For years since I was a teenager I’ve been able to LD. I’ve never really looked into it until now since I figured I was just someone who could control his dreams here and there. But whenever I would LD I would wake up fine as if from a normal dream. And when I would LD it would just happen naturally, as if just realizing “oh hey, I’m dreaming”… But then, I can’t remember how many years ago, something started to happen. A feeling that brings anxiety, worry and great fear of the unknown over my entire body It happens randomly, two or three times a week. More when I have a nightmare or when I’m doing something that I maybe shouldn’t be doing in the dream. But still, it can start from anything. I can be looking toast or walking down a hallway. Out of nowhere I start to feel harsh waves of pulsating vibrations run throughout my entire body over and over, inside and out, none stop in a very fast and uncontrolable motion that makes me clinch. I don’t think I hear anything specifically except for maybe the vibrations itself. But it’s a feeling of shrinking. Waves and waves of shrinking within myself without shrinking… At first it would scare me so much I would wake up shaking and even though I’m used to it now I still wake up shaking. Nothing works It’s goten to the point where I think I’m starting to personally trigger it. Where in my LD I’ll just feel it coming out of nowhere… and then BAM! it happens. It’s also a feeling of getting pulled or kicked out of my own dream. I don’t know? All I know is that if I relax it doesn’t stop and I wake up. If I try to ignore it, it still doesn’t stop and I wake up. And sometimes I even try to hold on or like this last time, try to fight through it, but no, it just gets worse. Faster and faster, harsher and harsher, to the point where I was looking at myself spread eagle in my dream, in midair screaming not out of pain but out of just trying to hold on. Transforming into a thousand different things like a cartoon character until it got so intense I just said forget it something might happen I need to wake up. I’ve tried everything and I just don’t know what to do anymore. Because it’s not a feeling of going through something as much as it is a feeling of coming out of something. If that makes any sense? So if you have any advise, please
Why don’t you try to confront this? Use your imagination next time this happens, shout out “take up human form!” or “show your face!” - i’ve known people who control many things in dreams like that. If you prefer to control dreams otherwise, do it the way you do (i don’t know your ways, but i think you understand what i mean). Just ask it to come out. When it does, try reasoning with it. Why does it torture you? Things like that. I’ve heard people beat their nightmares this way. And if you have these anyway, why not try? Good luck!
When you mention looking at toast, is that in your dream or, say, in breakfast?
My LDs have also been spontaneous my whole life, and I’m very familiar with the shrinking feeling (which I always found interesting, not scary), but it’s always been associated (to me) with falling asleep. I’d guess it’s some sort of HH I’ve had when I was a kid, which makes it pretty harmless, even if a bit scary.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll try to calm down the next time it happens. I’ll see if I can ask for something or maybe open my eyes within my dream? It’s just that I’ve never had to do anything before to control my dreams. I would just realize that I wasn’t in reality and then just take over with my mind. So having to say or ask anything is all new to me. But to make whatever that feeling is to stop, it’s worth a try. I used to have falling dreams where I would wake up. Until one day I just let myself fall and what happend after was intresting but the point is that I’ve never had a falling dream since. With this new experience, it makes me feel too awake. It comes on too fast and alerts my senses too extremely. It makes me realize that I’m practically already awake. So it’s like trying to stay in a dream but hearing something like your phone ring and saying “no, no I don’t want to wake up” but the more you hear the sound it becomes useless to stay asleep. Either way I’ll try. Who knows, maybe I’ll learn how to ejoy it?
When I mentioned looking at toast, I meant in my dream. The last time it happened I was looking at myself in the mirror, realized I was dreaming and then it hit me. I’m wondering how you find the shrinking feeling intresting? I think I understand since I’m guessing that it’s sort of putting you more to sleep instead of waking you up? I had a massive anxiety attack once (when I was awake) which triggered a similar shrinking feeling as I was standing up. So I think I attribute this to whatever is happening in my LD’s . So you see if it’s on the level of an anxiety attack, it’s not a good feeling. Maybe whatever happened to me all those years ago that I fought and overcame (no more anxiety anymore) found it’s way into my dreams. Or for some reason is getting triggered in that part of my mind now? I don’t know. But thanks for the reply, all this helps. If I can overcome an anxiety disorder that would trigger a the most random things, like looking at silverware while being awake, I could do this. It might be harder being asleep since there’s not as much control. But I have to sleep everyday so even if it takes me the rest of my life, it’s not lke I won’t get a lot of practice. I think I’m finally ready to take this on.
another thing that this might be is that you heard or somehow got the idea that LDs are dangerous. for example maybe you got the first anxiety attack in a dream on accident, but then you got scared and it got connected with your dreams. and now you just fear LDs and basically it’s a closed circle. what you could also do, is try to speak to your subconscious in your dream (just call it out or try to imagine it in human form, ask it to come). maybe it can give you some answers. also, you can do some SC programming while you’re awake - just repeat “LDs are good for me, they give me happiness” and things like that during the day. NEVER repeat anything to do with bad things, even if it sounds like “i do NOT have attacks in my dreams”… since if you say ‘not’, your SC still registers the bad thing you say afterwards and doesn’t mind the ‘not’ (basically it’ll just hear “i have attacks in my dreams”). focus on the positive and try to tell that to your SC during the day, it might help even on its own. but you should still consider talking to it in your dream.
Good news avalinah and monstah I haven’t had not one bad trip since I first wrote about what was going on with my LD’s. I’ve never heard LD’s were bad for you but I do think I might of triggered my anxiety within an LD long ago and that ever since then that memory or thought would manifest itself in my LD’s whenever I would feel anxious. Thank you Avalinah for helping me with that realizaton. Since I tried fighting off my axiety in my last confrontation with it, I haven’t had that experience. I feel safer now when I LD because of that asertivness and feel more confident when I go to sleep. Maybe it’s from me trying to fight it off or from the realization of, “if I got rid of my anxiety in real life, I can get rid of it in my dreams.” I think I’m finally coming full circle with this. I’ve either already gotten rid of it, getting rid of it or turning it into someting new? Either way guys, I really want to thank you for the help.
that’s the spirit! i’m really glad i could help you
good luck on your quest for LDs in the future