How to Wake Up

Hey guys, been a while since I posted here, but I need some advice from you guys.

I have a friend who suffers from very violent recurring nightmares and can't deal with them. He's tried just about everything, from confronting it to taking medication, but nothing seems to be working. He does not want to go to therapy for it, and is looking for advice on how to wake up from these nightmares. He often gets lucid within them, realizing that they're dreams, but he doesn't have any control over it.

I've told him how I do it; I close my eyes very tightly, then I violently open them while picturing myself in my bed (or wherever I fell asleep) and basically jolt myself awake. It's worked for me in the past, so I've had no reason to try any other way (not many people want to wake up from a lucid dream). How do you guys wake up from a lucid dream, especially ways that don't require a lot of control or practice? Some simple yet effective would be much appreciated.

Finals are coming up so everyone is stressing a lot, and if we could work out a solution, albeit temporary to this, it will definitely help a lot in the next couple weeks. Thanks in advance!

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Originally Posted by Burke

Hey guys, been a while since I posted here, but I need some advice from you guys.

I have a friend who suffers from very violent recurring nightmares and can't deal with them. He's tried just about everything, from confronting it to taking medication, but nothing seems to be working. He does not want to go to therapy for it, and is looking for advice on how to wake up from these nightmares. He often gets lucid within them, realizing that they're dreams, but he doesn't have any control over it.

I've told him how I do it; I close my eyes very tightly, then I violently open them while picturing myself in my bed (or wherever I fell asleep) and basically jolt myself awake. It's worked for me in the past, so I've had no reason to try any other way (not many people want to wake up from a lucid dream). How do you guys wake up from a lucid dream, especially ways that don't require a lot of control or practice? Some simple yet effective would be much appreciated.

Finals are coming up so everyone is stressing a lot, and if we could work out a solution, albeit temporary to this, it will definitely help a lot in the next couple weeks. Thanks in advance!

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Irregular respiration and eye movement .. or when i was kid i would Lay on the ground in the same position i used to sleep .. then i closed my eyes and when i reoppened them i would be awake :)

Though i don't do nightmare anymore, i don't have school and only 4 hour of none-stressing work a day .. so i guess stress could be a cause, he may be in one of those mad loop where once you get in them you can only believe that its gonna continue.

My worst nightmares are usually tied to some physical issue I'm having. If I have stomach problems I will have nightmares. Or physical pain or muscle problems.

Does he have any physical problems that may cause him discomfort when he sleeps?

No, he's completely healthy. The only pain he gets is from his nightmares. The main thing I'm trying to figure out is ways to wake up so that we can at least temporarily alleviate the issue for the next couple weeks and figure out a solution while we go.

Sorry to hear about your friend!
A suggestion I may add, if he is lucid, tell him to shut his eyes and spin 360 degrees and think of somewhere with good vibes.
He should almost immediately 'teleport' somewhere else, and into safety!

Really sorry to hear about the problem that your friend is having.

This isn't exactly a solution, because I've never managed to wake myself up from lucid nightmares—in fact, trying to wake myself up only makes it worse. When I try, I get a false awakening, and usually things go haywire. Here's what I do to disrupt the process:

1. Get used to counting my fingers when I wake up, so that when I go into a spiral, I can catch myself and realize that I'm dreaming.

2. Once I realize that I'm dreaming, attempt to de-escalate. Don't fight things, don't try to take control of the situation, just take deep breaths and think calm thoughts.

I'm going to be experimenting with waking scripts again and looking at making my dreams a little bit more non-violent and less confrontational. If your friend needs a dreaming buddy, feel free to send him my way.