So....tonight I had either sleep paralysis or a lucid dream. Either way, I've had them since I was a kid.
I NEVER knew what they were. They simply scared me. I never even thought to investigate. However, nowadays I google everything immediately. So this time I pinpointed it.
The experience as a child: I would wake up and be unable to move my body. For some reason, this part doesn't bother me that much. Probably because I'm usually distracted. By what you ask? By the sound of a damn HURRICANE right above my face!
Literally.
It's described medically as an auditory hallucination.
As a child I would wake up to this loud hurricane/tornado/train sound thats all encompassing.
A sense of panic starts to overcome the body. Then, a very tactile sensation goes over the body.
However, I never saw anything because my eyes were always closed.
This would last for about 10 seconds most of the time.
I think the last time I had it as a child, I had it twice in one night. First was subconscious. The usual. It scared me a bit, but I was aware of it. Then I wondered(I was still essentially asleep or half asleep)...Could I make myself do it? So, moments after it happened and woke me up, I decided to "let it happen" again. I was very tired and knew that my mind and body were ready to go back into a deep sleep immediately despite waking up. So, I let myself drift back into that sleep state. But, because I was awake moments ago, I was still aware of what was going on. And because of that, when I did go into the sleep state physically, my mind was still active and present for what happens.
And sure enough, the train sound came. I immediately snapped myself out of it. From that point I knew it was more about my sleep pattern than anything. But I still had NO clue what it was lol.
As a teenager and adult(lol I'm 21 big kid): I've only had it happen a few times.
But recently, I saw Inception. I'm really drawn to ideas like this. I often think about the possibility of different dimensions e.t.c. So, last night I researched Lucid dreaming. It's when you are aware that you are dreaming. I thought "wow that seems really cool! I want to try it".
Through said research I learned that one of the best ways to have a lucid dream is to actively tell yourself "I'm going to have a lucid dream" before you go to sleep. Well...I did that. And I felt like a kid again lol. Same hurricane pounding in my ears as I was waking. But it was odd...I opened my eyes. And I saw a scanner light across the bed like I was being scanned into a computer. It was odd. I was dreaming. But awake.
Anybody else ever have this? Oh, and mine is pretty infrequent because I sleep on my stomach.
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"I want to say something but I'll keep it to myself I guess and leave this useless post behind to make you aware that there WAS something... "
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
It has little to do with that, but I'm always aware when I'm dreaming. It just doesn't seem really important in the dream. Like, I'm suddenly running naked on the beach and think "WTF? How did I get here? Ohhh, I must be dreaming". But that's it, I never give it much thought.
On a more related noted (not really), I had a similar feeling when I was hipnotized. I was aware I was hipnotized, but I couldn't do anything about it. The hipnotizer would say that I had to defend myself against the invading alien force, and a part of me thought "Aliens? Yeah, right," but a much more powerful part thought "KILL THEM! KILL THE ALIENS!!"
I've had something like this happen to me before. I feel like i am awake in my mind but my body refuses to move. Kind of like I am paralized I guess. I try to move and struggle alot. Sometimes I think I have moved just to realize I am still laying in bed. This seemed to happen alot when I used to sleep with my head under the covers so I feel it may have been a lack of oxygen to that caused my brain to wake up slowly to where my mind woke up before my body did. It always freaks me out though and I usually wake up with a violent movement as I was struggling to move all along.
That my friend IS sleep paralysis. Your mind woke up in the middle of the REM sleep cycle. Normally it comes with some form of hallucination because during REM, you dream heavily and your body's muscles are completely relaxed.
So, you were awake before your body.
Oh and so I don't confuse anyone, the scanner thing was just a part of the dream. Different people have different dreams. That part will not be the same usually.
Sleep pluralization occurs mostly in people who sleep on their back. And I believe that sleeping on the back, then waking up and being unable to move leaves the host feeling very vulnerable so their minds conjure up very disturbing things like a creature sitting on their chest haunting them.
One last thing. I am a mod. I DO have the power. If you troll my thread I will defeat you.
