Lucid Dream #14 — How Lucid Dreaming Can Help You Learn New Skills

August 11, 2023

‘Lucid dreams seem to engage brain regions similar to waking practise.’

Imagine this: What if you could learn a skill through lucid dreaming? More and more research is being done on the effects lucid dreams have on our brains and bodies. It seems that they can offer more than just an escape from reality. Lucid dreaming can be a powerful tool for learning new skills or improving existing ones. Studies show that practising tasks in a lucid dream can improve our waking lives, similar to how regular physical and mental practise works. This overlap between dreams and reality opens up new ways for personal development. Think about learning a musical instrument or getting better at sports.

As scientists continue to explore the possibilities of lucid dreams, it becomes clear that our nighttime adventures have an impact on our daily lives. In this blog post, we will explore how lucid dreaming can be used for learning. Last night’s lucid dream is an example of how I used a lucid dream to practise a skill and how it actually helped me improve it, so let’s get into it.

I find myself in a dark, deserted street somewhere on a hillside. I walk around and see a few houses. I decide to go into one. I walk through the house and eventually find myself in a small bedroom. It looks like a bedroom of a child. But there’s no one there. The whole house is empty. That’s when I realise I’m in a dream. Everything becomes clearer. Excited with my new sense of self, I walk back out of the house again to explore the area. I look around and see a car parked up on the driveway. Usually, I never drive, even though I do have my licence. I’m too scared I’m a bad driver…

But this is a dream, so I get over my uncomfortableness and step into the car. I start the engine and drive off. Wow, that’s so easy! And it also feels so real. Exactly how I remember it. After a minute or so, I realise I can’t hurt anyone, even if I crash it. So, I accelerate and am actually excited to drive. I practise changing gears and going faster and slower. It feels exactly the same as in waking life, but now without the fear of being an inadequate driver. Wicked!

This might not sound very exciting, as there are so many other things to do in lucid dreams. But for me, this was necessary. Apparently, I needed the practise. Trust me, I did. I have been putting driving off for years now because I’m scared. And it gets worse as I’ve not done it in so long now. So, after waking up from this dream, I felt a little more confident. I actually got in the car that day and went for it. I drove for an hour or longer, practising. So my lucid dream definitely helped me get out of my head, if one thing. I felt relatively comfortable driving as well. It seems that I have passed the lucid driving test!

This experience opened my eyes to just how helpful lucid dreaming can be for practising skills that we might feel anxious about in waking life. The freedom of knowing that nothing can go wrong in a dream allows us to practise without the weight of waking-life consequences holding us back. It can help us push past mental blocks that exist only because of fear or doubt and give us a real sense of achievement, which transfers back into the waking world.

What’s particularly fascinating is that lucid dreams seem to engage brain regions similar to waking practise, meaning you’re not just imagining the action. You’re actively rehearsing it in a way that can benefit you when you wake up.

Think about how this could work for many different things in our lives. Imagine practising an important speech in front of an audience of dream characters. The pressure to perform might still feel real in the dream, but without the actual consequences, you’d be free to experiment and practise the speech. So when you eventually have to give the speech in waking life, it will feel less scary, and you are prepared. Even musicians, athletes, and artists could use lucid dreaming to practise their skills and try new things. Our muscle memory, coordination, and creativity can all be rehearsed in the dream.

For example, if you’re an athlete, you can practise a specific move repeatedly in a lucid dream. Studies have shown that mental rehearsal can significantly improve physical performance. If you’re an artist, you can freely experiment with new ideas or techniques without worrying about ruining your artwork. If you want to learn a new language, engaging in dream conversations could be a powerful way to overcome the fear of speaking. And all this, just by using the time you’d normally spend just ‘sleeping’.

Now, I’m not suggesting that lucid dreaming is a shortcut for mastering skills without having to practise while awake. But it definitely offers a unique and complementary approach to a regular practise. It might take some effort to become good at lucid dreaming. But the payoff could be huge, especially if you’re someone who struggles with self-confidence or has trouble overcoming mental blocks.

So, the next time you want to improve a skill, it’s worth considering that some of the work could be done while you are asleep. Why not try it out? The next time you find yourself in a lucid dream, see if you can turn it into an opportunity to practise something. After all, our dreams are a reflection of ourselves. Why not use them to create the best version of ourselves?

How have lucid dreams helped you practise or develop skills? Feel free to share your stories in the comments!