Lucid Dreams

[sincerely_helene]

I didn't want to take away from Blushing Bottom's topic on the Talk section, so I carried this one over into a seperate thread since it was starting to attract some attention.

I have long been intrigued with the phenomena of lucid dreams, and would love to hear of other's experiances or informational contributions, and will also try to answer any questions.

If you're not a lucid dreamer, I could try to interpret past, present or reccuring dreams as this is another hobby of mine.

Other topics of interest: Sleep Paralysis (hynogogic or hypnopompic paralysis, predormital or postdormital paralysis,)
Night Terrors (Pavor Nocturnus,) Sleepwalking (Noctambulism, Somnambulism,) or any other unusual R.E.M occurances not listed.

I've tried this before on other forums and sometimes it catches on, sometimes not. If it doesn't, we'll turn it into a cookie recipie swapping thread.

 

[graceanne]

Cool thread. I'll come back and comment in a moment, but I gotta put kids to bed.

 

[caela]

I always thought sleepwalking was a strange thing to do. Probably because I used to do it when I was younger. My mom told me she once watched me come out of my room, walk out to the mailbox, open it like i was checking for mail and walk right back into my room as if it was the most normal thing to do at 11:30 at night. She also said I never opened my eyes and that I walked out there barefoot in the middle of december.

I don't do it nearly so often anymore but there are still times when I wake up in parts of my apartment that I didn't go to sleep in.

 

[sincerely_helene]

Gracanne:

"I've read that you can control and induce lucid dreams too, but I only screw with my dreams when I'm having nightmares. I've done this since I was a child. When I'm having one of those nightmares that repeat and repeat I allow it to repeat but I make it go the way I want it to. Like I have the monster (or whatever it is that's freaking me out) stand on his head and stick out his tongue and cross his eyes. It totally rocks. lol I also will know I'm dreaming sometimes and just not do anything. Like the last time I had one of those naked dreams. You know, you're in public and suddenly realize you're naked? Last time I had one of those I looked down at my naked self and thought 'Oh, great one of those dreams again." Then I refused to spend the dream looking for clothes. I knew that they'd disappear as soon as I found them."

This made me giggle!

My lucids are much the same. Basically, it could be compared to directing a movie. In fact, one or two times I have actually been watching myself from a fold out chair chanting orders from a megaphone, all the while knowing I'm merely controlling the outcome of a bad dream. I've actually written "Nightmare on Elm Street" sequels this way.

Except, your naked dreams are a little different then mine. Since I'm aware what is happening is not real, I will conjure up Colin Firth and have him throw his trenchcoat over me protectively, as he presses his raging hardon up against my rear.

 

[sincerely_helene]

Salvor-Hardon (Thumby Thumbkins: )

"I used to practice lucid dreaming a lot in college and my first few years out and would often tims nudge things towards a sexual theme. Some of my first encounters with BDSM ideas were dark dreams that I nudged sexwards and then wondered about what they meant later.

I had to stop or at least stop doing it so regularly as I was feeling like my brain was always "on-line" and it was not getting a chance to "recompile".

But its still fun to start drifting and pick a person to dream about and see what associations my brain makes with them when its spinning freely."

Now, I wish my abilities were evolved to that extent. I would love to be able to control the nature and subjects of which appear in my dreams before they take place, but I don't seem to yet be at the point where the lucidity sets in on time. I can, however, get woken from a sexy dream and am able to slip back into unconciousness to finish the job a few minutes later. Most people can only dream (pardon the pun,) of achieving that!

 

[FurryFury]

I used to sleepwalk as a child.

I have lately been having some of my dreams analyzed lately and it's been a really cool learning thing. What is your method for doing the dream analysis?

I have often thought, this is just a dream, but that doesn't mean I'm controlling the dream.

I have gone from not being able to run, scream or fight to turning a fucker into goo. Yay me! The only problem is the bastard always, always comes back somehow and hurts my child again.

