Thread: Falseaphobia

Originally Posted by Medevila

False awakenings. The idea of them creeps me out. I am yet to have one, but any dream I ever recall having in my room has been a bad one, and sitting here now I can imagine several ways a false awakening could turn horrible.

The main scenario that concerns me is I wake up in my "dream bed," do a reality check to confirm it's a lucid, and then something runs in to kill me, something bangs at the window, I hear a jarring noise, the list goes on. Not to mention that most likely a false awakening will be at "night" in my dream, making it creepier...

I'm mainly worried that I'll be so frightened by whatever awaits me that I will not be able to control the LD and either wake up or fade into a normal dream.

Helpsh?

You have nothing to fear but fear itself in a dream. So don't worry about it. Lucid dreaming is an adventure so just go along with what ever happends. If it turns into a nightmare than it just was a failed LD. You will have many more chances for LDs so don't worry about it.

Ah don't worry, if its a FA, then there shouldn't be anything dangerous other than the normal things in your house, right? And just so you don't get distracted by the room, you could close your eyes and start imagining a new scene.

I once had a day long FA.

in the morning, I thought it was the next day.

on another forum, someone said "then you wake up and you're 4 again. "

I have false awakenings all the time. Since they are supposed to be realistic, you will rarely see anything frightening, it will just be your normal room and house. In my opinion, false awakenings might actually help you get more stable dreams, because your brain already knows where everything should be, which is easier than a whole new scenario. Just don't be scared and you will be fine, the can be quite fun, actually. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Medevila

False awakenings. The idea of them creeps me out. I am yet to have one, but any dream I ever recall having in my room has been a bad one, and sitting here now I can imagine several ways a false awakening could turn horrible.

The main scenario that concerns me is I wake up in my "dream bed," do a reality check to confirm it's a lucid, and then something runs in to kill me, something bangs at the window, I hear a jarring noise, the list goes on. Not to mention that most likely a false awakening will be at "night" in my dream, making it creepier...

I'm mainly worried that I'll be so frightened by whatever awaits me that I will not be able to control the LD and either wake up or fade into a normal dream.

Helpsh?

Ah! I so understand you! Except, unfortunately for me, I have false awakenings all the time. They are as you imagine... dark and a bit creepy. Last time I had a series of 4. I started getting so afraid that I literally made things happen... in one of them my roommate jumped at me in the dark! But... last minute I made her hug me instead. That's when I realized... it is so stupid to be afraid of false awakenings! They are simply another opportunity to have a cool lucid dream, and we can control them. My plan of action for my next one is to turn on a light, open a door, and find myself somewhere beautiful to have a LD . Try to remember that false awakenings are only creepy if you make them that way! (and even if you do make them that way, nothing truly horrible can happen)

Originally Posted by lucidmax15895

I have false awakenings all the time. Since they are supposed to be realistic, you will rarely see anything frightening, it will just be your normal room and house. In my opinion, false awakenings might actually help you get more stable dreams, because your brain already knows where everything should be, which is easier than a whole new scenario. Just don't be scared and you will be fine, the can be quite fun, actually. Good luck.

I had a non lucid false awakening once, where I went to the kitchen for water or something after "waking up," and then my sisters cat turned into a metal cat. Then it attacked me. I think that dream is what made me a bit paranoid about FAs.

Originally Posted by cecile

Ah! I so understand you! Except, unfortunately for me, I have false awakenings all the time. They are as you imagine... dark and a bit creepy. Last time I had a series of 4. I started getting so afraid that I literally made things happen... in one of them my roommate jumped at me in the dark! But... last minute I made her hug me instead. That's when I realized... it is so stupid to be afraid of false awakenings! They are simply another opportunity to have a cool lucid dream, and we can control them. My plan of action for my next one is to turn on a light, open a door, and find myself somewhere beautiful to have a LD . Try to remember that false awakenings are only creepy if you make them that way! (and even if you do make them that way, nothing truly horrible can happen)

Thanks.

Hey, no worries, I had a pretty terrifying nightmare once, exactly after falsely awakening (I didn't LD back then, though). I woke up, I could hear someone entering my room, got up to see who it was and then some guy whose face was all black started something like a lightsaber in his hand.

It's ridiculous, I know, but it scared the crap out of me back then. I was worried a few days afterwards, but then it all faded. I still have a lot of dreams that happen in my room, especially during the night.

