my dreams anymore!” After this empowering encounter, the nightmares stopped. There are many similar stories of people bravely overcoming their fears and past traumas in The Art of Transforming Nightmares.

We all have the power to heal ourselves. Connecting lucidly with our unconscious imagery through lucid dreaming and waking dreamwork provides us with a remarkable bridge between the worlds, and access to deep healing potential. When we allow our dreams to speak to us, they become guiding lights on our path through life.
 

Dr. Clare R. Johnson was the first person in the world to do a PhD on lucid dreaming as a creative tool. Past President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD), she is a well-known lucid dream author and international speaker. Her huge lucidity guide is Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming, and further books include Mindful Dreaming (Dream Therapy) and novels Breathing in Colour and Dreamrunner. Clare’s most recent book is The Art of Lucid Dreaming. Her new book on nightmares is out in early 2021: The Art of Transforming Nightmares. 

Clare offers online Transformative Lucidity courses, online immersive weekend lucidity classes, and yoga nidra groups, as well as Lucid Dreaming Ocean Retreats in stunning Portugal. She is the creator of Deep Lucid Dreaming where she is happy to share advice on lucid dreams and nightmares.