Communicating With Dream Characters

[iadr]

Was wondering how many people have been able to communicate with their dream characters and learn something useful from them. Among the questions I would like to ask a dream character I think the most important one for me is going to be "What can I do to become better at lucid dreaming?" Has anyone ever asked a dream character a question that has helped them with something, or does anyone else have any suggestions for other questions that one could ask a dream character once they become lucid? Feel free to share your experiences and suggestions for questions you might want to ask a dream characters.

[pj]

I've had a lot of interaction with DCs - deliberate interaction with the intent of learning more about the dream state. What I have come away with, (which is not what I expected,) is a questioning of exactly what the dream state is and whether DCs are really creations of our own minds. They seem to be MOST unhelpful about becoming a better lucid dreamer, making it clear that they don't much like us.

[Jdeadevil]

Whaa? So Dream Characters are ignorant sods? Well, more to punish.

[iadr]

I've had a lot of interaction with DCs - deliberate interaction with the intent of learning more about the dream state. What I have come away with, (which is not what I expected,) is a questioning of exactly what the dream state is and whether DCs are really creations of our own minds. They seem to be MOST unhelpful about becoming a better lucid dreamer, making it clear that they don't much like us. That's interesting and not at all what I would expect either. It sounds like they may not understand what the dream state is because to them this is their reality and not a dream, and that they seem so real to themselves that they do not realize that they are actually a creation of the dreamers mind. And maybe some of them are not a creation of the dreamers mind, as some of them may actually be other dreamers out and about during the night. Maybe asking them in a different way such as "Do you have any suggestions on how I can get into this state more often in order to visit with you?" Most of my DC's lately have been animals, mainly a puppy who comes up and starts licking my face everytime he shows up in my dreams, but they have all been quite friendly and talkative when I have ask them something. I'll work on communicating with them about ideas on how I can enter this state more often to be able to communicate with them more often.

[Adam]

I have asked DCs how to become better at lucid dreaming, and how to make my dreams more vivid and this one DC advised me when I was spinning to inrease clarity I was spinning anti-clockwise rather than clockwise, which is why I was not having much success with it. So with this I tried it and it worked a treat, and had one of the longest lucid dreams as a result

[Moonbeam]

I almost hate to reply to this, because of how it may influence your experiences with DC's in a negative way. I have had the same experience as pj. When you find one that seems to be "aware", they are very tricky. At first they seem friendly and helpful, but they very quickly beome hostile and obstinate. They always try to touch me. The seem very sly, and a lot of times I don't notice that we have been walking along with our arms around each other, or that they have been gripping my arm. When I realize and tell them to let go of me, they always squeeze me painfully until I become more insistent and forceful. They do obey eventually, very reluctantly. It could be that pj and I both have had a negative influence from a common source, which was reinforced by us sharing experiences. That's why I am worried about changing the tone of your dreams by talking about it. I hope that you have keep having good experiences and your DC's continue to be helpful. It does seem like DC's would be the best ones to advise you on how to improve your dreaming. If they are coming from your subconscious, they should know. Good luck, and if they tell you anything useful, let us know.

[iadr]

I have had the same experience as pj. When you find one that seems to be "aware", they are very tricky. At first they seem friendly and helpful, but they very quickly beome hostile and obstinate. They always try to touch me. The seem very sly, and a lot of times I don't notice that we have been walking along with our arms around each other, or that they have been gripping my arm. When I realize and tell them to let go of me, they always squeeze me painfully until I become more insistent and forceful. They do obey eventually, very reluctantly. Wow, your DC's sound downright mean Moonbeam. They sound much more like other dreamers that are trying to hit on you than parts of you subconscious mind. No wonder people seem to hate DC's so much in some of the other threads. I've been attacked a couple of times by DC's who were guys, but I've always gotten along very well with all of the DC's I've encountered who were females, and get along extremely well with most of the animals I encounter. I've always thought that the DC's I've encountered who were mean were probably just some lowlifes out there in the dream world acting the same way in the dream world as they do in real life. As far as the females I've encountered, the encounters are usually so vivid that I usually consider them to be other dreamers also, but who knows. Asking a DC who just happened to be another dreamier how to improve your lucid skills would probably not be worthwhile as they might be even less aware of what they are doing than the dreamer is, but if a person finds a DC that comes from their subconscious, that DC would probably be able to help. Maybe a good question to ask a DC before asking them anything else is "Who are you?" and "Where are you from?"

