I had this dream last night that I was out job hunting and thought to stop by the commissary on the Naval base where I used to work. I went in and talked to my old boss and he didn’t seem to quite recognize me. He realized he should though and kind of acted like he knew who I was.
Anyway… as I was leaving I was walking on the street and I became lucid. I started running along the street and, looking at the ground, the pavement seemed so real and textured and I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or not. I actually became unsure whether I had just become lucid or whether I was really running down the street. I decided to keep running and if I didn’t tire out then I would know it was a dream but my alarm went off and I woke up.
That was a really strange feeling… not really knowing.
The book of Samurai’s talk about this, of soldiers not knowing if they are awake or not. Then you realize - there is no significant difference, and so you start going into despair on what your real reality is about… like coma patients, dead people, what to them? They have no alarm clock to befriend. This, also reminds me of my “sovereign reality” post in “Beyond Dreaming.”
I can relate:) Normally I can tell pretty easily, but around a month ago I had an ld that really pushed the envelope of false awakenings. I usually can “feel” if its a dream - but each of the - like 5 FAs, - I would have to use logic to figure it out.
I like the part where your boss knows that he “should” recognize you & pretends. Very creative and actually very symbolic, really. I think that we all forget people that we really shouldn’t - in the midst of the herd of people we aquaintance ourselves with.
In “Memento”, the film, the main character talks about how he fakes recognition with those around him so they won’t be as affected by his not remembering them. If you haven’t seen the movie, see it. Truly wicked
The funny thing about my boss acting like he didn’t quite remember me is that as I walked toward him in the dream I was wondering if he would remember me. I think he actually did because he made fun of my beard but it wasn’t immediate recognition.
I find this happens all the time in my dreams… if I worry about something or have a passing thought about something then the dream always goes that way. In example, if I worry that the car I am driving in a dream is going to get a flat tire then it invariably will at some point. I have been noticing this more and more lately.
I’ve never had a false awakening either. I also think that the dream knows what your thinking and goes that way. It’s like watching a movie and guessing the plot line right to the end.
I think thats exactly how it works. It ties into the way you can only do things in dreams if you expect them to work. I think I have only JUST become aware, however, of these secondary thoughts while I’m dreaming though… i.e. “Hope the car doesn’t crash” or “Im sure the monster will find me no matter where I hide”. I didn’t used to be aware of them or how the dream followed them. Maybe this is due to a burgeoning dream consciousness?
I have only had 2 consecutive FAs in my 1st or 2nd LD and I lost my lucidity in the last FA. I think it’s possible to cause FA by willingly trying to shake yourself out of a LD in hope of waking up, although I don’t recommend this in light sleep.
I do RC every time I see something strange and every time I wake up and when I get out of bed. I won’t fall for any more FAs.
I couldn’t find it just then, but I read somewhere online that Stephen LaBerge had at one stage tested a few theories about FAs. He discovered that the best way to induce them (from a LD) is to simply relax, and close your eyes. The very moment that he stopped actively trying to stand up, and taking notice of the surroundings, he would fall backwards and have a FA without fail. Well, actually he discovered this while trying something else, but you get the idea.
LostBoy:
You’re not pessimistic are you?
Thinking about crashing the car can’t be good, either can deciding that there is nowhere you can hide from a nightmare. You’re right though, whatever you think about, will usually happen.
No I’m not really. Those are just examples. The point is that I have these thoughts and never really noticed them before. Or at least how the dream responds to them… like if I think of a certain person they will appear…
One that happens frequently is that someone in my dream will remind me of someone in real life… I think of them and the doppleganger will turn into the person that I thought about.
My first lucid dream ended almost right after me realyzing that I was dreaming. I woke up and I was reading a comic book and sitting on a chair. I should have realised that I was dreaming cos how can I wake up and be reading a comic book…
I might have noticed, but right after my false awakening my alarm clock buzzed, I woke up and was like ‘damn falseawakening’, but was very happy about my lucid state I had for a second.
As an update… I had another LD where I was standing in the kitchen of a dream house and there were some people around. It was a family reunion but I’m not sure it was my family. Maybe it was supposed to have been but I knew no body here from real life. The thing was that I think I was lucid as the dream began. I’m not sure how that happened but the first thing I remember about the dream is standing in the kitchen and thinking I was in a dream. In fact I knew it… but then looking around, the place seemed so real and crisp that I began to doubt I was dreaming.
I recall saying out loud “Im dreaming… I think… is this a dream?” The people around me said something but I don’t recall what it was… I wasn’t really listening to them. I walked away from everyone and tested the dream by placing my finger against the palm of my hand and pushing it through my hand. With a little pressure it went right through and I knew I was dreaming. The frustrating thing is that I then just let the dream go on as normal. What is wrong with me lately!? I keep confusing my lucid states with reality and then I am unable to focus enough in the dream to increase my awareness of the dream. Feel like I’m working against myself.
Honestly, people could give you all kinds of advice - but I think you need to work out a way of determining this for yourself. If you do a reality check and it works, there should be no question about your lucidity. Unless you’re only partly lucid, which seems to be plaguing a lot of people recently.
I also tend to have a similar problem. I seem to willingly end the LD thinking that they are easy to achieve and I’ll have one some time later. I don’t know what causes this, maybe I have a fear of LD that I don’t know about, but lately I’ve been desperate for LD so I don’t think that will happen anymore.
I got in the habbit of time RC, and as tricky as it may be sometimes, I never fail to become lucid.
Atheist: I think FAs have a lot to do with how far you are within one REM period and the sleep cycle, and how tired you are. I have reason to say this because I often wake up at will from a LD, but WILD and really long LD cause FA frequently. Also really weak LD are usually followed by some more ND. I don’t exactly have much experience but I think LaBerge could have done a more conclusive study on FA.
I’ve reached a new record of FAs. I think I got about 4-5 FAs in one big LD and it wasn’t as nice as it sounds. At least I gained a lot of experience in just one night instead of waiting a few more weeks, so it was all worth it. I never knew FA would partly feel like OBEs.
I certainly don’t mean to be representing LaBerge and his studies, as I’m sure he’s done a much more intensive study than to simply observe that relaxing causes FAs. In my experience, I’ve only had a handful of LDs end with me not waking up. You may in fact be right, since most of my LDs occur in the late morning, and so from light REM sleep. It may also be due to me not giving up without a fight. If the lucidity is ending, I don’t just let it go - I struggle with it.
I also seem to be unrealistically confident about when the next LD will occur, and so don’t treat each one with the importance it deserves. I suppose it just seems so easy once you do it, and maybe you get the idea that doing it again will be easy next time.
I just don’t seem able to reach the higher states of lucidity. I get in there and either lose it before I can do anything about it or don’t seem able to focus my thoughts enough to get a better grasp on things. Now I have this confusing-dream-for-reality thing thrown into the mix. At least I am having more LDs now so I am getting more chances to try to turn it around I guess.
Ive had four or five in the last month… thats pretty good! Just got to keep thinking on the positive side, I guess.
Just got to keep thinking on the positive side, I guess.