posted on May, 29 2009 @ 08:02 PM
Inducing Nightmares
We all know the power the dream state has on the human psyche, love them or hate them nightmares will get the adrenaline pumping. I have always
loved to be scared, probably because it doesn’t happen very easily. I have always loved nightmares, for me it’s a rush that is comparable to any
other high, natural or otherwise. I have always been a vivid dreamer, and I have recently started to work on lucid dreaming with little success, also
I have been researching nightmares, and what brings them about. It can be anything, from stress, to watching or reading something frightening, even
the foods we eat. I also have been looking into how to induce the nightmares to make them come at will. I figured that there would be others on here
who also like nightmares and would like to induce them every once in a while. There are probably some who know how to induce them also. I searched
this site for a thread on the topic but I couldn’t find one so I decided to make one.
I would advise against inducing nightmares too often, it can’t be good for you to have nightmares nightly, not to mention some of the techiques are
not the healthiest.
Techniques
Foods that increase nightmares
Salty and spicy foods are known to make dreaming more vivid and more frightening. So you can have a super salty bowl of popcorn or chips. Chips and
hot salsa are a good option because it is both sodium filled and spicy. (obviously prolonged sodium intake is not good for you, so don’t do this
very often) Also I have heard that dairy products are hard to digest so they make the dream state more turbulent.
Fatty cuts of pork, raw onions, and foods high in protien are also said to induce nightmares, mainly because it causes indigestion. The stress of
indigestion on the digestion suggestion causes mild hallucinations leading to nightmares.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is great for making dreams more vivid and memorable. It doesn’t really affect if they are a nightmare or not, but it will make them
interesting. You can buy Vitamin B6 anywhere you can get vitamins, I suggest getting the 100mg tablets, about an hour before you go to sleep.
Too much vitamin B6 can cause nerve damage in the arms and legs. Neuropathy is usually related to high intake of vitamin B6 from supplements, and
is reversible when supplementation is stopped. According to the Institute of Medicine, Several reports show sensory neuropathy at doses lower than 500
mg per day. As previously mentioned, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has established an upper tolerable intake level (UL)
for vitamin B6 of 100 mg per day for all adults. As intake increases above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases.
Power of suggestion
The power of suggestion is very intense, simply tell yourself that “I will have a nightmare/dream tonight, it will be about….” Keep repeating
what you want to dream about to yourself as you drift off.
Start a dream journal
Dream Journals are a great way to increase you recollection of dreams, and will eventually help you learn to guide your dreams.
Those are the most effective techniques that I have found, but I have also heard of a few more that are kind of hit and miss, I can’t say that they
work but I can’t say that they don’t work either.
Cover your head with covers while you sleep
It is said that if you cover your head it creates anxiety in your subconscious, if makes you feel trapped.
Wear Socks to bed
Same general principle of covering your head. It creates a feeling of discomfort.
Good luck on your nightmares/dreams.
Please feel free to add any other techniques or present any results from the above techniques.
[edit on 29-5-2009 by mephesto]