Frustration and Pannic

[Nudge]

Hello again, It's been a while since I've posted anything! But alas! I need help! I have always been a heavy dreamer, ever since was little. It was only up to a few years ago did I learn about lucid dreaming and was quite fascinated by it. I wanted to learn how naturally, and I did. Well I tried too! It seems that everything I do just ends up in some terrifying situation. I know everyone here says you should become use to sleep paralysis, but I am not. Whenever I try to lucid dream I become endorsed in sleep parylasis. Often it is painful and feels like a immense pressure is being forced upon me. I panic and wake up and only then do I come to my senses that I could have used it to become lucid. It happens everytime, or sometimes during SP I will stop panicking and just wait it out, but then I either fall into a sleep and forget what I'm doing, or it gets worse. While I'm on this rant, I might as well say that sometimes I do obtain lucidity! Though usually right when I realize that I have obtained it, I am transferred back into sleep paralysis and have TERRIFYING false-awakenings. Sometimes these thins happen when I am not even trying! Can anyone help? Am I just not a person that is able to lucid dream? Any files to overcoming the panic that shuts my brain down? Thank you so much or listening to my ramble -Nudge^.^

[melanieb]

Wow, not fun. Anyone can lucid dream. You might need to try some different efforts. Let's take this a little at a time... To begin, sleep paralysis is not a requirement for lucid dreaming with no matter which method you choose to try. It's been a misconception spread around for a long time. If you do experience regular sleep paralysis or even irregular SP it can be used as a waypoint to help you enter a lucid dream but it's not something to strive for by any means. It might be difficult to tell yourself that these experienced sensations are illusory or harmless but anything you can do, while awake, to alleviate anxiety and fear would be really helpful. Mantras, RCs, calming techniques and rationalizations, journaling and conquering your fears would be a good start. You can also try learning your dream signs and some awareness techniques and see if a RC will pop you into lucidity with DILD. Write out the sensations and images that bother you and take them apart until they hold no power over you...this may take some time and consistency but changing the mindest can make a real difference for you and your LDing efforts. Pick some ways to help retrain your mind and let us know what you choose. Oh, have a good sleep schedule for a while, too, and reduce life stress. It all gets tied in.