Dreams so vivid that I cannot distinguish between......

[PhilipC152]

I am having increasingly vivid dreams, some of which are so real that I believe myself to have been transported back to New York City (I presently reside in St. Albans, north of London). There are moments in these dreams during which I am aware that I am dreaming and that the experiences I perceive are not "real" -- but then the awareness slips and I find myself plunged back into the dream. I should mention that I am, at the present time, in the UK to care for a sick relative, and plan to live here indefinitely. However, the dreams are so real that I find myself experiencing what I can only describe as a "transfer" of reality, during the course of which, in my dreams, I believe that my life in St. Albans is actually the dream, and that I am back in New York City. The degree to which these dreams are vivid is something that I cannot overemphasize. A number of other peculiar occurrences have plagued me during the course of the past few years. In short, I wake up in the night to find that I am completely paralyzed, but aware of the fact that a presence is in the room with me. The presence is not malevolent or evil -- however, the experience is so real that I feel the bedsprings buckle as though a person is sitting down on the bed next to me. The presence also "communicates" with me, not with words, but directly, as though projecting its thoughts directly into my mind. I should mention that I am on a number of medications relative to a complex connective tissue disorder named Marfan Syndrome and that these medications may be influencing my thought processes. However, this bizarre series of dreams was triggered by the sights that I witnessed on September 11 -- I was about five blocks from the twin towers when the second airplane hit the second tower. The sight of people falling 80, 90, 100 floors threw me into a severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, some elements of which continue to plague me to this day. I believe that there is a causal relationship between those events and my current experiences, but would be interested in knowing whether lucid dreams of this nature have been documented as resulting from severe emotional trauma. Advice and comparison would be greaty appreciated.

[irishcream]

Originally posted by PhilipC152 I am having increasingly vivid dreams, some of which are so real that I believe myself to have been transported back to New York City (I presently reside in St. Albans, north of London). *There are moments in these dreams during which I am aware that I am dreaming and that the experiences I perceive are not \"real\" -- but then the awareness slips and I find myself plunged back into the dream. *I should mention that I am, at the present time, in the UK to care for a sick relative, and plan to live here indefinitely. *However, the dreams are so real that I find myself experiencing what I can only describe as a \"transfer\" of reality, during the course of which, in my dreams, I believe that my life in St. Albans is actually the dream, and that I am back in New York City. *The degree to which these dreams are vivid is something that I cannot overemphasize. A number of other peculiar occurrences have plagued me during the course of the past few years. *In short, I wake up in the night to find that I am completely paralyzed, but aware of the fact that a presence is in the room with me. *The presence is not malevolent or evil -- however, the experience is so real that I feel the bedsprings buckle as though a person is sitting down on the bed next to me. *The presence also \"communicates\" with me, not with words, but directly, as though projecting its thoughts directly into my mind. I should mention that I am on a number of medications relative to a complex connective tissue disorder named Marfan Syndrome and that these medications may be influencing my thought processes. *However, this bizarre series of dreams was triggered by the sights that I witnessed on September 11 -- I was about five blocks from the twin towers when the second airplane hit the second tower. *The sight of people falling 80, 90, 100 floors threw me into a severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, some elements of which continue to plague me to this day. *I believe that there is a causal relationship between those events and my current experiences, but would be interested in knowing whether lucid dreams of this nature have been documented as resulting from severe emotional trauma. Advice and comparison would be greaty appreciated. Hey, welcome to the board, and what an informative first post. Firstly, can i say how sorry i am that you had to witness the horror of 9/11. I saw it on the news here in England, and that was bad enough. To be almost directly involved must be horrific. Onto your paralysis. This sounds like sleep paralysis to me. it's the body's way of making sure you don't act out your dreams in your sleep. however, sometimes, it goes wrong, and you wake up out of a dream unable to move. it's a perfectly natural reaction and nothing to worry about. In fact, i induce this at will, and have written a tutorial on it. I think of it as a deep meditation thing, which can lead to lucid dreams with practice. It could be that the medications are affecting your dreams in some way, but from all i've heard, most people on strong meds note a decrease in recall and vividness. I think it must block something in the brain... I've sent you a welcome Pm with various links in it for you to check out. let me know if you need any more assistance.

[Amethyst Star]

Hey Philip. Again, welcome to DV. I've also been finding myself having very vivid dreams, though I often don't recall what they were upon waking and am more often not lucid. But the fact remains that while I am dreaming it feels like real life. I am convinced of things that are happening even though they are not real. I feel emotions on a grander scale and am able to see things more clearly. But it is still a dream. It's possible that your medications may be causing disruptions in your dreams. Just an idea, though, is you're undergoing a battle of the will. Just keep reminding yourself of what's reality. If you haven't looked into "reality checks" I'd suggest a look. There's a tutorial on them and they're relatively simple checks, such as trying to push a finger through your hand or plugging your nose and trying to breathe through it. Just stay focued. -Amé