Fury

 

[sincerely_helene]

Garbage Can:

"Thanks for the reply.
From your knowledge of lucid dreaming, are there people who *can* control the subject matter of the dream?"

Yes, and I am one of them. My talents are limited, though, as I can only control what is happening after the setting of the storyline takes place. There are folks like Salvor-Hardon out there who can control the whole premise of the dream, and I am extremely envious of them.

Essentially, what appeals to me about lucid dreaming is the mind control aspect. If you are able to relax your brain to a state of complete submission, anything is possible! It is actually a bit of a contridiction, though, 'cause what you are really doing is dominating your thought patterns. All dreams are is just random thoughts circulating in our heads during sleepy time.

 

[sincerely_helene]

I always thought sleepwalking was a strange thing to do. Probably because I used to do it when I was younger. My mom told me she once watched me come out of my room, walk out to the mailbox, open it like i was checking for mail and walk right back into my room as if it was the most normal thing to do at 11:30 at night. She also said I never opened my eyes and that I walked out there barefoot in the middle of december.

I don't do it nearly so often anymore but there are still times when I wake up in parts of my apartment that I didn't go to sleep in.

I used to have a friend who would occasionally wander into her hallway closet during the night, then crawl into a tiny ball and fall back to sleep. Her parents caught her there a couple times, and when questioned, she swore she remembered a ghostly presence lifting her from her bed, dropping her in there and then making her so sleepy she was paralysed and couldn't move.

The logical explination for occurances like this is that sleep paralysis sometimes is the sleep walker's bodies way of preventing them from doing things like jumping out a patio window, or wandering into the streets naked. I kind of don't mind considering the possiblity that it may be something far more spiritual, though.

 

[sincerely_helene]

I used to sleepwalk as a child.

I have lately been having some of my dreams analyzed lately and it's been a really cool learning thing. What is your method for doing the dream analysis?

I have often thought, this is just a dream, but that doesn't mean I'm controlling the dream.

I have gone from not being able to run, scream or fight to turning a fucker into goo. Yay me! The only problem is the bastard always, always comes back somehow and hurts my child again.

Fury

The methods I use vary from interpretation resources including books and websites, to pure instinct and learning experiances based on my own dreams. I don't attempt the kind of analysis which predicts your future, just the ones based on deep inner emotions and hidden circumstance that are sometimes unrecognized by the dreamer until process of elimination is evoked.

For more a more prophetic reading, I will consult dream dictionaries or report other similar accounts I might have stumbled across.

You know, if you are already able to recognize what is and is not a dream, you are just a couple stages away from being able to stop that prick from harming your child for good! He is only winning because you are letting him, and if you fall asleep with that in mind, you might be able to develop the necessary tools to take control of the entire dream. There are several websites availible which can offer helpful tips, and later on I will probably compile a "best of the best" summary.

 

[FurryFury]

The methods I use vary from interpretation resources including books and websites, to pure instinct and learning experiances based on my own dreams. I don't attempt the kind of analysis which predicts your future, just the ones based on deep inner emotions and hidden circumstance that are sometimes unrecognized by the dreamer until process of elimination is evoked.

For more a more prophetic reading, I will consult dream dictionaries or report other similar accounts I might have stumbled across.

You know, if you are already able to recognize what is and is not a dream, you are just a couple stages away from being able to stop that prick from harming your child for good! He is only winning because you are letting him, and if you fall asleep with that in mind, you might be able to develop the necessary tools to take control of the entire dream. There are several websites availible which can offer helpful tips, and later on I will probably compile a "best of the best" summary.

Thanks Sincerely_Helene!

I'm keeping an eye on your thread here then!

In the meantime it's waaaaay past my bedtime.

*hopes for sweet and/or hot dreams*

Fury

 

[graceanne]

I've never tried to control my dreams to the point that I'm making myself dream about stuff. I don't know if I would. I believe in dreams being prophetic, and so I like to leave them alone to see what my sub concious is trying to tell me.