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"I want to say something but I'll keep it to myself I guess and leave this useless post behind to make you aware that there WAS something... "
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
I have the privilege to call myself an experienced dreamer xD
I dream litteraly every night. I can also explain dreams very easily, its like a 6th sense i guess.
It runs through the family, my grandmother used to dream about the future and so does my dad.
About the train sound you experience... Has it ever occured to you that it might be a bit of air coming out of your ears? Like when a person yawns, you get this "vwoosh" sound in your ears sometimes. Do you feel that the sound comes from an external source?
Traveling to other dimensions in dreams is a possibility because your mind is working in the infinity range when you dream. Many times, our dreams are the reflection of our fears and worries from our daily life, coming to us at night so we can experience them and prepare for the next day. I think that the scanner that you saw might be a projection of some of your thoughts. Have you ever thought about having invisble company while you are in bed?
Keep practicing those phenomena and attempt to identify each and every symptom. Try to "locate" the part of your brain which works whenever you feel anything that you might consider as special.
Just like you said that the best way to have a lucid dream is simply to say it before you go to sleep... So the best way of recieving an answer is actually asking yourself, without fear and without restricting yourself to express the outcome.
The dream state is a place where a connection to internal and external sources is "easier". Sources of inteligence and information. Your inner self is a source. It can be reached to and interacted with. All of the answers you seek lie within.
Good luck.
Ps. if you get any more detailed experiencs, ill be happy to try an analyze it for you. This goes out to all of the members of this forum too.
THATS THE PERFECT WAY TO DESCRIBE IT!!!!!(caps necessary)
I've been trying to explain that sound to people for YEARS. I forgot that everyone will hear the same thing when they yawn. But it's like 1000000 times more intense lol.
Jamoose is my new expert.
One part of me wants to explore my mind and grow spiritually. I personally believe it's important since I feel that physical death does not end us. However, at the same time. It scares the HELL out of me man.
I experienced sleep paralysis so much as a kid that, eventually, I was no longer completely crippled with fear. I was calm and knew that it would go away, but I was always too scared to do any sort of movement. So I would eventually just wake up or go to sleep whilst waiting for the noise and sensation to go away. I usually remain calm during, but not calm enough to venture.
This time was similar. I got the rush, then I felt the tingling sensation, then I opened my eyes. It was dark but everything had a bluish green tent to it. I could see my pillow and dagger( I sleep with a dagger and or knife because of the neighborhood I'm from). Then like I said, this scanner beam kind of went across the bed and dagger, moving to the shape of the bed and dagger.
I was raised in a religious household. Plus I saw all of the scariest movies. As a child that experiences sleep paralysis I think it made for a catalyst into the depths of my fears.
So, as much as I would like to explore...I would rather just open my eyes to the next day lol.
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"I want to say something but I'll keep it to myself I guess and leave this useless post behind to make you aware that there WAS something... "
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
I have lucid dreams surprisingly often, sometimes I'm merely aware of the fact that I'm dreaming, other (much cooler) instances allow me to completely take control of my dream. Literally I can do anything I want, usually I choose to just fly around.. flying is awesome.
I was surprised to find out that apparently lucid dreams are fairly uncommon as far as how many people actually get them, apparently I'm quite lucky to get them so often.
Occasionally instead of gaining control of my dream I'll be aware that it's a dream but it feels like I'm losing control of myself (my dream self .. my projected self-image ? woo matrix.. can I really call it myself when I'm in a dream.. interesting thought.) Anyway usually when this happens those dreams quickly take a turn for the worse, usually I'm trying to escape from something (or someone) but I can't open my eyes all the way and if I run it feels like I'm running in water, the harder I try to move the more resistant 'my' body is to moving. Often in these cases if I try to cry out for help or make noise I am unable to. I've always wondered if my sleeping self is actually trying to make noise or open my eyes, like I'm actually trying to wake up, or if it is simply an illusion of my mind.
Sometimes my dreams are just really messed up versions of something I was doing that day, for instance when d3 beta came out I (naturally) watched a ton of videos while doing my math homework. My dream was a very odd combination of d3 and math.. almost impossible to actually put into words.
