Do you keep trying in vain to achieve something in normal dreams?

[StephL]

I have asked some people, whom I know, if they have similar dreams. Only one of them does remember her dreams in the first place, and she told me she had the same phenomenon time and again as well. I mean normal dreams. So often there is something I want to achieve and it almost always - mostly just about - eludes me. This can be searching for something, trying to get somewhere or get there on time. Or trying to talk to somebody, but you just see them doing something, or talking to someone else but ignoring you or disappearing when you approach. I´ve been moving from city to city or just to another flat quite often in my life - what keeps haunting me, stupidly, is trying to pack up all my things and getting them in the transporter - there´s always something left. Not really so unrealistic.. hehe. Often I wake up and think - what a shame - I spent my whole time with something trivial and getting frustrated and frustrated and then some.. Worse yet, if it´s something I find important in a dream - makes me wake up in a bad mood. Only lately - since joining up here and purposefully practising dream-recollection - am I aware of this in such a way that the frustration carries over. Well - probably it did carry over before - and I just didn´t see a connection. In general I am very pleased with having access to my dreams again of course! So - I would actually want to know, if this is something common - I heard somebody theorize about it in a lecture I heard. Unfortunately I can´t come up with this theory any more. So - please just tell me, if you "suffer" from trying to do whatever in your normal dreams as well and keep getting frustrated! And any "theories" you might have on this as well, please! thank-you.gif

[Dragonworkz]

How often do you have dreams like this? I've had many dreams all my life where dream-me was focused on doing a certain task and was never able to do so; whether it was because something in the dream kept me from doing it, or because I woke up before I could accomplish whatever it was. Lately, these kinds of dreams have been less common for me and much more random. I think it's a normal thing. Some dreams just turn out this way. Going lucid in dreams like these can be pretty funny, as you suddenly realize how trivial the task you were doing was.

[StephL]

Oh - quite often - probably even every night - in some sort or other. I really have the suspicion that it is "normal" and has got something to do with brain activity in of normal REM sleep and dreams. But that was that then - maybe I should have started a poll to find out about just how common it is. I think, I remember the line of argument, that was presented in this lecture now - it is not exactly ground-breaking news, though. It went, that the parts of the brain, which are connected with not only consciousness but also our "executive functions", are quite inactive during normal REM sleep, while they "wake up" in lucid dreaming. So that the missing contribution of these areas tends to prevent us from achieving our goals in normal dreams. It fits nicely with the findings, which are discussed in this thread: Lucid Dreamers Help Scientists Locate the Seat of Meta-Consciousness in the Brain

[Amiana]

These happen to me sometimes, usually for a specific period of time when I'm frustrated about something and then they'll go away for a while. Other times they're just random. A recent example: right after my son was born I went through a period of a couple months where I had recurring nightmares about being trapped in a house, trying to get out and never being able to do so. DCs would follow me and make sure I couldn't escape, or I had to sneak out unseen and never had a chance, or I couldn't find any doors. Always a different house but the same dream; some were even lucid. These eventually stopped when I realized I was having trouble adjusting to feeling 'trapped' in my new life with a child. Perhaps there's something in your waking life that is triggering these?

[StephL]

Yeah - that could well be amiana - thanks!

[duke396]

When I saw the title of this thread it didn't really ring a bell but once I read your post, yes that's happened to me a lot of times. Used to be really frustrating, it seemed to often be about trying to locate someone or something and never being able to. Or the whole dream would build up to this cool anticipated climax and then I'd wake up right before it happened after spending all this time leading up to it. It doesn't seem to happen as much now. I think for me personally it could be because in waking life I often start things (like little personal projects) and never finish them, or I get discouraged with something I HAVE to do and think I'll never finish.

[StephL]

Ah - thanks for the answer - I´ve been peeking in some DJ entries and did indeed come across such stories quite often.. Interestingly - since I take part on here - and actually maybe really also after reading amiana´s post - this is almost gone! I had a nightmare last night, where there was constantly something to be averted/solved/dealt with - and I kept managing. It stressed me out no end - my pyjamas sweated through even - but it wasn´t this same feeling I described in the OP. Maybe aiming at lucidity in the first place could also increase "executive faculties" while non-lucid. I like this side-effect a lot! I might post the video of that lecture - cause I located it - somewhere more fitting later..