Stuck in a lucid nightmare. Thanks Erin :)

[lucidbrotha]

Took a nap just now this afternoon. Got stuck in a bad lucid dream. It may well have been a dream within a dream within a dream etc. Contained lots of disturbing things like (not necessarily in this order):

a. being at the top of a high building with 2 other people my age. tortured. then thrown off the building. I was a bit more free, but I still followed them off the building

b. my brother trying to kill me

c. trying to escape from this dream. got close often, seeing glimpses of the blanket of my bed (at least it was the same color). but i didn't succeed and got back into dream

d. went out of my apartment (where i actually live in real life) to shout out if anyone could hear me. then i went back into the apartment.

e. i was in the body of some older man, running around in some town. feeling alone. it was raining. i was looking for help. everyone ignored me.

f. it looked like i had finally managed to wake up. my bed sheets were covered in blood. thankfully, i was still dreaming!

More such disturbing things.

Thankfully, I finally woke up. I felt fine once woken up. But in the dream, I felt like I could have been stuck there forever.

Is this what Erin meant by a "lucid dream"? I started writing down my dreams a year or two ago. And have had more lucid dreams since. But I've never had such disturbing dreams before. (Of course, I'm not blaming Erin. I just got the idea of a lucid dream from her podcast once )

This seems very dangerous to me. Seems to me that I could experience the same terrible thing that guy in Inception did: Spend ages in the dream, growing old. And then waking up in real life just fine.

What should I do? This is dangerous indeed Perhaps I better had stayed away from this whole thing altogether.

[lucidbrotha]

Actually, do you think it's possible to

1. in real life, flip quickly through all the pages of a 1000 page book (but looking at them all)
2. spend 10 years in a dream and read and memorize the book
3. wake up in real life, maybe 1 hour later, knowing the full contents of the book by heart

?

Hmmm....

[Rebecca800]

Hey - your lucid nightmare, were you self-aware at the time (you knew it was a dream while it was happening)? This is usually the main prerequisite for a lucid dream/nightmare. Either that, or you can manipulate the dream as it happens, without actually acknowledging it's a dream. Or both.

I don't think you could read a whole book during a lucid dream, partly because the language centers of the brain are shut down in dreams so it is more difficult to read, tell the time, etc (less so in lucid dreams but I still find it tough). And partly because although it feels like a dream can last years, it's an illusion - and so even if you could read a 1000-page book I don't think you'd have the time. My longest lucid dreams have lasted up to an hour as far as I can tell. I've had dreams that seemed to last for decades, mostly when I've taken dream herbs, but you couldn't accomplish decades-worth of stuff really. It's just your mind playing a great trick on you.

[bluestar]

Rebecca800....please could you tell me what dream herbs you take? And do they increase dreaming, or make the dreams more vivid -or both?

[lucidbrotha]

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

Hey - your lucid nightmare, were you self-aware at the time (you knew it was a dream while it was happening)? This is usually the main prerequisite for a lucid dream/nightmare. Either that, or you can manipulate the dream as it happens, without actually acknowledging it's a dream. Or both.

I don't think you could read a whole book during a lucid dream, partly because the language centers of the brain are shut down in dreams so it is more difficult to read, tell the time, etc (less so in lucid dreams but I still find it tough). And partly because although it feels like a dream can last years, it's an illusion - and so even if you could read a 1000-page book I don't think you'd have the time. My longest lucid dreams have lasted up to an hour as far as I can tell. I've had dreams that seemed to last for decades, mostly when I've taken dream herbs, but you couldn't accomplish decades-worth of stuff really. It's just your mind playing a great trick on you.

Yeah, I was aware I was dreaming. Hence, my trying to escape it many times without success. I think I was somewhat in control of it, but only to a little extent. I did make some conscious decisions in it, such as go out and see if "someone was out there" or jump with the other 2 people off the building. I also had feelings in the dream, such as fear, etc. So, partly conscious. Partly automatic.

Yeah, you're right. Very unlikely that one can read 1000-page book. However, I definitely fear the possibility of getting stuck there in for many virtual years! Just hope that won't happen

[Rebecca800]

Originally Posted by bluestar

Rebecca800....please could you tell me what dream herbs you take? And do they increase dreaming, or make the dreams more vivid -or both?

I have tried Calea Z, Galantamine, Choline. Read up about my Calea Z experiences here: Calea Zacatechichi: The Dream Herb

They make your dreams more intense and improve your recall dramatically, so you will feel like you've been dreaming a lot more than usual. I'm not sure if this is actually the case but it will feel like it.

[Rebecca800]

Originally Posted by lucidbrotha

Yeah, I was aware I was dreaming. Hence, my trying to escape it many times without success. I think I was somewhat in control of it, but only to a little extent. I did make some conscious decisions in it, such as go out and see if "someone was out there" or jump with the other 2 people off the building. I also had feelings in the dream, such as fear, etc. So, partly conscious. Partly automatic.

Yeah, you're right. Very unlikely that one can read 1000-page book. However, I definitely fear the possibility of getting stuck there in for many virtual years! Just hope that won't happen

Ah ok, then this is what Erin meant as a lucid dream. Although I suspect you were semi-lucid. Or it was a lucid nightmare which happens but is not all that common so I wouldn't be too fearful of it happening again!

As I say I have been "stuck" in a dream that lasted decades but it really wasn't like Cobb in Inception. I didn't go crazy or anything. It's just an illusion and you don't feel like it's going on for that long at the time, it's more of a really cool realization upon awakening.

[Frankmat]

Gee I dunno about you but I am not sure I would be smoking or taking Calea zacatechichi LOL.

It might be legal (just) but it's still a hallucinogenic drug... just as cannabis is. Personally I would prefer my psychic experiences happened naturally!

[jordeh]

You should try to stop smoking, it might help