Sleep and dreams

[Wizardwoman]

Hi everyone,

 

So I was wondering if any of you experience extremely bizarre dreams or occurrences while sleeping. I feel that I have for most of my life. When I was a child, I would often experience sleep paralysis. I still do occasionally but not as often. For those who are unaware, sleep paralysis is when you are in between a state of REM sleep and wakefulness, and the cerebral cortex does not have communication with the spinal cord, therefore you are basically conscious but paralyzed. This would often be accompanied by INTENSE hallucinations. I remember one and I could see two aliens standing next to my bed, and I could see a BRIGHT white light shining in through my window (I assume from the space ship) and I could feel an extremely strong wind blowing. As if a helicopter was right outside my bedroom with the windows open. It felt as real as real life feels. I had other similar experiences but with human beings and not aliens.

 

I also recall having what felt like an out of body experience twice in my life during sleep. The first I was just walking around the house, only I was not walking it was more of a float. Like my feet were about a foot above the floor and I was just going around the house like normal. To this day I can recall it so vividly and it felt so real. Another was more recent, and I was laying in bed had just fallen asleep and all a sudden my body started floating and I could see the ceiling getting closer and closer so I forced myself awake right before I was to hit the ceiling.

 

Other than these experiences, I also tend to have very bizarre dreams almost every night. I also remember my dreams probably every single night, most of the time being able to recall several different dreams. Most of the friends I have talked to when I tell them about my dreams seem to agree that they are extremely odd.

 

So, anyone else have any crazy experiences? Share!

[oitnb]

I too have suffered sleep paralysis and obes (out of body experiences).

 

I've suffered from sleep paralysis since I was about 8. I don't have visual hallucinations but I do hear stuff and feel generally uncomfortable/terrified, like my whole body is vibrating and i hear loud buzzing and beeps in my ears, like a dial up modem.

 

I've had one real obe, but I feel like I've had more while in sleep paralysis but I get so scared/paranoid I don't remember or "let" it happen, I fight it. I'm working on not fighting it because being able to go out of body is an amazing gift.

 

My one obe was when I was like 13 or 14. I was going through sleep paralysis while taking a nap, and like usual was fighting it and freaking out. Next thing I know I'm "standing" in my living room, and see myself sitting straight up in my bedroom looking forward. (You can see my bedroom from the living room)

 

The second I see myself my body slams back down from sitting up and I'm awake and out of sleep paralysis.

 

I really want to get a better hold on obes, I probably sound like a crazy hippy but I believe there a very powerful spiritual gift.

 

You're not alone!

[Wizardwoman]

Haha I totally know exactly what you mean by "let" it happen and fighting it. Most of the time when I have SP I fight it and wake myself up because it is so terrifying. I don't usually get the hallucinations anymore but it will feel like I am going to stop breathing and die. I find that the SP and OBE is more likely to happen for me if I am extremely sleep deprived.

[mhowe]

When you are stressed to the max, you subconscious will process your waking moments. I would have "stress' dreams even whenI was a waitress in grad school, and think I had not "delivered the salad' hours later.

 

It also depends on who you are...I had a friend who dreamed in color, with music. She was a videographer in real life.

 

Bottom line. Dreams are your brain dealing with that which you are not.

They don't come true ---your brain is dealing with the stuff you won't.

[oitnb]

Haha I totally know exactly what you mean by "let" it happen and fighting it. Most of the time when I have SP I fight it and wake myself up because it is so terrifying. I don't usually get the hallucinations anymore but it will feel like I am going to stop breathing and die. I find that the SP and OBE is more likely to happen for me if I am extremely sleep deprived.

 

Yeah! Like you can't not fight it, it's nearly impossible lol. I get them more when I'm stressed out.

[Wizardwoman]

When you are stressed to the max, you subconscious will process your waking moments. I would have "stress' dreams even whenI was a waitress in grad school, and think I had not "delivered the salad' hours later.

 

It also depends on who you are...I had a friend who dreamed in color, with music. She was a videographer in real life.

 

Bottom line. Dreams are your brain dealing with that which you are not.

They don't come true ---your brain is dealing with the stuff you won't.

 

I have those "stress" dreams sometimes too. Where I will dream I did something to REALLY mess up something important that has been going on in my real life.

 

Also, about the color thing, is that uncommon?? Do you dream in black and white? My dreams are always color except I have had ONE black and white dream. Occasionally I will have music in my dreams. One I will never forget was some type of mix between a creepy music box and a theremin.

[mhowe]

I had a dream this am, that I was with my bf. Next thing I knew, I was awake...and he in fact, was in bed beside me.

He got up to go to the bathroom...and started thinking @ work. That is a conversation @ 3am that you just don't need!! Anywho..we got past it.

 

And that just goes to say...your brain is looking at things in sleep that you are not focused on.

Don't take it literally.

[Wizardwoman]

That is a conversation @ 3am that you just don't need!!

.

 

Haha true!!

 

Yea I have always been really fascinated by dreams, actually the brain in general.

