Hi And Help

[rosephase]

Hi, My name is Rose, I’m 22, and I live in Seattle, and I work in theater. I picked up Lucid Dreaming by Stephen Laberge about two and a half weeks ago and since then about half my dreams have had moments of lucidity with about four lucid dreams. I’ve always had good dream recall but I stared writing them down when I started reading the book. Here is where I need help. I'm scared. I've have had two lucid dreams which ended in me waking myself up I was so frightened. I understand that my dreams can’t hurt me but the fear feels almost like getting punched in the stomach. The first one I was walking down this beautiful street think how vivid my dream was. I was repeating out loud to myself that I was dreaming (it helps me stay lucid) and then I started talking to by subconscious. I told it that if it wanted to say something to me I would try to understand. If it would talk I would do my best to listen. Then all of a sudden the road changed to a wooden bridge and I was having an incredible hard time keeping my balance then these very phallic vines came up form under the bridge and wrapped themselves around me. I panicked and chose to wake myself up. The second one was at the coast I saw a tidal wave coming and I started running for high ground. Then I stopped and started to laugh, because I often dream of tidal waves. I looked around me and the wave was still coming I concentrated and told myself that I was going to clap and then I would be in a different dream. I clapped and as I did I felt the roar of the wave crash around me I tried to be calm but when I felt myself being pushed I opened my eyes and all I saw was water and all I could hear was this roaring. And I tapped out. After I think about it, I feel like I should try and stay in my dreams. I should go with what is happening but I get so frightened. I want to face these things, but I’m not sure how. I have had a few lucid dreams where when I realizes I’m dreaming I’m just filled with this joy that everything I see is a part of me and I am a part of it. The world glows and I feel free to explore. That was really rambly but I hope someone out there can offer me some help. Thanks so much, rose

[Rav1]

So either you're afraid of facing the danger or you don't know how? Or maybe both? If you're not an "adventurous" person in your waking life then the subconsciouss prevents you from running superfluous risk even in a dream.

[bias]

Control in lucid dreams is all about self-confidence. But saying that doesn't necessarily mean that if a person lacks self-esteem, is shy, etc, is reflected in that particular person's dreams. When you get scared of things coming towards you, being it a gigantic wave, a zombie, (or a nasty ex-lover)try looking "through" the thing/person (focus your eyes like you do when looking at those "magic" patterned hologram pictures, where UFO and girafs etc appear), and then just concentrate on that thing being vapor untill it passes through you. It works for me every single time! On a sidenote - I've been dreaming of tidal waves 5-6 times in the last 3 weeks... weird.

[Patron]

I don't have any experience in LDs yet, but I read about the "giving commands technique": When you want sth. to happen or to change in your dream than scream it out! Like "SILENCE NOW" "VOID NOW" or compareable. Perhaps it works for you. Greetings Chris

[the real pieman]

ok if you can(WARNING only do this if it gets really bad because it may wake you up) just explode with energy, it will work ONLY if you believe that you can do it and if you believe you can do it it will work... whenever i am having a nightmare i do that then i am free to roam, or if you are willing to try something new, then change into a more horrific being or something like that and scare the other things away, i did that before when i was being attacked by freddy krueger... i think the exploding with energy technique will work with you because it defeats the nightmare therefore stopping the fear and replacing it with a feeling of accomplishment and power, so you will no longer wake up feeling scared, you will now wake up feeling empowered and proud...

[rosephase]

Thank you for answering. First of all I am adventurous person in real life, physically and socially, the last thing anyone would call me is shy. I guess I should have explained this a little better. I want to understand my dreams not control them, at least for now. Has anyone read Lucid Dreaming by Stephan Laberge? He talks about accepting your dream as part of yourself that you might reject in waking life. That is what I want to do, it’s just hard to remember that when a tidal wave is coming at me. I want to face my fears and understand them not change them or ignore them. But that is what I need help with to. When I get scared in my dreams it gets very hard to decide to face my fears.

