Dreams

(I didn't see any recent threads like this... If there are, well... whoops.)

Alright, I'm bored. So for once I'll show my face 'round these parts of the forum.
Now, hold on there, before anyone gets carried away, I don't want to hear people's dreams. At least, that's not what this is about. I'm talking about the subject of dreams itself.

I've always kinda had an interest in psychology, and in the past year-and-a-half or so I've been fascinated by dreams. I mean, really, is there anyone out there who thinks dreams are outright uninteresting? They're capable of things we'd never think of while awake; it's much more uninhibited.

I should clear up right now the misconception that people only dream once in a while. You always dream when you sleep (in REM)... you just don't always remember it.
Lately, I've been able to remember more and more dreams each night, and I don't think I've actually ever had a nightmare, or some dream that frightened me. I've had dreams where scary things could happen, but it was almost in a cinematic sense (like watching a movie), and never caused me any real fear. I'm very fond of this fact, as that means my dreams are usually fun or interesting (when they're not just plain boring).

Then there's the sub-subject that's really intriguing-- lucid dreams. I'm gonna state right off the bat that I hate the strange "occult" feeling given off when talking about lucid dreaming, as it kinda doesn't seem real... But it has been verified by science. For those who don't know, lucid dreaming is basically being aware of the fact that you're dreaming as you are dreaming. With enough practice, this can actually yield conscious control over many things in the dream. This theoretically means you can try anything you want. Interesting proposition, huh?

While dreams can emulate feelings and senses, lucid dreams are much, much more vivid. What this means is that it can feel almost as if you're awake while in this state; it feels like a real experience. Whether or not that makes it real is up to you, I don't feel like trying to find an answer to that head-scratcher. (That delves into the whole "what is reality?" thing.)

I myself have had one or two very minuscule experiences with lucid dreams (they are infamous for being very short-lived without experience and self-control).
Has anyone else had any experiences with dreams/lucid dreams, or find it interesting? Possibly another thing to think about: should we be trying to mess with things like this (taking control of our dreams)?

USEFUL LINKS:
Here are a few sites that have a lot of info and forums dedicated to (lucid) dreaming.

LD4All
Dreamviews
Lucidipedia

Ah, man... I was gonna spill my awesome and perverted dreams

^ I don't care if people feel like sharing if there could be discussion to be had, but I didn't want this to be a dumping ground of people's random dreams.

I think all dreams represent somehow what you feel on the inside. If you for example used to smoke a lot of cigarettes, and dream of smoking them, my guess is that you're afraid you'll start smoking again, or you want to start again.

I must admit I dislike it when people interpret my dreams as if I have bad intentions. I've had dreams of stealing, dreams of doing bad things, but that doesn't mean I have bad intentions, or that I'm going to act upon some type of thoughts.

But I do think dreams can hint at what you're feeling, but they don't always have to equal some sort of subconcious desire. Rather, they could represent plenty of other emotions as well.

I often wake up with dream pains or end up screaming about something. I HAVE TO DESCRIBE THIS ONE DREAM if it's alright...

BTW there was a "Dream Pains and Other Weird Experiences" thread, but it's been dead for years.

(I didn't see any recent threads like this... If there are, well... whoops.)

Well, there's a thread about Zelda dreams...

I've always kinda had an interest in psychology, and in the past year-and-a-half or so I've been fascinated by dreams. I mean, really, is there anyone out there who thinks dreams are outright uninteresting? They're capable of things we'd never think of while awake; it's much more uninhibited.

Yeah, sometimes I have dreams where I hear this awesome song that I'm sure I haven't heard elsewhere. And then I wake up really frustrated, because I just know the song was really catchy and I wished I remembered it.

I should clear up right now the misconception that people only dream once in a while. You always dream when you sleep (in REM)... you just don't always remember it.

Lately, I've been able to remember more and more dreams each night, and I don't think I've actually ever had a nightmare, or some dream that frightened me.

I think you contradicted yourself right there. You just don't remember any nightmares(which are usually the most remembered dreams).

I've had dreams where scary things could happen, but it was almost in a cinematic sense (like watching a movie), and never caused me any real fear. I'm very fond of this fact, as that means my dreams are usually fun or interesting

A lot of my dreams seem like they would scare the **** out of me in real life, but I'm perfectly calm, and not even a little scared when I'm actually asleep.

(when they're not just plain boring).

I once had a dream that was me, sitting on a couch for 17 hours(don't ask me how I knew it was that long).

