Thread: Perchance to Dream

[quote]I didn't get much sleep last night, but I wasn't overly tired this afternoon. However, realizing that it might be the only time I had the chance, I decided to attempt a WILD, since the afternoon nap thing is the closest I've come so far. I laid down just as I had before and relaxed fairly easily once again, taking time to regulate my breath and heartbeat and to take notice of what I was feeling. Once I was relaxed, I got the floating feeling I usually get in deep relaxation, as if my body is very distant and disconnected.

I started counting down from 100, and found myself again falling in and out of napping; this time, however, I let my mind continue to drift, always reminding myself to stay aware when I had a moment of real consciousness. It went on like this for a little while, until I began to suddenly experience things I hadn't before.

Physically, I felt extreme heaviness in my entire body, and I had this feeling like I was sinking into the bed, starting at my legs and moving upwards. Then I noticed that, though I knew for a fact my ankles were still crossed, it felt like they weren't any longer; it felt as if they were stretched out in front of me, and they were very cold and rigid. This continued for a few minutes before turning completely upside down, suddenly feeling very warm, and then as if they didn't exist at all. At this point, I couldn't have told you whether I had a body or not, because I couldn't feel any part of it.
Classic Sleep Paralysis. I tend not to get SP very heavily at all, but you seem to. It's kinda cool, actually, and I wish I got it more heavily.

[quote]While I was noticing these physical changes, I also began to have bits of dreams, half between a dream and a daydream; almost lucid. The imagery was more vivid than just if I was daydreaming, and I heard the voices of the people talking to me (the one I remember most clearly was walking with Bob on my front porch, talking about my car in that oh-so-sexy voice of his, and I intentionally made the choice to direct him up the path), but then it would dissolve and I would return to some very strange state of consciousness where I was aware but my mind felt like the thoughts were slow and far away.
Classic hypnagogic imagery. Mini-dream-scenes, etc.

[quote]Then, suddenly, there was this big explosion of color behind my eyes, brighter than I'm used to seeing when my eyes are closed, and I noticed that my eyelids were flickering, though I wasn't trying to open my eyes, nor did I want to. This went on for several minutes, and I'm not ashamed to say I got kind of excited wondering what the hell was going to happen next.
This is pretty much you going into REM. Basically, the transition. Imagery and shit gets heightened during transition, so it's no surprise all the colours seem brighter and shit.

I'll tell you something that really WILL piss you off: if you hadn't been so damn excited, you would have made the transition. Basically, you need to sort of keep doing this kind of shit until it becomes second nature, and you don't get too excited.

[quote]After that, it was like it calmed, and the colors were cool and white, and I had a few more vague dream images. As this happened, I suddenly became aware of my breathing, and realized that my chest felt constricted, as if it weren't moving much, and my breaths felt distant and shallow, and I guess I sort of panicked. After that, I couldn't really get to the state I was before, so I decided to stop trying while I could still be happy (or at least curious) about what I had achieved rather than disappointed at what I hadn't.
This is basically just you going beck ibnto normal stages of sleep after the failed transition. I think. I could be wrong on this one, though.

I am the master of sleep paralysis.
THE MASTER!!!11111@@@

So. How'd it go with ITM last night?

Originally posted by The Blue Meanie+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(The Blue Meanie)</div>

I'll tell you something that really WILL piss you off: if you hadn't been so damn excited, you would have made the transition.[/b]

ARGH! Are you serious?!

Originally posted by Celoude@
I am the master of sleep paralysis.

What's wrong; feeling threatened?

<!--QuoteBegin-Courtney
So. How'd it go with ITM last night?

I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about...

WOW! That was a close one! Right on the edge!

Yep, that is what is so annoying about WILD. They are so darn ellusive sometimes!

Keep trying, You've almost got it!

Dahling, I just thought I'd tell you that I resized your siggy you made because (on my screen at least) it was gigantic and stretched the forum (although that may just be my AOL...) I did the "75% of original" in my photobucket. And if you prefer I don't have it in there, I'll take it out, I just needed to resize it.

