Thread: Is it plausible that I manually put myself into a deeper sleep and this improved my lucidity?

For the past few months I have had dreams with varying degrees of awareness/control. After researching, I can see that these have been semi-lucid dreams. A few times I have been aware that I am dreaming and have tried to exert control, but find that I cant. A good example is when I found myself in a room with no doors. I realised it was a dream, and attempted to create a door, but couldn’t. I was extremely frustrated but had no choice but to wake myself up. Once awake I was still frustrated, and made a conscious decision to “teach” myself how to control my surroundings better next time.

Today I was exhausted (after being unable to sleep last night) and decided to lay down and “rest my eyes” for a while. When I got up to finish off some important work, something felt wrong. My TV wasn’t in the right place, and I knew I was in a dream. I was angry with myself for falling asleep, and was torn between waking myself up to finish my work and exploring the dream world.

Suddenly, a voice told me that I needed to stay because it wanted to teach me something. I can’t really explain what this voice was. I think there was some kind of presence, and I could definitely hear the voice from an outside source (ie. it wasn’t in my head). It knew I couldn’t control my dreams completely, and told me I needed to go into a deeper sleep to do so. It told me to try to wake myself up, and just before I open my eyes to “let go” and fall into a deeper sleeping state. So I did, and found that details were sharper. I felt more aware of my surroundings.

I knew I was more powerful, and walked straight up to my wall and materialised a door. I was delighted. I built myself a world and controlled peoples minds, all the while to continuing to put myself into a deeper sleep (or so I thought).

Eventually I decided I had spent too long exploring and tried to wake myself, but found I couldn’t. I asked the voice how to get out. It told me I was so deep that something external would have to wake me. I became increasingly terrified that I would remain trapped in my dream, and that my body in the waking world would starve and die.

Eventually my room mate came home and woke me, but I’m not really sure if I was actually awake. I could certainly hear everything she was saying, but I was in a sort of paralysed state. Soon enough I “fell” asleep again. I felt as if I was in a shallower dream state and knew in this state I could wake myself up, and I did.

What I’m now wondering, is if this is actually plausible. That I can manually put myself into a deeper state of sleep, and that it can affect my lucidity. Or if it was just another semi-lucid dream in which I couldn’t completely control my surroundings? I couldn’t control the voice, after all, it came and went as it pleased. I couldn’t wake either, and had the irrational fear that my body would starve before it woke up.

Has anyone experienced this or something similar? Or heard of it happening?

I'm glad you posed the counter question to your original, and recognise that this could simply have been a semi-lucid dream, because that's the first thing I thought: that it was actually, for the most part, a dream that was out of your control. It reads so much like a non-lucid dream. Welcome to the forums btw.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

I can’t really explain what this voice was. I think there was some kind of presence, and I could definitely hear the voice from an outside source (ie. it wasn’t in my head).

It wasn't in your head, in your dream. Which means it was infact in your head.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

It told me to try to wake myself up, and just before I open my eyes to “let go” and fall into a deeper sleeping state. So I did, and found that details were sharper. I felt more aware of my surroundings.

This sounds like nonsense. Can you explain the technique any better than this? If you can't then it's almost certain it was nonsense. I have a feeling it was just some mystical secret that you were taught in a non lucid dream that allowed you to achieve your goals immediately and without any problems. I'm sure you can see why this reads like a regular dream.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

I knew I was more powerful, and walked straight up to my wall and materialised a door. I was delighted. I built myself a world and controlled peoples minds, all the while to continuing to put myself into a deeper sleep (or so I thought).

Here's the kicker, I think. Were you actually aware of everything you were doing? Were you making choices of what you wanted to happen? If you weren't, then you weren't actually lucid.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

Eventually I decided I had spent too long exploring and tried to wake myself, but found I couldn’t. I asked the voice how to get out. It told me I was so deep that something external would have to wake me. I became increasingly terrified that I would remain trapped in my dream, and that my body in the waking world would starve and die.

Next time, if you're lucid and want to wake up, close your eyes in your dream and affirm, "I want to wake up." Other people scream or do some other really intense thing.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

Eventually my room mate came home and woke me, but I’m not really sure if I was actually awake. I could certainly hear everything she was saying, but I was in a sort of paralysed state. Soon enough I “fell” asleep again. I felt as if I was in a shallower dream state and knew in this state I could wake myself up, and I did.

Maybe a false awakening or maybe just another section of a non-lucid dream.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

What I’m now wondering, is if this is actually plausible. That I can manually put myself into a deeper state of sleep, and that it can affect my lucidity.

Not from within a dream I don't think you can.

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

I couldn’t control the voice, after all, it came and went as it pleased.

Be prepared for people to shout 'ZOMG YOU FOUND YOUR DREAM GUIDE!'

Originally Posted by livinginthesky

I couldn’t wake either, and had the irrational fear that my body would starve before it woke up.

If you're lucid and you want to wake up, there shouldn't have been any trouble waking up.

Again welcome to the forums.

Originally Posted by Foul

This sounds like nonsense. Can you explain the technique any better than this? If you can't then it's almost certain it was nonsense. I have a feeling it was just some mystical secret that you were taught in a non lucid dream that allowed you to achieve your goals immediately and without any problems. I'm sure you can see why this reads like a regular dream.

I highly doubt it was a "technique" at all. It is common for DCs to provide you with methods of achieving particular goals, but these simply seem like the way in which your minds provides material processes through virtual mechanisms; such as, "try and become awake, but before you do, let go and you will go deeper". I.E. It seemed as if it was just his mind providing a way in which he could go deeper, or allegedly deeper anyway.

I don't understand WHY he was provided with a way of going supposedly deeper, but the random and unsystematic nature of dreams probably provides this answer.