Just started having hypnagogia

Hi there,

I have been having hypnagogia for the past 2 weeks. For the most part, these "dreams" are really bizarre, and mostly negative. They get really intense and then I wake myself up. I don't like them. I saw my doctor today and he said he could put me on some anti-anxiety pills. I don't really want to do that either.

So I decided to look up ways to control these semi-concious dream states.

Can you guys offer me any tips?

Like I said, most of them "feel" negative. I will have about 4 of them (which I will wake myself up from) and then maybe an hour later I will finally be able to fall asleep and not have to deal with them anymore. When I finally do get to sleep, I do dream, but I am just an observer of the dream and its not very vivid, although I can remember details when I wake up.

Anyway, sorry for the long winded message. I am really just looking for ways to control this hypnagogic state. I don't want to take the pills, so I figure I might as well try to use this state for something good if I can control it.

Thank you very much in advance

I read earlier that I need to remain calm. This is so hard to do but I will try again tonight. I am thinking now that this altered state is not negative in the hallucinations/sounds I am hearing but because I feel very uncomfortable with the fact that I know it isn't reality. I guess I just need to accept what is happening. Why can't there be 5 naked beautiful women beside me in this altered state though? haha

Maybe it is sleep paralysis. I am so confused :(

id change with you if i could, pity i never have so intense hypnagogia, only sometimes or at successfull wbtb.

dont worry i have really bizarre dreamimaginery too, its not that bad, since its your body, try to find something special in nightmarish bizarre negative images, . hope i could help

Controlling HI is more subtle than controlling a full blown dream. Probably because you have less content in HI than you do in a full dream, so you have less choice as to what to focus your attention on. Try reframing what you see and thinking about it in a different context. If what you're experiencing is unpleasant, try to single out one element that you can spin into something more positive. It's really hard for me to explain.

Another option would be to speed up the HI process to jump right into the dream. Hi ends and dreaming begins the moment you acquire your dream body. Just hook your attention onto anything that it moving, and try "feel" that sense of movement. This should speed up the appearance of your dream body. It might just start with the sensation of arms and/or legs, but then you're half way there. Of course this will likely land you in a dream based of your HI, but you can always fly the hell out of there.

Or you could always try to incubate something different.

There are lots of options to consider before drugs.