Lucid Dreams

[amadeus]

I have them where I'm aware that I'm dreaming, but largely unable to control my actions.

 

[Leonel]

I've been persuing lucid dreaming for over 10 years, ordering catalogs for machines that would help induce lucid dreaming, going to the new age section of every bookstore in Minnesota, but kind of died down in 1998 when I got some resemblence of a life but I still deep down pursue my goal to have a dream that I can completely control. But the only control I have is waking up when a nightmare becomes too scary. I will literally think "Okay this is freaking me out." and I'll just force open my eyes.

 

[warpus]

I started experimenting with lucid dreaming about 10 years ago - at first all my attempts were futile - I always ended up waking up riiiiight when my dream turned lucid. But with more and more practice I was eventually able to have a lucid dream every couple days.. I kept this up for a while, but haven't had a lucid dream in months!! I kinda miss it.

The very first lucid dream I ever had put me in a huge cornfield. I was on some sort of a path and couldn't see over the corn - but I realized right away that it was HOT. The sun was shining.. I could feel it on my skin - that's how real this felt. I was simply amazed.. It was an incredible feeling!! I looked around, felt the air.. the heat of the sun shining down on my skin.. and kinda wandered for a bit, enjoying the moment.

And then I remembered reading somewhere that flying is supposed to be REALLY fun when you're having a lucid dream. So I start running, faster and faster, and then I jump.. and my pants fall right off!.. but at least I took off the ground and was flying.. and the most unusual thing was that I had to fool around with this flying thing a bit - and actually learn how to do it! It was a VERY bizarre feeling, but after I figured out how to fly around, it was great.

The other interesting thing to do when you're lucid dream is to talk to people.. Most of the characters in my dreams are very uncooperative - probably because I realize that they are just aspects of me, controlled by my subconscious.. So I often tried to ask these people who they are and what they're up to.. and they'd never respond - maybe my subconscious gets confused over the dilemma and doesn't know what to say??

Thanks for reminding me about lucid dreams OP, I totally forgot that these things exist - I'm going to try to have one sometime this week.

 

[amadeus]

Is it at all possible that you were not in fact "lucid" but had only hallucinated that you were?

 

[warpus]

I've been persuing lucid dreaming for over 10 years, ordering catalogs for machines that would help induce lucid dreaming, going to the new age section of every bookstore in Minnesota, but kind of died down in 1998 when I got some resemblence of a life but I still deep down pursue my goal to have a dream that I can completely control. But the only control I have is waking up when a nightmare becomes too scary. I will literally think "Okay this is freaking me out." and I'll just force open my eyes.

I have a rather curious way of turning a dream into a lucid dream.

When I was a kid I got into the habit of pulling on my sheets every once in a while and hoping that a "monster" wouldn't pull back. It was sort of a test that made me feel better - since each time I did it nothing pulled back - and I was safe.

This habit stayed with me for years.. I don't really do it anymore, but when I'm in bed, and I HAPPEN to pull on my sheets, that thought of a "monster" pulling back is still there. It doesn't scare me - and as soon as I realize what it is I dismiss it and go on with whatever I'm doing.

In any case, after becoming familiar with lucid dreams and reading about various lucid-dream-inducing techniques, something weird happened. I had a dream that I was in bed and that there was a monster under my bed. My instincts kicked in and I pulled on my sheets.. and something pulled back!! and started pulling harder and harder.. I got freaked out and woke up!

Then it started happening each time I dreamt about lying in bed - and this happened VERY often. I'd pull on my sheets, something would pull back, I'd go "what!?? oh, i'm dreaming!".. but by the time I realized what was happening, I was already in the process of waking up - because there was an initial feeling of being scared, right when that "monster" started pulling on my sheets.

I had to get over my fears and keep pulling on my sheets whenever something pulled back.. It had to be a very instinctive action on my part - since you don't control what you do in your dreams.. unless they're lucid. So I had to train my mind to simply pull back no matter what, and try to get over that horrible feeling of being scared of a monster under my bed. So.. one time I held to my sheets as hard as I could and eventually the "monster" pulled so hard that I ended up UNDER my bed.. and and that point I was simply curious - there was no longer any fear. I APPROACHED the monster.. and as soon as I did that, my bed was gone, the monster was gone, and I was in a lucid dream - free to do whatever I wanted.

And that's how I got into lucid dreams most of the time - every once in a while I'd dream about lying in bed - I'd instinctively pull on my sheets, something would pull back, I'd pull back harder, I'd get pulled underneath my bed, and I'd scream at the "monster", who of course wasn't there...

 

[warpus]

Is it at all possible that you were not in fact "lucid" but had only hallucinated that you were?

If I had any doubts I wouldn't be posting about it.

If you have a lucid dream - you KNOW it. If you're not sure when you wake up, it probably wasn't lucid.

 

[Perfection]

I have them every so often. It's common for me to forget that I'm dreaming in a lucid dream and lose the lucidity. The lucid portions are generally pretty short.

 

[Gladi]

Bright day
My lucid dreams are very rare. But I happen to have one thing I like... I have often problems falling asleep so I developed habit of imagining stories. It got to point where even while asleep I get to pick a story, not every word, but basic plotline. I find it very entertaining , as I feel completely lucid dreams are too much in charge.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

I had a lucid dream once which involved Anna Kournikova. I was very, very disappointed when I woke up.

 

[Che Guava]

I had a lucid dream once which involved Anna Kournikova. I was very, very disappointed when I woke up.

