Thread: How do you make your dreams LESS vivid?

I know I'm the only one asking this, but there you go. How does one make his dreams less vivid?

I would suggest yelling "less vivid" or thinking that it will become less vivid. Can't imagine why you wouldn't want a vivid dream though

Well if all day awareness make your dreams more vivid, try to do the opposite?

Can you tell us why you want less vivid dreams? Are you having nitemares or something that your trying to stop? Is this simply to do an experiment in a lucid dream? I'm really curious.

Originally Posted by imfivebyfive

Can you tell us why you want less vivid dreams? Are you having nitemares or something that your trying to stop? Is this simply to do an experiment in a lucid dream? I'm really curious.

It makes no sense. If he has nightmares, then it would be logical to ask "how do I make my nightmares stop?" or "how do I stop dreaming/recalling dreams?". It makes absolutely no sense to make nightmares less vivid, because you'll continue to have nightmares... only less vivid.

Originally Posted by Jakob

It makes no sense. If he has nightmares, then it would be logical to ask "how do I make my nightmares stop?" or "how do I stop dreaming/recalling dreams?". It makes absolutely no sense to make nightmares less vivid, because you'll continue to have nightmares... only less vivid.

Yep. It makes a difference. Less vivid nightmares aren't as bad. By your logic, it doesn't make a difference whether you break your leg completely in two, or simply have a little fracture. At the end of the day, you still have a broken leg

Of course, if it IS possible to completely prevent nightmares from happening, I wouldn't mind knowing how. The obvious answer is to learn how to lucid dream. But for personal reasons, I can't do that. So I'll need another way. If there is no way, I'll settle for the decrease in vividity.

Originally Posted by SuperFob

Of course, if it IS possible to completely prevent nightmares from happening, I wouldn't mind knowing how.

Ok, so ARE having nitemares. Are they reoccuring nightmares such as same people, places, and things? If you make note of a pattern it might be something you could resolve in waking life so that its not being stirred up in the big mixing bowl of dreamland.

Originally Posted by imfivebyfive

Ok, so ARE having nitemares. Are they reoccuring nightmares such as same people, places, and things? If you make note of a pattern it might be something you could resolve in waking life so that its not being stirred up in the big mixing bowl of dreamland.

I don't have a lot of nightmares. Throughout my life, it hasn't really been a problem for me. However, I'm still paranoid about them. I want to make sure I have none whatsoever.

Originally Posted by SuperFob

Yep. It makes a difference. Less vivid nightmares aren't as bad. By your logic, it doesn't make a difference whether you break your leg completely in two, or simply have a little fracture. At the end of the day, you still have a broken leg

You just made the point I am trying to make. Instead of eliminating nightmares altogether, or taking advantage of them, you want to make them "less vivid."

Of course, if it IS possible to completely prevent nightmares from happening, I wouldn't mind knowing how. The obvious answer is to learn how to lucid dream. But for personal reasons, I can't do that. So I'll need another way. If there is no way, I'll settle for the decrease in vividity.

When you take advantage of nightmares, you can turn them into a lucid dream, but you obviously don't want that.

Originally Posted by imfivebyfive

Can you tell us why you want less vivid dreams? Are you having nitemares or something that your trying to stop? Is this simply to do an experiment in a lucid dream? I'm really curious.

It could be that they, like me keep having re-occuring nightmares/dreams that are too vivid to handle. I wake part-way through the night with minor panic attacks roughly 40% of the time and i'd like that to stop. :/

^^ But is it their vividness you wish to diminish, or the nightmares in general?

I would imagine that, even if their imagery were dull and gray, your nightmares would be just as difficult. It's the mindset of a nightmare that stirs a dreamer, and that mindset can come in any condition or degree of clarity.

That said, LD'ing is a great tool for coping with nightmares, vivid or not. Now that you're here, you might want to browse the forums, as much has been written here about lucidly dealing with nightmares.

Oh, and welcome to DV's!

This thread is a candidate for the "Most Ridiculous DreamViews Thread" award.

dude i haven't had a nightmare since I was like 7 years old, its all in your mind. First of all, If your scared of nightmares, then your going to have nightmares because your thinking like that. second of all, the best way is to become lucid so you can confront whatever is scaring you in your dreams. But I guess your scared of lucid dreaming too or something? The only way to decrease vividness is to be lucid so your gonna have to become lucid either way :p

I'm no Oneironaut (not yet anyway) but wouldn't it be useful to learn what factors reduce the vividity of dreams, especially if you do not want to have less vivid dreams? I don't see how the post above calling this the most ridiculous thread possible is justified. Dreamviews is surely about all facets of dreams, even counter-intuitive ones.

That being said, perhaps you can explain why you are so hesitant at learning to lucid dream if what you really want is to eliminate the chance of a nightmare, Mister Fob.