The post about dream interpretation reminded me of something that I used to do, but have not done in a while. Sometimes when I dream, I realize that I am dreaming then take control of the dream. I can’t stay asleep too long when I do this though. It is very difficult to realize you are dreaming. Now, when I do it (infrequently) I look at my tattoo design and if I am dreaming it won’t look right. Sometimes it is the wrong color and the pattern is never right twice in a row. Does anyone else here know techniques to induce lucidity? Have any dreams to share?
No, I’ve read where you can train yourself to do this but I don’t know how
I will also occassionally realize that I’m dreaming. When I do, I’ll generally manipulate my dream into one about flying because it’s quite thrilling. I, like you, though, wake up soon afterward.
One reported way to “train” yourself for lucid dreaming, is to make a habit of checking whether you’re awake. That is, if you customarily ask yourself, “Am I dreaming right now?” several times every day, you’ll become accustomed to checking your mental state. Thus, when you actually are dreaming, you’ll me more likely to realize it.
I haven’t attempted this myself; I got it from one of my books. If any of you try it, I’d be interested to hear how it works.
Of course I don’t fit in; I’m part of a better puzzle.
I’ve never flown in a dream either. The coolest thing I’ve ever done in a dream was lie down on the ground and slowly merge with the earth. Neat sensation, but I woke up before I completely disappeared.
SqrlCub: You have a tattoo? Got any pics? J/K. Anyway another way i have heard to lucid dream is to keep a dream journal. Every morning you wake up, you write down the dream. You’re supposed to review it to find things that are odd or out of place, and then remember to look out for those things when you dream. Also as Auraseer said to ask yourself daily if you are dreaming.
I have done lucid dreaming just once. It was an odd feeling, like i was there, but i knew it wasnt real. I couldnt hold onto it for long. I ended up in a bare, empty cabin on a cliff edge in winter, I lost control when the house started rolling down the cliff. I also remember running, jumping and skipping down a sidewalk to keep control and knew i was asleep (every time i would start walking the control was lost, i would jump or skip and when i hit the ground i got some control back). I have been trying so hard to redo a lucid dream ever since (I think being a heavy sleeper doesnt help!).
The way I heard it, is when you are falling alseep, you tell yourself that you are going to be in control of your dreams. Say this to yourself several times, like a mantra.
Personally, I think lucid dreaming takes the fun out of it.
Anyone ever die in a dream? I have. I’m pretty sure I’ve died in more than one dream. The one I specifically remember was a dream I had when I was sick. I went to bed feeling fine. You know the pictures of Jesus where he has a thorn bush around his heart? Well, in the dream, that’s what was happening to me. I remember looking down and this thorn bush was about the pierce my heart and, I looked closer (I could see thru my chest) and I saw that something was cross-stitched on me. I don’t remember what. In the dream, I was lying in a bed. I knew I was going to die and was in pain but I was calm because I knew it was coming and there was nothing I could do about it. The last thing I remember was standing up and moving away from the bed but leaving my body behind. Then I woke up and I was so sick! I always have BIZARRE dreams when I’m sick.
I usually know I’m dreaming but it’s the rare instance where I can control what occurs in that dream because of that knowledge. I have dreamed (quite often) that I’m flying-it’s completely excellent.
BTW, maybe we should start a thread where we can post the dreams we have, our own version of a dream journal. Maybe I’ll go do that right now. I had a couple weird ones last night!
I’ve had one “dream” in which I felt myself die. The quotation marks are there because I was awake at the time, but the scene definitely had the sense of immersion that only seems to come in dreams. (In the GD thread Life worth living? I explained how this experience changed my attitude toward death.)
On one other occasion, I dreamt that I was falling, and failed to wake up before hitting the ground. I felt bones and stuff break, which was quite unsettling, but I don’t think I died in that one.
Of course I don’t fit in; I’m part of a better puzzle.
Yes, it was me. That doesn’t preclude the possibility that you dreamed it…if you’re a solipsist, anything “other people” do is a product of your own imagination.
The one time I achieved this state, it happened during a “cinematic” dream (I have these a lot, they have a fairly coherent story line and I am usually some person other than myself). I had escaped from a jail cell and was running through a city area. I saw police heading my way and jumped into an excavation to keep from being seen. The hole I jumped into was more than thirty feet deep but I landed on my feet as though I’d dropped only about a foot or so. At that point I realized I was dreaming and decided to try to fly. I took a few running steps and swan-dived, and by golly it worked – I was flying!
Unfortunately, before I really had time to enjoy it, the blasted phone rang and woke me up. Mmmmrrph.
Doobieous said, “SqrlCub: You have a tattoo? Got any pics?” Even though you were kidding I do, email me at paganbearcub@hotmail.com and I will forward you a picture of my tattoo.
Auraseer: I think having a design as a tattoo is a good thing because I look at it fairly often (mostly because it is relatively new) and have the revalation, hey I have a tattoo. I guess if I were to ever tattoo words on myself <BLECH!>, it would say something like, are you dreaming? That would be something to do I suppose. I don’t think I am hardcore enough into lucid dreaming to actually go through with that though.
Gunhilde and Fretful Porpentine: I have flown in dreams often, it is very exhilerating (sp?). Not having dreams like that I would assume that you two are very down to earth and not escapist at all.
I’ve come across that has ‘cinematic’ dreams.
Surprise endings, unexpected plot twists, I love cinematic dreams. I have had lucid dreams more than once, and, like others have said, I woke up soon after. On the other hand though, sometimes my dreams are so real to me that it takes a whole day to shake the ‘am-i-still-dreaming’ feeling. Usually, I’m glad to be awake.
Blue
I don’t know how the first paragraph of my last post got jumbled, but what I meant to say was that I thought I was the only one who had ‘cinematic’ dreams.
I have had a few lucid dreams, one not too long ago, but only for what seemed like less than a minute before I woke up. Its funny that lately it seems like I either do not dream or do not remember any dreams, not like when I was a child, you seemed to have them all the time. Anyone ever get repeating dreams? I would quite a bit, and they were always the same too, usually nightmares by design. I first had a lucid dream when I was a child in one of these nightmares which promptly ended any subsequent bad dreams, I guess you could say I cured myself of my fears early on. I think lucid dreaming is a way to live out fantasies you will only see in movies, and it is a great and safe way to escape the mundane average life.
J/K. Anyway another way i have heard to lucid dream is to keep a dream journal. Every morning you wake up, you write down the dream. You’re supposed to review it to find things that are odd or out of place, and then remember to look out for those things when you dream. Also as Auraseer said to ask yourself daily if you are dreaming.