The biggest fear you might have, specially if you are using a dream journal is to get fooled by them. I had a dream and then I false-awake... I jot down my dream in my notebook. Then I wake up again, and think, "Gosh... that was fake... I better write it down before it's gone" After writing it down, I wake up again (finally for sure) and I think laying in my bed "nice... I jotted everything down" After a few seconds I think, "Holy C... that was fake two... I looked at my hands twice because I was annoyed by the tricking but I was in the waking plane and finally jotted it down (for real lol)

Other than that, do not be afraid. Try to reality check every time you wake up... even if the alarm clock sounds...

Originally Posted by PercyLucid

The biggest fear you might have, specially if you are using a dream journal is to get fooled by them. I had a dream and then I false-awake... I jot down my dream in my notebook. Then I wake up again, and think, "Gosh... that was fake... I better write it down before it's gone" After writing it down, I wake up again (finally for sure) and I think laying in my bed "nice... I jotted everything down" After a few seconds I think, "Holy C... that was fake two... I looked at my hands twice because I was annoyed by the tricking but I was in the waking plane and finally jotted it down (for real lol)

Other than that, do not be afraid. Try to reality check every time you wake up... even if the alarm clock sounds...

The main thing I'm worried of is right after the reality check, and the establishing that it is in fact a lucid, something bad will happen.

I.E., "Cool! I can breath with my nose pinched!" followed by, "Oh shit! Crazy guy just ran into my room!"

Well, that's the fun part. Then you get to beat the shit out of crazy guy in whatever epicmanner you see fit.

Originally Posted by Supernova

Well, that's the fun part. Then you get to beat the shit out of crazy guy in whatever epicmanner you see fit.

If I don't wake up right then and there.

EDIT: That and if it's a false awakening, it's exactly that- I won't be prepared for whatever the heck decides to try and kill me.

Originally Posted by Medevila

If I don't wake up right then and there.

EDIT: That and if it's a false awakening, it's exactly that- I won't be prepared for whatever the heck decides to try and kill me.

Well, if you're lucid it won't matter. If you're not, it will be scary as it happens, but you just have to remember it's just a dream, nothing will happen to you. It can be an exhilirating (positiveLy speaking) experience in the end instead because it can't harm you.

You see? It's all just mind games.

I agree with supernova. Remember they are just your minds games, nothing that can harm you. When I first had my FA, I was too pretty scared. But after 3 or 4 FAs, I knew they were just dreams, so I gradually summed up the courage and will to face them. Remember this, your will is very important. If you just try to escape FA's, the will just come even more, and will become harder to wake yourself up from. The best solution is to welcome them and keep a cool mind. When you overcome that fear, they will be quite fun. Actually, I find some FA's better than the dream I just woke up from.

It is BEFORE you realize that it is a dream that is intense. Actually, the thing that makes you realize. Everything is normal, then all of a sudden something is crazy and weird and you realize that you are dreaming.

One time: I had a nightmare and I woke up real quick with my heart pounding. I sat up in bed and caught my breath. I got up and went into the bathroom in the dark and splashed some cold water on my face. I turned on the light to see the towel, I dried my face off and then I looked in the mirror... and I didn't have a reflection. It is startling. I said "Aaaah!" and then next thing I knew I was spinning in the air up by the ceiling uncontrollably. Then SLAM, back into my body in bed! Woke up again with heart pounding. Went into the bathroom, but this time I prepared myself, turned on the light and i still didn't have a reflection. Walked back to bed, got in my body, woke up and saw my reflection that time. This was before I knew enough about lucid dreaming. I could've benefited from doing reality checks.

How about this: every time you wake up do a reality check?

My lucids are never in the day time. They mostly start by FA's, even when WILDING. Scary things do happen if I explore my house, so I tend to just walk outside. I know it's just a dream but turning the corner and expecting a zombie is not fun to me. So don't worry about it, just go outside. Make sure you are dreaming for sure to double check your reality checks just so you aren't really just walking outside.

Originally Posted by hellohihello

My lucids are never in the day time. They mostly start by FA's, even when WILDING. Scary things do happen if I explore my house, so I tend to just walk outside. I know it's just a dream but turning the corner and expecting a zombie is not fun to me. So don't worry about it, just go outside. Make sure you are dreaming for sure to double check your reality checks just so you aren't really just walking outside.

^ Honestly this best describes my problem! ^

Even if I DON'T expect it, I'm just about sure something bad will be in my house. That's just how my dreams are. However, My room is far from the front door, and I'm definitely not going into my basement to leave the house. Will I be able to jump out a window, even if there's glass and stuff in it?

