Lucid Dream? Ever Have one?
 

Loosely defined, a Lucid Dream is when you know you are dreaming but are still in the dream itself.

They can range from as little as being aware you are dreaming and waking yourself up . . . all the way to being able to manipulate the very fabric of your dreams.

Some highlights from my experiences:

I taught myself to control my dreams by six years old in response to the "Scaries". I noticed that the pattern of fear in the dream far exceeded anything I experienced in real life. I thought about it when awake, and then learned to wake myself up if the fear escalated to high.

Later I was able to end the nightmare and stay asleep with a limited amount of control. I hunted Freddy Cougar all through my dreams lol. We ended up 3-2-1. I ended up killing him 3 times he got me twice (once very convincingly, I thought there was going to be blood on the ceiling, damn that hurt) and once we drew.

Another odd encounter in a lucid dream(I think I was 16): I was wandering around(in the dream) and a friend gave me a lift home. At the end of the ride I turn to him and say:

"You realize that you don't exist, I'm dreaming, you're just a figment of my imagination." He looked at me and replied, "How do you know we are not both dreaming and sharing an experience on an unconscious level".

Well . . . we agree to call each other about it, and when I brought it up to him again, he didn't remember it lol.

I'd be interested in seeing any of your experiences . . .

Here is a basic FAQ:

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html

That's interesting - I did the same thing from an early age. I was able to wake myself from dreams by at least age 8, and by adolescence I was able to 'return' to a dream (sometimes) after waking up. Definitely I was conscious of being in 'dream state' very early in life.

I've had it happen before, and I must say that I find it enjoyable to control where the dream is going.

I've also had dreams that i've re-entered or brought back up at later dates. But it is very random as to when it happens...sometimes I'll try very hard to get back to a dream and never re-dream it.

The one thing I have learned, is how to prevent nightmares...just make sure your bladder is empty and that you aren't cold...often times that seems to be the case and by remedying the situation often prevents later nightmares that night.

That link I put that the bottom of my 1st post actually had some good advice . . .on doing it.

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html

this is my life....
 

I also have lucid dreams--and have had them from a very early age. I love having them--it makes dreaming so much more enjoyable. I don't have them everynight--just once in awhile. I actaully had one about 2 weeks ago. I knew I was dreaming--manipulated the dream, woke up (as the dream was a bit intense) and then went back to sleep to continue the dream.

My family thinks I am nuts-- they know I do this, they cannot--and think I am just plain looney!!! :rolleyes:

I use to be able to self-hypnotize---which was great!!! Wish I could still do it-- but I think since I have grown-up and had kids--my mind is not a clear as it once was--when I try I am overwhlemed with thoughts running thru my head.

My self-hynotized state was often simaliar to the state of my lucid dreams.

-wendi

James, your experience is almost a reflection of mine. I had to find SOME way out of a reoccurring childhood nightmare.

Then, I too started reading and learning about dream manipulation. This led to my (life long) interest in other "New Age" concepts I, AM A NUT CASE. As early as 6th grade, I found some magazine that had an article on OBEs and tried it. It freaked me out, but boy did it really grab me. Lost interest for a while, (11th grade revisited) but it really blossomed when I had the kids and escalated when I lived in a house with a gas leak. Now, they are less frequent and I can't induce them as I once could.

In college I had one HIDEOUS experience that I swear was straight from Amityville-flies and all. (I am SOOO convinced we lived in a really "bad" place.) That's when I decided there was far more to this world than what we see with our eyes and what we are taught/told to believe by others. It also convinced me there are some areas where one should not venture if one is inexperienced or unprepared! :eek:

When it comes to dreams like this I have never been able to "control" what happens in the dream... only able to recognize when I'm dreaming...

.. my biological older sister however can *control* her dreams. She told me this one about how you can *fly* in your dream and it feels really cool, but you have to be able to control it.

I don't know how to control dreams!

I've always been a super-deep sleeper and rarely remember my dreams, much less have the ability to control them.
I have a friend who frequently has lucid dreams, and he says he *loves* to fly in them. That was the first I heard of them. James, I'll have to read through that link you posted when I have more time.

I have the craziest dreams! Very colorful, lots of intricate plot twists and turns, reaccuring themes, places, and situations, and yes, even some lucid dreaming. With some of the reaccuring situations I'll sometimes chuckle to myself and say "I know how to deal with this - I've dreamt it before!" I also tend to solve problems in my dreams. If there's something that's really boggling me, or if I need just an extra push of inspiration, chances are I'll get it in my sleep.

There's been a few times where I'll realize that I'm dreaming. I tend to realize I'm dreaming during nightmares especially; I will then knowingly fight off what is scaring me. But, most of the time, I will wake myself up.

I think when I have dreams about something that I want, I am more likely to do the whole lucid dream thing and realize I'm dreaming.

