I can't throw punches in dreams

Alright I noticed this a couple of month's ago in a dream I had. I got into a petty argument with a friend and went to swing at him but it was like there was a 3 foot thick layer of molasseses in between us.

before posting here i did a little bit more research and asked around if this happened to anyone else. i went to another message board where the primary discussion is hip-hop and asked there. to my surprise about 20 members from there said they had encountered the same or similar situations in dreams.

some of them over there said they've had dreams of being in war and they couldn't pull their triggers.. very similar.

does anyone have any logical explanation for this.. can't throw punches in dreams..?

I've had dreams like that alot. Very rarely though I am able to punch and strike at people just fine, actually pretty hard and fast.

I think it really has more to do with the dream as a whole though. Some dreams you just have more control and ability and speed etc. for some reason.

very interesting..

i've had at least 5 dreams like this and none (that i can remember) that were the opposite (being able to throw a punch)

I've had lots of dreams like this. I can throw punches, but they have no power. I think a similar dream is where you're trying to run, but can't get traction. A lot of times I end up crawling, grabbing the ground with my hands to get a hold to pull myself forward.

Maybe it's the result of astral projecting while dreaming. The astral body can't punch because it's ethereal, and it can't run because it's weightless. Just a theory, don't laugh!

... I think it's an "injunction from your superego against violence...

I notice something similar... I can't take advantage of women in my dreams... even in lucid dreams...Haw!:shk:

Originally posted by yuefo
I've had lots of dreams like this. I can throw punches, but they have no power. I think a similar dream is where you're trying to run, but can't get traction. A lot of times I end up crawling, grabbing the ground with my hands to get a hold to pull myself forward.

Wow, I've had the same things. Punches with no power and sometimes I can't walk and keep falling down and can't get up. Weird.

don't you think when things like this happen(not being able to punch, not being able to run) it is the perfect opportunity for us to realize we're dreaming and take control?

well i would like to think so but i never notice im dreaming..

Very weird.

For as long as I can remember, I have had dreams where I'd be in a physical altercation and completely incapable of landing any sort of blow. I could throw the punch, but it was as if I was under water. And in the rare dream where I could actually throw it, it would never seem to hurt the person. Now I'm not an aggressive person, nor do I ever find myself in a fight. But from time to time I am in a dream where I find myself in a fight. Maybe some inner aggression that I'm not expressing.

There are others times when I'm laying on the side of a street, trying to pull myself up over the curb. As I am trying to pull myself up, there are cars coming towards me.. but never seem to reach me. And I have that sense that I am falling. A very uncomfortable dream, and it tends to end with me jumping out of sleep and startled.

Originally posted by The Phantom
don't you think when things like this happen(not being able to punch, not being able to run) it is the perfect opportunity for us to realize we're dreaming and take control?

My punches have been slowed down like this a great deal of times in many dreams of my own. Everytime it happens I realize I'm dreaming but I still can't take control, and I usually end up waking up with frustration.

Originally posted by chissler
Now I'm not an aggressive person, nor do I ever find myself in a fight. But from time to time I am in a dream where I find myself in a fight.

me too! thats another interesting thing to point out..

I've also had dreams like this, they're freakin' annoying.

In the dream I'll throw a punch at somebody who's trying to hurt me, but for some reason my punches will have no power.

I've found that ,if you are aware of the fact that your dreaming, if you don't like your dream, simply find a way to kill yourself in your dream and it will usually change. i know this sounds a bit suicidal but it works.

i have also had a lot of strange dreams that i cant keep my eyes open in, they keep closing and i can't see a thing, but the strange thing is that when i wake up I've been told that i was opening my eyes in my sleep, and because we sleep with our eyes closed i can't keep them open. whats with that?

Roswell.

I've actually had similar dreams, such as holding a gun, and attempting to pull the trigger, and it feeling like the safety is on, or hitting someone with nunchucks, but it having no effect. Then there is the ever common running from an attacker or monster through a pool of molasses (I think this one was even used in A Nightmare on Elm Street comic). After analyzing the dream on my own, and studying the person or persons that I was trying to injure, or run from, I usually found that it reflected something in my life to which I felt impotent.

For example, in one instance I was attacking my brother, who at the time was doing extremely well in life while I was still meandering on my path. Although I was actually very happy for him, part of my subconscious held a resentment for his success. Because I couldn't truly act on it, I felt like I had a weapon, but couldn't use it against him.

Another case involved a gun and my CEO. I dreamt that I held the gun and tried to fire, but I couldn't pull the trigger. Just like in life, I was held back because no matter what weapon I had, he truly held the power and was for all intents and purposes untouchable. I don't know if this is any help to you, but once I understood why I was having the dreams they went away.

Good luck

I had a dream where some guy tried to fight with me for no reason so the guy started swingin' and I gave him a couple jabs to the ribs and his face and when I went to give him my final blow I woke up from the pain since I had actually hit something other than the guy's face,which turned out to be the damn wall near my bed so all I felt was this pain rushing through my hand and looked at my timer and it turned out that it was 3 AM and I had to go to some interview early in the mornin'. Has anyone had dreams that your fallin' down something and ya wake up 'cause your damn legs have moved, 'cause that damn thing happened to me more than once which resulted in me hittin' my girl a couple of times y accident.


[edit on 3-8-2007 by steve-o]

I discovered that the only reason why I had ineffective dream punches was because I was wasn't releasing enough energy when I punched (in waking life). Practicing helped me overcome that: I trained my mind to strike with the body. After a final dream in which my assailant felt my punch, I stopped having those dreams. This was earlier this year.

Amusingly, I've never been in a fight in waking life. I've been shoved around by my brother... but that's it: I never fought him in a dream, either.

There could be any number of reasons for such dreams. For instance, it could also be vaguely related to sleep paralysis: you may have been dreaming, whilst simultaneously trying to move your arm in real life. The lack of response could easily simulate that slowness - that resistance.

Wow! I just always took it for granted that I was the only one who had this dream. Mine feel like trying to fight through molasses, a punch starts from where it should, but I can never get any forward momentum, at least not enough to make any sort of impact. On the other hand, I never have any problem with kicks, on the contrary, they sometimes send me twelve feet in the air or further.

I always attributed it to the stress of competition and an underlying fear of failure, something I think everyone shares, no matter how confident we feel consciously.

what are molasses?

sorry for the short post but I'm curious.

Roswell.

it's a thick syrupy fluid. Here's a little link to what it can do

en.wikipedia.org...

oh thanks for that, i appreciate it.

again sorry for the short post.

Roswell.

this is so strange.....every time i dream i punch someone i just punch and punch and have this feeling like i cant hit im hard enough liek im hitting very soft and weak
and i try to hit harder and harder.....but i just like dont have strengt
i fixed this in one dream by getting a box blunt weapon
and everytime i ask someone they say they too cant hit hard enough in dreams