I've been thrust into some rather intriguing dreamscapes lately--nothing like I've ever experienced before. These are so hazily unreal, and vividly imagined, that after I awake they leave me feeling ecstatic. First a few peculiarities--the only times I've been able to obtain this conscious dream-state is during 1-2 hour midday naps. I'm sure I'm dreaming at night, but I have no recollection or experience of them by morning. I'm not sure if this is normal, but I'd like to learn how to experience my dreams at night... Secondly, my dreams are abruptly transitional. I'll have a short dream segment, with a specific focus and occurrence, and then I will either meet my end through dream 'death,' or there will be an abrupt transition into another, stranger dream. The greatest divergence from my previous dreams is that I don't wake up when I die in my dreams. I'm conscious of impending doom, and am able to close my eyes and wait to die before I'm thrust into another dream. Or sometimes the doom vanishes, and I'll continue to exist within the same dream. Also very few aspects of my dreams are relatable to my real life--there are a few subconscious yearnings represented within this other world, but they're not particularly obvious. This world I experience is persistent; it feels as if I'm traveling to the same plane every time, but with new encounters and experiences. It also has a fantastical slant; there is very little reminiscent of our modern world. Alright, besides all that... here are a few things I've dreamed about recently. I'm walking on a plank path amid a swamp; rickety housing units extend above and below me. I see a gas station floating off in the middle of this swamp, and slowly it's lost in the mist. People are around me--either talking with other people, or smoking cigarettes. A black man walks up to me. He asks for a cigarette, in some weird dialect. I oblige him, and attempt to start a conversation. I ask him where he's from. He replies, with a thick Middle-African accent, "Naibi" He said nothing else, but stared blankly at me, as if awaiting another question. I asked "So why did you move here?" He suddenly thrusts me down by the neck, onto the plank walkway, and drops his cigarette. He begins to whisper in my ear, in an unintelligible native tongue; I can feel the warmth from his breath, and his words tickle my inner ear. Everything fades to black, and I experience 'dream death.' These sensations of his breath in my ear were the most resonant experiences from this one. I had no idea what he was saying, and he said it in a soft, yet perceivably malignant whisper. So it could've been a curse, or a detailed account of his move to 'this place'. I don't know. I'm not sure what that one could mean, but it's rather intriguing nonetheless. I have more to share from this singular session (I transitioned into another dreamscape after this one); but I must deal with the real world right now.
Interesting. So you are having lucid dreams during the day? Whenever I take melatonin, and sometimes when I don't I get them, but not all the time. You know, one trick to change dream settings is to close your eyes and spin around. When you open your eyes again, you should see something different. Also, to keep lucidity of your dreams, rub your hands together. That "feeling" should help you stay in your current dream and help you stay asleep, if your surroundings are vanishing and you don't want them to. It's weird too because when I start to go into the dream state, I can kind of "watch" my subconscious take over my mind, and thoughts start to come and go that I don't create myself.
Yes, only during the day.. it's a strange process, but I feel as if the daytime helps me retain some element of consciousness. I've never done anything special to retain my lucid state, nor have I tried anything to ensure I enter a lucid state. It simply happens. Next dream segment, also within the same session: I was on top of a mountain; a vast dirt road stretched across its breadth. There were wicked trees jutting from the surface, yet no other vegetation dared take hold. The sky was overcast, and heat lightning darted across the clouds in sporadic waves. I had a single-edged blade in my hand, and it was strange because it did not possess a hit. I was simply gripping metal. Suddenly a hooded figure emerged from one side of this road, and it began to fire arrows at me. By some miraculous design, I was able to deflect them with my sword. I advanced slowly, and I began to see the details of this figure--it was a woman, yet her skin was rotting, and parts of her inner organs were exposed. I slashed at her, and cut away a chunk of her flesh. Then I slashed again, ripping away one of her breasts. She requested I cease my attack, in a plaintive voice. So I relinquished my assault, and she picked up her bow again as if to attack me, but simply fell to the ground. I asked her why she had attacked me, and she said, "Can you not see I am an abomination? These bones, this flesh, they are not what they once were. A beast is meant to be slain, and so I am a beast, yet you do not cut me down mercilessly. Why?" I couldn't answer her question before I was attacked again; this time, a man came from the other side of the road, firing arrows at me once more. I deflected them with ease. At this point I woke up. It's especially strange because most of the time I feel physically helpless in my dreams--it's as if I can't fight anything back, that I'm just an observer and participant. Yet in this one I did, but perhaps only because I began the dream with a weapon. I've never been able to call upon a weapon, and have it appear for me. The stage is always set, and I'm just an actor. There was one last dream within this trilogy--I was taking care of an indifferent deity trapped in the form of a human girl. I don't know what value or virtue she represented, yet she was beautiful and malicious. Her face was simple and pleasant, but her words were scathing and dismissive. She had no regard for me; she only wished to please herself. I was in some demented theme park with this deity girl--she went up on a ferris wheel with immaculately-crafted wooden seats lain over by ruby leather. She was particularly enamored with the seats of this ferris wheel, and she demanded she ride again once she landed. Who was I to deny her? So she rode again, and was finally satisfied. The occurrences of this dream are a blur; it was as if I was stuck in a stasis of inactivity, of servitude. I simply guarded and accompanied someone far more significant than me, and I received no return of admiration or condolences. That's all I can remember of that one.. Please share some of your own dream stories, or at least give me some comments to reply to. Dreams are fascinating to me, and yet it seems as if very few are willing to discuss or analyze them. The eloquence of English is nothing to the expansive feelings and thoughts of a dream, but it's at least interesting to share what you perceive.
