Inducing Non-Lucid Nightmares

[The Blue Meanie]

Okay. Basic question: is there a way to induce, or drastically increase the chances of having, nightmares, the ordinary non-lucid kind? The reason I ask, is that my favourite dreams have happened to be nightmares, or nightmares that have "backfired" and in which I have just ended up laughing the whole way through at the absurdity of it all, even though I never ACTUALLY gain lucidity. And so, and I know it sounds crazy, but I'd like to actually have more nightmares... So... can anyone give me any tips? What makes nightmares more likely? Can you induce them?

[Kadath]

Having a past to haunt you, mostly ;) I've never understood how to induce nightmares, I just kind of have them. I'm certain that doing the awakening mantra (I will wake up and remember my dreams!) for dream recall with a few minor changes could help to induce them. Force of will you know. Or fall asleep pondering loneliness. Let your brain wrap itself around the cosmos, the size of them, the emptiness and the madness. If your mind explores that frontier you're sure to have nightmares and meet some monsters. :)

[walterallen1]

I am by no means an expert or a teacher of this , but I can tell you that I have found that when I eat certain foods I can count on have nightmares. Also I sleep with the TV on at times and I have found that some of the horror movies that have played during my sleep have induced nightmares. Now I do know that there have been times while I'm having a lucid dream that I must remain clear not to suggest to myself that the dream take on a dark or dangerous path because it will. I am not a fan of getting torn apart by dogs or sharks and other nasties eventhough I know it is not for real. Meditating on a fear topic could generate or become the nightmare dream. I used to make up stories in my mind as I was trying to go to sleep and as a result I would dream the story or better to say the story would become the dream. Now I use meditation at bed time to intiate lucid dreams in surrounding of my choosing. Goog luck.

[PhilipJFry]

Maybe put a big picture of a ghost or something on your ceiling? This will haunt you for sure:

[Neruo]

Well just say: 'I will have a nightmare tonight' before you go to sleep, maybe mixed with a bit of meditation (relaxing the fuck out). Or, think of a plot for you dream and hope it will happen. I heard some one on DV here could just induce any dream she wanted. So it is possible.

[Unicorn]

Originally posted by The Blue Meanie So... can anyone give me any tips? *What makes nightmares more likely? *Can you induce them? I'm not sure it'd be possible to induce nightmare. Unless you have some masochistic tendencies... the fact that you derive pleasure from unpleasant experiences! Otherwise, our mind should naturally try to avoid them.

[Gwendolyn]

My nightmares usually have zombies in them...Or my teeth fall out or something crazy like that. Nighmares usually manifest themselves in your dreams because of the things you worry about, fear, etc. For example, I worry about my teeth sometimes, therefore in my dreams, they fall out a lot. Meditation on doing this might help if you really want to induce one. I also think having a bad attitude in waking life contributes to these occurances... I'm confused about something though, Matt....How can it be a nightmare if you don't find them unpleasant? Is it like, you find them scary or unpleasant in the beggining, but don't after awhile, or what? Yeah, they're wierd and kind of cool in some cases, if you wish to have them, how can they be actual nightmares?

[mongreloctopus]

it seems like if you enjoy a nightmare, it's not really a nightmare. i think probably the best way to induce REAL nightmares is to witness something mind-blowingly terrifying or traumatic in real life. maybe seek out a deranged serial murderer whose sexual fetish is slicing off his victims' scalps and forcing them to eat it while slowly pulling out their intestines (after having made a small hole in their abdomen) and wrapping them around his genitals. or something. i don't really have that much experience with horrifying real-life events.

[Burns]

The only thing I ever did that actually induced nightmares was read Stephen King's "Pet Cemetary." The movie was a joke but the book was fucking terrifying.

[Gwendolyn]

Originally posted by Burns The only thing I ever did that actually induced nightmares was read Stephen King's "Pet Cemetary." The movie was a joke but the book was fucking terrifying. I think that book contributed to my zombie dreams. Also, when my friend died, I had nightmares about my other friends dying. Those were really bad experiences.

[Neruo]

Originally posted by mongreloctopus it seems like if you enjoy a nightmare, it's not really a nightmare. *i think probably the best way to induce REAL nightmares is to witness something mind-blowingly terrifying or traumatic in real life. *maybe seek out a deranged serial murderer whose sexual fetish is slicing off his victims' scalps and forcing them to eat it while slowly pulling out their intestines (after having made a small hole in their abdomen) and wrapping them around his genitals. *or something. *i don't really have that much experience with horrifying real-life events. lol. I think he just found himself a nutcase to scare him Nah just joking

[The Blue Meanie]

Originally posted by Gwendolyn+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gwendolyn)</div> I'm confused about something though, Matt....How can it be a nightmare if you don't find them unpleasant? Is it like, you find them scary or unpleasant in the beggining, but don't after awhile, or what? Yeah, they're wierd and kind of cool in some cases, if you wish to have them, how can they be actual nightmares?[/b] <!--QuoteBegin-Unicorn I'm not sure it'd be possible to induce nightmare. Unless you have some masochistic tendencies... the fact that you derive pleasure from unpleasant experiences! *Otherwise, our mind should naturally try to avoid them. Ugh... paradox. So, to be able to have nightmares, I have to not want to have them? Argh! The reason I want to have nightmares, BTW, is firstly because they ARE cool. (Ummm... yeah, I kinda DO have masochistic tendancies, I guess.. .) and secondly because I feel like the dreams in which I have come closest to achieving lucidity have been nightmares...

