Fear starting out

Hiya,

Can anybody help me with this? Did any of you feel just a little bit of trepidation when you first started lucid dreaming? I know you're probably all going to say you were just thrilled by the adventure, but surely there must be somebody ;)

I'm quite easily spooked and (don't laugh, please!) I'm a little afraid of the dark... I'm not so worried now about getting into nightmares, because I've heard so many people say that lucid dreaming is a good way to overcome your nightmares. I'm asking because the other night, I woke up out of a dream, but somehow (I think it was because it was so cold), I stayed perfectly still and didn't open my eyes. The dream I had just come out of was not a good one, so already I was a little scared. But anyway, all of a sudden, I started to see bright flashing lights and I became really aware of how my body felt paralysed. Also, as I said, the dream I had just had was a scary one, so I was more than a little bit nervous about possibly facing it again. However, it was mostly just a fear of the unknown and what was happening. I violently shook myself awake and that was it. I was really annoyed at myself, because it was kind of like an irrational thing. I wasn't thinking, I got really tense and it all happened so quickly.

Has anyone had this kind of fear and how do you overcome it?
Thanks :)

Lula x

Also, sorry if this is the wrong place for this; I'm new to forums, and not very good with them.

Lula x

No problem, its actually pretty common to have some fear or at least a little bit of nervousness when first starting out; from what I have experienced at least. You are starting to open the doors to a whole new world of sensations and possibilities and the journey down that road holds many glorious things but it also quite possibly could hold quite a few unnerving things as well. As long as you always keep in mind that experiencing these new sensations, and seeing the many wild and wonderful things that you might see... is completely safe, then you should eventually come to grips with your fears no matter the origin, and accept them for what they are and of course hopefully you will eventually learn to overcome these fears. After all, knowledge is power. Do your research and use your new found information to back the fears into a corner so they are more manageable, or better yet.. Make them disappear!

Also, I'm glad to have you with us here on the forum. You should fit right in here, if you happen to have any questions or something of the sort I might be able to help you or guide you in the right direction... Somewhat. I am always happy to help, the feeling that one gets from spreading knowledge is grand! Good luck with your fears, I hope they soon fly away with the wind my friend.

Hey!

Like ladendais pointed out, it's not uncommon to experience some anxiety when you start lucid dreaming, especially if you consider that the events you will go through resemble very much the realism of your waking lide :) it's all about being lucid: the realization that you are asleep in your bed and nothing can harm you. It helps if you apply the same logic to darkness: if it scares you a bit, then it will now relate to your nightly playground: lucid dreaming!

Another very good piece of advice given by ladendais was the fact that sometimes learning a bit about you're about to experience helps either so you get a better understanding of what might you might find in your adventures, and also to free you a bit more from the anxiety. Trust us when we say you will quickly become more relaxed once you see the benefits of lucid dreaming in your sleep, your mood and even in your tenacity to pursue goals ;)

About the experience you had, it may have been a episode of sleep paralysis, which is a sleep phenomenom that may happen before or after you dream, and it's characterized by a feeling of tense paralysed muscles and may be accompanied by a brief series of hallucinations (in your case, hypnapompic hallucinations). There's nothing harmfull in this event, as hallucinations during your sleep period are perfectly harmless and some occasional paralysis or other body sensations just reflect some processes activated by your brain during your sleep. As for the hallucinations themselves in your case, it was merely your still half asleep brain trying to make sense of your last dream memories and incorporating them into your waking state senses. A curious experience indeed, but nothing you should worry about!

Any more questions, feel free to post them here or pm a dream guide (the people with green names). They are always around and can provide aid with any small or big doubts you may have ;)

Yeah, as far as i know fear is pretty common in people who's starting out, unless they are used to 'unusual' things one way or another before starting. What i would suggest is to not think about your fears when lucid dreaming, think about things that are good for you. :)

Yeah, it is normal to be fearful of the unknown, I try to change my mindset. I see these things as interesting, fun and new. That might remove the fearful thoughts.

My first LD looked like the scene from insidious where the man astral projects for the first time. When WILD I know im dreaming because the world turns grey and demonic. So yes, I'm terrified. But I love it too much to give it up. I am VERY prone to nightmares. Nearly all of my dreams are nightmares. But I'm learning to control it better. The only LD's I have that aren't super spooky are the DILDs where I'm having a happy dream then realize im dreaming. Just remember there is nothing going to happen in a dream that you can't control. You are the master of your mind. There is nothing in a LD that can hurt you unless you think it will.

Aww, thanks guys. Everybody on here is so friendly! :)

Landendais, Zoth00, thanks for your kind words; I feel a lot better and more positive about things.
Pakman43, I appreciate your honesty :p

I'm still trying to prepare for LD'ing, but I'm getting there and loving this site.

Lula x

I had them naturally a couple times, so I was never scared. My dreams can get scary in the dark but it's better when I'm lucid. I find that when I'm afraid, it's not a fear of the dream, but of a deeper fear manifesting itself. Not in a psychobabble Freudian "deeper feeling" way, but of something like being afraid of the dark.

Yeah, checker and elucid, when I think about all the amazing things that could happen, it makes me a lot less scared and just really excited to get LD'ing.

Thanks oniman, I'm hoping that LD'ing will help me to be less scared of things :P

Lula x