On the other hand, next time I'm worried about something I guess I could try to dream about it and see what happens from there. It might be interesting.

But I've been changing scary dreams for years. I used to have horrible nightmares, but after I started changing them they stopped happening so much, for one thing. They also got less scary, cause I knew that if it got bad enough that I could change it.

I've had other instances of knowing I was dreaming, even as I was. Like dreams that I have a lot (for instance the one of the really high bridge, with no siderails, that i have to walk across. *shudder*). Quite often I know I'm dreaming, and how the dream will go. It gets rather boring, but at least it doesn't freak me out like it did. In my dreams I will also remember other dreams. But in the dream the other dream was a reality. Like once I dreamed that their was a secret room at my grandma's house. A few months later I was dreaming that I was at my Grandma's and I remembered how the last time I was there I'd gone in the secret room (in the other dream). So in the second dream I went looking for the entrance to the secret room, and found it. Their were differences in the second dream, it's not like it was exactly like the first.

 

[brioche]

In my psych classes, the way sleep paralysis was explained was that you are essentially paralysed during dream sleep because otherwise you would act out your dreams - i.e. try to walk while lying in bed. When you wake up right out of a dream, you are paralysed for a moment because the chemicals need to stop working. It's only happened to me once or twice.
I used to sleepwalk and talk in my sleep all the time. I once walked out of a hotel room in the middle of the night. I also apparently used to go downstairs, turn on all the lights and the radio, and sit at the kitchen table, asleep.
My eyes were open but empty. It creeped my sister out.
One thing I have noticed is that when I am on SSRIs (antidepressants), my dreams are much more brightly coloured. Also, I tend to have more strange ones. My dreams are either so mundane that I think they're true, or right out there in the weirdness. I was once quite angry at my brother for a few days because of something he did in a dream. Then I figured it out.
I haven't had too many lucid dreams. I can control them when they do occur, but it's not often.
You know, I recently found out why sleep phenomena stop happening for the most part as you age, but I can't remember for the life of me what it said. Hmm.
ETA I just read gracie's post, and I have had a clearly prophetic dream. I dreamed that my grandmother was leaning out of a window in a strange building waving at me. Later they moved into the building - given, she couldn't lean out the window because it only opened partway - which hadn't been built yet when I dreamed of it.
In fact, when I dreamed it they were living in their house in another city.

 

[garbage can]

Yes, and I am one of them. My talents are limited, though, as I can only control what is happening after the setting of the storyline takes place. .

Meaning that you can't control the subject of the storyline?

 

[garbage can]

Essentially, what appeals to me about lucid dreaming is the mind control aspect. If you are able to relax your brain to a state of complete submission, anything is possible! It is actually a bit of a contridiction, though, 'cause what you are really doing is dominating your thought patterns. .

hmmm, Interesting, sounds like a dual passive-aggressive personality trait.

 

[pinkpunani]

I don't know if this is a lucid dream, or prophetic or what have you, I have never really paid much attention to those things. BUT when I was pregnant with my first daughter I had a reccuring dream that she was laying on her side, on like pillows or something and there was a really soft light all around her. I would look at her face for a few minutes, and want to reach out and touch her but never did. Then she would open her eyes and look at me, and then I would wake up. I always woke up with tears streaming down my face and feeling very emotional. When she was about 5 mos old I had some pictures developed and she was laying on my bed on a down comforter asleep and she looked just like in my dream. It was a very surreal feeling to look at that picture. I have no clue why I dreamt that, and maybe subconciously set up the picture? OK, I will shut up now. Thanks

 

[Quint]

Somewhere I read or heard that people aren't supposed to feel emotions in their dreams, which struck me as ridiculous because I've run the gamut. I also have a good sense of color and time, as in it's usually night or twilight.

