Dreams/Nightmares

[Archaeon]

So I've been thinking about this lately and I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss. When I was young I remember often having nightmares of all sorts. Running away from lava, to having my teeth fall out, to some really weird ass ones like swinging back and forth on some kind of pendulum with a weird static sky in every direction I could see including down, and the sound of white noise gradually increasing in volume till I couldn't take it anymore and would wake up.

I'm 26 now, and I can't remember the last time I had a nightmare since childhood, although it's a bit more complicated than that. I still have dreams that when I was a child would have scared the crap out of me, but growing up they've become more like adventures. On rare occasions I can control what happens in my dreams, but even in the more "realistic" ones (by realistic I mean, not being a dream-god and warping "reality" to my will), I can't remember ever having the "oh shit oh shit oh shit I'm going to die" type dreams I used to have. Strange monsters chasing me? Friends/family being kidnapped? Ghosts? Zombies? No problem, grab a weapon or something and deal with it.

Now my girlfriend on the other hand, frequently has nightmares to the point where she has trouble sleeping most nights, though her nightmares are completely mundane things such as getting in an argument. Things that I wouldn't even bat an eye at, yet they terrorize her and she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night crying.

I just find it really strange how we have completely different attitudes when it comes to this stuff, so I wanted to see what everyone else has to say.

Do you dream often? Do you remember your dreams when you wake up? Do you often have nightmares? Can you control what happens in your dreams? Anything dream related, feel free to share.

[Rorillane]

I dream a few times a week, I often remember them and write most of them down. Most times they are horrifyingly vivid and I outright cant tell the difference between the dream and reality until like 5 minutes after I wake up. I've had some really cool dreams, most of them are silly and random, not important, or link random events together. I haven't had a straight out nightmare for a long time, either.
I do however get sleep paralysis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
And sometimes it results in straight up horror. I've woken up one time and my room was covered in red inscriptions from ceiling to floor, I had another where my girlfriend came and knocked on my door, walked outside, came through my window, tapped me on the nose and walked off like nothing happened. Those are especially weird, although rare.

Adding: I have had the teeth falling out dream quite a few times.

[Archaeon]

I don't think I've experienced sleep paralysis.

Actually I dreamed that my teeth fell out again some time last week, but I was just like... whatever... and carried on like nothing was happening, all the while spitting teeth. I don't know, I guess dreams don't phase me anymore or something. It's weird though because it's not that I realize I'm dreaming so I don't care, I never really do until the end, but still they don't seem to bother me. Generally once I realize I'm dreaming that's the point where I uncontrollably wake up (often when the dream gets to the good part, if you know what I mean).

[Celista]

Adding: I have had the teeth falling out dream quite a few times.

Same. I had a dream involving teeth last night...most of my dreams, even my nightmares are NOT violent. But last night, I had a dream about my father, hitting me over and over again in the face, to the point where he knocked out some of my teeth...some were broken in half, and you could see the exposed pulp/nerve. I woke up shaking and couldn't fall back asleep. >.<

I actually was physically abused by my father and haven't seen/talked to him since I was 16, so that might be relevant here. But, I don't usually dream about him, or haven't for a long time.

[Rorillane]

I never really mind whats happening in my dreams either. Just last night I had a dream where our blueberry farm turned into some narnia land covered with tree brush 40 feet in the sky and we had a giant toad that I shot in the neck and was like "w.e its a toad he'll heal" and then an old friend from the 8th grade was in my drive way with a sniper rifle for whatever reason. Then there was some time time-jump teleporty stuff and something to do with the show Heroes. I tend to have the ability to somewhat control my dreams, or rather think and react to a slight degree. I do wake up when I realize its a dream, and if I dont it almost always directly results in a crazy episode of sleep paralysis.
Most times I wake up thinking "shit, that wasnt real?" because I get so immersed in my dreams that the lines blur

Same. I had a dream involving teeth last night...most of my dreams, even my nightmares are NOT violent. But last night, I had a dream about my father, hitting me over and over again in the face, to the point where he knocked out some of my teeth...some were broken in half, and you could see the exposed pulp/nerve. I woke up shaking and couldn't fall back asleep. >.<

I actually was physically abused by my father and haven't seen/talked to him since I was 16, so that might be relevant here. But, I don't usually dream about him, or haven't for a long time.

Those kinds of dreams probably tend to be the result of some kind of real fear

[dejec1989]

I only tend to dream when I go to bed late, so I end up failing to get enough sleep and wake up during the wrong phase of my sleep. My dreams are random, as in they can go from my now deceased grandfather sitting in a hot tub with two random women while I talk to him to being attacked by a giant bear that I end up stabbing in the arm who then turns in to a human and I go all rock on that person telling them they "have" had enough.

My nightmares on the other hand seem to repeat, the setting will be different but the thing I'm scared of or running away from is always the same few things, that being zombies I can't hide or get away from but are never able to catch me. A giant of some kind chasing me and me hiding in buildings while it rips them apart trying to find me, or my favorite getting attacked by things like the wolfman, dracula ect and putting up a good fight but dying in the end.

[Celista]

Those kinds of dreams probably tend to be the result of some kind of real fear

Yeah, it's probably something rolling around in my subconscious. It's been like 10+ years since I've seen him...you move on emotionally from stuff like that after awhile. Or at least, I thought I had anyway. I probably shouldn't have shared that dream, lol.

Off topic and I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes dreams seem to have this really supernatural quality to them. Like for example, my friend and I had the same dream (a different dream, not the one I talked about earlier), down to the last detail. Probably coincidence, but still...really weird.

In regards to teeth dreams, I get those a LOT. Much more than dreams about family members...usually I'm gnashing my teeth and they just shatter in my mouth, like glass. My theory is that it has to do with being anxious about something (for me at least), because I tend to get them when my life is a little stressful.