I vividly remember as a child dreaming that I got this really cool toy that I had always wanted, but I somehow *knew* it was a dream, so I would try to hug the toy tighter thinking it might still be with me when I woke up.. but it never was :p

Yeah. I do that alot. Sometimes I know I'm dreaming but can't control it though. Its not like I chose to have sex with the chex cereal that decided to walk around in the shave of a woman. Then the two sides of the frosted mini wheats got a divorce. then me and my rice grain girlfriend reconciled them. It was quite touching.

Allen Ginsberg wants his metaphor back.


PS - you're still cool duder

i've had dreams where i've known i was dreaming but i've yet to figure out how to stop them...!!

I have lucid dreams quite a bit... It's a mixed bag, though. Sometimes I wake up as soon as I realize I'm dreaming... sometimes I can't control the plot... sometimes I can. On occasion I've been able to put myself back into a dream.

Anyone dream in black and white? I have always dreamt in color - never realized that might be weird until I mentioned it to someone who accused me of lying because "everyone dreams in black and white" :confused:

I always dream in color. In fact, I've gotten inspiration for some fabric designs (IN COLOR) while dreaming.

I dream in color too.. sometimes it seems like a movie almost.

I'm lost. Did I quote Howl?

not exactly - it was similar though

I'm drunk. I don't have time for the beatniks tonight.

I have these weird, awake "Lucid" dreams pretty often.

It kind of freaks me out, because I don't really believe that dreams have meaning. But, when I am awake and dreaming them andd sort of controlling them, I start to wonder why I make the choices I do and what meaning I am giving them.

Bump because I had a whole series of them the other morning. Very cool

Related to lucid dreams . . . Kind of like dream therapy.

After almost every break-up I would have a dream that would seem to get me over it faster.

I would feel low after a break-up and then I would have an intense dream where I would meet these new and wonderful people, many of the times they were lucid dreams and I didn't want to wake out of them.

I would wake up refreshed and be almost totally over the person. It would seem like months had gone by instead of days.

Oddly, my ex's never seemed happy for me that I was able to get over them in a few days . . . Strange eh?

I talk in my sleep :)

Did you meet me there. Because I have dreams. One dream I keep having is that I'm on top of a moutain and there's this ancient greek looking building on top of it and I go Inside and its all super modern, and its almost like a shopping mall, except its not a mall, just a self contained metropolis in this one building that goes on forever. And at table that were around the edge of the restuarts or bars or something on the outside where'd you walk in, dining alfresco, but you're still in the anciet greek building, this guy keeps tipping his beer at me. Everyone spoke Greek except him. He was about to tell me something important when the alarm went off.

The lucid dream I had I was napping on the couch. I dreamt that I was cuddling with my then interest and I had control of how I held her and what I said to her. It ended when I realized I was dreaming. I woke up and got angry at myself for waking up.

LOL, just a little longer eh ?

i have lucid dreams every other night. in my dreams, i always thinking that i have to make myself wake up. when good stuff happens, i am thinking that i cant get excited cause i will wake up in a few minutes. those good dreams suck.

I'm always stuck in a cyborg mall thing..*shrugs..or..a farm that has cartoon buildings...I still haven't figured that one out.

bump

This sounds funny but if I eat Indian food I have some really cool dreams. I deliberately eat spicy things just to cause these dreams. They seem so real. And in most cases, I wish they were.

I had some weird dream last night that was pretty scary and I thought "I have to wake up now!!" When I did wake up, I couldn't remember what was scaring me. Unususal, because I almost always remember what I dream.

Usually mine are bad dreams where I suddenly realize that it is, in fact, a dream, and that I can stop whatever evil is about to happen from happening. Unfortunately, I usually wake up soon after.

Woke up WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too early so took a morning nap. WHAT A DREAM-So real!
I fly into Houston and in a parking garage I see a little office that say's "GREEK CHAT". I walk in while knocking and THERE IS JOHN !
I said- Are YOU the JOHN who's name looks "pritty" when I sign on GC? There in the corner is DA with his feet up on a desk!!! Some young girl who I KNOW is from GC, but she won't tell me who she is (She didn't know why I asked her so many questions)...yet I recognize her style of speaking.
After "chatting" a bit more about the LANGUAGE used, it's time to leave and who do I see walking in???? TOM! BUT he has BLOND HAIR! We look at each other like-Do I know you!?!? Can't find my car-scared cause I'm in a Houston parking garage and calling out Ice Pick-Ice Pick, which helps me remember my car's tag.

I think I should have posted this in the "You know you're on GC too much" thread

In a related subject, does anyone ever get night terrors?

I've had them at least three times that I can think of, and I'll wake up screaming and shaking and freaking out. It's not really a nightmare, but it's just a horrible feeling.