[accidentals]

I'd just like to suggest it as maybe relief from nightmares. I suffered from truly terrible dreams for years until I learned lucid dreaming and it might be helpful to some of you.

Lucid dreaming is basically being able to control and direct your dreams. You are aware that you are sleeping, but you remain in a dream state. It gives your conscious control over your subconscious thoughts, allowing you to lead your dream in whatever direction you choose.
(Fun facts... some people can defy the laws of gravity and physics in their dreams. I, for example, can fly and walk through walls. IT's worth it!)

Here's a link to lucidity.com... there are certain steps you can take to teach your body lucid dreaming, such as keeping a dream journal or checking every so often to see if you are dreaming.
lucidity.com

(I'm not allowed to post links yet )

Good luck and I hope this can help some of you as much as it has helped me!

[DenisDonnacha]

Hmm I've never been able to make my myself lucid dream on purpose but I have had them it a few times. I remember one in particular where in my dream I was walking down the street and stopped and just said to myself "I'm dreaming" and then stretched one arm into the air and flew around like a super hero lol.
That website is interesting and I must look further into making myself do this more often, usually leads to a nicer sleep lol

[Trippin2.0]

I've been a lucid dreamer since I was a child, and mostly use it to escape or change a terrible dream... I've only recently learned that not everybody is able to control their dreams...

[volatile]

Yes. I've always been a lucid dreamer. I control my nightmares completely. If i don't like how I feel then all I have to do is put some will power to stop it and there it goes. I just recently got more interested in lucid dreaming too and I'm getting even better at it.
Also a good site to check out: http://www.dreamviews.com/
it's more of a message board format but with tons of information also.

[Inedible]

At one point I started recording my dreams and managed to write every day for a full year. At first I would have an increase in my dream recall. This happens every time I try it. Some nights like on weekends when I slept in, I would have to write up to 5 or 6 dreams. My lucid dreams increased from one or two every couple months to as many as two in the same week. This happens every time. Unfortunately I also began to resent writing my dreams down, like ever time. I went through over a year of not being able to recall any of my dreams, lucid or not, even immediately after waking up without an alarm clock. Eventually my dream recall came back.

As for reality testing, I would often decide during dreams that I was awake. Worse, if I just plain skipped to realizing I was dreaming, I found I didn't care. In the dream I might be aware of dreaming, but I didn't remember why I had wanted to know it or what I was going to do about it.

I have been able to do this since I was a child - very useful. Not just for getting out of unpleasant dreams, but also to create pleasant ones. I can make myself fly or float, and I have telekinetic abilities in almost every dream. I love it.

[ladyjane4rent]

Very interesting, I am totally checking the website out. I <3 free info.
I have problems with not remembering my dreams, but lately I have been waking up to my bedroom door shut and locked when I am the only one in my house. I normally leave it open so my cat can get in and out. I always wake up and look through out my house with the feeling someone is coming after me or breaking into my house. But it only stems my dreams.

Originally Posted by accidentals

I'd just like to suggest it as maybe relief from nightmares. I suffered from truly terrible dreams for years until I learned lucid dreaming and it might be helpful to some of you.

Lucid dreaming is basically being able to control and direct your dreams. You are aware that you are sleeping, but you remain in a dream state. It gives your conscious control over your subconscious thoughts, allowing you to lead your dream in whatever direction you choose.
(Fun facts... some people can defy the laws of gravity and physics in their dreams. I, for example, can fly and walk through walls. IT's worth it!)

Here's a link to lucidity.com... there are certain steps you can take to teach your body lucid dreaming, such as keeping a dream journal or checking every so often to see if you are dreaming.
lucidity.com

(I'm not allowed to post links yet )

Good luck and I hope this can help some of you as much as it has helped me!

[aaron25]

YES, I also had terrible nightmares until I started listening to my dreams, there are a type of suppliment called 'nootropics' that boost our dreamtime, as well as the intesity of the dreams.Keep swimming.

I have a hard time intentionally going lucid in my dreams. It's a lot more common when it is accidental. Giving yourself anxiety about producing a result usually makes them harder to obtain! Lol. Usually it works fine for switching out of dreams or changing what happens, but half of the time I am so confused by what is going on indream & trying to process it, that I can't really do anything but react rather than alter the circumstances. Hahaha

[-jimi-]

I am a natural lucid dreamer and I played around with it quite a bit. But I noticed it fed into my overdreaming, so I quit.

Overdreaming is a bad thing? The only thing I hate about it is that I tend to snooze my alarm instead of wake up when I dream...

[-jimi-]

Originally Posted by Shayatanica

Overdreaming is a bad thing? The only thing I hate about it is that I tend to snooze my alarm instead of wake up when I dream...

Yea, it steals from deep sleep. If you get too little of that your body won't repair itself as well and you will end up ill.

AHHHH, gotcha.

[CantExplain]

I've always been a fairly lucid dreamer. It's not something I've worked at.

I just make a mental note to wake up during a dream before going to bed, and after 3 nights or so, it happens.

It's better than doing nothing in your dreams, so I recommend.

[Dreamy01]

I've only experienced a few lucid dreams but they are usually really beautiful and involve me flying

[lynn P.]

I started having lucid dreams 2 yrs ago. At 1st it was a bit scary because it felt like I was awake and the dream was scary. Now I can logically tell myself I'm dreaming so even if its scary I don't get phased. Its very cool once you gain more control.

[Moose72]

I used to be. They're cool.