Thread: Am I lucid dreaming?

I actually have those paralysis dreams quite often. Though I never feel it quite so intense as to warrent any fear of dying.

Anyway, they're just what are called "false awakenings", which tend to occur just before you would wake up for real. But in a sense they are what someone here once called semi-lucid, I think.

Anyone please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here. Would like to know myself since I've had similar experiences.

BTW: WELCOME to the forum!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by stargirl
Hello all of you,
I have been having sleep problems and may have had a lucid dream - please tell me if you think this is so:
I frequently experience a feeling of being awake but am unable to move.

paralysis during sleep is completely natural and occurs every night in order to prevent you from acting out your dreams and possibly harming yourself. sometimes your mind will wake up before your body has a chance to, and you won't be able to move. that is called sleep paralysis.

It feels like a battle for my life and I have to make an immense effort to move maybe a finger which usually allows me to wake up fully. I feel that if I do not rouse myself from this strange paralysis that I will die. [/b]

there is no reason at all to be alarmed. if it happens again, try to remain calm and wait for it to pass.
(it usually doesn't last much longer than a minute.)
as I stated above, paralysis during sleep is perfectly normal, however, if you experience ASP (Awareness during Sleep Paralysis) quite often then you may have a sleep paralysis disorder. again, no reason to be alarmed. some things that may cause sleep paralysis are lack of sleep, odd sleeping patterns, stress, or an unhealthy diet.

Yesterday morning I had this same experience but for some reason decided to ride it through and not try to wake myself up. My husband was downstairs with my young son and I could clearly hear their conversation but began to dream also. I could decide what I did in the dream but could not change the scenery and throughout the whole epidsode I could hear what was happening in the real world. I was able to put the dream on hold for a while to listen to my husband and son but could slip back in again.
Does this sound like a lucid dream?[/b]

a lucid dream is simply being consious of the fact that you're dreaming while you are dreaming. if you aren't aware that it's a dream, then it isn't one. what you experienced here was probably a very light sleep state. you were beginning to dream but were not fully in a dream. does that sound about right? I've experienced something similar myself, one day while resting on the couch was suddenly paralized and started to see bright patterns. (called Hypnogogic Imagery or HI.) while this was happening I could hear everything that was being said on the television. all that is is conscious AS you are falling asleep (which can also be used as a technique to have a lucid dream...the technique is called WILD, or Wake-Initiated Lucid Dream) actually...I'm not quite sure if what you had was a lucid dream, if you were IN a dream and were aware of the fact that it was a dream, then it was in fact a lucid dream. if not, then no, but you were definitely close.

Thanks guys - this is such a friendly forum . I knew I was dreaming so guess it must have been lucid (can't wait for lurid lucid dreams!!).

I've read tons of the postings and all you lucid dreamers appear intelligent and compassionate. Does anyone know if there are common personality charateristics in lucid dreamers?

I don't know about us LDs having certain traits, but I'll tell you one thing we do all have in common: An open mind....

I guess with it one is able to achieve quite a bit...

Interesting stuff...
Fascinating!

Hello, what you describe is somthing very simular to what i am searching for an explanation for.
When you are asleep and want to wake your self up can you do this with ease?. As i have to literally reach upto my eyes (asleep) and open them to wake my self up.
i am also curious about your sensation of dying (or at least your un-well being in the phisical) i also feel the NEED to wake up for some reason.


I apologise for not using exact terminology for this phenomena however with more time and reaserch into this subject, i will feel more confident in using certain words ie; Lucid, and other states.

Yes, it does sound exactly the same. The feeling that I must wake myself up is utterly overwhelming and takes a huge amount of will. It's so strange to be fighting this battle for life or death while you can hear everyday sounds around you.

I wonder if it's inherited as my father had similar experiences. We both fly frequently and can control where we fly, plus decide whether it's night or day and what the scenery looks like.

I suspect that all these plus the ability to lucid dream are more common in people with active imaginations. I've talked about that before in this thread - I think heightened intelligence, sensitivity and a deep imagination make dreaming more complex.

By the way, I experience sleep paralysis at least three times each week, usually in the mornings

Hmm, perhaps you should search around for sleep paralysis and "Old Hag", because that sounds like sort of what you're describing.

Best is to try to remember that nothing scary is going on, that its all just a transition of beeing awake to going to sleep, and that you're safe in your bed.

WOW!!! I have had these dreams many, many times. I did not know this was common. Not to get to spiritual, because I am a backslider, I will explain when I get them. 99% of the time. Let 's say I pray really hard and am thinking of going back to church and all. Almost guaranteed I will have the dream you speak of. I have gotten to the point I do not even like to pray at night because I feel Satan is there to take me away and the fear paralyzes me and it takes what seems like forever to mutter a sound and wake myself up. I know I am dreaming and I am trying to wake myself up.

Maybe after reading this thread and the commonality of the dream I might be OK and ride it out. I have been having these dreams ever since I was about 16 that is 24 years of these type nightmares as I think of them.

Again I find it strange that I get those after thinking about surrendering my life back to God again. I wish you the best because they are horrible nightmares to me.

I find it interesting that people have experienced/become aware of sleep paralysis at times other than while having nightmares. The only time I've ever experienced SP is when the dreams (which I'm not always able to recall) are nightmarish ... when there is extreme emotional distress in the dream ... etc....

Something else that interests me is that I'm never fully "aware" I'm dreaming when it's going on. It is--to the best of my ability to recall--a phenomenon associated with waking up from/coming out of a nightmare and the paralysis always seems to decrease in proportion to the level of consciousness I rise to. In other words, as often (relatively) as I've experienced it ... I'm not to the point where I can recognize it and exert any amount of control over it.... It's always such a terrifying experience for me.

Crikey, I can't believe how many people experience sleep paralysis - I thought I was crazy.

I have never connected having a nightmare to SP. If I have nightmares that cause or affect SP then I never remember them. The terror I feel is simply because I am conscious but can not see or move. I also don't experience the feeling that there is a frightening presence in the room which is apparantly common with SP and Old Hag syndrome (try Googling 'Old Hag' - there's loads of great information).

BTW - for the forum's information - I think I have finally had a lucid dream! I dreamt I was dressing and putting tights (hose?) on but really wanted to wear stockings. I suddenly thought to myself 'hey, I'm dreaming so I can wear what I like', so I magically changed the tights to stockings. Good grief - I was expecting mind-blowing journeys like flying around the solar system and visiting the planets, not a dream about getting dressed.