Sometimes I prefer to live in dreamland rather than real life!

[mhowe]

I smiled, because I was dreaming about being with him...and awoke next to him.

I also dreamed @ a problem with my car that does not exist.

He was, when I asked, dreaming @ a steak and cheese sandwich. He is dieting!!

 

So...what i am trying to tell you, is dream mean squat.

[journeynow]

what i am trying to tell you, is dream mean squat.

 

Ah, you mean dreams mean squat to you. Not necessarily true for everyone.

[Wizardwoman]

I have had some dreams that I think were meaningful, very symbolic.... I used to be in an abusive relationship years ago with a much older man and would very often dream that he was coming after me to hurt or kill me. One of which, I remember having probably 8 months after we broke up, speeding down the road from his house (in a freaking plastic childrens play car) and I kept turning around to see how close he was getting. I turned around again and suddenly there was just a massive wooden wall behind me. No more road, no more crazy ex chasing me. I took it as a symbol that its over now, I don't need to be scared now. I am safe

[pippy longstocking]

I have sleep paralysis as well ....I didn't know for years what it was , I never told anyone , then only about 5 years ago , I told one of my friends and he sat opened mouthed and said he too has it and has never told anyone hahahahahaha .... it can be quite frightening.

 

I do believe dreams are when our guides connect with us and leave us messages and give us guidance ....

[pippy longstocking]

Haha I totally know exactly what you mean by "let" it happen and fighting it.

 

I just saw this bit , I wondered if you knew you are supposed to go with it ..I have never been able to ..not once ..

 

oh it's lovley to read others have this ....and experience the same .

 

someone mentioned floating ? again I had that down the stairs when I was about 8 yrs old .

 

 

edit ...mhowe are you sat shaking your head at all this hehe I am chuckling away to myself here

[Wizardwoman]

Yea I had the floating experience twice. I usually never "go with it" in my sleep paralysis I don't really know why but I always force myself out of it by breathing really hard. I think if you just let it continue it can bring you to a lucid dream. Which I have also had but not too often.

[RideOn]

I've experienced sleep paralysis as well. It's as if someone is pushing my entire body down and I'm trying desperately to get up and it's impossible. It's incredibly frustrating.

 

I also experience about a handful of the same dreams for many years now. The most common is me in college forgetting about a couple of finals that I was suppose to take so I had to come back the next semester to finish college. In these dreams I always forget my class schedules as well and I'm running through the buildings trying to find my class carrying a bunch of books. I really hate that dream.

 

My scariest dream is the one that I have about my bad health. It's always a nightmare.

 

If I could I would wish I wouldn't dream even if the dreams are good because too many times the bad ones outweigh the good ones.

[ParisPaulette]

Very vivid dreams my whole life and I still do complete with sound, color, tactile and pain even a few times that woke me up it was so strong. Not every dream stands out, but those that do really do since I tend to dream in full-on stories and more than one dream has found its way into a short story or other writing of mine. I had sleep paralysis big time as a kid, not so much as an adult but it took years to get to the point of even wanting to go to sleep because of it. In those states I'd often hear an odd static hum and sometimes would "see" the black outline of a person before I'd finally jerk myself awake after concentrating on just being able to move a muscle. I hated that. And then there was the two months of dreaming different ways of dying during a very high-stress period of my life. It's not true that if you die in your sleep you'll die in real life, I can tell you that much. And it was not fun having those dreams. I quit a very toxic job and the dreams just stopped, I've always thought maybe I was subconsciously trying to tell myself that the job was "killing" me from the stress. And it was since I was seriously ill in that time period too.

 

Some of my dreams have been much more fun and/or peaceful though including the night I dreamed I had a giant pool of blue-green gel-like substance in my backyard that I went swimming and playing in. I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd had a really good sleep, very refreshed and that feeling lasted for weeks afterwards. And I dreamed about ice skating once that was so real I could hear the skates scraping against the ice and the wind blowing cold and sharp and whipping my hair around in my face as I spun and raced accross a frozen lake. Funny thing is I've never been on ice skates in my life. Does it all mean anything? I'm not sure. I just put it down to one more thing in life that can be intriguing or annoying, but it's a great source of story and writing ideas.

[friendsoulmate]

I have dreams of getting a running start, and then I jump from a level surface, not a cliff, and I go flying through the air, similar to a comic superhero, and then when I come back down, I land gently on my feet.

[Wizardwoman]

That sounds amazing!!! I have dreamt of aqua blue lakes out behind my house in the woods. It looks really cool in my dream too because the woods we have are really extremely dry in the summer, dead grass, dirt, and oak trees. Then this aqua blue lake in the middle of it all.

[ninachamile]

I dream of animals. I turned into a fish once.

 

Had one where I had a conversation with Dabney Coleman, he gave me a pair of roller skates.

 

I was selling odd things to people, thread, corn, records. Just pulling them out of a Mary Poppins type bag.

 

Running underwater.

 

Was graded on the shower I took. Still don't know if I passed or not.

 

Just general goofy not to be taken seriously things.