(Lol, I don't know what 'restrictions' you have on your art...)

It's fine, Courtney. I went back and resized the original link in my photobucket, too, so everyone's should change now.

Dream 1

I was outside in a parking lot, I think near a Food Lion, and I was putting a bright red table cloth on a large wooden picnic table out there. Up on a hill (an upward-sloping grassy median), my parents were talking to Adonis and someone else, and I was getting impatient.

Dream 2

I was with David walking down some sort of hall, and he gave me a silver card with red heart cut outs on it that said "I love you." And I gave him one back.

This dream really unnerved me somehow. It's one thing to dream about hating his guts, but to dream about loving him? Is this just me reflecting on how it used to be? Missing our relationship? Because I CERTAINLY don't miss him.

Dream 3

There were two people bickering about Star Search, and some big black lady said, "It's first come, first serve." And I started making some really cheesy stage show with clapping and dancing and music for Star Search.

[quote]big black lady

Do I see the words, Big... Black... And lady?
Bowchickabowbow!

That's right, Cel...she was visiting my dreams before leaving for a strip tease in yours!

Dream 1

All I remember is one of my fifth grade students (TJ) and I were holding hands and talking about how short he was. Very strange. Not one I want to remember, actually.

Dream 2

I was in some club at a church, and two ladies came home with me. My house was completely different, but very cool. And it was raised off the ground somehow, like a tower.

Dream 3

I was about to go into some fast food restaurant that was, like my house in the previous dream, raised off the ground somehow, and I had to walk on a red, raised pathway to get to it. In my dream I was really tired, but I was also really hungry. Just as I was opening the door, I spotted a tornado forming. I yelled "Tornado!" and got everyone inside. Then suddenly everyone started laughing at me. "A tornado in Los Angeles? Please!" one blonde chick said. It turned out to be some kind of strange waterspout that stretched for miles and was silver.

Dream 4

I saw another fifth grader, Jarvis, stranded at the end of King Pointe with two siblings (Tyrus and some little girl). He was standing next to a big, light blue, beat up old car and was too afraid to pull out into the traffic on Lewis Road. He looked really worried, so I pulled up beside him and asked him if he wanted me to pull it out for him. He nodded, so I got in the car. The gas tank was empty, so I was worried it wouldn't start. It did, but the gas light came on, so I drove it down the street to a gas station (one that doesn't exist, by the way). It was really hard to steer. Somehow my parents helped Jarvis drive my car to the gas station. I pulled his car up to a pump and told him the first thing I wanted him to do was fill the car with gas.

Dream 5

Some woman was kicked out of the home she was living in. She was in an alley way at night and everything had an eerie red glow over it. She was sitting on the street in a puddle of water, rocking and crying, and then she started throwing up.

I was at a school where I apparently worked. It had all these levels, and there were kids everywhere, ages ranging from infants to 6th graders. Parents were wandering around, too, and it was before school started for the year. I sat down at a computer and was given the option to let it randomly pick my position for the year or select my own, but I pushed the wrong button and got stuck in the same job.

Then I found out that David's new girlfriend was working in the same school, and I was determined to find her. I found this girl with brown hair and a pixie cut crying in a pale yellow room full of cribs. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me she had just had a panic attack. I told her about a friend of mine who has panic attacks, and asked her what triggered hers. I can't remember what she said it was. Somehow I knew that this must be David's girlfriend, and I comforted her, but I half wanted to warn her and half wanted to make her miserable.

I was with a couple of people who were apparently my friends. One of them was a girl with long, dark hair, and I think her name was Sarah (it may have been the Sarah from my senior English class, come to think of it). The other was a younger guy with short brown hair and wearing a black hoodie. They were taking me to the airport because I was going to see Lewis in California.

We walked into the airport and we talked about my car. I told Sarah to take my car for me. I told her to call my parents when she got home to let them know she had it, and she agreed. Then we went into an elebator to another floor where I dug out my ticket. Once I had found my ticket and checked in my luggage, we sat down to wait, and I told them that I hadn't told my parents I was leaving. They were both worried about how my parents were react, knowing that they'd probably flip out. So I called them on my cell phone (which I apparently found sometime before this dream was taking place), and they were surprisingly fine with it.