You guys are lucky...I never dream really at all... :'( I just go to bed then wake up and it's all just rather boring
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www.myspace.com/mpotatoes for all your Trans Siberian Orchestra listening pleasure
If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last
By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask
Hmm that's interesting, I have no problems hanging on to the dream once I realize I'm dreaming, and usually I simply become aware of the fact that it's a dream without necessarily getting some indication (like a yellow car or something)
More interestingly I can do things like check my watch etc, I can even read books and poems, though in those cases the book or poem will quickly drift into nonsense since I'm not actually reading and my mind is literally attempting to construct the story on the spot. (which I'm normally quite bad at..)
I had some weird dreams, at a point i regularily had sleep paralysis as well, but basically i was dreaming of basically just walking down the street, and then i have to cross the road, a walkway, a railroad, or similar, and everytime i do i look in each direction and noone is coming, then when i start walking an obstacles comes in the way(car, train, etc.) thinking i can make it i continue walking, but suddenly i'm hit by some kind of paralysis in the dream that slows me down to a halt, until the car(or whatever) drives me over.
In later versions of the dream i try running across, not crossing it to begin with, and so on, but it still ends with me being run over, and when i waked up i would sometimes have an issue moving there as well
THATS THE PERFECT WAY TO DESCRIBE IT!!!!!(caps necessary)
I've been trying to explain that sound to people for YEARS. I forgot that everyone will hear the same thing when they yawn. But it's like 1000000 times more intense lol.
Jamoose is my new expert.
One part of me wants to explore my mind and grow spiritually. I personally believe it's important since I feel that physical death does not end us. However, at the same time. It scares the HELL out of me man.
I experienced sleep paralysis so much as a kid that, eventually, I was no longer completely crippled with fear. I was calm and knew that it would go away, but I was always too scared to do any sort of movement. So I would eventually just wake up or go to sleep whilst waiting for the noise and sensation to go away. I usually remain calm during, but not calm enough to venture.
This time was similar. I got the rush, then I felt the tingling sensation, then I opened my eyes. It was dark but everything had a bluish green tent to it. I could see my pillow and dagger( I sleep with a dagger and or knife because of the neighborhood I'm from). Then like I said, this scanner beam kind of went across the bed and dagger, moving to the shape of the bed and dagger.
I was raised in a religious household. Plus I saw all of the scariest movies. As a child that experiences sleep paralysis I think it made for a catalyst into the depths of my fears.
So, as much as I would like to explore...I would rather just open my eyes to the next day lol.
It seems to me that through "fear" you are able to get into a certain state of mind. I could say that fear is brain chemicals and neurons and that you feel weird because of your body's biology, moved and controlled by your thoughts and self being.
I think that you totally understand all of those things we discuss but sometimes we are just not so honest with ourselves. Thats why people go to a shrink.
But this is the fun part. When you, again, understand and identify the reaction in your mind and body and release it from any of its constraints such as fear. Maybe you will reach a state that has your brain working in a different way, without being concernd about anything.
Its mental practice and i think it could be dangerous because we all have those beliefs about certain things and we cant let them go.
I'd say you dont think about it too much. Treat it as an interesting experience that exists in your reality... If you want it to.
One part of me wants to explore my mind and grow spiritually. I personally believe it's important since I feel that physical death does not end us. However, at the same time. It scares the HELL out of me man.
I'd just like to know where that fear of annihilation comes from. It does make sense to fear the process of dying. For most of us, that is going to be painful and we are inherently averse to things that cause us pain. Having said that, being afraid of the state we call "dead," is totally beyond me. Every one of us has been "dead," almost infinitely longer than we have been alive (before we were born, we were essentially dead). If you're willing to put deep non-dreamstate sleep into that catergory (since at that point you are absolutely incogniscent of your existence on the physical level) we spend a large part of our lives "dead," too.
So, other than the process of dying, what is to fear? My supposition would be that all related fears of the death state are tied to belief in eternal punishment. If that is the case, I have no recourse but to assert my disbelief, but if that is not the case I would like to know where the fear comes from.
Have you ever seen a zebra or Gazelle fear death? I doubt it has anything to do with afterlife. We instinctively simply want to live. And as far as being dead is concerned, sleep is far different. And we're completely unaware of what existed prior to our physical existence.