[Rav1]

Thank you for answering. First of all I am adventurous person in real life, physically and socially, the last thing anyone would call me is shy. I guess I should have explained this a little better. I want to understand my dreams not control them, at least for now. Has anyone read Lucid Dreaming by Stephan Laberge? He talks about accepting your dream as part of yourself that you might reject in waking life. That is what I want to do, it’s just hard to remember that when a tidal wave is coming at me. I want to face my fears and understand them not change them or ignore them. But that is what I need help with to. When I get scared in my dreams it gets very hard to decide to face my fears. [/b] Yea I know, but "adventurous" is not a contradiction of "shy" when you look at it closer. While one is eager to have some fun and is curious of life and people, one at the same time can have some dilema or doubts of one's conducting... It's not shyness, it's rather uncertainty of HOW to face the danger.

[rosephase]

Oh I am sorry I was replying to two people at once someone else said "shy", but I thought I would just mention that I'm not either. I know there is a difference.

[The Blue Meanie]

Oh I am sorry I was replying to two people at once someone else said "shy", but I thought I would just mention that I'm not either. I know there is a difference. [/b] Helloooo! I saw your post on the Adoptions forum. Something you might want to know: Here at DV, there's policy that the adoptee must have been around the forums for at least two weeks before she can be adopted. This is because at a lot of forums, DV being no exception, newbies often stay for a few days or a week, and then leave. This kinda sucks, but oh well... But yeah. Stick around, and stay on the forum, and once your two weeks are up, maybe you might be able to find somebody to adopt you.

[rosephase]

Unfortunately I knew that. I was hoping to cheat the time frame. Because I’m honestly more interested in someone who could personally one on one help me then the forum. Although I think the forum is wonderful. But I can be a good girl and wait.

[JaphyR]

I think of the scary lucid dream experiences as challenges from our mind. We only grow when faced with challenge of some sort, so it makes sense that as we explore our dream world we will face challenges, just as we face them in waking life. The single thing that gets me through these challenges is the conviction that I can not get hurt. I might get killed, I might get knocked over, I might get sliced open, but nothing will happen in waking life, and I will learn in the dream world. We'll learn what happens when the tidal wave does crash over us, and more importantly, we'll learn what happens when the tidal wave subsides. There are suggestions for fighting the wave, but I'll point out that many people find they can actually breathe underwater in dreams. It's an incredibly freeing experience; a whole new world opens up. The vines sound scarier, but staying in the dream you have two choices: fight them, which could be done any number of ways. Or, you could see where they take you. Maybe they'd lift you up into the sky and place you on a mountaintop. Good luck, it sounds like you are quickly getting to know your dreamworld.

[derb]

ive only had a few lucid dreams, but what i do when something like that happens is just go with it. although this one time i was about to get hit by a truck, so i made a habit of reality checking just in case im awake. i just let it happen, and it always works out grand.

[Serith]

To better convince yourself that you can't be harmed by the dangers that come at you in your dreams, it helps to get used to coming out of danger in dreams unharmed. Next time you're lucid dreaming, once you're entirely convinced you're dreaming, remind yourself that you can't be harmed, and immediately try something that would be dangerous in real life, like jumping out of a window, or breathing underwater, or something like that. After you've come out of a few of these experiences unharmed, it should be much easier to face other dangers while lucid dreaming.

[NeAvO]

Why is this topic revived? It started in October.

[LordSturm]

Who needs a bridge if you can fly? I never came here to understand my dreams, I don't belive they have any real signifiance to me, I came here to make good use of my dreams... By the sounds of it, the bridge problem seems to be a trust issue, a stable road turns into a creaky wooden bridge, which then ensnares you. The Tidal wave is a massive crisis that can hit you, that you need to learn to overcome. It's not telling your future, it is playing with your feelings. Althrough who knows, i need to lucid myself, i would like that alot.

[Alprazolam]

Also, if your truly become 100% lucid, it becomes fairly routine for you to control the WHOLE dream, even the environment: Meaning nothing dangerous is even created, unless you make it Or if something dangerous presents itself, you can easily change scenes or stop it however youd like. Tread on, and study the "dream control" section.