[inboundpaper]

My dreams are either bad porno's or bad horror movies.

[Deleted]

I do not dream.

[Deleted]

The last nightmare I remember having (I'm 22 atm) was about 5-6 months ago, I dreamed that (my now ex)girlfriend had planned the wedding and it was supposed to happen the following morning.

Yeah.. scared the shit out of me.


I do have nightmares from time to time though, I remember for example being in some sort of very old library sort of place, almost in ruins. There was a big monster following me, looked an awful lot like an abomination from warcraft. I then noticed certain things that are also present in the crypts below Karazhan. I had explored that a few days prior.

When I woke up I thought that was one of the coolest game related dreams I've ever had :P.

[bcgas]

Haven't dreamt since I turned 18, nearly 12 years ago. And when I did, never had a good dream, always weird insane shit or nightmares.

[Deleted]

I dream completely randomly. I'd say 50% of them are bad dreams. I remember most of them and I try to figure them out. Most of the dreams have meanings. For example your dreams about teeth falling out: http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/teethdr...rch=teethintro, long but cool read.

2 nights ago happened a first for me though. wake up from one nightmare, go back to sleep and have another one completely different from the first one. And damn you OP for being able to have lucid dreams without even trying.

[BHD]

I rarely remember my dreams. Don't we always dream, it just that we don't always remember the stuff?

Anyhow, whenever I remember a dream it's if it's a really good one or a really bad one. I usually only remember dreams once every other month or something. The bad ones are VERY rarely about death/physical harm, it's mostly emotional scenarios I wish to never happen.

I only remember one death-dream and in that one I found my mom in the shower after a suicide-attempt. She looked all disfigured from stabbing herself in the head and there was blood everywhere. As I was about to call for help I noticed that she was still alive, she saw me and jumped out the window and died. Woke up crying like a baby.

[Hooliganz]

Same. I had a dream involving teeth last night...most of my dreams, even my nightmares are NOT violent. But last night, I had a dream about my father, hitting me over and over again in the face, to the point where he knocked out some of my teeth...some were broken in half, and you could see the exposed pulp/nerve. I woke up shaking and couldn't fall back asleep. >.<

I actually was physically abused by my father and haven't seen/talked to him since I was 16, so that might be relevant here. But, I don't usually dream about him, or haven't for a long time.

don't think about it much then your problems are solved
i know lots of people who get a beating from their parents and none of them had any problems growing up

i mean lots of kids/teens at school have fights with others almost each day and it can get physical, never heard they had issue's.
only my 3 American friends go emo about parent treatment when what they got is soft compared to other cultures where physical punishment is an everyday thing
its all in ur head if you want to make a fuss about things that dont matter welcome mental issue's and im sure thats common in the US

[Bad Management]

I've had one reacurring dream my entire life, that I cannot quite remeber exactly.
All I know is I wake up, sweating and freezing at the same time, and with serious goosebumps.
All I remember from the dream is a river, and the loudest and most chilling scream I've ever heard in my life.
I have severe migraines, som I some times have really lucid and more weird dreams, most of them involve a dark shadow with red eyes.

Dreams are fascinating, except the scary one...

[Wikko]

To the people saying they never dream, yes you do, you just dont remember it. If you dont dream you have some kind of neurological problem and you probably wouldnt be feeling very well/alive if you havent dreamt for years. It's common to some people to never remember those dream though.

Most of my dreams these days are lucid dreams, meaning I know that I'm sleeping and can control things, sometimes I do know that I am dreaming but still cant control things, or the rare occasion that I have a nightmare, in which I know I'm asleep but cant wake myself, or if I try I just wake up in the dream and the dream continues, those are a bit scary imo.

[Deleted]

Sometimes in nightmares youre afraid of things that normally wouldnt make you afraid like silly stuff

When i was a kid..i mean smaller kid than i am now i used to see this freaking manor standing in this huge grass field i was just walking towards it....

Never actually saw what happened after it

As about nightmares i often saw my house and neighborhood(or however it is spelled) to be dark,it was all night and feeling something coming it was idk what it was though i wanted to scream often but couldnt breath or make sounds...then i woke up taking big breaths

Once i saw i had telekinetic power (kinda like force from star wars) and i was demolishing this huge wheel in a park with people on in and was crushing everything and everyone

Also i had this dream i was in a battle fighting (ancient times it was) and there was a perhaps 10 metre wall in front of me like 10 metres away and i was standing and people fighting around me and then someone who was on the wall threw a javeling at the left side of my stomach and i could really feel the pain and i woke up in pain

[Haywire5714]

My dreams are usually always fantasies, but sometimes it's something that's really fucking random.
I only get nightmares after watching horror movies, if I get jump scared then the scene that did it will haunt me when I go to sleep that night. I won't be able to think about anything else, sometimes I'll sweat profusely and it will be difficult to sleep.

But clearly what happens in the horror movies isn't real right? Doesn't stop me from thinking about it.

[Buckeye]

I dream fairly often although have no control over it what happens during them. Most of the time they're nightmares which wake me, can be about my ex or just about me getting killed in various scenarios. The weirdest dreams are during the weekend after I've been working(server). After a busy friday/saturday night I often come home and dream that I'm serving. The dream goes until I'm taking care of 10+ tables and freak out, thus ending the dream. Don't know why these dreams occur as I have 0 problems serving tables.
Best dreams are when I get paired up with some 10/10 chick and we bang, until I wake up and realize how badly I need to get laid.

[Vizardlorde]

Lately ive only been dreaming about regrets of poor choices ive made or having sex with random girls i know. Nothing gets more awkard than saying good morning to my mom and my sister with an boner...