Thread: Help!

Well, maybe instead of stopping it from happening, you could do something to make it more enjoyable. The only limit in lucid dreams is your imagination. If you are afraid of the dark in your dream, imagine a scene that is sunny and joyful and spin around. That is usually how you change dreamscapes. You are very lucky to be a natural lder because there are many, including me, that struggle to even have one a month.

Pardon my ignorance, but why? why would you want it?

You are like me then, or you are at least the way I used to be with the light switch qeue. For some odd reason, before I even knew what LDing was, turning on a false lightswitch was a bad sign. It was usually the denotation of a nightmare. I would be aware of the dream (on a low level), and I would feel a terrible presence. This almost always occured in a bathroom, where the need for a lightswitch was present. In any case, I havn't had a nightmare since way back when... Well, its been that long, lets leave it at that. Its not the awareness that's scaring you, there's something else in the dream that gives you the feeling of darkness at the same time you become aware, so naturally you relate the awareness to the same sign of negetivity.

If you learn to become aware in other places withought the accursed lightswitch, try something out, anything! In lucid dreams you can do whatever your heart desires. Knowing that you have a sense of control should really obliterate the oppresive feelings of any nightmare you become aware in anyways.

There are infinitely distant horizons in LD's, an impossible amount of possibilies. Use it to your advantage, and have fun doing it

Originally Posted by ConfusedDreamer

Pardon my ignorance, but why? why would you want it?
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Lucid dreaming is pretty much a virtual reality where you can do anything you want and it feels amazingly real.

I'm wondering why you're so scared. When you're in a lucid dream you are in your own world where you can do whatever you want.

Originally Posted by ConfusedDreamer

how do you stop it from happening? anyone?
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Honestly, I don't think that you can. Just like you can't stop nightmares from happening, sometimes they just happen. Although, while nightmares will always be scary (after all, it's not a nightmare unless it's scary), lucid dreams don't always have to be. Because you are thinking clearly in them, like you do in waking life, you have the power to turn it into something that isn't scary at all- or at least to wake yourself up, as you're well aware by now .

Originally Posted by ConfusedDreamer

I dont know why it scares me. I guess because i feel trap and i dont like the fact that the light doesnt turn on. maybe coz im scared of the dark.[/b]

Originally Posted by ConfusedDreamer

Pardon my ignorance, but why? why would you want it?[/b]

Well first of all, realize this: You are not trapped. As you already know by now, you can wake yourself up at any time.
Now... you ARE going to have a lucid dream again. It's going to happen, period. So the sooner you learn to turn it into a pleasurable (or at least non-frightening) experience, the better. Right?
So, the next time you realize you are dreaming, try this: stay in the dream. You don't have to try anything in particular... you don't even have to move at all if you don't want to... but just notice what it feels like to stay in the dream. Notice how no harm comes to you, because it is impossible to be harmed in any way in a dream.
After you have tried that, then try walking around in the dream. Remember, you can always wake yourself up at any time if you want to. Notice how real everything looks- even though it's not real! Everything around you is being constructed by your imagination, like an extremely vivid daydream. So explore it- what will you find? Perhaps a more brightly lit area? It's all up to you.
After you have explored your dream a bit, try exerting what we like to call dream control. Because the world you are in is all a fantasy world thats exists only in your mind, you'll find that literally anything is possible. Hey, have you ever wondered what it would be like if you could fly? Try it! You can in your dream world. And that's only one of the many MANY things you can do. Here's some more stuff you could try.

Anyway, I recommend staying and looking around on these forums. Do some reading. You'll soon find that not only are lucid dreams nothing to be afraid of, they can potentially be some of the most exciting, rewarding experiences you'll ever have. So from now on, try experimenting with your lucid dreams. Go as slow or as fast as you want- they're your dreams, after all. Good luck, and I hope you have lots of fun doing it!

Hi ConfusedDreamer. May I ask you a question?

Originally Posted by ConfusedDreamer

When i was younger, i was a lot braver i guess. I would just sit on the foot of my bed and wait it out or get myself a glass of water. eventually id get bored and i would wake up.
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When you used to "sit at the foot of the bed" could you see your sleeping body in it? Can you remember?

You are all going to think me stupid but heres the real reason im scared of it. I remember the time when i realized i could do that and then i remember seeing the movie Noghtmare on Elm Street. And i just never got over it. I feel like Freddy Kreugers gonna come up behind me or something. And like in that movie, they die in their dreams and then they're dead IRL.

Do I have some mental issues or what?

Have you guys ever heard of this?



"SUDS- Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome (called bangungot in the Philippines, lai tai in Thailand, and hukuri in Japan) is sudden unexpected death of adolescents and adults during sleep. Bangungot is rarely observed in the Western world, and appears to occur more commonly among young men in East and Southeast Asian countries. The term originated from the Tagalog word meaning "bad dream." The root of this term is the fact that survivors of bangungot often describe dreaming about falling into a bottomless pit. While experiencing this, the person is aware that he is dreaming but feels like there is something that stops him from moving and awaking."


I know, i know. Call me paranoid. But that too scares me. And if you experience SP then you know why.

Doesnt that sound like SP but not being able to wake up? It does take up a lot of your energy to force yourself to wake up during SP. Then you feel really weak afterwards. Even though you really physically didnt move.