My dream last night was absolutely horrible. I dreamed that my cat (who is old and fat and it's inexplicable how she is still alive) was being exploited in some way. It was like, she was alive but for the wrong reasons. I can't remember exactly why. But I had to spare her that sort of life and so I broke her neck. It was really visceral and graphic and I can remember exactly how it felt. I wasn't extraordinarily sad doing it but it's awful to think of it now. I've had so many "saying goodbye to my cat" dreams that it's a complete mini-series, all variations on the theme of animal death.

 

[FurryFury]

Somewhere I read or heard that people aren't supposed to feel emotions in their dreams, which struck me as ridiculous because I've run the gamut. I also have a good sense of color and time, as in it's usually night or twilight.

My dream last night was absolutely horrible. I dreamed that my cat (who is old and fat and it's inexplicable how she is still alive) was being exploited in some way. It was like, she was alive but for the wrong reasons. I can't remember exactly why. But I had to spare her that sort of life and so I broke her neck. It was really visceral and graphic and I can remember exactly how it felt. I wasn't extraordinarily sad doing it but it's awful to think of it now. I've had so many "saying goodbye to my cat" dreams that it's a complete mini-series, all variations on the theme of animal death.

*hugs*

That sounds rough. I'm so sorry.

Fury

 

[shy slave]

I have always had vivid dreams, even as a child.

At times aspects of them have played out in real life, giving a 'de ja vu' feeling.

Twice I have had periods of time where I did not remember my dreams. The first time was when my ex and I split up the second was towards the end of last year.

Now they have returned they are more intense and can be precise in the information they give.

I hate sleep paralysis, I find it terrifying. It has not happened for a number of years but I recollect the absolute terror of feeling awake yet unable to move. It always seemed to be accompanied by a desperate need to wake up, an urgency that something bad would happen if I could not release myself from the paralysis

I am a practising psychic/medium and work with Spirit guides to give readings.
Some of my dreams relate to aspects of that work. Others aappear to be simple random nonsense.
Sometimes dreams are simply a way of processing things in our sub-concious sometimes they are more than that.

I should keep a dream diary but bluntly, I am too lazy.
I like to lay in bed, go over what I have dreamt and then get on with my day.

Pinkpunani the dream you describe is beautiful. A mother/child love is truely special. Thank you for sharing it.

I had an strange dream last night, I dreamt someone was holding my hand. Even once I woke I could feel the sensation of their hand having been in mine.

They had big hands with wide short fingers. It wasn't sexual but I had a feeling of having been comforted during the night.
It was not a healing type of comfort, more a friend to friend understanding.

It was nice, weird, but nice.

 

[graceanne]

I have always had vivid dreams, even as a child.

At times aspects of them have played out in real life, giving a 'de ja vu' feeling.

Twice I have had periods of time where I did not remember my dreams. The first time was when my ex and I split up the second was towards the end of last year.

Now they have returned they are more intense and can be precise in the information they give.

I hate sleep paralysis, I find it terrifying. It has not happened for a number of years but I recollect the absolute terror of feeling awake yet unable to move. It always seemed to be accompanied by a desperate need to wake up, an urgency that something bad would happen if I could not release myself from the paralysis

I am a practising psychic/medium and work with Spirit guides to give readings.
Some of my dreams relate to aspects of that work. Others aappear to be simple random nonsense.
Sometimes dreams are simply a way of processing things in our sub-concious sometimes they are more than that.

I should keep a dream diary but bluntly, I am too lazy.
I like to lay in bed, go over what I have dreamt and then get on with my day.

Pinkpunani the dream you describe is beautiful. A mother/child love is truely special. Thank you for sharing it.

I had an strange dream last night, I dreamt someone was holding my hand. Even once I woke I could feel the sensation of their hand having been in mine.

They had big hands with wide short fingers. It wasn't sexual but I had a feeling of having been comforted during the night.
It was not a healing type of comfort, more a friend to friend understanding.

It was nice, weird, but nice.

Or a child to mother type thing?

 

[Marquis]

Looking cute Helene!