The next thing I remember was being on the plane. It was very small length-wise, but it had the interior of a 747. I sat in the second seat from the left in the middle row of five. The pilot came out to give us his little speech in person, and he was really tall and had to duck to stand in the plane. His copilot started taking off, and then he realized that the door was still ajar, so he closed it. I was thinking Oh, my, god. This guy didn't even make sure the door was closed before we took off! I looked around nervously while we flew, and then after a very short time, I saw the moon shoot past our window, and it was HUGE. It looked like it was setting right outside of the window. Then I realized we were landing, and it dawned on me that I hadn't checked to see if I had a connecting flight. We landed in what I believed to be Georgia (which would be a very, very, VERY short flight from South Carolina. I got off the plane and started searching for my ticket for the next flight. I couldn't find it for the longest time even though it was right in front of my face. Finally I saw that I had it stuck in the ticket holder, and that's where I lose the dream.

I can only remember a small dream fragment last night, but I thought it was kind of funny. On the "Post your DV Member Dreams Here" thread, I had told Matt that he needed to "get crackin'" because someone needed to dream about me. Then last night, we were talking about how to induce a dream with a particular person. He was the last person I talked to before going to bed last night, and whaddya know:

I logged onto DV and checked the "Post Your DV Member Dreams" thread. There was a post from The Blue Meanie, and he had quoted a section from his dream journal. I don't remember what it said exactly, but in the first sentence he was listing who had been in his dream, and it was myself and Gwen. I remember seeing "poeticDreamer" really clearly, for some reason.

Man, I wish I could remember what the rest of the post said!

poeticDreamer

Ehrmmm... yeah... see... I gotta ask, exactly what *type* of dream was this?

That's just it...I don't remember, but I don't think it was sexual. But if they were...well, you should consider yourself lucky. lol.

But... but... goddamn it!

Me + Gwen + pD? Argh! DAMMIT! Why oh why can't you remember! That would have been frickin' awesome! (Up until the point where Bobby comes in and tears me apart with his bare hands, of course!)

Dammit! What do I have to do to get similar stuff happening in *my* dreams???

WILD Attempt

Time: 3:58
Duration: Approximately 1 hour

This is definitely the best way to spend an afternoon. I was very stiff and a little sleepy today, so it felt good to lie down this afternoon. I decided to attempt a WILD, and I think I very nearly succeeded in making the transition; I may even have made it, just I think it was incomplete.

Everything went as it has so far--I was able to relax fairly quickly, and I actually started to lose focus and fall asleep, but I was able to bring myself back. I felt the now familiar sensation of my body kind of going away; the tingling in my arms and legs, then the feeling as if they're just gone.

I had the little fragments of dreams like I usually do, and then the sudden splash of color behind my eyes and the awareness that my eyelids were flickering, but I didn't get all excited this time, I reminded myself to stay calm. I paid more attention to the colors than the fact that my eyes were open, and then suddenly I had the freakiest sensation ever--it felt like my arms and legs were shaking. Seriously. Not trembling, not shivering--downright SHAKING. It was weird and cool. And then I slid into a very short lucid dream fragment where I was petting a panther.

Then the second freakiest sensation ever happened--my body twitched as if someone had stuck their hand under my right side and lifted me up. It kind of shook me out of the dream segment, but I immediately fell back into another one. In this one, I was at the school in the fifth grade hallway, and I discovered that when I did something in Ms. Brown's classroom, it would happen in Mrs. Geddings class as well. I had a few moments of fun throwing erasers around Ms. Brown's room and watching the kids in Mrs. Geddings' class freak out at the erasers flying around their own room before I sort of lost it and decided to just let myself wake up.

So...pretty cool.