What we fear is the unknown. We don't KNOW what will happen. It keeps creatures uneven.
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"I want to say something but I'll keep it to myself I guess and leave this useless post behind to make you aware that there WAS something... "
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
Have you ever seen a zebra or Gazelle fear death? I doubt it has anything to do with afterlife. We instinctively simply want to live. And as far as being dead is concerned, sleep is far different. And we're completely unaware of what existed prior to our physical existence.
What we fear is the unknown. We don't KNOW what will happen. It keeps creatures uneven.
I have seen a zebra fear a lion and I presume it has to do with the process of dying by gnashing teeth and sharp claws. Not the least of the fears a zebra might have, but there's really no telling what a zebra "thinks," if we're using the same operative definition applied to human beings. As far as we can tell, they probably don't comprehend anhillation or the lack of existence since that is a very abstract thought.
Fear of the unknown is a justifiable answer and fair point, but what we DO know about being dead is that our bodies eventually (or quickly, depending on your selected method of funeral) dissipate into baser forms of matter and energy. From that point we are in the same position, as I mentioned, that we had been in prior to being born: dissipated matter and energy.
My point was that, since we understand what forms a human being, what forms our cells, what forms the zygote that grows into a new human being to be the same fundamental bits that we'll return to being after our body ceases to function: it's not so much the unknown we fear, but what we do know. We know that we return to dust. Any other predictions about possible transcendant and non-physical existence that drives that fear are the unknown bits and rightly so. We simply can't know anything about that. However, since we have created that unknown ourselves, it seems a cyclical fear.
It has little to do with that, but I'm always aware when I'm dreaming.
Always? That's strange and hard to believe unless all you dream about is being naked in public; after some time, you are bound to catch on I guess.
Wait until it happens for real though. Will be even more fun.
The hipnotizer would say that I had to defend myself against the invading alien force, and a part of me thought "Aliens? Yeah, right," but a much more powerful part thought "KILL THEM! KILL THE ALIENS!!"
It was awesome.
So, other than the process of dying, what is to fear? My supposition would be that all related fears of the death state are tied to belief in eternal punishment. If that is the case, I have no recourse but to assert my disbelief, but if that is not the case I would like to know where the fear comes from.
Hmm...If the belief in eternal punishment is so strong to fuel fear of the death state, it would underlie that said person is fairly religious. And most if not all religions have a relatively easy way to avoid this punishment irrespective of the amount of misery the latter has caused. Repent, accept xyz in your heart, do a few rituals and presto! you win the jackpot.
Still if you explore the matter a bit more deeply, one can see how religion has indirectly fueled that fear of death. Globalization is to 'blame'- the multi-cultural/ethnic communities. We (most of us) no longer live in secluded groups where our beliefs are not challenged or disputed. Actually they still are not actively challenged but after regularly coming into contact with other people of different religions, we end up questioning either our own or their beliefs. It's even more bewildering when meeting or hearing the very religious ones for they speak with conviction. Since quite a large percentage has quite a 'loose' connection with their religion, a certain amount of doubt inevitably sets in. What if they are right? What if I am wrong? And it turns out the Abrahamic religions are quite unforgiving if you don't worship that one god.
Back on topic- I think we already had this one before.
I've had my fair share of fun with lucid dreaming and some not-so-pleasant experiences.
Overall, I prefer a good night sleep where I remember nothing. Tis like a full rejuvenation potion, aye.
It has little to do with that, but I'm always aware when I'm dreaming.
Always? That's strange and hard to believe unless all you dream about is being naked in public; after some time, you are bound to catch on I guess.
Wait until it happens for real though. Will be even more fun.
Maybe not always, but usually. I'm not always naked either, but it's quite a recurring dream. I guess I should check on that xD.
The hipnotizer would say that I had to defend myself against the invading alien force, and a part of me thought "Aliens? Yeah, right," but a much more powerful part thought "KILL THEM! KILL THE ALIENS!!"
It was awesome.
Now that is pretty interesting.
