Learning from the dream state

Hey guys, thought i'd share with you some recent experiences of mine that i hope, will bring value of some sort, to some people on these forums who find the information relevant in some way.

*this is a bit long so you may want to skip to the original point of this post if you don't care for history/filler*

Two nights ago, i had a very lucid dream. I am going to go ahead and say it was the 'happiest' dream i had ever had in my life, never before had i felt so... powerful and in charge of my own reality. I've always been a very vivid dreamer, with many messages in them which i use to better my life, make decisions, gain personal peace etc, i have always been one to lucid dream multiple times per year, without going to any extent to increase the likely hood of lucid dreaming.

Anyway, so in this dream i knew i was dreaming. But i also knew where my physical body was located. The best way for me to describe this is that my consciousness had not fully left my physical body/mind as i kept having thoughts in my dream about not wanting to wake up (as i was having too much fun). So in this dream i gained the ability to levitate, talk telepathically and use telekinetic powers to move objects in my dream (for example i was able to bend a light post just by concentrating on it slightly).

I was located at some kind of shopping complex. I could do anything and it would not seem out of place, for example, i decided to throw a brick through a window (don't ask why, i don't remember) and no one took any notice, everything that happened, was perceived by the people in my dream as being normal, it did not stand out, its just the way it was. Apart from my levitation which caused people to gasp in awe.

****

So to my original point of this thread. As i knew i was dreaming, i happened to be with a friend whom i was really close to growing up and all through my schooling life, whom i don't actually see much anymore, maybe a few times per year and we don't talk outside of our physical rendezvous . I said to him, in this dream "Hey did you know we are actually dreaming at the moment?". As i said this, he fell to the floor, with his hands over his ears, eyes closed in the fetal position , yelling out "No this isn't real, this isn't real!". This completely shocked me, never had i seen a person in such distress, i then began to reassure him, that no, this was was real and not a dream - he then eventually recovered.

The next day when i was doing some work in my front yard, the same friend whom i dreamed about a day earlier stopped by. Now he has done this maybe once before at least 6 months ago and it shocked me quite a lot. So i invited him in an he stayed for a little while. I briefly and simply explained my dream to him. saying that this is the first time i had ever a had a dream with him in it. He then told me that his girlfriend told him recently that he had been having 'night terrors' where he would yell or scream in his sleep, however he had no recollection of this happening. But he did tell me that he had a dream a couple of days ago about being 'attacked' by aliens, and that he had a weapon, but was unable to fire it.

Essentially, what has happened here is i have somehow, in my conscious dream state, connected myself, to his dream state and learned of the troubles/pain he has been experiencing when dreaming, or at very least, learning of his current problems.

My family has a history of learning through dreams. For example, my mother had a dream when she was overseas that her cat developed a ulcer, and sure enough it was true. She had a dream about this at the exact same time, her cat was at the vet with her parents, being diagnosed with a ulcer in the same position she dreamed about. She also had a dream or a 'conscious sign' the same night my grandfather died.


I am not looking for help or an explanation. I just wanted to share my experience to anyone who is on the same page as me, or looking for similar experiences to learn or better themselves.

That was a good write-up, and a great story as well. I would agree that dreams, since they are an unconscious interpretation of conscious and subconscious interferences, can teach us quite a bit. This is of course if one is able to understand the imagery, which is the language of the subconscious mind.

I remember sometime last year my psychiatrist told me two things: first, learn from your dreams, and second, which was more surprising, that lucid dreaming, while asking yourself questions, can be a real benefit. This is only if you can control your dreams though. He basically said the same thing I did above, that your subconscious knows what the problem is, so you can discover it when you are in the world of the subconscious, ie dreams.

Im so close to controlling my dreams its frustrating!!

Usually by the time I realise im dreaming I wake up a split second later, I would love to control my dreams and talk to my subconscious ask myself questions. I NEED to be able to do this!

Originally posted by JiggyPotamus
This is of course if one is able to understand the imagery, which is the language of the subconscious mind.

Imagery, that's a good way of explaining how or what you experience in dreams.

Originally posted by Idonthaveabeard
Im so close to controlling my dreams its frustrating!!

Usually by the time I realise im dreaming I wake up a split second later, I would love to control my dreams and talk to my subconscious ask myself questions. I NEED to be able to do this!

It is possible to train yourself to lucid dream, or so i have been told as i haven't tried it myself. I have a couple of basic image guides i could upload for you if you are genuinely interested.

Yes please upload them, I get so annoyed when I realise im dreaming and I wake up straight away. I believe that I can better myself by so much if I can just connect with my dreams somehow!

reply to post by BeforeTheHangmansNoose

Would like to ask advice. Seems you have a great deal of experience and much greater understanding than I in this subject, and I would appreciate your input.

I, too, have recently been having exceptionally vivid dreams. However, I don't want them. Virtually always I am aware I am asleep, and there is some relatively inane event occurring. Unfortunately, it seems I am doomed in these dreams to repeat the action (whatever it is) forever and I will try to wake up to escape. I am also one of those folks who cannot recall details of a dream once awake, and about all I am able to remember are generalities such as described. I have always told my young son that his dad isn't afraid of anything, but the truth is that these things terrify me., Last night I stayed awake as long as I possibly could (almost 5 am), but eventually lost the battle and went to sleep. Research I have made into the subject indicates that it is relatively common to have "waking" dreams, and there is no shortage of theories as to what causes them. What I can't find is how to avoid or stop them.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I can't seem to find all of them but i do have these, you may or may not find them helpful.

"Brain hack" - helps with sleep

Lucid Dreaming

Originally posted by samstone11
reply to post by BeforeTheHangmansNoose

 

Would like to ask advice. Seems you have a great deal of experience and much greater understanding than I in this subject, and I would appreciate your input.

I, too, have recently been having exceptionally vivid dreams. However, I don't want them. Virtually always I am aware I am asleep, and there is some relatively inane event occurring. Unfortunately, it seems I am doomed in these dreams to repeat the action (whatever it is) forever and I will try to wake up to escape. I am also one of those folks who cannot recall details of a dream once awake, and about all I am able to remember are generalities such as described. I have always told my young son that his dad isn't afraid of anything, but the truth is that these things terrify me., Last night I stayed awake as long as I possibly could (almost 5 am), but eventually lost the battle and went to sleep. Research I have made into the subject indicates that it is relatively common to have "waking" dreams, and there is no shortage of theories as to what causes them. What I can't find is how to avoid or stop them.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

It is generally accepted that when you sleep, you dream subconscious thoughts, or unprocessed thoughts about previous events, or something that has happened during the day. So for example if you got fired from your job, you may have dreams about not being accepted or being angry or attacked. Try to take what you dream, and think of them as a learning lesson.

You may have something troubling you in your every day life, and your dreams are a way for your consciousness to sort things out, trying to work through it all.

If you can remember them, it makes explanations for dreams a lot easier. Personally, certain events in dreams stand out. Like the other night i had a dream where i saw my fingers crossed (i have never seen my own body part in a dream apart from this - so i realized it was significant). There are many links on the web to help intemperate dreams. In my particular case, the crossed fingers apparently signifies, hope or luck.

I found this website to be helpful.

Dream interpretation isn't for everyone, if the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it.

EDIT, thought i'd mention something i noted in another thread about dreaming and the 'need' for sleep.

When we sleep, our consciousness leaves our body. We don't know where it goes, but its not there. Think of it like this.

When you are awake you can "knock on the door" of your mind, and your consciousness will respond. Essentially it is at 'home'.

When you are asleep you can "knock on the door" of your mind, and your consciousness will not respond. Essentially it is not at 'home'.