Ah, sleep…perchance to dream….
I’m sure that none of you will be very surprised to learn that I’m a proficient dreamer. I’m not adept at many things…but I am the champion…nay, THE QUEEN OF THE DREAMS.
Seriously. I do believe that a large portion of my sanity is lost during my REM sleep, which begins about an hour after I drop off and ends when the alarm blasts at 5:58am. This would explain why I rarely feel rested, why I’m always craving more sleep and possibly why I keep finding teeny bits of dried brain matter scattered around my pillow.
At least, I think it’s brain matter.
Ew. Gross.
All I know is that the old noggin’ never truly shuts down…it just goes from conscious to sub-conscious mode…at times with mind-blowing clarity. Honestly, I’m not always sure where one ends and the other begins.
Lucid dreaming is when you “wake up” whilst still dreaming.
I’ll give you a moment to digest this astonishing information.
(Hums theme to Jeopardy….begins to casually count acoustic ceiling tiles…)
I wish I could tell you I’ve mastered this technique…but alas, it would be a lie. However, I’m working on it….’cause I’m like, already sleeping…and what else is there to do??
It pretty much always starts out the same…I’m in some nonsensical place, doing some illogical thing…when suddenly, *BAM!!!!!*
I’m lucid. I’m also momentarily confused…thinking, “WTF? What’s happening?” This thought is followed quickly by, “Am I…wait! I am! I’m doing that dream-control thing! Crap! Hurry! One loud snore from the dog and I’m gonna wake up! Crap! What do I want to do?? Crap! I'm never freakin' prepared!!”
The answer comes to me swiftly and unquestionably: I. Must. Fly.
I don’t know why I must fly…but according to my (admittedly limited) Googling, it’s the #1 thing lucid dreamers like to do. (See? I’m not quite as weird as you’d thought.) So, from here it’s simply a matter of finding a nearby window to jump out of. Naturally, I’m up high…no self-respecting lucid–dreaming-flyer is gonna take off from the ground…where’s the fun in that??
Sometimes, I just open the window and fling my body out. Other times, I have to ninja-kick the screen out of the way first. Either way, the end result is the same…the latter just has a tad more drama. Not that I’m big on drama….
Lately, I’ve noticed a new twist to my thought process as this “lucid realization” (copyright pending) seeps in…a split second before hurling myself out that upper-story window, a niggling voice in the back of my mind questions, “Are we absolutely sure this is a dream?”
…and I’ll pause….torn between my passionate desire to take advantage of this surreal opportunity and that teeny shred of doubt. I’ll think, “Damn…that’s the thing about lucid dreaming…it feels so freakin’ real.”
So, I’ll take a moment to situate myself…and I’ll look down. If I see this:
…then I’m cleared for take-off. For this is what I should see if I’m awake:
What I do and where I go once I’m airborne varies….and is between me and my hypno-therapist, thankyouverymuch.
So, I’m hereby taking this opportunity to forewarn any of my apartment-dwelling friends to keep me away from any and all windows for the foreseeable future.
Which begs the question, my beloved readers: If you found yourself lucid in a dream, what would you do? (Or, is it who would you do??)
Do tell…you know I’m dying to hear!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Lucid
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OK, I have what I think are lucid dreams all the time.. Only I'm not sure they are actually lucid. I feel like I'm awake, I can hear what is actually going on around me (tv, conversation) but I cannot make myself open my eyes. I've done a little research, and have read that if I am in this position and instead of fighting it- just let it take over, I could lucid dream. It kind of scares me though.
I have never had a flying dream! I am extremely jealous of you right now because I would like nothing more than to fly. The closest I've had is that I have ran so quickly that the tops of my toes drag against the road and it hurts very badly. I don't know what any of this means... ok im going to try to lucid dream tonight...
I used to be a soaring lucid dreamer too. But that was as a child, I got therapy for that. Now I just write it all away. I would be one of my heroines, searching for my knight in shining armor.