I know, it was amazing. He did something even cooler though. He made me stand up straight and told me to remain rigid. Then, some other guys placed my head and neck on one chair, and my feet on another one, and the hipnotizer just stood on my legs. And I'm quite a skinny guy. He then called a kid and told me "This kid's finger weighs a ton, he's going to touch you and you are going to fall". I didn't really believed him until the kid placed his finger on my chest, I just collapsed. It was incredible.
He also made us (it was a group hipnosis) believe we had all won the lottery, think we had 11 fingers, drink water and think it was disgusting, listen to horrible jokes and laugh our asses off and put on "naked glasses" with which we could see everybody naked (those didn't work for me, sadly).
The funny thing is that I knew I was being hipnotised and it was all just an act, but whenever he said anything, I had to do it, no questions asked. And I didn't had to "act" like I won the lottery, I just believed it. The excitement was actually there, I could feel it.
I NEVER knew what they were. They simply scared me. I never even thought to investigate. However, nowadays I google everything immediately. So this time I pinpointed it.
The experience as a child: I would wake up and be unable to move my body. For some reason, this part doesn't bother me that much. Probably because I'm usually distracted. By what you ask? By the sound of a damn HURRICANE right above my face!
Literally.
It's described medically as an auditory hallucination.
As a child I would wake up to this loud hurricane/tornado/train sound thats all encompassing.
A sense of panic starts to overcome the body. Then, a very tactile sensation goes over the body.
However, I never saw anything because my eyes were always closed.
This would last for about 10 seconds most of the time.
I think the last time I had it as a child, I had it twice in one night. First was subconscious. The usual. It scared me a bit, but I was aware of it. Then I wondered(I was still essentially asleep or half asleep)...Could I make myself do it? So, moments after it happened and woke me up, I decided to "let it happen" again. I was very tired and knew that my mind and body were ready to go back into a deep sleep immediately despite waking up. So, I let myself drift back into that sleep state. But, because I was awake moments ago, I was still aware of what was going on. And because of that, when I did go into the sleep state physically, my mind was still active and present for what happens.
And sure enough, the train sound came. I immediately snapped myself out of it. From that point I knew it was more about my sleep pattern than anything. But I still had NO clue what it was lol.
As a teenager and adult(lol I'm 21 big kid): I've only had it happen a few times.
But recently, I saw Inception. I'm really drawn to ideas like this. I often think about the possibility of different dimensions e.t.c. So, last night I researched Lucid dreaming. It's when you are aware that you are dreaming. I thought "wow that seems really cool! I want to try it".
Through said research I learned that one of the best ways to have a lucid dream is to actively tell yourself "I'm going to have a lucid dream" before you go to sleep. Well...I did that. And I felt like a kid again lol. Same hurricane pounding in my ears as I was waking. But it was odd...I opened my eyes. And I saw a scanner light across the bed like I was being scanned into a computer. It was odd. I was dreaming. But awake.
Anybody else ever have this? Oh, and mine is pretty infrequent because I sleep on my stomach.
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
"to the worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish."
On a more related noted (not really), I had a similar feeling when I was hipnotized. I was aware I was hipnotized, but I couldn't do anything about it. The hipnotizer would say that I had to defend myself against the invading alien force, and a part of me thought "Aliens? Yeah, right," but a much more powerful part thought "KILL THEM! KILL THE ALIENS!!"
It was awesome.
So, you were awake before your body.
Oh and so I don't confuse anyone, the scanner thing was just a part of the dream. Different people have different dreams. That part will not be the same usually.
Sleep pluralization occurs mostly in people who sleep on their back. And I believe that sleeping on the back, then waking up and being unable to move leaves the host feeling very vulnerable so their minds conjure up very disturbing things like a creature sitting on their chest haunting them.
One last thing. I am a mod. I DO have the power. If you troll my thread I will defeat you.
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
I dream litteraly every night. I can also explain dreams very easily, its like a 6th sense i guess.
It runs through the family, my grandmother used to dream about the future and so does my dad.
About the train sound you experience... Has it ever occured to you that it might be a bit of air coming out of your ears? Like when a person yawns, you get this "vwoosh" sound in your ears sometimes. Do you feel that the sound comes from an external source?