[Moonbeam]

Wow, your DC's sound downright mean Moonbeam. They sound much more like other dreamers that are trying to hit on you than parts of you subconscious mind. It doesn't feel at the time like they are trying to hit on me; more like they are being friendly and companionable, until I challenge them and they become aggressive and spiteful. Once a DC that seemd to be one of the aware ones did do something inappropriately sexual after he "changed", but it seemed like the same kind of thing as when they try to hurt me somewhat before letting to--just a little jab to annoy me; they don't seem very powerful in that way, as far as control over the dream-bodies. He ended up changing his appearance to be scary when the physical threats didn't work. Unfortunately, that did work, and I woke up on purpose. I wish I would have let him change and held my ground without getting freaked out. (The DC's that I do have sex with do not seem to be the aware kind, more just like a fantasy-type dream, or mental masturbation. The aware ones are not attractive to me in that way; it would be like having sex with a stranger IRL--just not the first thing I think of when I meet them.) No wonder people seem to hate DC's so much in some of the other threads. Yes, they can ruin your dream sometimes. Maybe a good question to ask a DC before asking them anything else is "Who are you?" and "Where are you from?" I have often asked them their names. They come up with some weird ones. I won't say where they say they are from. Why don't you ask a few times, and later we can compare notes. I don't want to influence your DC's responses. Or have you done that already?

[iadr]

I have often asked them their names. They come up with some weird ones. I won't say where they say they are from. Why don't you ask a few times, and later we can compare notes. I don't want to influence your DC's responses. Or have you done that already? Would you believe I've never once thought to communicate with a dream character verbally, except for the things we have done with the lucid dreaming tasks? Duh! I have had a couple communicate with me though as I had a guy who seemed to be rich, as he was wearing a nice suit, and we were sitting in the back of his limosine, show me a meditation technique one night. He was touching the back of my head and instructing me hold my tongue a certain way against the roof of my mouth when I meditated. And then there was an older man with gray hair and a beard not too long ago teaching me something as he was telling me some secret words of some kind that were some kind of keys to the universe. Interestingly enough I knew that this guy was from a certain website I had visited pertaining to this kind of information. I couldn't remember the words he gave me when I woke up though. So I guess I am lucky, because 99 percent of my DC's have really treated me good. This shall be my goal for the future, to get to know my DC's better.

[mylucidworld]

I don't trust dream characters. They have deceived me many times, but that being said i have really bonded with some dream characters. They vary which makes sense if they represent different aspects of your personality.

[Oneiro]

At last.. two people who have made a bit of a study of "talking to DCs": pj and Moonbeam. My experiences with DCs echo those of both pj and Moonbeam, in that I've rarely found them helpful, they're always trying to touch me in some way, often leading to sexual assault, and that they get really obstinate when put on the spot with a pertinent question.. but they will answer if one is persistent.. they just don't seem happy to do so. Over the last 32 years of LDing I have interacted a LOT with DCs, and have even developed a "cosmology" of sorts, as per the DCs answers. They aver that they are split into different "tribes", each of whom have a particular "trait". There is a "tribe" who call themselves "mashellan" or "mashlahn" who are the ones who impersonate family, friends, and celebrities. Next time you meet "someone you recognise" in an LD, you should ask them "Are you mashellan/mashlahn?" Be prepared for some resistance, but be persistent and they will answer.. they won't be happy about it though. There are other "tribes" who call themselves "ups" and "carousi/carousyl" btw. One surprising "discovery" I made was that not all DCs can interact. There is a group who are known as "phantom projections" who are just that: phantoms with no "inner energy", constructs of who knows what. Another thing that they all aver without disagreement is that the "world" in which we meet and interact with them is a real one. Any talk of the "subconscious" just leaves them cold. On occasions when I've been attacked by DCs, I have asked them what do they actually want from me? The answer has always been the same: "We want your energy.." I have asked the same question after rebuffing a sexual assault, and got the exact same answer. After persistent questioning, they say that they manipulate scenarios in the "dreamworld" in order to get an "energetic reaction" from the dreamer, whether it be a scenario of fear, love, or lust etc etc. They always say: "We want your energy.." Now.. some people will say that my DCs only say what they say to fit/fulfil my own personal expectations, i.e. if I believe that they are "real" that's what they'll say. I have no counter to that, other than to say that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence on this website from LDers who, although firmly entrenched in the mindset of "it's all in the mind", get the very same answers from DCs as I have: namely, that the "dreamworld" is "real" and that the DCs actually exist. So that should make some people think again. At least I hope it does.