If you want to, then yes, you can jump out the window. If you focus, you can probably punch down the brick wall. If you think "Ahhh but it has glass in it, I can't do that!" you'll probably fail. Remember, anything is posible.
Imagine a glass window being smashed. There, you've done it!

But really, if you're lucid dreaming, a false awakening is nothing to worry about - meet a zombie?
Walk away and it's gone. If you watched a cartoon on your computer of a murderer, or a zombie, you wouldn't be afraid of it would you?

If you keep thinking "it's a dream it's a dream", you'll be fine.

I actually have the same problem as you, and I thought reading this thread would make it worse. But really, it's made me realise that FAs are nothing to fear as long as you're lucid.

Originally Posted by Medevila

^ Honestly this best describes my problem! ^

Even if I DON'T expect it, I'm just about sure something bad will be in my house. That's just how my dreams are. However, My room is far from the front door, and I'm definitely not going into my basement to leave the house. Will I be able to jump out a window, even if there's glass and stuff in it?

'course you can, but make sure that you are in a dream by doing an RC. It wont be good if you were found unconscious below your window, covered in glass and blood.

However, even if there IS something scary in your house, what is the proof that if you were in a different scenario, it would not be there? Remember, the house is just a scenario, a jungle or even a candy shop could turn into a much worse nightmare. That's why you need to face your fears, instead of trying to avoid them. Actually, if you talk to the scary dudes, there is a good chance they will stop and turn into something pleasant. They are just your subconscious, so talking or perhaps fighting them could solve them for good.

Originally Posted by Dannon Oneironaut

It is BEFORE you realize that it is a dream that is intense. Actually, the thing that makes you realize. Everything is normal, then all of a sudden something is crazy and weird and you realize that you are dreaming.

One time: I had a nightmare and I woke up real quick with my heart pounding. I sat up in bed and caught my breath. I got up and went into the bathroom in the dark and splashed some cold water on my face. I turned on the light to see the towel, I dried my face off and then I looked in the mirror... and I didn't have a reflection. It is startling. I said "Aaaah!" and then next thing I knew I was spinning in the air up by the ceiling uncontrollably. Then SLAM, back into my body in bed! Woke up again with heart pounding. Went into the bathroom, but this time I prepared myself, turned on the light and i still didn't have a reflection. Walked back to bed, got in my body, woke up and saw my reflection that time. This was before I knew enough about lucid dreaming. I could've benefited from doing reality checks.

How about this: every time you wake up do a reality check?

Yes... even if I know I'm in waking state. On some dreams I forgot to do the RC though. But at least, every time I wake up I do reality checks... FA are tricky and sometimes is easy to get fooled by them.

I also like to face my fears. Sometimes (specially in the past) I had lucid nightmares. I traveled through a dark smoky tunnel and my head was like spinning. I new I was entering a nightmare so I just kept looking and traveling until reaching the scary scenario. Then I started to explore and I was ready to summon Freddy Krueger (who I think is my dream guide) so he would help me out and get rid of everything that scared me.

Don't go through a window, go through a wall. You're dreaming you can do what you want. I tend not to do anything dangerous in FA's, just on the safe side

Good point lucidmax. Be careful that you're not just sleepy, and you think it's a dream when it's actually not.
Try knocking down the wall with a light punch. You'll either have bruised knuckles, and realise you're awake, or the wall will go flying. Well, probably. Better to be safe than sorry.

Worrying about it is the best way to insure that it happens that way. The best thing you can do is just not worry about it, and realize that even if you aren't lucid, it is still only you that is controlling the content of your dreams. You dream what you expect.

Originally Posted by hellohihello

Don't go through a window, go through a wall. You're dreaming you can do what you want. I tend not to do anything dangerous in FA's, just on the safe side

I like going through closed windows as a reality check for FA's Its a bit easier because you already know whats on the other side and there's not chance of jumping out if you aren't actually dreaming. Personally I don't think there is much chance of that anyway. There have been plenty of times when I worried about doing something because I might be awake when I was actually dreaming, but I've never been up and moving about while I was actually awake and honestly considered that it might be a dream.

True, Xaqaria - in some dreams, I've been mentally prohibited from doing anything dangerous, because I thought "What if this isn't a dream?" - back then I didn't know about reality checks.
Aftarwards, of course, I felt really stupid for not knowing it was a dream. Still, the possibility is there, if you're very tired.

Ha I can just imagine someone headbutting a wall and knocking themselves out, ha. Anyway I had a nightmare when I was young and I was scared but I just pushed it down the stairs. I always just own the thing that my mind throws at me, I just guess I know that it's a dream deep down and Im not that scared