I've done the lucid dream thing occasionally. Of course, I can't remember anything much, except that once I followed myself--hiding behind bushes and such to keep myself from seeing myself.
Odd.
OK. Going to bed now. It's midnight and I have to be up at 4 am. Maybe I can squeaze in a good lucid dream in there somewhere to make the next few hours worthwhile. Nighters.
ooh! *raises hand energetically* pick me! pick ME!
Ok, the closest I've had to a flying dream is me jumping off a cliff (or bridge) and waking up as I land. Believe me when I say it felt like I'd actuall been dropped from a great height! Scary stuff!
When it comes to dreams, I have a dream that seems like I closed my eyes for 5 minutes and then I wake up and BAM! Six hours gone by. Either I forget most of the details or I'm just one slooooooow dreamer.
Jumping out of windows does seem like fun though, I should try that with Carlisle sometime (of course while dreaming!)
:D
P.S, Kathryn? Drama? NOOOOOO!!!!! Who would ever think something so ludicrous?! lol
Some of my best dreams were of me flying...but that was when I was younger. It was never while "under the influence" during waking. It was a very lucid dream. I could control how and where I flew. I loved the feeling of freedom. I've not had a flying dream for awhile. I miss them. Maybe I was a bird in a past life! Or a pilot!
Hmm... I believe some jumping of bones too long admired from afar would be in order. Bwahahahaha! Hey - you went there.
Am I the only one that's confused about the fact that you appear to live in a place that has roaming deer?? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
It's so fun when you figure it out. I used to have "lucid" dreams a lot. not so much anymore. And I too am a jumper! I would often wake myself up laughing. So cool that I'm not the only one. I kind of kept it a secret. I miss those dreams.
I do the same thing; I quit sharing my dreams with people because of the sideway glances I get. My husband never dreams and at times I envy that--just deep dark blackness at night.
I dream a lot and I dream in epic episodes. I dream a lot of flying and apparently it has some link to guilt.
WTF? I hear you say...That's my response too. I detest that ol' bugger Freud - in my opinion he was a completely loony.
I haven't had a flying dream in a while. They're the best! I want to know how we know exactly what something looks like from the air? Cuz in the dreams, it's so true to life.
I love the flying dreams. I haven't had one in a while. You may want to think about putting something on your window so you don't accidentally fling yourself out of it. That's when lucid dreaming becomes sleep walking. What a way to go.
Like you I never hit REM but instead dream. I'm definitely a dreamer or really a nightmarER? and I dream all night with very colorful, very real dreams. My dreams are so real that I can actually hear them (which, btw, most people cannot do). Unlike you I never hit "lucid realization". I get something else entirely...a night terror. I wake up and I feel my body in my bed, but all I see is the dream I'm in. Trust me it's not a fun thing regardless if the dream is a dream or if it's a nightmare. It usually is a nightmare though. ANYWAYS, if I had that wonderful power of controlling my dream I'd probably try my hardest to get out of the nightmare, or runaway from what it is I'm scared of in the nightmare.
Wow. Dreams. What are those like? I almost never remember mine unless they are horribly scary and I wake up sweaty and screaming.
Are you sure you're not self medicating??? Just kidding!! I have never lucid dreamed but it sounds like a lot of fun. Sometimes I dream, sometimes I don't. When I do they are very vivid and I can usually remember them when I wake up. The offspring and I love to top each other's story of "I had the craziest dream last night!". If I could lucid dream? I don't know what I'd do. Flying has never really appealed to me.???