[The Cusp]

I find the majority of DC's to be useless retarads, of no help at all. They seem to be MOST unhelpful about becoming a better lucid dreamer, making it clear that they don't much like us. I've found that too. All my DC's will go out of their way to assure me that everything is normal in an attempt to distract me from attaining lucidity.

[pj]

I find the majority of DC's to be useless retarads, of no help at all. Retards? Not by my experience. Devious and committed to their own ends, sure - but they sure do seem to have purpose and intent.

[Oneiro]

He was touching the back of my head and instructing me to hold my tongue a certain way against the roof of my mouth when I meditated. iadr? You've just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.. Did you know that this very same technique was published by Carlos Castaneda? He said it was taught to him by a DC.. .. and that the DC said that it was a way to increase lucidity in LDing? Weird stuff man.. Had you already read about it? Or was it a completely new thing to you?

[MadHatter17]

At last.. two people who have made a bit of a study of "talking to DCs": pj and Moonbeam. My experiences with DCs echo those of both pj and Moonbeam, in that I've rarely found them helpful, they're always trying to touch me in some way, often leading to sexual assault, and that they get really obstinate when put on the spot with a pertinent question.. but they will answer if one is persistent.. they just don't seem happy to do so. Over the last 32 years of LDing I have interacted a LOT with DCs, and have even developed a "cosmology" of sorts, as per the DCs answers. They aver that they are split into different "tribes", each of whom have a particular "trait". There is a "tribe" who call themselves "mashellan" or "mashlahn" who are the ones who impersonate family, friends, and celebrities. Next time you meet "someone you recognise" in an LD, you should ask them "Are you mashellan/mashlahn?" Be prepared for some resistance, but be persistent and they will answer.. they won't be happy about it though. There are other "tribes" who call themselves "ups" and "carousi/carousyl" btw. One surprising "discovery" I made was that not all DCs can interact. There is a group who are known as "phantom projections" who are just that: phantoms with no "inner energy", constructs of who knows what. Another thing that they all aver without disagreement is that the "world" in which we meet and interact with them is a real one. Any talk of the "subconscious" just leaves them cold. On occasions when I've been attacked by DCs, I have asked them what do they actually want from me? The answer has always been the same: "We want your energy.." I have asked the same question after rebuffing a sexual assault, and got the exact same answer. After persistent questioning, they say that they manipulate scenarios in the "dreamworld" in order to get an "energetic reaction" from the dreamer, whether it be a scenario of fear, love, or lust etc etc. They always say: "We want your energy.." Now.. some people will say that my DCs only say what they say to fit/fulfil my own personal expectations, i.e. if I believe that they are "real" that's what they'll say. I have no counter to that, other than to say that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence on this website from LDers who, although firmly entrenched in the mindset of "it's all in the mind", get the very same answers from DCs as I have: namely, that the "dreamworld" is "real" and that the DCs actually exist. So that should make some people think again. At least I hope it does. They could be "real" but that doesn't mean they're not all in your mind. Maybe we all have the alternative personalities which surface in people who suffer from MPS, but they're usually suppressed within our subconscious. Naturally such entities would object to being referred to as "not real", and have a particular interest in the only one in their world who actually gets to be "real". The only DCs I've encountered have been completely under my control. In fact I often dismiss them.

[iadr]

iadr? You've just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.. Did you know that this very same technique was published by Carlos Castaneda? He said it was taught to him by a DC.. .. and that the DC said that it was a way to increase lucidity in LDing? Weird stuff man.. Had you already read about it? Or was it a completely new thing to you? Whoa...you just made my hairs stand up Oneiro. No I have not read about it, but on another site where I posted the dream, the moderator told me that it was a technique that is also taught in a Phychic Development book that he had. Here is the dream the way I recorded it. Guess I should probably start paying more attention to these dreams and trying these things shouldn't I. It has only been about 3 months since I had the dream. __________________________________________________ _______________ Dream: Although this dream was not a lucid dream, it was a very interesting dream where I was being taught something. I am sitting in the back seat of a limosine with a successful lawyer who tells me that he contributes his success to a buzz saw that he bought which caused a certain kind of vibration in his head when he used it. When I ask him how many years he had to go to school to become a lawyer he avoids my question and continues telling me that the reason for his success is what he learned from the buzz saw. He then touches my forehead and shows me how to hold my tongue against the top of mouth when doing a chant to create these kind of vibrations within myself. I remember someone else telling me about this same technique earlier in this dream. Because this same theme was repeated 3 times, it seems to be something my subconscious mind is trying to show me. __________________________________________________ _______________ BTW Oneiro. I really appreciate all of the information you shared on this subject as I think it explains why some people have so many problems with DC's. 32 years is a long time to be lucid dreaming, and I value your opinions and your experiences. Thank you for sharing them. Your answer to what many DC's want makes perfect sense too, as does your explanation of where a lot of them come from. After reading what you said about the origin of a lot of DC's it makes sense that maybe one of the most important times a person should consider protecting themselves from psychic attacks by building a shield of white light around themselves, or by praying, or by whatever other means they believe in, would be right before going to bed.