Thanks dude. I'll try to keep this updated like a dream log. It might be interesting to save this shit and read it ten years from now... I feel like I'm always shedding skins of ignorance and understanding more.
Keeping a dream journal greatly helps you remember your dreams, as well as increases the chance of lucidity in one's dreams. I've never made a dream journal that lasted more than a week, but it has helped me significantly to remember my dreams. A few years ago, I could hardly remember my dreams after being awake for 30 seconds. Now, I can remember dreams up to a week ago. Some stick out more than others, but keeping track of your dreams will help you greatly. I've even remembered dreams that I forgot long ago. Most of my dreams seem random and not that important. When I read yours, I saw alot of symbolism, which may or may not be important. But if I were to take a guess, I think your higher self (or subconsciousness, whichever you prefer) might be trying to tell you something. I'll add in a dream or two of mine when I get more time.
Those weren't lucid dreams. A lucid dream is being consciously aware of the fact that you are asleep and dreaming. What you had were vivid dreams. But I like the way you described them. I believe I died in a few dreams, but I can only recall one where I "crossed over" to the other side. It was absolutely mind blowing, exhilarating and quite terrifying at the same time. You should began to record you dreams in a dream journal like hardstyleaz said. I've been keeping a DJ for over a year now. I might start a blog about my dream entries pretty soon.
Sugoi! Splendid writing, indeed. Your dreams, they're unlike anything I've come across. I've had the pleasures of experiencing such vivid dreams, I sometimes wake up in a fit, only to continue laying down in hopes of going back there.. to that dream. I also almost never can recall any dialogue in my dreams, especially that of another language.. I have three, or four reoccurring dreams as well. And they almost always consist of me running from men.. in black. >_> But I won't go into depth about them tonight.. Anyway. Good read. Post more.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts, man. Your writing style is refreshing and I'm fascinated by abstract, surreal dreams since they're the only kind I experience. However as Cmystic said, unfortunately you can only be lucid if you are aware of your own dream state within the dream. There are many methods of initiating lucid dreams... I'll list a few. WBtB- Wake Back to Bed Set an alarm for between 6-8 hours after you believe you will fall asleep. When you wake up, avoid bright lights or loud noises. Get a drink, read a book or perhaps do some riddles in your head. Just something that will keep you awake but not too self aware. Attempt to keep yourself in a state that will allow you to get back to sleep swiftly. You should stay within said state for anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour. The time required varies from person to person. WBtB is used due to our REM cycle being in a deep stage after 6-8 hours of sleep. When you wake up and stay partially awake for a short time, when you fall back asleep you should enter directly into a dream again due to the stage of your REM cycle. However, due to having been awake you are more likely to be conscious of your dream self and surroundings. This method can be combined with either of the following: DILD- Dream Induced Lucid Dream Whilst you are drifting back to sleep, try auto-suggestion. Tell yourself that you will realize you are dreaming, that you will use reality checks and that you will be conscious of your surroundings. Tell yourself that your body may be dormant but your mind will stay awake. This method requires something called a reality check. Reality checks can be a number of things, but they are essentially a method of distinguishing the dream world from the real world. If you perform these often during your waking hours, you will be more likely to do so in your dream state. Reality checks that work the best for me personally: - Look at any letters or numbers, look away, look again Sounds stupid, right? Not really. 99% of the time those symbols will have changed when you look a second time. This has to do with the symbol-identifying part of our brain being largely dormant during dreams. -Try and stick your finger through your hand -Pinch your nostrils shut and try to breathe DILDs are generally easiest, but it's not something you can plan on happening. It requires practice. WILD- Wake Induced Lucid Dream This is ridiculously hard, but worth a try. WILD is a method which allows you to directly enter the dream world from a waking state. To do so, you must keep your mind awake whilst your body is falling asleep. There are a billion ways to achieve this, including visualising someone's face (preferably someone close to you to make this vision as vivid as possible) and them telling you that you will be sleeping. Another way is auto-suggestion. Personally, I use hypnagogic imagery. These can be many things, personally it tends to be swirling patterns of bright colours that I see when I close my eyes. You have to focus on these images without overdoing it and working yourself up. However, it is easy to fall asleep before you achieve WILD. Just try try again. Many disturbing things can happen as you are entering the dream world... such as hearing sounds or feeling like an overwhelming blackness is enveloping you. It is nothing to worry about, go with the flow. Your body will send signals to you, testing you to see whether it should truly sleep. This might be a slight itch or a little cramp. Ignore these things the best you can. When attempting WILD, you need to be in an environment where absolutely jack all can disturb you. This means no sleeping with someone in bed. The tiniest movement from them can throw you off. Try and remain in the same position and breathe normally and regularly. Your heart may beat quickly but do your best not to hyperventilate and it should calm down. It can be a scary experience but it is well worth the feeling of waking up within a dream and instantly knowing where you are. There's also dream incubation... where you visualize your dream scenario beforehand and attempt to wake up within it.. but it is extremely difficult. There are countless things you can do in a lucid dream.. flying happens to be my favourite. Remember, when you realize you are lucid it can be so overwhelming and exciting you will instantly wake up. Or, on the other hand, things might haze out too quickly and you will loose control and lucidity. You can prevent this by spinning around or rubbing your hands together. Practice makes perfect, happy adventures!