You can't die in a dream, unless you are old and about to die anyway. Natural death.
Dreams are made by your mind and your mind would never kill it self.
You've only got 2 ways, to get rid of this fear: go into a therapy or face your dream. Therapy takes a lot of your life, it useally costs money and there is a chance that it won't work. Face your dream. Tell your dream, that you don't fear it. Next time you get a lucid dream, stay in it. Imagine Freddy Kreugers in front of you and get rid of him, in any way you desire. Blow him up with an energyball, put him on fire, stab him to death, drain all his blood, chop him into pieces. Anything. Or you might just tell him to get the hell out of your dreams. They are yours and nobody can stop you from having them. Only your mind can.

I guess I just want to back up what everyone else has said, they've all given great advice. I suppose that it is quite difficult to change something that has been happening for so long. The ironic thing is that so many people would love to be in your position where lucid dreams happen frequently. Use it to your advantage, there is so much you can do!

Originally Posted by Marvo

You can't die in a dream, unless you are old and about to die anyway. Natural death.
Dreams are made by your mind and your mind would never kill it self.
You've only got 2 ways, to get rid of this fear: go into a therapy or face your dream. Therapy takes a lot of your life, it useally costs money and there is a chance that it won't work. Face your dream. Tell your dream, that you don't fear it. Next time you get a lucid dream, stay in it. Imagine Freddy Kreugers in front of you and get rid of him, in any way you desire. Blow him up with an energyball, put him on fire, stab him to death, drain all his blood, chop him into pieces. Anything. Or you might just tell him to get the hell out of your dreams. They are yours and nobody can stop you from having them. Only your mind can.
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If you do this and imagine Freddy Kreuger, make sure that you believe in your mind that you can destroy him. Just keep thinking that he is harmless. Then when you imagine him, you can tear him to pieces and be rid of him once and for all.

Originally Posted by ConfusedDreamer

You are all going to think me stupid but heres the real reason im scared of it. I remember the time when i realized i could do that and then i remember seeing the movie Noghtmare on Elm Street. And i just never got over it. I feel like Freddy Kreugers gonna come up behind me or something. And like in that movie, they die in their dreams and then they're dead IRL.

Do I have some mental issues or what?
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i think you do have some mental issues...

First, exploreyourmind, if you don't know what you're talking about, I'd suggest keeping quiet instead of insulting others.

Secondly, ConfusedDreamer, it is perfectly natural to fear any number of things in reality but it is that much more understandable to fear things that are "unusual". Humanity's greatest fear is that of the unknown. It's what has stopped many in their tracks to success, or at least hindered them.

The realization of the dream state seems to be fearful for you due to the sheer concept of it - you become aware of your dreams - it's frightening to be in such a position. The phobia you described may indeed contribute to the fear as well, which is why I would suggest the following.

Don't be saddened or dishearted! Read about lucid dreaming and dreams from trusted resources. The book called "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" by Stephen LaBerge is a great start. Find out as much information as you can about dreams and lucidity - knowledge is the best weapon against fear.
The more you find out about lucid dreaming, the more you'll see that whatever villain confronts you in your lucid dream will fall to your might in the blink of an eye. Turn into a rabbit or a squirrel, if you were to want it.

I hope you'll find the time to explore dreaming and lucidity to its fullest.
Good luck!

I say you take horsesims2000's advice, and instead of trying to prevent the dream, turn it from dark and scary into a pleasant and happy experience. You should stop to think about how lucky you actually are. There are loads of people, myself included, who struggle to have lucid dreams, and you have them without even trying. Being in a lucid dream is like being the God of your own world. Next time you have a lucid dream, you should stop and think about the one thing you'd like to be doing at that particular point in time, and make it happen.

You seem afraid that you might die from having lucid dream, but to some extent, that's natural. Everyone has their irrational fears. I have to have a window open a little if I go to sleep or I'm afraid I will use up all the oxygen and die. It's silly, but if I don't have that window open, I start feeling very uncomfortable. Fortunately, it easy enough for me to open a window. However, stopping lucid dreaming might be a little more difficult. You could try a reverse reality check, by flicking light switches randomly in real life, and not caring about or processing the outcome at all. In your dream, you might mimic this behaviour, and not care when you throw a lightswitch. I'm not sure how effective this method would be, though.
What would certainly work is to overcome your fears of being in a lucid dream. I know that's difficult. I once had a lucid dream where as soon as I realized I was dreaming, very loud bells began to ring, scaring me to death and waking me up with a shock. I was afraid of becoming lucid again, afraid I would be scared again. Along with that, all sorts of other scary scenarios started to form in my head... What if I suddenly see everyone is dead in my dream? What if something attacks me? It might not be real, but it sure as hell would be scary! But then, when I became lucid, what happened? Nothing. The dream world acted just like the normal world, and I could walk around, talk to people, anything. And really, apart from that one experience, none of my lucids have been scary.
What you do is up to you, of course. All I am saying is I am not sure you can stop having a lucid dream. But I am sure you can stop thinking of them as scary, and have fun with them.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living? Hobbies? Hours of sleep? I have a feeling there is a common thing you can do to be aware your dreaming.