Night terror again? -- But no terror...

**Techoh** · 04-02-2014 07:04 PM

I'm pretty sure I was semi-lucid... because I was put into a situation where I made a choice. It's a little gruesome, but there was no pain. It was EXTREMELY vivid though with another feeling.

So I was in a castle of some sort I think... at the time of when the sun was coming up. There was some sort of olden-ship docking station out in a large lake/sea. It was still dark, so I didn't know exactly what it was. Anyway, inside the castle there was some sort of conflict with a person. Not sure if it was male or female, but this person still was VERY vivid in detail of emotions. I'll just call this person "she" to keep convenience. Basically we had daggers/swords. I had the sword and she had a dagger. I believe she was threatening me... and in a VERY dangerous way. I knew that something bad was going to happen and that she was going to do something horrid... so I came at her with the sword. It felt wobbly in my hands and as I tried to stab her it didn't go in. She was facing her dagger out towards me behind her back as to make sure I didn't do anything like that, so then instantly she grabbed my sword and swung it to my neck. I knew I was dead... but I didn't feel any pain as it went in. The entire left side of my neck was numb (this is the most vivid feeling I've had so far) and I knew that I was decapitated. It was dark, but I was still dreaming. This is where the dream became lucid and I realize everything that has happened. Sadly, my realization started to fade and I must have drifted off... then soon woke up (what might have been a few hours after the dream).

I have been having a lot of these dreams where I try to be a hero but fail and take the sacrifice of dying. Although this might seem like my usual night terrors... I didn't scream at all. It wasn't like the terrors that give me the anxiety... but rather the choice. Is this by any chance a sign that I'm taking more control of my dreams as I'm half-lucid?

**snoop** · 04-02-2014 07:52 PM

Perhaps your mind is being conditioned to become more lucid when you experience these nightmares, your mental state and situation is very similar every time, at least in concept, as you've stated. A few times you've maybe become half lucid and your mind has picked up on the fact that you didn't feel anxiety or terror when you woke up, so it's a way of relief. There's no telling if the stressful situations were actually causing you to physiologically react either, that may be the case. If so, you expect the typical effects of fight or flight--you have a heightened sense of awareness, you become more alert, more lucid, yet at the same time the mind dissociates, and things appear to be happening both in slow motion and so fast you can hardly recollect the details, it feels like what's happening is like a dream or it didn't really happen. At least, that's what happens when you experience adrenaline when awake. Assuming your dreams are eliciting a physiological response, maybe the response is still blunted because you are, in fact, asleep. Therefore you would begin to see a trending rise in lucidity during these dreams. All of this is speculation of course, but I think it could be possible.

**Techoh** · 04-02-2014 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by snoop

...Therefore you would begin to see a trending rise in lucidity during these dreams. All of this is speculation of course, but I think it could be possible.

Ok, thanks.

I guess a lot of things about the mind really are speculation... but I think you're onto something there. Again, thankyou for your input.