Yeah, that's usually how my more lucid dreams go...

Actually, the most lucid dream I ever remember having was right after the death of a friend. I dreamed that we were all sitting on the beach of the summer camp we worked at. He was sitting on a pic-nic table withhis closest friends, while the rest of his friends (including me) were sitting in a circle around him. He was saying good-bye to everyone one by one, and I remember being confused, as in the dream I didn't remember that he had really died. He never did say anything to me, but when he looked around the circle of people, he smiled at me. At that point,I woke up.

 

[Leonel]

I started experimenting with lucid dreaming about 10 years ago - at first all my attempts were futile - I always ended up waking up riiiiight when my dream turned lucid. But with more and more practice I was eventually able to have a lucid dream every couple days.. I kept this up for a while, but haven't had a lucid dream in months!! I kinda miss it.

The very first lucid dream I ever had put me in a huge cornfield. I was on some sort of a path and couldn't see over the corn - but I realized right away that it was HOT. The sun was shining.. I could feel it on my skin - that's how real this felt. I was simply amazed.. It was an incredible feeling!! I looked around, felt the air.. the heat of the sun shining down on my skin.. and kinda wandered for a bit, enjoying the moment.

And then I remembered reading somewhere that flying is supposed to be REALLY fun when you're having a lucid dream. So I start running, faster and faster, and then I jump.. and my pants fall right off!.. but at least I took off the ground and was flying.. and the most unusual thing was that I had to fool around with this flying thing a bit - and actually learn how to do it! It was a VERY bizarre feeling, but after I figured out how to fly around, it was great.

The other interesting thing to do when you're lucid dream is to talk to people.. Most of the characters in my dreams are very uncooperative - probably because I realize that they are just aspects of me, controlled by my subconscious.. So I often tried to ask these people who they are and what they're up to.. and they'd never respond - maybe my subconscious gets confused over the dilemma and doesn't know what to say??

Thanks for reminding me about lucid dreams OP, I totally forgot that these things exist - I'm going to try to have one sometime this week.

Dude! How does one even start trying to have a lucid dream? I would really like to know!

 

[warpus]

Dude! How does one even start trying to have a lucid dream? I would really like to know!

Check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming#Common_techniques

Reality testing is what you want to look up. The idea is basically to train your brain to question reality whenever it's in a specific situation - if you pick up a book, look away and then back - and check if the text has changed. It might sound stupid, but if you do this on a regular basis while you're awake, your subconscious will pick it up as a pattern and attempt to do it while you're sleeping... and when you're in a dream, the text is likely to change, and your conscious will be summoned due to the apparent paradox.

The first couple times this worked for me - I woke up right away.. so I did a bit of reading, and a lot of people suggest spinning.. So as soon as you realize that you're dreaming, start spinning. Sounds stupid too - but it actually works - at least after a couple tries.

 

[Che Guava]

Don Juan always reccomended training yourself to look at your hands in your dreams. Don't know if there's anything to that, but i still try on occasion

 

[RoddyVR]

i dont think i've had a lucid dream.... or atleast not since i was a very little kid, and i dont realy remember now...

i do have dreams that i can sort of guide the general plotline of...
when in the morning my alarm clock goes off, i usualy hit the snooze button like 5 or 6 times before actualy getting up. so i have like 5 or 6 ten minute periods of sleep.
and if i had been dreaming something before the first time the alarm goes off, then i can usualy still remember what the dream was about when i fall back asleep 3 seconds after hitting the button, and while semi concious decide on what should happen next.
its not realy control inside the dream, more of like interruptions from the outside... but still.
most of these dreams are still prety much garbage if you put them into a storyline, but i usualy atleast remember the general gist of them... unlike regular dreams that i completely forget 2 minutes after i wake up.

and when you're in a dream, the text is likely to change, and your conscious will be summoned due to the apparent paradox.

if i got a lucid dream every time there was a paradox in my dreams, i'd never wake up....

 

[warpus]

if i got a lucid dream every time there was a paradox in my dreams, i'd never wake up....

It's not quite that.. It's.. hmm.

You're training your brain to expect a specific outcome - ie. when you see the moon, look away, and look back at where it was - it should still be there.

If you do this when you're awake you'll always see the moon again when you look back - and your brain will be expecting this when you're dreaming.

By not seeing the moon there again, your brain figures out that you're dreaming.

 

[The 777 Hoax]

It means you're dreaming, and are aware of the fact.

Oh. Well, in that case, yes I have had them before.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

What started off as a good day at school ended up terribly. I can't even focus on anything, whenever i look at any spot to much i see me killing my parents with the kitchen knife over and over again. I can no longer see me killing myself, that death would have no meaning, their death would at least solve some problems

Moderator Action: I hope this is a joke. If it isn't, you should seek counseling. Regardless, it is inappropriate for this forum. Eyrei.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[toh6wy]

I wish I had lucid dreams, but I've never had even one that I can remember.

 

[Perfection]

What started off as a good day at school ended up terribly. I can't even focus on anything, whenever i look at any spot to much i see me killing my parents with the kitchen knife over and over again. I can no longer see me killing myself, that death would have no meaning, their death would at least solve some problems

WHAT?!?!

 

[ybbor]

WHAT?!?!

you're only confused becaue you knoww you recieved a similar picture in Eat Poop You Cat, which you have not yet updated

On-Topic: whenever I start to have a ludic dream I get too excited and wake up