Traveling to other dimensions in dreams is a possibility because your mind is working in the infinity range when you dream. Many times, our dreams are the reflection of our fears and worries from our daily life, coming to us at night so we can experience them and prepare for the next day. I think that the scanner that you saw might be a projection of some of your thoughts. Have you ever thought about having invisble company while you are in bed?
Keep practicing those phenomena and attempt to identify each and every symptom. Try to "locate" the part of your brain which works whenever you feel anything that you might consider as special.
Just like you said that the best way to have a lucid dream is simply to say it before you go to sleep... So the best way of recieving an answer is actually asking yourself, without fear and without restricting yourself to express the outcome.
The dream state is a place where a connection to internal and external sources is "easier". Sources of inteligence and information. Your inner self is a source. It can be reached to and interacted with. All of the answers you seek lie within.
Good luck.
Ps. if you get any more detailed experiencs, ill be happy to try an analyze it for you. This goes out to all of the members of this forum too.
I've been trying to explain that sound to people for YEARS. I forgot that everyone will hear the same thing when they yawn. But it's like 1000000 times more intense lol.
Jamoose is my new expert.
One part of me wants to explore my mind and grow spiritually. I personally believe it's important since I feel that physical death does not end us. However, at the same time. It scares the HELL out of me man.
I experienced sleep paralysis so much as a kid that, eventually, I was no longer completely crippled with fear. I was calm and knew that it would go away, but I was always too scared to do any sort of movement. So I would eventually just wake up or go to sleep whilst waiting for the noise and sensation to go away. I usually remain calm during, but not calm enough to venture.
This time was similar. I got the rush, then I felt the tingling sensation, then I opened my eyes. It was dark but everything had a bluish green tent to it. I could see my pillow and dagger( I sleep with a dagger and or knife because of the neighborhood I'm from). Then like I said, this scanner beam kind of went across the bed and dagger, moving to the shape of the bed and dagger.
I was raised in a religious household. Plus I saw all of the scariest movies. As a child that experiences sleep paralysis I think it made for a catalyst into the depths of my fears.
So, as much as I would like to explore...I would rather just open my eyes to the next day lol.
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
I was surprised to find out that apparently lucid dreams are fairly uncommon as far as how many people actually get them, apparently I'm quite lucky to get them so often.
Occasionally instead of gaining control of my dream I'll be aware that it's a dream but it feels like I'm losing control of myself (my dream self .. my projected self-image ? woo matrix.. can I really call it myself when I'm in a dream.. interesting thought.) Anyway usually when this happens those dreams quickly take a turn for the worse, usually I'm trying to escape from something (or someone) but I can't open my eyes all the way and if I run it feels like I'm running in water, the harder I try to move the more resistant 'my' body is to moving. Often in these cases if I try to cry out for help or make noise I am unable to. I've always wondered if my sleeping self is actually trying to make noise or open my eyes, like I'm actually trying to wake up, or if it is simply an illusion of my mind.
Sometimes my dreams are just really messed up versions of something I was doing that day, for instance when d3 beta came out I (naturally) watched a ton of videos while doing my math homework. My dream was a very odd combination of d3 and math.. almost impossible to actually put into words.
If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last
By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask
More interestingly I can do things like check my watch etc, I can even read books and poems, though in those cases the book or poem will quickly drift into nonsense since I'm not actually reading and my mind is literally attempting to construct the story on the spot. (which I'm normally quite bad at..)
In later versions of the dream i try running across, not crossing it to begin with, and so on, but it still ends with me being run over, and when i waked up i would sometimes have an issue moving there as well
It seems to me that through "fear" you are able to get into a certain state of mind. I could say that fear is brain chemicals and neurons and that you feel weird because of your body's biology, moved and controlled by your thoughts and self being.
I think that you totally understand all of those things we discuss but sometimes we are just not so honest with ourselves. Thats why people go to a shrink.
But this is the fun part. When you, again, understand and identify the reaction in your mind and body and release it from any of its constraints such as fear. Maybe you will reach a state that has your brain working in a different way, without being concernd about anything.
Its mental practice and i think it could be dangerous because we all have those beliefs about certain things and we cant let them go.