[MadHatter17]

iadr? You've just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.. Did you know that this very same technique was published by Carlos Castaneda? He said it was taught to him by a DC.. .. and that the DC said that it was a way to increase lucidity in LDing? Weird stuff man.. Had you already read about it? Or was it a completely new thing to you? Its also a technique used in Qui based Chinese Medicine. Supposedly it connects the two power cycles in your body or something.

[Moonbeam]

My experiences with DCs echo those of both pj and Moonbeam, in that I've rarely found them helpful, they're always trying to touch me in some way, often leading to sexual assault, and that they get really obstinate when put on the spot with a pertinent question.. but they will answer if one is persistent.. they just don't seem happy to do so. That sounds like my DC's, with out the outright assualt. They haven't gotten that aggressive yet.

[Kristennoelle78]

It sounds like they may not understand what the dream state is because to them this is their reality and not a dream, and that they seem so real to themselves that they do not realize that they are actually a creation of the dreamers mind. And maybe some of them are not a creation of the dreamers mind, as some of them may actually be other dreamers out and about during the night. Maybe they are awake and "real" and we are the dream characters...awake only in the subconscious during the day and vivid in their dreams at night. Thus the reason they dont like us. ok...ok...so I'm talking mumbo jumbo...but it's an interesting thought.

[seeker28]

I, too have been contemplating the nature of the dream world and DCs. Hopefully, after a few more years of religiously keeping a DJ, I will feel like I have a better understanding. So far, I am starting to notice a trend (which would be interesting if it continues) that seems to place DCs into four distinct categories: 1. Constructs made by my mind to play specific and limited roles. These DCs seem shallow, and have a very limited range of responses and actions. I generally have a great deal of control over them. I can change how they look and act. I can banish them. However, sometimes I can't do much to them at all. I figure that is my mind being stubborn. 2. Representations of my subconscious mind. They are lively and dynamic. They tend to be either hostile or very helpful. If hostile and I ask what I may do to fix the problem, they always tell me something like I have been too critical of myself or too self-doubting. 3. People I who I think might be other dreamers. They generally are totally uninterested in me and may even treat me like a DC. They appear to be persuing dream adventures and dream plotts of their own. 4. The weird ones. I am begining to wonder if they might be real, in some sense. They are the most complex of DCs. They don't have that "flat" feeling I associate with constructs; the familiarity of my subconscious selves; or the warm, fleshy sensation I associate with the "other dreamers." They get really angry when I go around creating havoc and destruction. Last night, in fact, when I did the advanced task of the month and made it winter, one DC confronted me about the damage unexpected winter had caused. I told him it was just a dream. He said, "Well, I have to live here." I've had DCs do stuff like that before, but there was something about him that felt quite off. Okay, and this is something that freaks me out a little: in some dreams I go places that later turn out to be real. And they are places I could have never been in waking life, or ever seen pictures of, or even heard about. Anyone else experience this?

