Newbie with some lucid dreams

So, I stumbled upon this site and I'm very interested because I have had several (many) lucid dreams and also have controlled a few. It all started a few years ago when I was getting very annoyed at a recurrent nightmare that I've had continually for years...I'm at my job or home and I get a call from my elementary school, jr. high, or high school telling me that I didn't take enough math to graduate and therefore, all my degrees are null-and-void. I tell them I have a graduate degree and they tell me it's invalid until I go back to (pick a grade) and finish the math. Of course, I go back, but am endlessly stuck in the class. I consulted with a nightmare specialist via email and he told me to read a certain book. The book suggested that before going to sleep I routinely think about the nightmare and how it could end differently. OR think about the nightmare and how I've already overcome that obstacle in my real life.

Ultimately, I have a lucid dream probably once a week where I become aware that I'm dreaming. Sometimes it's simply an awareness, but other times I control the dream. "Great, I'm dreaming, now I can fly!" And then I will myself into flying and eventually crash because "I wasn't trying hard enough." Or I realize I'm in a nightmare and I alter the ending. And sometimes I've been able to see old friends at will (those are enjoyable).

I like the lucid dreaming, but sometimes they're rather frightening. I realize I'm in a nightmare and then I start screaming at myself, "WAKE UP WAKE UP!" And I just have a mental breakdown in the nightmare because I'm so upset I'm unable to wakeup. Those are really beginning to frighten me and I don't enjoy them.

What do you recommend for next steps?

Hello, :welcome: to Dreamviews!

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Originally Posted by oregondreamer

I like the lucid dreaming, but sometimes they're rather frightening. I realize I'm in a nightmare and then I start screaming at myself, "WAKE UP WAKE UP!" And I just have a mental breakdown in the nightmare because I'm so upset I'm unable to wakeup. Those are really beginning to frighten me and I don't enjoy them.

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Do you have any control over the dream in this situation? Or if not over the dream, over yourself? Because if you do, imagining yourself somewhere else, and then spinning your dream body should quickly change the dream to whatever you're imagining.

Welcome to Dreamviews!!! :banana::welcome::dancingcow:

When you become lucid in a nightmare, you have to remember that 1) it's only a dream and 2) Luckily, you can control it.

You should immeadiately try and 1) make sure you are stable in the dream and 2) become sure of your level of lucidity (or alter it to become higher by shouting Inclease lucidity or something of the sort). If you do that, you will calm down and stop being scared once you realise it's a dream. Then you'll be able to deal with whatever is frightening you in the dream.

:D

Hey there,

One little trick that works very well for me, is to simply let yourself feel the anxiety, explore it. I've had lucid dreams where thing began to get dark and scary, but I just told myself: "Well, its a dream, and this is an interesting experience', and just took on an inquisitive attitude towards all that was happening.

In my opinion, fear, whether it's in dreams or in daily life, is most powerful when you're trying to escape from it. Letting yourself feel it, exploring it, simply taking a 'what's this all about' attitude will dispel it very quickly. Plus, but that's just me, it helps you understand one of our most interesting emotions better :)

-Redrivertears-

Hey there oregondreamer :welcome: to Dream Views!

Well what your describing about nightmares could be linked somehow to maybe fears you may have, and the reason you can't leave the dream is because deep down you know you need to deal with these things, i think the best thing to do is to stand up for yourself, believe in yourself in the dream, take control of your dream and wish it out of existence. You'll feel better and eventually if you continue to have them you'll be so used to dealing with it you can leave feeling no need to deal with such situation. They may even die away after a while. Its just my interpretation of what they are like, i could be wrong about all this but give it a try if i'm right, best of luck to you.

These are all great suggestions, thank you.

If I've discovered I'm in a dream when I'm having a good dream, I've often taken control of the dream (flying, making people appear, changing the environment, etc). I don't know why I've been unable to do it in nightmares. I think I just realize I'm in a nightmare and I'm so excited when I realize I'm in a nightmare that my instinct is to "GET OUT!" Thus, panic and anxiety sets in (making it even worse than the nightmare was). I like the points of remaining calm and trying to change the environment or at least saying "increase lucidity". Hopefully these things will pop into my head the next time it happens.

Oh, also, this is odd, but when I have realized I'm in a nightmare and start freaking out and trying to wake up, I basically proceed to beat myself up in the dream...physically. I start hitting and pinching myself to try and wake up.

Hi, welcome to Dream Views.
I see a bunch of good advice has already been offered up so I'll just add that I have turned and faced the things I've feared in lucid dreams. Most times all it takes is that standing there and facing the fear for it to disappear. And even if it doesn't disappear chances are if it shows up again it will hold less power over you.

Well, I did it, I was in a weird nightmare and I said, "Increase lucidity!" Interestingly my voice sounded like the dad in the film "the incredibles" when he says "to infinity and beyond!" Anyway, Suddenly I was able to fly and do all kinds of tricks and I walked through walls and I even went flying around the streets of seattle. :)

Great stuff!

For me, nightmares and anxiety dreams are some of my number 1 lucidity triggers. I love having them because they're almost garantued to cause me to go lucid.

Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on your way of looking at it), they start to appear less and less each time I overcome one, until I hardly have any anymore. So you might have a double win here, not only have you gotten lucid, but you might be a step closer to getting rid of the nightmares too :)

-Redrivertears-