Right fuckin on Dimethytrip! It's good to have fellow oneironauts at the city who know their shit when it comes to lucid dreaming. lol Even though it was short, it's still fuckin hard as hell to explain but I'll try. I wrote as much as I could about it in my DJ but since it was a short dream, I didn't write down too much. The dream started with me being in the car with my mom and sister. We were driving down the highway when a car smashed into us outta nowhere. I instantly knew I was dead for some reason. Immediately I felt myself being sucked through a vortex with the intensity of a black hole. I rushed through a gargantuous sized underground cavern. The cavern was dark with a red tint to it and completely empty and void of any being. I continued being pulled through this colossal cavern; during all this, I honestly believed that I was crossing over into the next dimension/reality. The whole rushing sensation was extremely intense. Then I found myself lying in bed in my old room at my dad's house, almost as if I had went back in time. Then I woke up. I was breathing hard as fuck because it freaked me out a little. It was the only dream that I ever died in without waking up immediately.
Oooh, forgot to mention that I almost never wake up right after a dream death... unless it's a dream about falling to my death, in which case I wake up on impact or shortly thereafter. I've had a dream where I was beheaded, felt the weight of my head drop off my shoulders... and for some reason, despite the fact that it was severed from my body, I could still see for a while. My first lucid dream was ridiculous though. I was very young, no more than 12 years old. It was extremely short but I still find it to be fascinating. I was walking down a street that looked surprisingly like my old block in R.I. An old man in a cloak and top hat came up to me and pointed a gun to my head, telling me he would kill me. I simply said "You can't do that, I'm dreaming." I woke up immediately thereafter but I still consider it to be a lucid dream since my dream persona was conscious of its state...
I always used to wake up from my falling dreams, now I dont even have them anymore. Having a lucid dream for the first time is like getting high for the first time imo. It's just one of those moments you wont ever forget. I remember my first lucid dream through a WILD, I found myself standing on a street, across an elementary school, outside of my dad's neighborhood. An SUV began to approach from my right, but I figured my subconscious was trying to get me involved in the dream to make me lose lucidity. So I just ignored it, ran towards the school and took off to the sky like a bat outta hell. I was flying so fast towards the sky that I panicked and tried to maneuver myself away from space, but woke up instead. It was still a thrilling experience even though it only lasted like 5 seconds.
Wow, there's a lot to respond to here.. I'm feeling a little sick right now, but I'll be sure to get back to you guys when my thoughts aren't so muddled. Thanks for consolidating and posting the lucid dream information; I've never really tried entering a lucid state, but it sounds very intriguing. I had a bipolar friend who would have lucid dreams all the time--he would sleep for 16-18 hours, and just get lost in these ecstatic dreams. I wish I remembered some of his stories... I'll have to get back in touch with him. He had some of the craziest dreams I've ever heard of, and his subconscious/lucid state control was amazing. I don't feel as if I have much control over my subconscious mind at this stage; it's its own sprawling entity. I understand and appreciate parts of it, but there are some pieces which are particularly strange--pieces which make me feel mildly psychotic at times. (Whenever I do psychedelics, I experience recurring feelings of omnipotency, of being beyond and above everything in this world. I've also felt like there's an old soul being trapped in my body.. weird as that is.) And thanks for all the complements. I think I'm a bit eccentric and overbearing with my writing, but it's nice to hear people enjoy it haha
I haven't had many sensually-thrilling dreams since when I was a kid. I vividly remember having several falling dreams, and there was a two-year period where I was haunted by werewolf nightmares. I would get eaten in the most vicious ways, and wake up terrified, screaming for my parents... ahh childhood. I do wake up feeling rejuvenated when I have vivid dreams similar to the ones I've detailed here. They're intellectually intriguing, and they offer an insight into my subconscious--something I rarely unearth. I'm going to practice a Wbtb/DILD session tonight, based upon Dimethyl's tips. If anyone has any other insight to share, please feel free. I haven't had the time recently to partake in my nap sessions; and when I have tried to nap, I've ended up just laying in bed, never fully falling asleep. It can be rather frustrating at times, and I think it's primarily because I require audible silence to sleep. Any persistent noise, however small, will ruin my chances of crashing. I wish I had more dreams to share, but I'm just babbling... so perhaps we could get some other dreamers in here. (Bump)