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Lucid dreaming

2008-01-24

There probably exist things more boring than people talking about their dreams, but they are not numerous. This, however, is precisely what I am now going to do. I slept only four hours last night, setting the alarm for 7:30 AM although I have no lectures scheduled for today. I went up as usual and got a lot of things done. Then, around ten or something, I slept for half an hour. Nothing peculiar. I got up again and studied Chinese for an hour and then went back to sleep again, around 1:00 AM, setting the alarm for 1:30 AM (it still has not gone off).

Now to the weird bit. Like ordinary dreams, I cannot remember when it begun, but I found myself being someplace familiar, probably at a friend’s place, nothing fancy. And just like ordinary dreams, there was nothing coherent or lucid about anything so far. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside a small table, talking to whomever was in the room with me. Then, suddenly, a girl cuddles me from behind, kissing my neck softly and saying something, a greeting perhaps. This is where the dream stops being a dream and everything is perfectly lucid.

The crux is, of course, that I have no girlfriend, and, in the dream, I knew that I had not (if you like, I think you will find it easy to boil this narrative down to some sort of fantasy, but even though it might be true, that is not the point). Somehow, the scene had changed and when I opened my eyes and looked around, I was lying in my bed (exactly like I was lying when I woke up a few minutes later). I was conscious, rational, coherent and awake.

So, I woke up, what is the big deal? The girl was still there. I cannot possibly describe how odd that felt. I knew it could not be. I know for certain I have never seen her before (all I can remember now is that she had dark hair). She did not ever remind me of someone I know. I though things over for a couple of seconds, trying to find rational solutions to this conundrum. Perhaps someone had sneaked into my room while I was asleep? A practical joke of some kind? Ludicrous.

Then I realised I was still dreaming, a realisation which struck me with wonder and fear. It might be hard for you to believe this, but for several minutes I was absolutely convinced that I was awake. Yes, I felt drowsy, but something like this has never ever happened to be before. I was not simply conscious of dreaming, I was fully aware of everything that happened and, in my mind, I could reason and comment on what was going on. Having at least two friends who are interested in lucid dreaming, I had heard them speaking about it, so I actually realised that I was dreaming lucidly as well. My first thought was to get out off bed and jump (one of the friends mentioned above, said that would tell you if you were indeed dreaming or not), but the girl was sitting on the floor beside the bed and I stumbled over her.

Fear was gradually replaced by panic and mounting anxiety, why I do not know. I desperately tried to open my eyes, which were somehow still closed. All the while I struggled, the girl laughed at me, not malignantly or something, but she laughed warmly as though there was nothing more amusing in the world. Then I opened my eyes again and it stopped.

Now, thirty minutes after I woke up, the memory of the lucid dream begins to fade rapidly. I write this down because it is possibly the most incredible thing that has happened to me for a long, long time. I write it down so as not to forget how it was. I know that there are people who actively try to reach a state of lucid dreaming, but I have never counted myself among their numbers, this was purely by accident. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to explore this phenomenon more determinedly.

in Blog, In English | 9 comments

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  1. Jocke’s avatar

    Jocke on 2008-01-24 at 14:11

    I had one of these dreams a time ago. In the dream I woke up and went to school, beliving that I was awake. The one thing that made me realise it was a dream where the fact that I came to this place where I have been many times before and it did not look the way it is supposed to. Then I slipped on some ice and hit my head, and the pain I felt from the impact woke me up.

    And for the record – my place is fancy!

    Reply

  2. Olle Linge’s avatar

    Olle Linge on 2008-01-24 at 14:14

    Heh, I rather think it was your place. I just didn’t find it relevant, which is why I didn’t mention it. :)

    Reply

  3. Lucid Dreams’s avatar

    Lucid Dreams on 2008-01-30 at 02:22

    What you’re describing is termed a “false awakening”. It’s one of the more interesting aspects of sleep, dreaming and lucid dreaming.

    You can discover more cool stuff about how to lucid dream here:

    http://howtoluciddream.wordpress.com/

    or here:

    http://luciddreams.weebly.com/

    Reply

  4. Olle Linge’s avatar

    Olle Linge on 2008-01-30 at 22:27

    Thank you, I have the intention of reading more about it and useful links are certainly a help on the way.

    Reply

  5. Ewa’s avatar

    Ewa on 2008-10-31 at 20:48

    hmm, it happened to me couple of times, too. Scary experience but I found it fascinating… :)

    Reply

  6. Staffan’s avatar

    Staffan on 2008-11-13 at 17:17

    I have these kind of dreams every night… I bet you’re thinking I’m lying but actually it’s a fact and it’s scaring the shit out of me. Sometimes during the days I remember acts and dialogues from dreams that did not occur in real life, hence, I act upon these false truths and end up in quite peculiar situations. The main reason behind my sudden influx of dreams and ability to recall them is because I’ve been on anti-depressants for a few months now, namely venlafaxine. In the beginning it was mostly fun to be able to recall dreams clearly, and it was fun to realize I was punching the air in mid sleep and waking with sore knuckles and pillows thrown over the room… Anyhow, one of the known side-effects of venlafaxine is nightmares so that could be a part of why I dislike the concept. It is interesting though, being able to control your dreams and experience things during night, all that sleep is a waste of time, but with lucid dreaming… Good luck on your future endeavours.

    Reply

  7. Olle Linge’s avatar

    Olle Linge on 2008-11-14 at 00:41

    As far as I know, some people are lucid dreamers naturally and have always been, so i see no reason to disbelieve you. For most people, it’s very rare, however.

    As far as your nightmares are concerned, I have read about people using lucid dreaming to control and handle nightmares successfully. Perhaps you can find something pertaining to your situation if you browse the internet for a while. I also remember a long post about a guy who desperately wanted to stop remembering dreams, perhaps that can be of use too. I don’t have that bookmarked, though, but I will provide with you the few links I have:

    http://www.ld4all.com/
    http://www.dreamviews.com/

    Reply