♥Spot
Kathryn ... first, in answer to your question of what I would do in a lucid dream...if it were a bad dream, I'd stay in it and change the outcome - once you do that in a dream, it spills over into real life and can actually effect how you handle a particular problem. Kinda like muscle memory, but brain memory instead. Yes, I'm serious. Just 2 comments - book*addict should try this - might help. And carissajaded said she ran so quickly that the tops of her toes drag against the road etc --- If this were my dream, I would question what is happening in my life where I'm dragging my feet and not making a decision. And as for you, Kathryn, I would look into why I'm flying out a window instead of merrily gliding along in the sky ... we'll talk on the phone about this one. And how come I'm so smart? Cuz I studied dream interpretation for 7 years! Love ya. Joyce
Lucid dreams can be interesting. Usually, though, mine are nightmares. I have one recurring dream where I'm in the house I grew up in and there are little demon thingies chasing me. I can fly to get away from them, but once I land I can't fly again. Weird. I also once had a dream about aliens under my bed and woke up in a cold sweat. I woke my fiance up and made him check under the bed for me before I would get up. Fat bastard could get got before me. lol
I was in that "Lucid" dream state this morning, until I suddenly realized I was having a romantic dream of the X! Wake up, your not supposed to have those dreams!!
Not sure what I'd want to do, or who, if I ever had a lucid dream. But I do like that you used our fave word niggly(ing),lol,once more. And maybe that stuff around you pillow is some of that mucus I wrote about. LOL. Yeah, Ewww. =)
What would I do?? Em...have fun I think...and fly obvs :)
Hmm. If I were a lucid dreamer (sadly I'm not, most of the time) I'd probably be the one having nightmares. I always say that the scary movie's okay, but your imagination will kill you later.
I have absolutely no clue what I would do if I found myself in that situation. Although, I did have a dream once that I learned to fly...an airplane, one of those small 2-seaters. It was so real that the next day I woke up all motivated to take flying lessons. Never followed through of course!
The upside to your lucid skills is being able to wake yourself up out of a bad dream....ever done that?
Hmm...I think the ones I remember as waking might be lucid dreams. They are very real & sometimes I get to a point where I am able to do things in them but then I wake up.
This is a great post. I really have to look into this now. :)
My semi-lucid dreams stink compared to yours. While you're off to Neverland, I'm dreaming of missed deadlines at work and can't find my keys.
Who would I do... indeed. That shall remain a secret until I find a way to blog about it. I once had a dream where I was conscious and I knew I was sleeping, but I couldn't wake up. It was actually really scary. Flying sounds more fun... provided you don't actually go out the window.
I've flown a few times in my dreams and it's great. My lucid dreaming tends to be more like I am getting in that elevator and I know that elevator is going to free-fall...but wait ! THIS IS JUST A DREAM! I don't have to get in that elevator. I am taking the stairs. so ha!
Taking the stairs in a dream is not so interesting, though.
carissajaded: Oh, it makes me crazy when I feel pain in a dream! I haven't had that happen very often. Maybe you were pinching your toes on the end of your bed? You DO need to give in to the "lucidity"...the sec you realize you're in it, go crazy and OPEN YOUR EYES!!
Myne Whitman: Aw! I LIKE that...being your own heroine. Why can't you write it AND dream it? Can't we do both??
Allegria: Yikes...following yourself? Were you thinking, "Yikes...I'm following myself!" as you were doing it? I hope you get some *decent* sleep soon, sweetie!
Fierce: YES? You? The one frantically waving her hand? Wow! Jumping is VERY scary stuff! And you don't think jumping off a cliff/bridge is dramatic?? We'll have to discuss this with Clinton.
Jan: Well, maybe now that we've brought it up, you'll fly again! I hope so...it really is awesome.
~:C:~ Hey...I went there 'cause I wanna GO there! (wink, wink)That's what DREAMS are for, bay-bee!
Lou: No, sweetie...you're not confused....and no playing tricks. Our latest rental is in the country...complete with roaming deer. Now, instead of beeping cabs, it's ppl beeping for the deer to get out of the way!
Mark Price: You mean, I shouldn't be announcing it to the world? I mean, if you've kept it a secret...it must be for a good reason. Yikes (hangs head)...now I'm embarrassed.
No, I'm not. I'm BRAVE....and a REBEL....and I DONT CARE who knows.
