Thread: Lucid Dreaming -- Some questions

First I hope I do not bore anyone with this post, I am certainly not a sleep scientist and may not be versed in proper terminology about dreams.

I first realized I was lucid when I was 17 or so, I guess, I am 41 now.

I started out first just KNOWING I was dreaming, but not able to control or terminate a dream. I started by simply (and involuntarily) recognizing at a point in the dream that something was just not RIGHT and then I could go about the dream, good or bad, understanding that I was actually dreaming.

Not long after that I started to be able to terminate my dreams. I was newly married when I realized I could do this... I would SCREAM at the top of my lungs in the dream for my wife to WAKE ME UP! What my wife heard was a series of muted moans that I later told her if she hears, to wake me. It got so normal for her after I while that she didn't even ask what I was dreaming anymore.

Over the years I got to where I would, literally, kick myself out of a dream that was not going the way I wanted. I would actually feel my whole body outside of the dream and kick my leg.

This then evolved into the my current state of dreaming. Now when I want to end a dream I imagine my room outside the dream, I am completely conscious (at least apparently so) of the world outside of the dream. I feel myself "standing" right inside my eyelids and I make my eyes open.

OK enough of what you all have probably heard a thousand times... To my questions:

1. My dreams are incredibly vivid, colorful and real regardless of bad or good. I have heard that some people just have vivid dreams where some people just... don't. Is this something that tends to be common with Lucid dreamers?

2. Sometimes when I go to bed, I feel "buzzing" in my head and what sounds like "wind" blowing past my ears. I have found that this experience ALWAYS, without exception, precedes extremely intense dreams. The dreams might be imaginative, sexual or terrifying, but they are always extremely real and intense, almost to the point where they overwhelm me.

What is this feeling? Is it normal? Common? Am I crazy?

3. I have a reasonably common occurrence in my dreams. Inside the dream I will experience and incredible, almost possessive feeling. I will feel a tickling buzz start and then it literally will prevent me from moving and (in the dream) I will fall to the ground and fight it. I say fight because that is ABSOLUTELY what it feels like.

As time has gone by not only have i learn to "fight back" against it sometimes, but Many times now, when I feel it coming on I will, right there, attempt to end the dream. Sometimes, however, when I end the dream it sticks with me and, apparently fully conscious, I wrestle with "it" and can't awaken fully until the episode is over.

Is this sleep paralysis? Is this common?

4. ONE LAST QUESTION: I have fairly "mastered" being able to end my dreams and, many times, manipulate my dreams.

If one can end a dream at will, with "mental training" (can't think of a better way to say it, sorry) can one train themselves to "maintain" a dream if they choose?

Example: If a gang of people are chasing me in a dream, BOOM I end the dream. If I am having a "GOOD" dream, is it possible (or has it been done) to continue a dream and perhaps consciously make the dream NOT stop?

I hope the above makes sense.

That is all I have for now, I hope to get some feedback on what I experience. I would like to know if what I experience is common or uncommon.

Dreams fascinate me and I often look forward to seeing what my brain is going to come up with tonight.

Thanks and I am enjoying reading many of your posts.

1. Some people have more vivid dreams than others, and sometimes you just have vivid dreams, I think it's more just about how well you remember all the details.
2. I'm not sure about this one, I think it could hypnogagic sounds, which means sounds that you hear during sleep paralysis, but this time when you are going to sleep, if so, this is a technique caleld WILD.
3. If you wake up like that, then yes it is sleep paralysis, don't worry it's quite common and safe and you can learn to enter lucid dreams from this.
4. yes it is, I would reccomend that you just look at the DREAM CONTROL section on this website if you want help with that, look at threads on stabilizing dreams

Thank you for your response, I will check that section and look into that WILD technique.

Thank you for all of your help... but i have a unique situation... **Every time I try to lucid dream... i have a false awakening, and write my dream in my dream journal (Only to find that I'm asleep). Sometimes I have 3 false awakenings in a row. I even ask myself..."Am i dreaming?", and in the dream I think about it (Forget to do a reality test), and say... "This must be real". Then I will doze off in my dream, then have another false awakening... write down the same dream that I had, ask my self the same thing, and think nothing of it. This is annoying... any advice?