Then there's the sub-subject that's really intriguing-- lucid dreams. I'm gonna state right off the bat that I hate the strange "occult" feeling given off when talking about lucid dreaming, as it kinda doesn't seem real... But it has been verified by science. For those who don't know, lucid dreaming is basically being aware of the fact that you're dreaming as you are dreaming. With enough practice, this can actually yield conscious control over many things in the dream. This theoretically means you can try anything you want. Interesting proposition, huh?

YES! I've been training myself in lucid dreaming for about a year now. But I'm still not very good.

Has anyone else had any experiences with dreams/lucid dreams, or find it interesting? Possibly another thing to think about: should we be trying to mess with things like this (taking control of our dreams)?

Dreaming is probably my favorite field of psychology, so yes, I find them interesting.

Originally Posted by WillZ4E

I think all dreams represent somehow what you feel on the inside. If you for example used to smoke a lot of cigarettes, and dream of smoking them, my guess is that you're afraid you'll start smoking again, or you want to start again.

I must admit I dislike it when people interpret my dreams as if I have bad intentions. I've had dreams of stealing, dreams of doing bad things, but that doesn't make me bad.

But I do think dreams can hint at what you're feeling, but they don't always have to equal some sort of subconcious desire. Rather, they could represent plenty of other emotions as well.

True. I'm not really big on the whole "dreams = random firing of neurons in the brain" idea, since if that's all that went into them, they'd make even less sense than they do already, methinks.

I've actually drawn parallels between dreams and my real life, as well. Out of the dreams I've kept track of recently (86 of them), 11 had to do with trains, 10 had to do with water (as in, like, the ocean or something), and there were 13 dreams where every character was a cartoon character (either made-up or an existing cartoon character).

This is significant, because I've recently started going to college, and my primary mode of transportation is both a commuter and subway train... Also, I'm not a fan of the water... and I draw cartoons a LOT, so that's not really surprising.

Originally Posted by Hack&Slash

I often wake up with dream pains or end up screaming about something. I HAVE TO DESCRIBE THIS ONE DREAM if it's alright...

Go for it.

Originally Posted by nintend06

Yeah, sometimes I have dreams where I hear this awesome song that I'm sure I haven't heard elsewhere. And then I wake up really frustrated, because I just know the song was really catchy and I wished I remembered it.

Hate when that happens.

I think you contradicted yourself right there. You just don't remember any nightmares(which are usually the most remembered dreams).

While it could be that I simply haven't remembered the nightmares, I'd say it could be possible that I just don't have them, and instead, have normal dreams. But who knows?

A lot of my dreams seem like they would scare the **** out of me in real life, but I'm perfectly calm, and not even a little scared when I'm actually asleep.

Yeah, that's what I was referring to. In one dream, I think I was actually shot. I woke up afterwards and went ".....Was I just shot in that dream?"

I once had a dream that was me, sitting on a couch for 17 hours(don't ask me how I knew it was that long).

Yeah, sometimes you can just perceive certain things that aren't even mentioned. That's another cool thing about dreams, since it's all in your own mind. It's like telepathy with yourself.

YES! I've been training myself in lucid dreaming for about a year now. But I'm still not very good.

Neither am I, but I haven't been trying it for nearly that long.

I've had two occasions where, when dreaming, I realize that I am. Unfortunately, before I can do everything I want to in my dream (once I'm "aware" I can control what happens) I wake up. Anyone know why this is?

Originally Posted by Kurai Chi

I've had two occasions where, when dreaming, I realize that I am. Unfortunately, before I can do everything I want to in my dream (once I'm "aware" I can control what happens) I wake up. Anyone know why this is?

That's a common occurrence. It happens to most people (and also happened to myself the one time I DID get it to work). Most of the time it's because it's simply startling or exciting, especially if it's never happened to you before.

That's why it becomes easier with more practice and experience... it takes a lot of self-control. Or so I'm told. I can definitely see it getting easier with time, because once you know what to expect, I imagine it's easier to deal with.

EDIT: Maybe I'll add a poll to this page and see where it goes.

EDIT 2: YEAH, spelling mistake in the poll. Go, me.

Originally Posted by Kurai Chi

I've had two occasions where, when dreaming, I realize that I am. Unfortunately, before I can do everything I want to in my dream (once I'm "aware" I can control what happens) I wake up. Anyone know why this is?

Oh man, that has happened to me, too! Something weird was going on in my dream, and just when I realized that I was dreaming, I got so excited, but then I woke up. Unfortunately, it has only happened once.

