AboutRussell Expertise I am not a dream Interpreter, I specialize in lucid dreams. With this being said please don't ask me any questions about what your dreams mean. All dream interpretation questions will be rejected. Lucid dreams are when you realize that you are in a dream. Once you realize that you are dreaming, you can control and manipulate your dreams. I can answer questions regarding lucid dreaming, false awakening, paralysis sleep, and reality testing. I cannot answer questions regarding out of body experience.
Experience When I was a little kid I would have 1-2 lucid dreams a year that I could control. As I got older I would have about 3-5 lucid dreams every year, but now I am averaging about 4-5 lucid dreams every month.
Education/Credentials High School Graduate
Harper College (ongoing)
Question OK, im not sure how to put this into words but i will try my best... This is about dreams or sleep. it mostly happens when im tired and it's been happening for couple years sometimes not for weeks and then 3-4 times a week.
The first time i realise this, i went to sleep woke up got out of bed everything was normal went in the living room and there was door that weren't suppose to be there so there i realised i was sleeping i return to my bedroom got in bed (all this in my sleep) and force myself to wake up wich i did .. everything was so real .. since then i get this often, fall asleep, boyfriend is there next to me, the room is the same but the feeling in my stomach tells me im sleeping so i force myself to wake up, it sometimes take a few try. i close my eyes, open them to see if im awake, i do this until i am. one time i try to scream to see if my bf will hear me and wake me up, but no he doesn't . It's a really scary feeling espcially when i cant wake up right away. And the weirdest thing is when i really do wake up, if i dont change the position im in, i will continue to have this sleep issue (cause they dont feel like dreams)and when i change my position i will fall asleep and it wont happen again that night.
Thanks hope you can help, im just trying to understand what causes this cause i have a feeling it will not stop. i want to mention i have an moderate anxiety problem.
Sylvie
Answer You experienced a false awakening. Their are two types of false awakenings.
Type 1 may be thought of as the ‘common-or-garden’ sort, in which the dreamer seems to wake up, but not necessarily in realistic surroundings, that is, not in their own bedroom. A pre-lucid dream may ensue. More commonly, dreamers will believe they have awakened and then ‘fall back asleep’ in the dream.
The type 2 false awakening seems to be considerably less common. Green characterized it as follows: ‘[…]the subject appears to wake up in a realistic manner, but to an atmosphere of suspense[…] His surroundings may at first appear normal, and he may gradually become aware of something uncanny in the atmosphere, and perhaps of unwonted sounds and movements. Or he may “awake” immediately to a “stressed” and “stormy” atmosphere. In either case, the end result would appear to be characterized by feelings of suspense, excitement or apprehension.
Since you woke up in your bed and things appear to be normal, that means you experienced type 2 false awakening. Since you are able to realize you are dreaming, you can easily turn this into a lucid dream. Just use your mind to take control of the dream.
Here are some ways you can turn false wakings into lucid dreams.
1. Use your alarm clock for reality checks - whenever you look at the time, ask yourself if you are dreaming. The best part about this technique is that numbers and letters are hard to read in a dream, because the language centers of the brain are shut off. So words are prone to changing or turning into unreadable symbols after a few seconds. Your alarm clock will expose this.
2. Look at your reflection in the mirror - since the first thing people do in the morning is go to the bathroom, this is an ideal reality check. Allow yourself a few seconds to examine your face, check that the reflection of the room is normal, and see if you can push your hand into the mirror itself.
3. Leave notes for yourself around your house - frequently prompt yourself to do a reality check or simply ask if you are dreaming. Put the notes in key places (like door handles, light switches, and banisters) and don't ignore them.
4. Test your reality while you eat breakfast - false awakenings can often involve eating breakfast so this is a prime time to perform a reality check. If successful, you will suddenly be able to taste the food you are eating!
5. Perform a reality check when you wake up - make lucid dreams the first thing you think about every day. If you get used to doing reality checks when you wake up, go to bed, and stir in the night, you will put lucid dreams firmly in your subconscious - and recognize false awakenings immediately.
