Spinning/rocking

well i have been reading a lot of stuff the past few days about lucid dreaming and astral projection(more on the latter) and i had decided not to try anything until i have done some more research and exercises. anyways, the other night as i was going to bed i started to feel a numb sensation come over my body, and as this started i began to focus on my breathing more and after a while my head felt seperate from my body(body paralysis?) and i couldn't even tell you how my arms or legs were positioned at this point. as this went on i started to feel like i was spinning and my body was gently rocking side to side. i could tell my body wasn't actually rocking cause my mattress is old and the springs would creak loud if i even barely move, nonetheless it still felt like it.

So my question is this: is this normal, and if so what was going on?

and also a question on LD if you would be so kind as to answer both(and if you have read this far i thank you)in my dreams it always seems like im watching it from a distance and i am never actually in it, thus i cannot realize i am dreaming cause it is hard to do a reality check if you aren't really there. my dreams also seem extremely short(maybe this is just from lack of recall?) anything i can or need to do to help with this?

Thanks in advance

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillon

anyways, the other night as i was going to bed i started to feel a numb sensation come over my body, and as this started i began to focus on my breathing more and after a while my head felt seperate from my body(body paralysis?) and i couldn't even tell you how my arms or legs were positioned at this point. as this went on i started to feel like i was spinning and my body was gently rocking side to side. i could tell my body wasn't actually rocking cause my mattress is old and the springs would creak loud if i even barely move, nonetheless it still felt like it.

So my question is this: is this normal, and if so what was going on?[/b]

I'm pretty sure you were experiencing the Transition Phase of WILD. WILD stands for Wake Initiated Lucid Dream, and is basically the process of falling asleep without losing consciousness, so you enter a dream already in a lucid state. The most common physical sensations felt during the transition phase (after the numbness) are sinking & vibrating, but it's a different experience for everyone. For more information, follow the link that I provided.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillon

and also a question on LD if you would be so kind as to answer both(and if you have read this far i thank you)in my dreams it always seems like im watching it from a distance and i am never actually in it, thus i cannot realize i am dreaming cause it is hard to do a reality check if you aren't really there.[/b]

A minority of people dream primarily in third person like that. I don't, but I'll pass on what I know. Dreaming in third person does NOT prohibit becoming lucid, even though it seems like it would. I had a friend who always dreamed in third person, and he had some rare occasional lucid dreams which were also in third person. He said it was hard to explain, but he could still control his body and everything just as well as in waking life. Anyway, I recommend following all the same advice and techniques as everybody else, and I'd be willing to bet that it'll pay off for you as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillon

my dreams also seem extremely short(maybe this is just from lack of recall?) anything i can or need to do to help with this?[/b]

You're probably right, this is most likely just poor recall. The best way to improve your recall is to start a dream journal. Keep it within arm's reach of your bed, and every morning when you first wake up, make it your first priority to write down every detail and every fragment of every dream that you can remember. If you wait too long to record your dreams, the dreams tend to fade away from memory. The entries don't have to be novels, they don't even have to be organized- just get your memories down on paper. This will quickly improve your ability to recall your dreams.

thanks a lot DuB, that clears it up a lot for me