Just had to smile before I said anything!  Yay  This post kinda refers back to my post on Anti Psychotics / Depressants here: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,412.0.html   It might be worth your while reading it first.
With the medication I am taking, namely 'Risperdal' and 'Lexapro', the Risperdal has an intriguing side affect...
Everyone dreams whether you remember it or not and as we all know, these dreams can be good or bad. Dreaming becomes a part of life without you even realising and your dreams influence your daily life in a way so subtle, not even you can recognise. What happens, however, when this nightly dreaming ritual changes? When night becomes one long waking day? This is exactly what life has become for me.
When I dream, it's feels exactly like real life. I wake up and still feel like Im in the dream. It can take a few minutes to really tell if I was dreaming or not. We all have nightmares and I have to admit, Id rather not have them as I am now, but the good dreams are like a taste of heaven on earth.
During my days of psychosis and recovery, they were all nightmares, but you train yourself to think a certain way; but things improve, you see the good in life.
I now have amazing dreams all the time. Just the other day, I went jet skiing and won 10,000 euro. Not so nice to wake up from that one! But last night, it was like a moment of clarity in the everyday haze we live. I was me as me for what seemed reality. There is no way to really describe this without you experiencing. I saw exactly what I looked like, to every finite detail. I lived the life I live now. Everything was the same but different.
This may be the closest I ever get to my reality, but Im truely appreciative of what I have experienced. Something good comes out of everything bad. Everything. I wish everyone could experience what I have, as each and everyone of you deserve it here at susans. I will keep everyone updated on my progress, life and recovery as it is bound to be full of events. Take care all.

Love everyone,
Love everything,
Love yourself,
Sarah

for 6 long years i had the experience that daytime was the dream
and the night was long reality
but then i woke up
and now i might want the dream back again

.............i think its coming again
for i feel it welling up inside of me again
so let the dream be.....and i will follow it once again
let it lead me me back down that road again into the inside of my inner thoughts and inner sanctuary and the quietness that lies there

and i can look out again
out to the unreal world with crystal clarity
then i will see the reality of me again.....and who i really am
then i can be me again

misty boradello xxx

vivid dreaming is the best thing that i can think of , if i could controll it i would just stay dreaming, i havent had nightmares in years , except that i am a male and old.
... Ellen

Wow misty, I read it about ten times! I love your perspective. It mirrors mine so closely. Your creativity is surpassed only by the passion you place in what you believe in.

Sarah

Are you conscious in your dreams? By that I mean, do you have a realization during the dream that you're actually dreaming, after which you can control what happens with the total understanding that what's happening isn't real?

What you're experiencing need not ever go away, and can even be developed. I just have to recommend "The Art of Dreaming" by Carlos Casteneda... along with just about all his other books. Some of you may have heard the name before, but I just want to say that after I lent that book to another friend it changed their life.

Speaking of that, see also Lucid Dreaming. (not sure if the link is any good really, but the term to remember is Lucid Dreams/Dreaming;)
Thank you for reminding me Elaine, I knew it was called something.

I am aware of lucid dreaming and have also read about it. My dreams are kinda different, unique in a way. Im not too sure if I can control them as such, more so that its like an extension of my waking day. A parallel world with no diferentiation between them. Picture how you feel now, then imagine something youd love to happen, then make it happen. Thats how my dreams are, but it feels like Im awake. Am I making any sense here at all? lol!

That should give you an idea of what its like to be me and as long as Im on these tablets, I shall continue to go to heaven every night

Love everyone,
Love everything,
Love yourself,
Sarah

I had vivid dreams (not lucid dreams) when I was on the nicotine patch. They are awesome, at least when they involve sex or skiing. I was in a meeting in one vivid dream and it was as boring as a real one.

I think I've had the odd lucid dream, where I can kind of control it, but vivid dreams are different.

I sure wish I could have them again. The next time I was on the patch I didn't get them

Dennis

Vivid Dreaming, facinating subject. I've had some experience with this. Some vivid dreams are not dreams at all but astral projection. I studied the subject for some time after I had an accidental experience. When we wake up our bodies usually wake up first but sometimes the mind wakes up before the body. You are aware but are unable to move as if you were paralyzed. When I first had such an experience I struggled to make my body move. Suddenly I did move I got up and began to walk about the room but when I turned toward my bed I was still there. I was shocked and terrified. Then instantly I was back in my body and rose up out of the bed with a start. In my studies I found that by using meditation techqniques I could reproduce the effect of my body being asleep while my mind remained awake. With practice I was soon able to achieve the state at will. The next step was to leave my body.