"Hi, I'm Kathryn. I. Like. To. Fly."
dailyseeking: I wonder if more women dream than men? Altho, I've read that EVERYBODY dreams...just a lot of ppl don't remember them.
You are my biggest fan; thanks for all of your comments!
i had a dream where i was falling into a black space and i woke up asleep half way off my bed it was very strange sort of like de ja vu for me and freaked me out haha
I used to dream all the time that my teeth were falling out. These dreams used to freak me out. They felt so real.
Who I would do in a dream varies from day to day. LOL! The guy who plays Jax in Sons of Anarchy is at the top of the list this week.
I have something for you on my blog! Love to read your blog every day!
Oh I am a former New Yorker. Or rather I am a New Yorker trapped in Arizona! Once a New Yorker always a New Yorker I think!
I never dream...at all. My sister swears I do but I just don't remember, but I don't think I really do. I don't even move around in my sleep. I'm weird, I know.
I tend to have dreams from only a few set categories not counting those I don't remember:
- Most of my nightmares are from real stuff where I wake up either screaming or crying usually about children/babies. I think it's certainly about the child I lost.
- There's the seriously weird. One of my favorites is for some reason I was secretly following the cast of 90210 (my sister loved this show but I didn't). They went to some big warehouse-looking place and from my spot on the roof I could look down into the building which had a huge pool. All of the 90210 people turned into water animals like whales and such in the pool! Interpret THAT! lol
- I'm flying but using it to desperately flee something. I don't know what but I get the distinct feeling it's something like an angry mob. This could certainly just be about my social phobia but one thought that really intrigues me is the possibility that my social phobia itself stems from a past life incident in which I was harried/chased/maybe killed by a large group of people.
- Plain old nightmares.
The last two categories are what I think of as almost lucid. I never have a moment where I realize I'm dreaming but when pushed somehow in the dream, like the scary thing/s being way too close, I can kind of just will whatever awful thing was about to happen to just not happen.
What would I do if I ever fully realized I was dreaming? EASY! I'd go poking around into my past (most of which I don't remember), past lives, and future!
I would change the ending so that I get 'the guy.' Seems that even in my dreams... I don't usually get the guy. How crazy is THAT???!!!
Oh yeah... and fly. ;o)
I'm usually sitting up all night tapping away on my computer, so I get too tired to dream, but I hate that feeling that you get when you think that you've stopped breathing! Very scary!
I would hate to be my own heroine, that would just spoil the story if I knew what was going to happen next, and it was all in my head anyway!
I'm a lucid dreamer! I may not be the queen, but I am at least a lady-in-waiting.
And when I get to choose what to do in a dream, I usually take off my clothes and find a buffet. Naked eating! It's fun, but only in a dream.
P.S. I love the view from your non-dreaming window. Surely those nice deer would catch you if you tried to fly?
Gillian: Guilt?! Say it ain't so! It simply cannot be....I refuse to believe that anything so liberating can be bad for you. So, I hereby disallow it. Freud's a loony, for sure!
Maureen@IslandRoar: I hear you...I always know exactly where I'm going and seem to have an eagle's vision. I wish we could order up those dreams before bed...wudn't that be awesome?
Jen: You're too funny! That's exactly my fear...it's kinda scary! Maybe I need a sign that states "Please verify consciousness before flinging". I'll know what it means....
book*addict: Aw, honey! That sounds positively scary!! It's like you're trying to wake yourself up and are aware on some level that you can't? That's what it sounds like. I sort of get that sometimes...I'll think I'm awake and go to turn on the light and it won't work...and I'll think, "Uh-oh...this can't be good."
jmberrygirl: Really? It's funny... a lot of people don't remember them, yet my *extensive* research says everyone has 'em. You need more of the good ones, sweetie!
Spot: Well, flying never appeals to me when I'm *awake*....It's a whole 'nother thing when you're dreaming, I think. And I can't believe you don't know what you'd do??!