I have those pretty often, around one time per week!

It's awesome, but sometimes you fail at everything you try to do ;_;

^ I read about that a lot. It's odd; flying's one thing everyone wants to try, yet tons of people fail at it. I've flown once using a machine before, and I've also "bounce-flown" (both in normal dreams).

I still have yet to have a lucid dream that lasts for more than three seconds.

^Sometimes I can choose who to kiss (Yay pr0n dreams), wich way to go, how to pick up things etc

I've flown once using a machine before, and I've also "bounce-flown" (both in normal dreams).

Is "bounce-flying" like you're just kind of bouncing around about 20-30 feet, like there are springs on your shoes? That happens in almost every one of my dreams, usually on some busy street, with overcast weather.

I still have yet to have a lucid dream that lasts for more than three seconds.

The only time I've had a lucid dream that I remembered(it is possible to have lucid dreams that you don't remember, it sucks), and lasted more than five seconds was when I told myself not to go crazy, and instead of walking, I kept all my muscles relaxed and "slid" around.

Originally Posted by nintend06

Is "bounce-flying" like you're just kind of bouncing around about 20-30 feet, like there are springs on your shoes? That happens in almost every one of my dreams, usually on some busy street, with overcast weather.

Yep. I actually think that's more fun than flying.

The only time I've had a lucid dream that I remembered(it is possible to have lucid dreams that you don't remember, it sucks), and lasted more than five seconds was when I told myself not to go crazy, and instead of walking, I kept all my muscles relaxed and "slid" around.

Interesting. My short-lived lucid dream consisted of me lying in bed as if I hadn't fallen asleep yet. For some reason, it felt like I DID go to sleep (at that point, it was just black nothingness), but out of nowhere, I remembered feeling like I was starting to go into a dream. Without even intending to, I started thinking to myself, "Deny the dream's logic and remember I'm still dreaming", and I opened my "eyes" to find I could look around at will, and felt like it was a dream. I also distinctly remember thinking to myself "Holy crap, is it working?" as I looked around, but at that point, it pretty much died and I woke up. All I was thinking at that point was "GAAAAAAAAGRRRHHHGHG".

I know for a fact that I was dreaming when it happened, though.
As I was looking around my room in the dream, it felt completely like my normal room (nothing felt out-of-place). However, when I woke up, there was a blanket draped down from the top bunk (yeah, I still sleep in the same bunk-bed I've had for, like, twelve years-- I always drape a blanket from the top one to keep the sun from coming through the sides of my window blinds and waking me up early in the morning on the weekends). This blanket could not have been there when I was dreaming, or I wouldn't have been able to see out into my room as I was just lying there.

Once i've been able to control my actions for a full minute or so. It's really scary :/

I find the topic dreams to be a very interesting topic. It really can delve deep into ones' subconscious.

A few months ago a simple action of me jerking my head around to say something in my dream caused to me do the same exact thing in real life. I found myself sitting up in bed wondering what on Earth just happened! I don't know if that'd be considered a lucid dream or not... it was the only time something like that has ever happened. I've never figured out how to control my actions in my dreams though. I think that'd be a pretty cool ability, though

I find it fun (Actually once I was able to control myself somewhat for what seemed to be several minutes) I can do anything!!! I enjoy that feeling of power.

Originally Posted by Calliope

I find the topic dreams to be a very interesting topic. It really can delve deep into ones' subconscious.

A few months ago a simple action of me jerking my head around to say something in my dream caused to me do the same exact thing in real life. I found myself sitting up in bed wondering what on Earth just happened! I don't know if that'd be considered a lucid dream or not... it was the only time something like that has ever happened. I've never figured out how to control my actions in my dreams though. I think that'd be a pretty cool ability, though

That's really odd... When you're dreaming, you're supposed to be almost completely paralyzed. I'd say maybe that was some form of sleepwalking, but... I'm not a psychologist or anything. XD

Dreaming is incredibly interesting. Everyone has different experience with dreams, but I can say that once I started reading into dreams and keeping a journal of them, my ability to recall dreams skyrocketed from one dream per month to almost one every week and then to a few each week. Keeping a journal of each dream you recall right after you wake up helps tremendously in recalling dreams, as does reading about the subject. I think from there, your mind knows more what to look for, and it becomes a little easier to delve into.

Go for it.

Space pirates, dinosaurs, Daedalus from Resistance, oh my! Are you sure?