 

[Blushing Bottom]

Not only are most of my dreams lucid I can at times control them to some small extent. I usually upon waking from a particularly exceptional dream I jot down as much detail as I am able in a 15 minute span. Now if I had the tongue of a poet I would write the most erotic stories that come from my dreams. I'm thinking that one day I'll get a ghost writer and pour it all out.

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

Not only are most of my dreams lucid I can at times control them to some small extent. I usually upon waking from a particularly exceptional dream I jot down as much detail as I am able in a 15 minute span. Now if I had the tongue of a poet I would write the most erotic stories that come from my dreams. I'm thinking that one day I'll get a ghost writer and pour it all out.

Are you taking volunteers yet?

 

[sincerely_helene]

I've never tried to control my dreams to the point that I'm making myself dream about stuff. I don't know if I would. I believe in dreams being prophetic, and so I like to leave them alone to see what my sub concious is trying to tell me.

I support that dreams are trying to tell us something, but I have an easier time visualizing it from the standpoint of hidden emotions and baggage from past/present circumstance more-so than future predictions. Not to imply I don't believe in prophetic dreams, I just have more confidence in my abilities as an empathetic reader.

I can certainly understand why you wouldn't want to mess with your thought patterns given your response. Myself though, I would still rather have the option of conjuring up scenarios of me and the sexy guy down the hall then try to interpret the hidden meaning or prediction behind why I'm a smurf trapped in Mario Land and monkeys keep throwing mushroom houses at me. If I was dreaming about secret rooms like you, I would probably want to stay tuned too!

 

[sincerely_helene]

In my psych classes, the way sleep paralysis was explained was that you are essentially paralysed during dream sleep because otherwise you would act out your dreams - i.e. try to walk while lying in bed. When you wake up right out of a dream, you are paralysed for a moment because the chemicals need to stop working. It's only happened to me once or twice.
I used to sleepwalk and talk in my sleep all the time. I once walked out of a hotel room in the middle of the night. I also apparently used to go downstairs, turn on all the lights and the radio, and sit at the kitchen table, asleep.

Yes, as I mentioned in my previous response to caela, sometimes sleep paralysis is the difference between walking off your patio and plunging to your death, or waking up safe and sound in bed.

Less talked about in studies though, is what I experiance from time to time. I've researched it, but so far the closest explination I have come across has been "night terrors," combined with lucidity and sleep paralysis. It goes much like this:

I'm laying in bed focused on something, knowing I'm asleep, but yet it's as though more than half of me is awake because I'm still seeing things around me as I would normally. Suddenly, I have this really strange discomfort overcome me, and that is when I know "it" is about to make an appearance.

First, I will look at something as simple as a shoelace, and it will turn into a snake or some lizard-like creature. From that point, everything else in the background comes to life and starts toward me in another transformation. I close my eyes for a second, but when I reopen them there is some dark figure hovering over me. I can feel it's presence more than see it, but I know it's evil and I have to fight it off.

It will bite, pinch, grope, and try to entice me into sexual intercourse, but when I try to fight it off it will make me so physically sleepy, I'm paralysed and unable to force myself to snap awake as I know I must.

Throughout the years I've learned tricks to wake up quicker, but it still is difficult to overpower. It seems for every trick I learn, it learns learns something new to keep one step ahead. For example, at one point I realized as long as I physically forced myself into a standing position, that would mean I'm no longer under its spell, but then it started countering that by fooling me into thinking I was actually walking about my house, until common objects would revert back into slithery creatures again and I would soon find myself right back where I started. I'd have to start the wake up process all over again.

I'd have to say it is one example of sleep paralysis I can certainly do without. The difference seems to be when I'm lucid dreaming, the awake me is controlling the dreaming me, but when the other thing occurs, it is the awake me trying to control the dreaming me and it is a lot harder.

 

[sincerely_helene]

Meaning that you can't control the subject of the storyline?

Not yet, nope. But I can alter the plot.