Using Lucidity as an escape from nightmares since childhood.

I always thought this was kind of different, so I thought I'd share.

Ever since I can remember (from 4 years old on), whenever I had a nightmare (falling from a great height, being chased through a creepy house by a vampire, etc) whenever my fear reached a certain level and I didn't want to be a part of it any more, my conscious mind would kick in and always say "Open your eyes."
I would then pry open my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief.
I guess a habit formed after the first few times I did it, because growing up, it would just automatically happen. It wasn't until later on that I realized that I shouldn't really know that it was a dream.

Is this common? Anybody have any explanation?

I've heard a lot of people say this...

I myself remember doing this as a little kid. I'd be getting chased or something and realize "Why am I doing this? I should just wake up." and I did. It seems lots of people have done this as kids...I don't really do this now though, so maybe its something with the brain development that I couldn't explain (or understand).

It happened to me, too (I would never wake myself up. Even in my earliest lucids I stayed in long enough to convert the nightmare to a heroic or safe dream). I thought lucidity was singular, and could not be induced.

I was pleased to learn I was wrong.

I did this one time when I was a kid. It was my brother and I at our local private pool, and these two guys were tormenting us and throwing my brothers bike around. They were two creepy weird guys. One guy was said,"Your coming with me." I just say, no I'm not. So I reached in my pocket for a light sabre and pulled what I thought a light sabre was.(I wasn't holding anything) Then I started swinging my arms like I was swining a sword. It was classical. lololol the guy just looked at me like wtfdood?

Before that happened I was on a swing that was in the parking lot? Then the guys came in and I knew they were bad before the stepped onto the parking lot. I leaped out of the swing and tried to kick one of the guys in the face while flying through the air.

Wierd, this used to happen to me alot when I was little too. I wouldn't know why it would happen to kids more than adults, you would think it would be the other way around. Eh well, it doesn't happen to me at all anymore. (Then again, I hardly EVER have nightmares now)

I have dreams where I'm trying to escape cituations for what ever reason. Or at least that's usually my peak awareness. It's so hard for me to even have a chance to think it's a dream before I think about weather it's reality or not. I just go with the flow in dreams for some reason, I don't even question reality. Any one able to explain this for me?