I’ve been wondering a bit about Shared Dreaming, and I’ve come up with an idea (whether its new or not, I’m not sure). Basically, the idea is that when we go to sleep and have a ND (and probably even LD’s), the dreams already have their own kind of “shield” around them to prevent SD.
I thought about this because I imagine some people, within their own dream, might do things they wouldn’t want REAL people to see (run around naked, have sex, or just unleashing their own personal thoughts/feelings) and, so, some people may feel prompted put up some sort of “shield” to keep people from SD’ing.
But it would also make sense if most people, automatically (whether they LD or have no idea what LD’ing is) have this shield up naturally. This would explain why it is actually difficult for people to share dreams, and then, some may spontaneously have SD’s because they could have weaker shields, or none at all.
This is just an idea, but I think it would make sense… In a way, its the mind’s way of protecting itself. I imagine also that its possible to increase your “security” and put up stronger shields if you should feel the need.
What do you guys think?
Well I personally think that you’re going too far. SD is something more mythical. You can’t “multiplay” a dream. It occurs inside your mind and nobody else can have the same dream as you do. The Bible talks about “shared dreaming”, not too much and not exactly SD… [In this spoiler I explain shortly the Bible’s examples of SD]
[spoiler]In the Book of Daniel, there is this powerful king named Nebuchandezzar (I don’t know how to spell his name correctly ) who has a vision/dream where he sees a person with a bright golden head, it’s chest and it’s arms were out of silver, its stomac and thighs out of copper, its legs our of iron and its feet out iron and clay. Then, Nebuchandezzar saw a stone, a big rock rolling out of nowhere smashing the person/statue he saw before. The rock then turned into a mountine and covered the whole earth. Now, Nebuchandezzar didn’t know the meaning of his dream, so God gave Daniel the same vision/dream which Nebuchandezzar had so that he can tell Nebuchandezzar the meaning of the dream.
Now this shared dreaming had to do with God, and I can assure you that such thing can’t happen again in the world we live in today. It didn’t happen at the same time though[/spoiler]
I don’t think such “shield” exists. You mean, if we would turn it off people could have the same dream as you have and play in multiplayer ?! I don’t believe it’s true…sorry dude, you asked us what we think, and that’s what I think
It’s my oppinion and it might be wrong… but I don’t think so. If you believe in this you can have a DC which tells you that he/she is the person you are sharing your dream to, but in fact it’s only a DC
Well, of course. I’m not necessarily saying SD is possible, or even that its impossible.
I’m just suggesting that, if it is possible (as some people have claimed to experience it), then that may be a reason as to why it is difficult to experience a SD.
Whether its possible or not, I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem likely. It would be a nice concept though…
I wonder if anyone in this forum ever have experienced a SD?
Would be kind of cool to hear what they think about it…
Oh yeah, of course it would be good if they could explain that they for certain had a SD by doing some “RC” (some tests that indicates that it couldn’t be anything else than a SD)
I’ve seen a few posts by some members who’ve said they’ve experienced an SD. Whether it’s true or not, we can’t know for sure though…
And there are some “RC’s” that could prove if someone’s had a SD, but its still rather difficult.
Or that. I don’t see why it should be difficult to do though, if, after all, it is in a dream, and if nothing interferes with it, SD should be rather simple. If SD’ing is a simple process, then the mind-shield explains why it doesn’t happen naturally, very often with people (as far as we know).
Like I said, its only an idea, and it would seem to somewhat explain why SD isn’t easy to come by, even for experts.
If people believe in AP then it could might as well instead be SD? AP takes you to the astral plane (the negative world to this with no materia and only energy, if I remember correctly), there must be some connection to AP and SD, such as that the both are spirit travel.
In order to AP you need to open a “gate” to the Astral plane, maybe it’s the same with the SD, maybe there is no shield but instead the problem is that the both parts need to open the “correct” gate and end up in the same “plane”.
Just another random thought besides the mind-shield. ^.^
Well, it’s one of those things that you only believe if you’ve had something like it really.
I’ve had a LD where I’ve walked down the stairs (I’d done an RC before which was poking my thumb through my hand) and saw my dad arranging some magazines on the table. When he’d finished arranging them on the table, he turned around and looked straight through me. He walked towards me and walked through me (I was standing at the bottom of the stairs). The shock of that happening woke me up. I did an multiple RC’s (They all said reality) and I saw my dad walking up the stairs (As in the dream). Then, I did another lot of RC’s and went to sleep again. In the morning, when I woke up I went down stairs and saw the magazines arranged in the same position as in the dream. (Yet again I did some RC’s which all said i was IWL)
This experience has changed me, my beliefs, feelings and interests. I find the idea of a “Shield” very interesting. Often when I’m in night dreams and I go to my friends house in the dream, there is sorta a “repelling” nature around it.
This is a very interesting idea and I’m gonna look into it a bit. Maybe a lucid experiment could be involved with this?