[Serinanth]

So I havent been around in a while, one of the reasons I left is that there was almost a total lack of people that seemed interested in the nature of the dream world of the people there, and how to communicate with them. You guys have made me feel a little more at home again. Seeker your different classes of DC seems to conform to my experiences. I've always been 50/50 in terms of the good and the bad. Some are often out to get me, in one case he even said he was a dreamer and kept asking me why I kept messing up his dream then we just had it out. He was slaughtering people for the hell of it. While I know people still enjoy these dreams I still find them not for me.... Others have given me insight into myself and about reality. I mean what do you tell some one you care about when they ask you. "Whats going to happen to me when you wake up?" I couldent say anything for a moment, I just sat there with her in my arms and said "I will remember you" I will too always. She was definatly one of the "weird" ones. Long ago I had a dream where I could not wake up the one DC I interacted with there seemed quite real and helped me out. The dream is in the scientist went out to lunch thread. Simply he recognised the fact that I didnt seem to belong and also seemed to understand the concept of me being able to wake up. He said "Hey, you should just wake up" and I did much to my releif. Ive kind of slacked off in the past few years when it came to dreaming but I think its time to try and understand again. Have any of you experienced a DC that you felt overwhelmed by? I found something in a cave once I dont really remember all the details but it was an etherial blue creature, I dont even know if it had a shape. But its presence totally dominated me. It wasnt hostile but I had a hard time interacting with it because it felt like I was well like I was looking at a god? It spoke to me but nearly all of what it said evaporated when I woke up, yet I remember the experience clearly, hah.. well not that clearly I guess then =D

[iadr]

Okay, and this is something that freaks me out a little: in some dreams I go places that later turn out to be real. And they are places I could have never been in waking life, or ever seen pictures of, or even heard about. Anyone else experience this? Interesting rundown on where DC's may come from Seeker28 and Serinanth. I've also experienced the same similarities which makes me think they can come from a variety of places, from my own subconscious mind, to other dreamers, to spirits of people who have passed on, to other kinds of spirits, some good, and some not so good. What makes me think that some of my DC's might be other dreamers is that I have had dreams before, even series of dreams, where I was with a certain person, usually of the opposite sex, which I later ended up meeting. Usually the vivid dreams seem to be interactions with other dreamers or spirits of some sort, while the non-vivid dreams seem to come more from my subconscious while it mulls over the things from previous days. I also go places in my dreams that I have never been before in the physical, yet in the dream I remember having been there before. I seem to have a completely separate life in my dream world with places I go to over and over again, which places I have sometimes have never been to in the physical. I also had an interesting encounter when I changed the weather while completing the advanced lucid task Seeker, as I suddenly found myself on the top of a mountain where a horse which seems to have gotten caught up in the blizzard that I apparently created was laying on its side unable to move. AFter that I decided not to mess with changing the weather anymore, because I felt like I would be screwing up something in my dream world if I did it again.

[Oneiro]

Have any of you experienced a DC that you felt overwhelmed by? I found something in a cave once I dont really remember all the details but it was an etherial blue creature, I dont even know if it had a shape. But its presence totally dominated me. It wasnt hostile but I had a hard time interacting with it because it felt like I was well like I was looking at a god? It spoke to me but nearly all of what it said evaporated when I woke up, yet I remember the experience clearly, hah.. well not that clearly I guess then =D This is interesting stuff, Serinanth. It reminds me of something I read once in a Castaneda book. He avers that he would often lucidly visit a "dreamworld" of caves and interconnecting tunnels, within which he once encountered an odd DC that was blue-coloured. He tried to communicate with this DC but found it nigh-impossible, due to what he felt was some sort of "energetic barrier". He states that he got the feeling that this DC was trapped somehow in that cave environment. He named this DC the "Blue Scout".

[Oneiro]

I also had an interesting encounter when I changed the weather while completing the advanced lucid task Seeker, as I suddenly found myself on the top of a mountain where a horse which seems to have gotten caught up in the blizzard that I apparently created was laying on its side unable to move. After that I decided not to mess with changing the weather anymore, because I felt like I would be screwing up something in my dream world if I did it again. That's precisely the concern I have about this month's advanced task, and for that reason, I'm going to give this month a miss.

[pj]

I had what seemed like a very profound lucid a couple months back. The whole dream is here: http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...&postcount=328 The relevant bit to where this conversation is going is this: I pull aside the curtains and look out a window, which I feel like I'm not supposed to do. It is still bright daylight. I watch the bustling traffic, wondering again if I'm just dreaming or am really lucid. To test, I will a minor accident and watch as it happens instantly. As I watch, complete chaos ensues around the accident, with DCs yelling at each other and frantic as traffic comes to a complete halt. I feel really bad about it. The teacher pulls me away from the window, explaining that we really shouldn't be disrupting the world of DCs. I ask what to do about the mess. He just laughs and waves his hand a bit at the window, saying, "You just set it right and mix things up a bit and they'll settle right back down." As he speaks, I hear the chaotic sounds outside settle and things go back to normal.