One night I was finally able to leave my body I arose and walked about my apartment. I went into the kitchen and discovered that the water was dripping from the faucet and the sink was sttopped and near the point of overflowing. I heard a man walking down the block outside. I looked out the window and saw him at the end of the block walking in the direction of my apartment. I returned to my body and got up. I went to the kitchen just in time to stop the sink from overflowing. I looked out the window to see the man who had been at the end of the block just passing by my window. There was no doubt in my mind that the experience was real and that I had actually left my physical body. Ocassionally I still do this but not too often . The feeling is very euphoric and there are various other experiences that are beyond description. A side effect has been the ability to manipulate my dreams but first I have to be aware that I'm dreaming. With reccurring dreams or dreams of similar natures I usually become aware of them early on from there it's a playground of my choosing. Dosen't happen often but when it does it is a lot of fun. Any of this ring any bells for ya'll

Cassie

Ah alright, I believe I understand.

I think mostly my dreams do not have the clarity of the waking world but, I think, the waking consciousness is at least mostly present, or perhaps only partially present. Kind of script driven I guess; In the end I have spent a lot of time trying not to dream.

My childhood dreams always seemed much like life, but, sadly, they were never much fun. Living the those choose-your-own-adventures books for instance.  I fell off one cliff in particular every night for many nights. Was kind of amusing how high I made it into the air when I hit bottom and woke up. This is age 5-7 I think.  Very annoying also was when I woke up to go to the bathroom and was actually not awake yet. Such fun.

I think I've had dreams I have wanted a handful of times over the course of my life. Such as it goes, bound to be good for something... I hope!

Cass,

About the astral projection thing--- am I envious!!

When I was in my early teens, maybe 14-ish, I had an experience.  I had been sleeping on my belly, and woke up one morning, still a little fuzzy but gradually becoming more aware.  I felt that my feet were about 2 feet in the air....from the waist up everything was normal, but right at the division point at my waist, I had a slight tingling sensation that went across my back, almost like the feeling you get when your feet fall asleep, only not so numbing and prickly.  I layed there, I guess sort of puzzled, but not alarmed, and within a few moments my legs had returned to my body. 

It wasn't until a year or so later that I relaized there was a name for this and that astral projection could become an act of will, but I have never been able to re-create it (my will power stinks  ) 

Valerie

When I was young and foolish, I was a member of the Army Reserve.  Now the Australian Army always denies it but I am certain that when we were away on camp, they used to put bromides in our food - to stop all us oversexed young men from getting up to naughty stuff.

However, somthing was put in our food (we reckoned the tea was spiked) because while at camp I never awoke with an erection (somthing all 19yo men habitually did) I thought it was just me, all the fresh air & exercise & clean living - but when it was discussed, all of us were in the same boat.

Anyway when I was no longer taking whatever it was they were feeding us.  I used to experience extremely vivid dreams - seemed even to be more vivid & clear than waking would only last a couple of nights - and then again a few weeks later.

Cassandra I could believe that about Astral Projection - the experience was that real.

I can I identify with this.  I have had many lucid dreams.  Someone bought me a book once, I think it was called "The Lucid Dreamer", which I found very interesting, because it finally explained the experiences I was having. As soon as I realize I am dreaming, I get a euphoric feeling and start exploring.  I may see a house, and will go up to it and knock on the door to see who answers, or I may see a drrawer and open it to see what my mind will create for contents.  It is extremely clear for me and just like real life, but I am in control of what happens for the most part.  They are rare, but I have also heard they can be developed.  One thing people say is to start writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up.  You will get better at remembering them over time.  Also before you go to bed, say to yourself, "tonight I am going to have a lucid dream".  Sometimes that seems to help if you plant the seed in your mind before you go to sleep.  I also almost drowned when I was in high school and had a "near death experience (NDE)" where I felt like I was floating outside of my body above the water, looking down and feeling like I had been in a cage all of my life, and now I was finally set free.  I felt like there were no gender differences to this "soul".  I just felt like some sort of energy form made of pure love.  The mind is an amazing thing.  Life is precious.  Every day we are here is a gift.  Like someone else here once said, "that's why they call it the present".

Love

Lisabeth

 

Quote from: Lisabeth on February 05, 2006, 07:37:48 AM
Like someone else here once said, "that's why they call it the present".

I think that's in Peggiann's signature.