Just have to ask you, could there have been any reason for you to think that he was arranging magazines at the table, is it something he has done before?
I do believe you, just want to be sure on what it is that I am believing in, would be sad if it was something psychological involved (Carl Jung / Sigmund Freud, about dreamsigns) xD
No, it was quite unusual actually which made me question reality, my Dad never usually looks at magazines. I’m completely sure that I’d never seen him do that before, and anyway, I saw my dad walk up the stairs in the dream, then IWL.
That’s interesting, and yes, maybe there is some sort of “gate” that must be “opened” to have a SD. Like I said, its just an idea, and whether its a shield, a gate, or just different “planes” that’s must be reached, it seems possible there could be some sort of interference.
And I’m not all too familiar with AP or OBE’s, but they may have something to do with SD’s too… Like you said, a different “gate” or planes.
And rcslaney, although it doesn’t seem much like a SD at all (maybe AP or OBE) it IS very interesting (Also completely possible that it was just an coincidental LD). If it was one of those, however, it might work in a similar way. When going to sleep before this dream, were you just trying to have a LD, or going to sleep normally? Trying any new techniques? (Maybe WILD?)
Some sort of test or experiment with this could help, but I still would find it something difficult prove. It would be interesting to find out more, though.
It could of been coincidence but there is very little chance. Same mags, same pictures, same titles in the same position. And my dad walking up the stairs at the same time.
This was on the first day I learned about LD’ing so all I was doing was hoping I’d get an LD. No WILD, VILD, ISILD. Just MILD. That experience was probbably very close to SD’ing, I mean, it’s pretty much the same thing isn’t it?
Funny, recently (This is a bit offtopic) lots of stuff about dreaming has happened. Inception came out, almost every song I listen to has something about dreaming in, the local news had some stuff about dreaming, my sister got a degree in Human Psychology. It’s just weird. I’ve started to believe in this sorta stuff alot more recently after my experience.
Hmm I think almost everyone has experienced something weird, unfortunately mine cannot be shared because it has nothing to do with dreams and it’s a real weird one with no answers to it xD
rcslaney I do believe you and I hope that we all can help eachother out by trying to solve this
rcslaney, that is very interesting. I don’t think that classifies as a SD (I’m not 100% sure, though), because it wasn’t necessarily sharing a dream (your dad was awake at the time, right?). Still, whether or not it is, I would think that, like you said, its something similar.
But, going back to the shield (or gate) idea, I guess a problem would be, that if you are successful in having a SD, would you be aware of having passed through this “shield”/gate/plane, or anything else? Would you know it is there (or that it WAS there?)
In your case, rcslaney, do you remember anything happening before you went down these stairs to see your dad organizing the magazines? Something that happened beforehand may have made it possible for you to experience this dream (if it was, indeed not just a coincidence). Unless, of course, its possible that the transition could be much more subtle, so when you went down the stairs, that in itself was a transition (you were moving from one plane, to another, without truly realizing it?)
Just some thoughts I was having… xD
Alll I remember before the dream is me doing some RC’s to get lucid. It wasn’t a shared dream cause my dad didn’t take any notice at all of me and my dad was awake at the time.
Maybe this sort of dream happens easier than a SD because you only have to go through your own barrier and your subconscious lets you through. Maybe we could find a tech that you both go through your barrier then meet up in a RL place? Maybe that could be an easy technique then you both would have control of the dream and there wouldn’t be any hostile DC’s presumably.
Yea, exactly! That could possibly work, but you’d have to be able to know that you got past that barrier somehow…I don’t know if this would be something too difficult. But if possible, that could work. It makes me wonder if that would be the only way to have a SD, or if you could also go into someone else’s dream by getting through their barrier (and maybe meet hostile DC’s…who knows?).
Haha, this is almost making me think of the show, Spongebob. There’s one specific episode where, once he falls asleep and starts dreaming, his dream self jumps out of his “dream-cloud” and then starts running around in RL, and jumps into the dream cloud of someone else! That’d be very interesting if that were possible xD
I’m not too familiar with AP or the like, but I’m sure its all related in some way, and so it would make sense that the ‘shield’ concept would apply to it too.
And if that’s true, that you can only visit some people if they let you, then it would suggest that there is some sort of interference, like a shield. The thing is, is it possible to get through it even if someone doesn’t want you to too? Would they notice? Would their mind turn hostile? Does the shield go down permanently? Just some questions this concept would bring up…
) who has a vision/dream where he sees a person with a bright golden head, it’s chest and it’s arms were out of silver, its stomac and thighs out of copper, its legs our of iron and its feet out iron and clay. Then, Nebuchandezzar saw a stone, a big rock rolling out of nowhere smashing the person/statue he saw before. The rock then turned into a mountine and covered the whole earth. Now, Nebuchandezzar didn’t know the meaning of his dream, so God gave Daniel the 
