Hello! I had a weird short LD this morning and I’m still trying to figure out what happened. (This is my 4th LD after a bit more of 1 month practice). So this is the event that occurred after doing WBTB + FILD (stayed up 1 hour or so, was really tired and fell asleep during it) :
I wake up hearing someone shouting my name from downstairs. It’s odd cause no one is supposed to be home. I do a RC cause I remember I tried FILD before falling asleep. I pinch my noise and breathe through it. I immediately start saying a few times “Keep calm, I’m dreaming” which I found to work for me. I’m still laying down in bed (this is the first time, usually I’m already sat up or I’m standing still next to the bed, don’t know if it means anything). I try to get up but I can’t, it’s really hard. It’s so hard I feel I’m stuck in my bed. I don’t get what’s happening. I’m lucid, the dream isn’t fading whatsoever and my vision is very clear. I want to look at my hands cause it seems easier to move my extremity limbs. I can’t see them. Like, it’s not blurry, they are not blurry, but completely transparent (I can see my arms properly). At some points I feel like I can’t control my body, I feel like I’m about to fall from the bed but then I’m almost sat up in bed but in a weird way. So I try again to get up, doesn’t work. I see my legs and notice that again, I don’t have any foot… They are totally transparent. I start rubbing my hands cause I don’t know what to do to help myself in this situation. Still I can’t see them but I can feel them. Can’t get up and then I just suddenly wake up, like without any hints that I was going to wake up (in each previous LD I could see the dream fade away and get darker or blurrier).
Any ideas of why it was so hard to move ? I’m surprised I struggled with the “getting up” part as until now I’ve been struggling more with prolonging my LD’s :o I know I was very tired and I wonder if the distinction between my physical body and my dream body has something to do with it?
LOL…I have to laugh (not at you…with you!) because I’ve been where you describe many times. The key, for me, was to realize the difference between being in a dream body lying in the same bed that your real body is lying in, and the real body itself. It’s confusing because you’re in a dream in which your dreaming in the same position that your real body is lying in so, when you’re dream body doesn’t quite move the way your real body does, at neuromuscular command, it be very disorienting and even scary.
The first trick, again for me, was to fully realize that I was dreaming…to get a feel for the difference between the dream body and the real body, regardless of how similar they appear by virtue of being in the same context…the same position. Once I realize I’m in that dreaming body, now I can try to move it in ways that are different from moving the real, physical body. I had trouble with this at first. My attempts at movement would often see me slowly rolling over, like a giant sea manatee, and flopping on the floor helpless Eventually, I figured out how to “intend” movement…to just think it kind of instantaneously, rather than go through some muscular process to get movement started. I used to say the word “Up!” Brisk, loud and clear…and that would often have me magically and instantly transition to a state where I was standing upright beside the bed. Once up and away from the bed, it just seems easier to move…maybe because the sense of confusion between the real body and the dream body is less obvious once the dream moves you away from where you’re sleeping.
Sorry…a lot of words which many not make sense…but the key is experimenting. And the first key is to recognize the distinct sensation of when your dreaming or when you are in your dream body. Get a feel for the difference. Once you know the difference, movement will be easier in the dream body.
In other words, if you’re lying in bed and discover you can’t move. There’s a very good chance that your actually asleep and dreaming that you’re lying in bed…the very same bed your real body is sleep in. The see if you can float out of bed, or maybe slowly float/roll out of bed like a mist…or see if you can pop out of bed instantaneously. Treat it like an RC situation and experiment to see if you’re dreaming!
Whoo, thanks a lot glypheye ! What you said totally makes sense, I guess I wasn’t too far away from the right explanation then
If it happens again I’ll definitely try to get this feeling of my dream body and as a last resort do the “up!” trick to hopefully get out of bed. What felt a bit awkward and unknown to me seems clear now and not beyond my understanding anymore
Hey, no problem. Again, what I mentioned above is just what has worked for me. There are many here in this forum far more experienced than I who might have other suggestions for what worked for them.
Ultimately, if you keep intending to have LD’s, you’ll probably run into this situation many times over…and, chances are good you’ll figure things out for yourself…little tricks you learn that are tailored to you. The key is experimentation and persistence
Yes, it feels like when it comes down to keep practicing LD’s on a regular basis with aspiration and motivation for it, it’s all about experimentation and individual tricks. I’ve read the long “how to stay lucid/extend your dream” post and it’s clear there that what may work for X might not work for Y. I think lucid dreaming is such an interesting subject. I will forever be thankful to the person that made me discover it because it changed my life. Hopefully I’ll get more LD’s to find my own ways of dealing with being stuck in bed
Thank you for the encouragement! It’s probably a coincidence but this morning I got lucid haha and I was already almost out of bed thanks to SP. As it felt hard to move and my eyes felt half open I imagined some things were around my eyes and preventing them from giving me full clarity and control. I then imagined that I was removing these things from my eyes and it worked well
Sounds like you already discovered a self-made “trick” that worked for you. As the Aussie’s say, Good on ya, mate!
I just wanted to say that I’ve also found out that “tricks” discovered/employed by others can be very helpful too…and this site is chalk full of them, ready for use. I’ve used several and gotten marvelous results.
Anyways, have fun. Congrats on your LD. And now…I’m awake…and going back to bed. does the WILD dance LD ahoy!
Eventually, I figured out how to “intend” movement…to just think it kind of instantaneously, rather than go through some muscular process to get movement started. I used to say the word “Up!” Brisk, loud and clear…and that would often have me magically and instantly transition to a state where I was standing upright beside the bed. Once up and away from the bed, it just seems easier to move…maybe because the sense of confusion between the real body and the dream body is less obvious once the dream moves you away from where you’re sleeping.