Melissa

Interesting, I'm finishing Robert Monroe's book Journeys Out of the Body. He touches on this stuff and a lot more in the book, it opened my eyes to a lot of things I've read or felt. Some of the more interesting things he discusses are astral sex (I thought they were dreams, gosh), the ability of the secound body to take any shape you impress on it (hmm,this could be interesting) waking up in the wrong body (haven't we all), angels,demons, heaven/hell worlds, alternate realitys,precognition,dreams(see there was a thread logic to this), all accounted from the 1st person. The book sounds very similar to things Castaneada says and things mentioned in Redfield's sequel to the Celestine Prophecies. Excellent read for the spiritually open minded.
It's funny, but dreams and visions are what 1st showed me my Two Spirit nature.
bb,
Bmore

Quote from: Elaine on July 01, 2005, 10:18:27 AM
What you're experiencing need not ever go away, and can even be developed. I just have to recommend "The Art of Dreaming" by Carlos Casteneda... along with just about all his other books. Some of you may have heard the name before, but I just want to say that after I lent that book to another friend it changed their life.

As it did mine, though mostly in shocking me to realize that there were others like me. It gave a context to something that's haunted me all my life (right alongside TSism). My copy is dog-eared, highlighted, torn, and battered. I love it

Plus, I started reading it with this weird suspicion that it would somehow provide a possible answer about the whole TSism thing. Imagine my surprise when I read about the Tenant, lol.

I use to have real vivid dreams that were so real, I could remember all the specific details.  One day I was dreaming I was in this house that had olive green painted cabinets, an old style tile floor from the 20's and the living room had all these kids toys laying all around on the floor.  One day I was with my sister and brother-in-law and they decided to stop at one of their friends house.  When I entered the house, I nearly freaked out because all the details I remembered in the dream had become a reality in that house!  I still have these wierd dreams every once in a while and they still freak me out when they come true.  I have noticed that as I get older, I don't seem to remember all the details as much as I did when I was younger.  Sometimes I will forget some details and when I see them in reality, then I remember them all over again from the dream.  Just wierd how the mind works sometimes. 

Shannon

Hi, I am new here but this topic fascinates me and I wanted to share my experiences with lucid dreaming.

I have some sleep issues so I was in the habit of napping after my day job.  One day I turned on the television and sat on my loveseat adjacent to the TV.  I propped my head on my hand, arm on the armrest, and dozed off.  When I entered a dream state, in the dream I was in exactly the same place, same position.  I heard a ruckus outside, and got up to check it out..still unaware it was a dream.  This happened several times, I would "wake" to look outside, and find different wierd things...my lawn full of tacky used furniture, even a flea market in my back yard.  In the case of the flea market, I went to inspect the clothing and found they were selling Nike logo tee shirts.  To show my disdain for this stuff being sold on my property,  I rubbed it on my fanny and catcalled the mysterious people who were seemingly running the market.  This led to a cartoonesque chase in which I ran around a table covered with fudge and pastries, snacking away as they pursued me. 

Each time I would return to my loveseat, seemingly falling asleep again.  Just before the dream ended, I realized it was a dream... for any of you who have had that moment, you can agree that it is an incredible feeling.  However, this seemed to push me into waking.  Once fully awake I found no flea market or burnt orange sofas on my lawn, of course.

The next day I decided to try the same time, place, and position.  I once again drifted to sleep and it was the same experience..except this time my "wakenings" were due to people entering my house.  I became aware it was a dream, but did not immediately wake up.  Instead I shifted to another locale..

After the location change, I found myself in a mansion..and immediately sought a mirror.  My reflection was like that of a corpse.  My skin was dry and pale, chalky white in fact.  My eyes were black and dead..  Knowing I was dreaming, I tried to change the image, to a young healthy woman..but I could not.  I shifted back to the dream that matched reality..sitting on my loveseat.  There was a moment of terror then..I honestly questioned if I would actually wake up..and if I would KNOW I was back in reality.

I ended the "experiment" after that.  It was getting creepy.  About 6 months later I was diagnosed with some severe health problems.  I believe the image in the mirror was my subconcious trying to tell me my health was at risk.

Sounds wild doesn't it?  There are times I am tempted to try it again, but I have refrained because I am still haunted by some of the memories from the last dream.

A few weeks after my father died (I was 15 at the time), I began having dreams in which I would wake up, get out of bed, and walk downstairs to find my family around the breakfast table, including my father. I was terribly confused, as I seemed to be the only one who was aware that he had died. Everyone else was acting as if everything were perfectly normal. I would then continue through my day, and eventually go to bed. When I woke up of course, things were back the way I remembered them.

For about a month, this happened frequently enough that I was unsure as to which was the dream and which the reality.

Looking back on it now, the most interesting thing is that I never said anything about the apparent contradiction, either awake or dreaming, and that about half the time I was female rather than male, and that seemed perfectly normal to everyone, too.

It was an interesting time, to say the least!

Annie