Thread: Confronted by death

I became lucid in a nap earlier today, and had a deeply disturbing experience. I thought I was awake in my dream and attempted to WILD, and became lucid because of that. I felt absolutely terrible, and couldn't move properly. I got out of the couch and shuffled out of my house. It was actually a pretty big struggle.

It was a very bleak and dark atmosphere out there. For some reason there was a mirror in a dead garden. I looked in it and saw that my left eye was completely red, and that whole side of my body was unresponsive, which was responsible for the trouble moving.

I suddenly became 100% convinced that I was having a stroke in real life and that my dream body was trying to tell me that. I tried desperately to wake up. Hit myself in the face, yelled at the top of my lungs, nothing would do it. I figured I was stuck here because my brain wasn't able to be awake anymore, and that I was surely going to die soon.

A huge wave of depression hit me. I realized how much I still wanted to do, and that this was actually it. I was going to get cut off early. This was the end of the line. I think I sat down and began sobbing for a minute.

Then I took a step back and took stock of the situation. I figured that dying or not, I'm here now. Hell, maybe this is the afterlife. Or maybe it'll all be gone in 10 seconds. Realistically there was only one thing to do, relax and enjoy whatever time I have left. As soon as that realization hit me, a profound change happened. The weird feeling and trouble moving was gone. I felt completely at peace. It suddenly became obvious that the whole thing was a sadistic mind game my unconscious was playing on me. Or perhaps it was telling me to live my life with this realization.

I then went on to complete two lucid tasks, until waking up not too long after. It was one of the longest and most vivid lucids I've had yet. For some reason I always get good ones when napping, I'm sure it has to do with a better REM period.

Has anyone else had morbid mind games like this happen in a dream? It was messed up, but this ended up being one of the most profound experiences I've ever had. Hopefully I'll take something away from it into real life.