I'd say you dont think about it too much. Treat it as an interesting experience that exists in your reality... If you want it to.
I'd just like to know where that fear of annihilation comes from. It does make sense to fear the process of dying. For most of us, that is going to be painful and we are inherently averse to things that cause us pain. Having said that, being afraid of the state we call "dead," is totally beyond me. Every one of us has been "dead," almost infinitely longer than we have been alive (before we were born, we were essentially dead). If you're willing to put deep non-dreamstate sleep into that catergory (since at that point you are absolutely incogniscent of your existence on the physical level) we spend a large part of our lives "dead," too.
So, other than the process of dying, what is to fear? My supposition would be that all related fears of the death state are tied to belief in eternal punishment. If that is the case, I have no recourse but to assert my disbelief, but if that is not the case I would like to know where the fear comes from.
What we fear is the unknown. We don't KNOW what will happen. It keeps creatures uneven.
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
I have seen a zebra fear a lion and I presume it has to do with the process of dying by gnashing teeth and sharp claws. Not the least of the fears a zebra might have, but there's really no telling what a zebra "thinks," if we're using the same operative definition applied to human beings. As far as we can tell, they probably don't comprehend anhillation or the lack of existence since that is a very abstract thought.
Fear of the unknown is a justifiable answer and fair point, but what we DO know about being dead is that our bodies eventually (or quickly, depending on your selected method of funeral) dissipate into baser forms of matter and energy. From that point we are in the same position, as I mentioned, that we had been in prior to being born: dissipated matter and energy.
My point was that, since we understand what forms a human being, what forms our cells, what forms the zygote that grows into a new human being to be the same fundamental bits that we'll return to being after our body ceases to function: it's not so much the unknown we fear, but what we do know. We know that we return to dust. Any other predictions about possible transcendant and non-physical existence that drives that fear are the unknown bits and rightly so. We simply can't know anything about that. However, since we have created that unknown ourselves, it seems a cyclical fear.
Wait until it happens for real though. Will be even more fun.
Now that is pretty interesting.
Hmm...If the belief in eternal punishment is so strong to fuel fear of the death state, it would underlie that said person is fairly religious. And most if not all religions have a relatively easy way to avoid this punishment irrespective of the amount of misery the latter has caused. Repent, accept xyz in your heart, do a few rituals and presto! you win the jackpot.
Still if you explore the matter a bit more deeply, one can see how religion has indirectly fueled that fear of death. Globalization is to 'blame'- the multi-cultural/ethnic communities. We (most of us) no longer live in secluded groups where our beliefs are not challenged or disputed. Actually they still are not actively challenged but after regularly coming into contact with other people of different religions, we end up questioning either our own or their beliefs. It's even more bewildering when meeting or hearing the very religious ones for they speak with conviction. Since quite a large percentage has quite a 'loose' connection with their religion, a certain amount of doubt inevitably sets in. What if they are right? What if I am wrong? And it turns out the Abrahamic religions are quite unforgiving if you don't worship that one god.
Back on topic- I think we already had this one before.
I've had my fair share of fun with lucid dreaming and some not-so-pleasant experiences.
Overall, I prefer a good night sleep where I remember nothing. Tis like a full rejuvenation potion, aye.
I know, it was amazing. He did something even cooler though. He made me stand up straight and told me to remain rigid. Then, some other guys placed my head and neck on one chair, and my feet on another one, and the hipnotizer just stood on my legs. And I'm quite a skinny guy. He then called a kid and told me "This kid's finger weighs a ton, he's going to touch you and you are going to fall". I didn't really believed him until the kid placed his finger on my chest, I just collapsed. It was incredible.
He also made us (it was a group hipnosis) believe we had all won the lottery, think we had 11 fingers, drink water and think it was disgusting, listen to horrible jokes and laugh our asses off and put on "naked glasses" with which we could see everybody naked (those didn't work for me, sadly).
The funny thing is that I knew I was being hipnotised and it was all just an act, but whenever he said anything, I had to do it, no questions asked. And I didn't had to "act" like I won the lottery, I just believed it. The excitement was actually there, I could feel it.
That was my point.