[Kadath]

I just find that nightmares are the most intensely emotional experiences of my life. Where else can you be filled with dread (even if it is fun) besides a roller coaster? Sometimes nightmares are so distant, cold and cruel that you wake up in tears of self-pity. Things like that can't be safely replicated in the waking world and it is best only experimented with in a dream world.

[The Blue Meanie]

Originally posted by Kadath I just find that nightmares are the most intensely emotional experiences of my life. Where else can you be filled with dread (even if it is fun) besides a roller coaster? Sometimes nightmares are so distant, cold and cruel that you wake up in tears of self-pity. Things like that can't be safely replicated in the waking world and it is best only experimented with in a dream world. Huh... See, personally I find rollercoasters boring. I remember I was on this massive-ass one in japan, like, fukuoka somewhere I think, and I had a bag of candy floss, so I ended up throwing little bits of it in the air and seeing if I could make it hit the people behind me... buuutt... then again, I have a bit of an evil sense of humpour...

[Gwendolyn]

Originally posted by The Blue Meanie Ugh... paradox. *So, to be able to have nightmares, I have to not want to have them? * Well, yeah....They aren't called 'nightmares' for nothing, silly. I can kind of see where you are coming from. After the fact, I enjoy recalling mine....But when I am in the dream, it isn't a pleasant experience.

[Distant Clone]

It can be done, dream incubation is sort of my specialty. Here's my little disclaimer: I think dreams are guidance from the higher self, you are meant to ask your higher self questions, and it will answer them that night or the next in the form of a dream. You get a good relationship going with your higher self, then relevant dreams usually come that night. Well, one night I was meditating and realized I had bad energy stored in my shoulders. Before I went to bed I asked my higher self "How did the bad energy get their, what (trauma) caused it, when was the damage done". That night while dreaming, I was fat, called fat, my brother and his friend made me bring them food, I got hit on the shoulders several times etc... Anyways, I think that was quite a mistake as I felt terrible the entire next day. One other time while I was lucid I asked what was I afraid of the most. I was driving my car near a mall when my brother just started beating me up while I was driving. Another mistake, as he ruined a lucid dream. I'm not sure if that's exactly the type of dream you are looking for, but ask your higher self what scares you, what you run away from, et cetera.

[The Blue Meanie]

Originally posted by Distant Clone It can be done, dream incubation is sort of my specialty. * Here's my little disclaimer: I think dreams are guidance from the higher self, you are meant to ask your higher self questions, and it will answer them that night or the next in the form of a dream. You get a good relationship going with your higher self, then relevant dreams usually come that night. Well, one night I was meditating and realized I had bad energy stored in my shoulders. Before I went to bed I asked my higher self "How did the bad energy get their, what (trauma) caused it, when was the damage done". That night while dreaming, I was fat, called fat, my brother and his friend made me bring them food, I got hit on the shoulders several times etc... Anyways, I think that was quite a mistake as I felt terrible the entire next day. One other time while I was lucid I asked what was I afraid of the most. I was driving my car near a mall when my brother just started beating me up while I was driving. Another mistake, as he ruined a lucid dream. I'm not sure if that's exactly the type of dream you are looking for, but ask your higher self what scares you, what you run away from, et cetera. The "higher self" thing, I'd call it more of a "lower" or "deeper" self, the subconscious... I'm not exactly what you'd call spiritual. Yes, I can see the sense in what you're saying. I've been able to get a fair bit of insight into my inner workings from the (admittedly few) fdreams I've had so far. Which is great... but dreams don't always have to be serious... they can be recreational as well... As for the rest of what you say... okay, I can see the sense in this. Find your fear, and try to incubate a dream about it. /me thinks aloud. Hmmm... what am I scared of, what am I frightened of... Well, see usually I'd say clowns, or koalas, or mosquitoes... but those are more superficial fears... What am I REALLY afraid of... huh... I'm a-gonna have to give this some serious thought. But thanks for the pointers, Distant Clone.

[Distant Clone]

Originally posted by The Blue Meanie As for the rest of what you say... okay, I can see the sense in this. *Find your fear, and try to incubate a dream about it. Actually, what I was saying is that your "deeper" self already knows what scares you. It has a good, if not flawless, memory. It can remember what scared you when you were little, and can pull those events right back out for you. Also, on second thought, I think scary dreams would likely cause that "deeper" self to recreate scenes like a family member dying. Perhaps it would be better to ask for anxiety dreams, cautions/warnings. Those seem to be not so realistic or intense, more laughable dreams. Originally posted by The Blue Meanie dreams don't always have to be serious... they can be recreational as well... Yeah, I know. They are your dreams, you can have them however you want. That's a pet peeve of mine, someone tries to tell you what you have to or cannot do in your dreams...

[FluBB]

well what really qualifies a nightmare, one where you are just so freaked out you can barely stand it, or something stupid like being naked in public? FluBB