I was in this house with a load of people I know in some way or another, and it was pitch black. Half of the people were sitting around drinking and talking--I remember one couple specifically, a girl and a guy were drinking out of red plastic cups. She was sitting in the chair and he was sitting on the arm of it--he was wearing white, she was wearing turqoise, and they were laughing.

The other half were all armed with some kind of weapon; I think it had some sort of sticky substance that shot out of it. I'm pretty sure it was all a game, but it was really cool. I know for a fact that Oneironaut and The Blue Meanie were playing the game with me, and we were the most active. We could make ourselves invisible in this house, but I had night vision goggles, and the invisibility didn't work against the night vision goggles. A lot of the dream was with the goggles on, so everything was green, and it was awesome. I kept hitting people with the substance and everyone was laughing. It was a blast.

A group of girls from the school where I work came into the library asking for a Princess Party. I was trying to get them settled down and plan the party. Somehow I knew that Jaime wanted to be at the party, too, but it kind of faded away after that.

When I wasn't completely awake yet, I turned to Jaime and told her she could come to the party. lol.

So I took some B6 last night--one before I went to bed (12:45a) and one when I did WBTB (5:15a). I didn't LD, but I did have some super detailed dreams--the kind I haven't had in a long while.

Dream 1

I was on a city street that was eerily quiet; there weren't even cars driving by. It had been raining, so the street was wet, and it reflected the street lamps really well. I remember it being really shiny. I was in an equally shiny black pickup truck, and for some reason, I was straining to hear something. Suddenly Max Pearl ran by the truck; he was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, and he kind of jogged quickly by. I leaned out the window and called out his full name, then I climbed out of the truck to chase him. I suddenly heard music, so I slowed down. I climbed into the back of another pickup truck further down the street and looked over the edge of the tailgate. The music was coming from a piano in the middle of a courtyard. The back was open, I remember seeing the hammers hit the strings, and I could just see Max playing the piano. There was a round fountain behind him, and it was splashing up beautifully in the light of the dim street lamps.

Dream 2

I was in a car with Mrs. Collaro, and we were discussing some Avon things she had bought from me. I was demonstrating new Avon toothpaste (not that it exists, mind you) when two of my kids (MIreya and Jordan) were suddenly standing by the car. It was pouring rain, and Mireya's red umbrella didn't seem to be helping much, so we told them to come into the car. I dropped a red soda bottle cap and Jordan picked it up for me.

Dream 3

I was in a theater where we were sitting at tables and they were serving dinner. The tables were white and had spaghetti and salad on it. I was sitting with some teenagers, and my parents were behind us. There was one boy in particular sitting next to me who was a riot--he kept me in stitches throughout dinner. Cute kid, too--brown hair, blue eyes. There was this really tough-looking, preppy type guy sitting in front of us who kept looking back at us. For whatever reason, the guy sitting next to me thought the dude in front of us was going to hit on him, so he said, "Quick, put your arm around me so he'll think I'm taken." I looked at him like he was mental, but he said, "C'mon, please?" So I did. But then I decided that I needed deodorant, and there was a green-blue containter of roll-on deodorant on the table, so I put some on. Then the tough guy turned around again so Ted (I think the kid's name was Ted) asked me to put my arm around him again. We started talking and laughing about the deodorant (it was Avon), and my dad leaned up and said very angrily, "Do you teach?"
"Yes."
"Do you sell Avon?"
"Yes."
"DO YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT DURING THE MOVIE?"

I was in the kitchen, and I was trying to wash a cup. I discovered there was no soap in the little container my mum uses, and I had a very clear image of my mum getting really angry at me for leaving it empty, so I refilled it.

This dream was part of a much larger one I can't remember, but I had to write it down because of how I remembered having it.

I woke up this morning and went to the kitchen to wash Jaime's cups, and there was no soap in the container, and I thought, "Wait a minute, I just filled this..." But then I couldn't remember when I had filled it. I realized then it had been a dream, and taking the image of my mum yelling at me to heart, I refilled the container right away.

Wow. You know, that ALMOST beats my infamous "black square" dream. ALMOST.