Joyce: Hey, you!! Well, I can certainly tell you've done your homework on THIS topic....7 years of dream interpretation? Be glad I didn't know this before...I'd be calling you ALL THE TIME! I hope book*addict & carissajaded see this post...otherwise I'll be sure to point them to it at their place.
Thanks so much for the wonderful insight, Joyce! xoxo
Tinkerschnitzel: Oh, honey! NOT lucid nightmares! They're the WORST. I've had recurring scary dreams from my childhood home as well...I wonder if it's 'cause when we're little we feel helpless at night?
Heather: Woah! THAT'S interesting! So, if you were lucid, does that mean that you WANTED to be romantic with the ex? Or did you freak out once you became lucid and realized it was HIM? I'm going to need some clarification here.
Wendy Blum: HA! Ya know, I think of you now every time I use that word! You are now "immortal" in my head!
Smileyfreak: Of course you'd fly! And maybe knock some people over when you land!?
Oddyoddyo13: Oh, yeah....this is so true. Our own imagination can be our worst enemy. That's why some of the scariest things are the things we can't see...right?
Gingerella: Wow! Well, maybe someday you WILL take those flying lessons! Sometimes, I can shake my head violently side-to-side and force myself out of a bad dream, but it doesn't always work.
Collette: Yeah, that's a big issue...waking up as soon as you realize you're lucid. Believe it or not, I've tried rubbing my hands together (sounds dumb, but I'd read it somewhere) if you feel the dream fading and it usually works! Weird, right?
Straight Guy: Oh, SG! Yikes! What's the point of dreaming THAT? Did you ever have the "I can't find my locker dream?" I still have that one from time to time...
Lauren: Well. That nightmare sounds terrifying and so does falling out the window! THAT'S what worries me....I can't believe I'm actually questioning it in my dream.
Dreamfarm Girl: HA! I think you're TOO lucid...you're being cautious! We need a happy medium for you!
Dailyseeking: You are so welcome, sweetie! It's my pleasure!
Saku chan: Wow! Almost sounds like you could've been sleep walking....only you didn't make it that far!
Christiejolu: Thank you, sweetie! Yeah, I had a dream once that my teeth were all wobbbly, but they were aching from that teeth-whitening stuff! I love to seek out the hotties if I think of it in my dreams as well!
Clandestiny: Wow! Amazing stuff! You are a very vivid dreamer! I'm so sorry for the child you've lost...I would certainly think that would explain many of those types of nightmares. Wow...how great wud it be if you could go back and visit your past lives! If you ever DO, report back!!
Smoog! Sounds perfect to me! Fly....and get the guy! Happy endings!! Whee!
Alice in Wonderland: Well, you SHOULD dream, sometime...it's supposedly good for the brain...or something like that. What I love is trying to make things happen when I'm lucid...I'll open a door and say "George Clooney...appear!"
JD at I DO Things: HA! Love your lucid nudity....I'll definitely know it's YOU if we ever bump into each other! And yeah, I'd like to think the deer would at least break my fall!
Kathryn ... RE question on whether women dream more than men --- when I had my dream group, it seemed equal, except women tend to talk more about it (how unusual) --- also interesting to note is the men's dreams were more vivid, action-packed, and in color rather than black & white. When I was in an International Dream Group, it was revealing that no matter where they were from in this world, everyone had similar dreams, similar problems, not matter what language they spoke.
I rarely have those kind of dreams now that I'm not always tripping on something. So as a result I don't remember them...I just know that I had them. XD And if I did...I sure as heck wouldn't repeat them cause I've been told they were rather uhm what would the word be....creatively violent? XD
Joyce: This is fascinating stuff! No wonder you studied it for so many years! And how interesting that men would dream more in color...what's that about?
Gavin: Oh...you're way overdue then for a good, old fashioned, leisurely flight around town. I hope there are some excellent dreams in your future, sweetie.
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