New To The Board

[Melvin]

Okay, I found this site via StumbleUpon. A firefox plugin that randomly "channel surfs" the internet based on interests you choose. For the sake of getting to know me, I am a 20 year old male who has no prior knowledge of dream study or lucid dreams or anything of the sort. Before crossing this site I had no idea that lucid dreams were so common. In fact I didn't even know there was a term for it. I have had several in the past but due to poor sleeping habits I don't usually remember my dreams very often any more. I would tell friends about them and they would say I was making it up and such, stating that one could not control his or her dreams. So I just stopped talking about them. Once I realized I was dreaming I was in full control of my dreams. Changing anything about them I chose. More often than not I gave myself the ability to fly. It may sound childish and I normally don't have a huge fascination with flight but it is one of the recurring things I would do. I also experience sleep paralysis. More often than being able to control the dreams. It is not a pleasant experience. They are a recurring dream. Same thing every time with minor details changed. A paralyzing fear consumes me, but the fear is somewhat of a paradox. There is never anything visual. Just a state of fear in my mind that if I don't move I will die, or worse. I never know what is is or why I have to move I just know that I do. I absolutely have to. But I physically cant. But the fear is paralyzing rendering me unable to move. I am fully aware it is a dream and know exactly how it will play out. I also know that the fear isn't reall and it wil be over soon. Those thoughts do not help. It is still a fear I cannot accurately describe. After the feeling has me totally consumed for several minutes, I wake up -- still paralyzed. And for anywhere from one minute to ten minutes I am stuck there. Fully alert, able to see and hear anything and move only my eyes. My breathing rate is normal but I can hear my heart pounding in my chest. After the paralysis is over, calmness is fully restored to me and I sit up casually as if it never happened. No visual signs of a nightmare. Quite unlike most mightmares where you spring out of bed sweating and panting. But I can remember the experience fully and the thought alone is scary. This usually haunts my thoughts for the next few nights and I refuse to sleep. Except for the first few, all my sleep paralysis nightmares were lucid. As soon as it started I would think, "Oh f%ck, not again!" They most commonly happen when I sleep on my back. (Which I am now terrified of and refuse to do) I never knew such a community existed and I must admit, at first I thought this was an abandoned site from the ninetys. No offense it just doesn't look like most current web designs. So I almost skipped right over it but thought I would check on the activity of the forum. Glad to see that other people have lucid dreams (and not-so-glad that other people have sleep paralysis) as well. I was getting tired of having my friends think I am full of it. Has anyone had similar experiences to mine? Also I just wanted to state that just because a nightmare is lucid does not make it seem safer, or less frightening in the mind of the dreamer. From what little reading of the forum I have done so far I have not seen anyone mention this. This site almost makes it seem that becoming lucid could stop a nightmare in its tracks. Not that it can't but this is not always the case. I can testify to that.

[NeAvO]

Hi there Melvin and to the forum ! Yeah most of the people that join here have either had a few lucids or always have lucids and don't even know there's a term for it. It's kind of funny in a way. Most of the time people have lucids when they are younger to escape nightmares as a child. SP is scary, but remember is completely safe and natural, in fact of alot of people experience it while being conscious. Many people on here experience it at night. Also I think you are more likely to experience SP lying on your back at night, I'm not sure why though, maybe it has some thing to do with having a balanced level of blood in the brain. I don't know? Yeah I didn't know this place was busy either when I joined, infact at first I had no idea it had a forum but I'm glad I looked! Lucid nightmares might be scary but remember they're completely safe! Well good luck with your Lucid Dreaming. Have fun and I'll see you around.