How to make sense of a jumbled mess of dreams?

[heather675]

I had no idea how to title this post. So I've been on a lucid dream dry spell since about December. However, every now and then I'll have a spontaneous one. I seem to have this weird thing that will happen, it's a big jumbled mess. For example this morning, in the last two hours of sleep I had many dreams. At one point I remember waking up after a dream, I was groggy, and could feel sleep pulling me in and I tried to DEILD but realized I didn't like the last one so I thought of kissing someone. I started going through the WILD sensations (twice, because always at some point I feel like my body is panicking and it recedes a bit), and then I could see the kissing lead from my mind into the dreamscene, where I was pushed to the wall. All of a sudden I separated, and was viewing from 3rd person. I was both the person against the wall, even though it didn't look like me, and the remote viewer. I watched myself say "This is a dream, I'm dreaming" and then I became the person. So this is where it gets confusing. I had so many dreamscenes in this last hour, that it blends together. I can remember being lucid in some, and showing people the dream I didn't want to use for the DEILD. Other dreams it seems I was lucid but I don't know if I really was because of everything blending together. I will remember certain images and words that would lead me to believe I was lucid but then other images will make me doubt that I was lucid in all or most of it. This seems to be a consistent problem with my dreaming. I dream so much that things just blend together. Do others deal with this? Is there any techniques I can practice that will help straighten the sequences up and allow more clarity?

[davethewarrior]

It looks like you were half-lucid. I know I struggle with this same issue where I know I'm dreaming but lack full control and clarity. I mentioned it during my introductory thread on this forum. It helped a little to shout an affirmation in the dream such as, INCREASE LUCIDITY NOW! When I did that I'd get more clarity briefly but then would lose it. Maybe it just takes practice.

[Hitokage]

Agree with Dave. You need to work on stabilization of the dream. It's normal that dreams change from one to another even in a high frequency that it doesn't make any sense and is confusing.

[davethewarrior]

And also, half lucidity is certainly better than no lucidity, so look at these experiences as a step towards success anyway.

[sisyphus]

I would suggest two things. First, before going to bed each night, settle on one specific lucid task. If you wake up at any time in the middle of the night, remind yourself of it then too. It could be very narrow (summon a sandwich and eat it) or open-ended (fly to the moon and explore). But it should be specific enough that you can recall it and act on it when you become lucid. You might not always remember it and, if you drift in and out of lucidity, you might forget and re-remember it many times, but it is best to have that anchor to bring your focus and attention back to. A stabilization routine is a good choice for the task, either to do alone, or as a precursor to another task. Second, the fragmented dreamscenes may be a result of your sleep environment. Light, noise, or any other sensation can disrupt dreams subtly. Maybe not enough to wake you up, but enough to nudge the dream off in a different direction or to seemingly restart in a new scene. So consider if there is anything you can do to lessen external stimuli. For someone with a typical sleep schedule, these tend to happen toward the very end of sleep, near waking (sun rising, birds chirping, car traffic increasing, partner moving, etc).

[heather675]

I would suggest two things. First, before going to bed each night, settle on one specific lucid task. If you wake up at any time in the middle of the night, remind yourself of it then too. It could be very narrow (summon a sandwich and eat it) or open-ended (fly to the moon and explore). But it should be specific enough that you can recall it and act on it when you become lucid. You might not always remember it and, if you drift in and out of lucidity, you might forget and re-remember it many times, but it is best to have that anchor to bring your focus and attention back to. A stabilization routine is a good choice for the task, either to do alone, or as a precursor to another task. Second, the fragmented dreamscenes may be a result of your sleep environment. Light, noise, or any other sensation can disrupt dreams subtly. Maybe not enough to wake you up, but enough to nudge the dream off in a different direction or to seemingly restart in a new scene. So consider if there is anything you can do to lessen external stimuli. For someone with a typical sleep schedule, these tend to happen toward the very end of sleep, near waking (sun rising, birds chirping, car traffic increasing, partner moving, etc). I had thought that as well with the fragmented sleep causing rapidly cycling of dreamscenes. I am such a light sleeper that I will wake up multiple times, some I don't even know I am awake. This morning no lucidity but in the last hour of sleep, I had seriously like 14 different dreams. Of course when I awoke it was so jumbled. I have an issue where I will try to describe my dreams to people but find I can't. I can see images and know internally what the dream is about but if I try to explain it, it doesn't make any sense at all. I have three kids 4 and under so yes there are a lot of interruptions to my sleep that can't be controlled right now. lol Also I live in a place where there is DST and the sun now is coming up at 5am instead of 7 am so that is a huge difference, that I think is contributing. Most times I fly when becoming lucid. That always seems to be more lucid go too. So I think I could benefit from very specific lucid anchors. Since this dry spell, I seem to focus more on being lucid than what I would do if I am lucid, so maybe setting the anchors would promote lucidity in general. Thanks!