Can I stop or turn off dreams?

Ever since I was a young child, I have had very vivid dreams. I dream in color, and most of them even have music- they always have.

Anyway, my current situation. As I've gotten older my dreams have become more real. I have multiple dreams each night, and most of them are quite lengthly and complex. I recall almost everything the next day.

I am not sure this is what people refer to as lucid dreaming or not. More recently my dreams seem extremely real. There are so many little details. I make "conscious" decisions in my dreams, actually thinking out problems. An example of a detail I'm talking about, in a dream this week I read the label on a bottle, and I could vividly recal exactly what it said the next day. There are just so many facets to these dreams that they are hard to explain.

You may ask why I want to turn them off? Well, sometimes they seem so real even after awakening. And it has gotten to a point where I wonder if I had a specific conversation with a friend in real life, or did we talk about it in my dream? It is frustrating. The dreams are so complex that I spend most of the following day analyzing them.

I have also had many intense dreams about my mom. Sometimes she is alive, sometimes she is not (she died a yr ago), and sometimes my dreams play out her horrible death and everything she went through over and over. The dreams are so real that I can touch, make decisions, and feel emotion.

I just want a break from these intense dreams for awhile. Sometimes they are fun, but I would like to know if I can control turning them off or on? Please if anyone has any help for my situation I would deeply appreciate it.

Thanks!

Originally posted by philosopherrose
I am not sure this is what people refer to as lucid dreaming or not.

Lucid dreaming is when you realize you are dreaming and take control (like you would in a fantasy, conjuring whatever you would like). It is not related to how "real" a dream seems.

Sorry to hear you lost your mother and relive her illness/death in your dreams. I think that can be a natural product of mourning, I have done that too after some deaths.

Just curious, some medications (or withdrawl from certain meds) can cause very intense dreams. I know for example Paxil withdrawl causes very intense dreams, often of a violent sort. Are you on any meds? Or is your life more stressful than normal? This could effect your dreams.

You can't really stop dreaming. You might through the use of certain drugs, tend not to remember them. Many marijuana users say the drug hampers remembering of dreams. Anything stronger than that, I'd consult your personal physician about.

Peace


[edit on 16-11-2008 by Resinveins]

reply to post by philosopherrose


This is a very interesting post, you certainly have a much stronger dream experience than most people, and also you say it’s gone on from when you were a child. If I were you I would google and find a dream/sleep therapist in your area..one with a solid reputation , and make an appointment. What you describe is not normal, most of us have a dream like that occasionally, but not every night for years. I think it’s fascinating enough to go seek a professional opinion on it, especially if you are dwelling on your dreams all day. That’s my advice. Good luck and keep us posted. Dreams, along with déjà-vu and astral travelling are very interesting subjects and worth following up in a strong case like yours.
regards mary

Thank you for your replies. I take Ambien sometimes to sleep, but it doesn't matter whether I take it or not, still very vivid dreams.

Perhaps you should look into learning more about astral projection or out of body experience. If your dreams do feel that real and leave such long lasting memories, perhaps you are not actually dreaming.

Ruling that out, dreams are important to the mental stability of the average person. Dreams are a subconscious release. It can act as a coping mechanism, such as mourning a loss (as one replied to already).

I agree that looking into sleep therapy and dream analysis could probably benefit you greatly.

Best of luck to you.

You can control lucid dreams. I have been doing it since childhood. In fact you can scan read anything and actually read the material in your dreams. Again I have been doing this since I was a teenager. The only problem is that you wake up exhausted.

It has long been my theory that dreams are like tuning in to a television frequency. What you see in your dreams is reality in another dimension.

All this about symbolism, subconscious coping mechanism, psychologists who think they can tell you what your dreams mean, and so forth, is just wrong.

You are tuning in to real happenings in the Multiverse.

I know, most people laugh at this post. But science still just does not know what dreams are. The best they can come up with is that it is all psychological and you are processing what bothered you during your waking state. But I disagree.

A dream is a tuning in to another reality that is just as real as your waking state experiences.

That's my humble opinion. Go ahead and giggle!

[edit on 16-11-2008 by switching yard]

I'v read that scientists are now saying that dreams are actually required by your brain, it is a natural and healthy part of your mental wellbeing.
You can NOT turn them off, and if you could it would be a very unhealthy thing to do.
However I have also read that doctors CAN prescribe medications to block your ability to remember your dreams.

The best suggestion I can give you is to see a doctor about this, and an even better suggestion is the one that marydoll gave you to find a sleep or dream therapist with a solid reputation and learn to work through this instead.

A "dream therapist" is nothing more than a quack. Avoid any psychologist who thinks he or she can "interpret" your dreams. Books claiming to give meaning to common dreams are also a crock.

reply to post by switching yard



I agree those books are garbage, my advice was not to go to some spook who interprets your dreams and finds hidden meanings in them, but someone who specialises in this kind of sleep problem, that is multiple vivid dreams every night that disturb sleep and dwell on during the day. This is not normal and justifies some sincere professional help. imho..thats what I would do anyway..dreams like that every night would drive me nuts! And I would imagine would be exhausting too.

I have had news of a love one (very close) dying in my dream unexpectedly, and the realization was so intense that I am sure that it would have been the exact reaction I would have had if it actually happened. The cause of death was some sort of lung collapse. The next chance I got, I called this individual and asked if they had any trouble breathing or chest problems. I was told, "not really, although I have chest pains every now in then around my heart". I said (more like plead) " you should just go to the doctor and get checked anyway". This was a few months back, I haven't got any new news, maybe I was just scared, but I know for one thing that there are certain dreams that affect you just as much, if not more than in waking life. As i'm not sure to the reason why they happen or serve, or if it really is just are mind thinking while we are asleep, I believe dreams do, and have always served a purposeful use throughout history.

[edit on 16-11-2008 by juveous]

Again thank you for your replies.

For now, I probably won't see a sleep specialist. I just don't like doctors that much. Plus for the other reasons others mentioned.

I do a form of astral projection when I am meditating. This is only much more real. The reason I questioned whether this was "lucid" dreaming is because I can actually make decisions in my dreams.

For instance I am cognitive of making the decision, and I have even changed the scenarios.

I am tired when I get up, and I feel like I've been wrung through a wringer at times, at least mentally. What's weird is just how much detail I remember, and how even days after the dream, I have to stop and ask myself "Did I have that conversation? Oh, no, I think that was in my dream" But it is bizarre. Them being THIS clear is pretty recent (the last couple of months maybe).

Many marijuana users say the drug hampers remembering of dreams.

I support this decision. I apply this method and while I still dream, I don't remember it in the morning. I have verrrry strange, disturbing dreams and, frankly, I don't like them. The Marijuana Method works.

Just....don't tell anyone where ya get it.

Cuhail

Originally posted by philosopherrose
I am tired when I get up, and I feel like I've been wrung through a wringer at times, at least mentally. What's weird is just how much detail I remember, and how even days after the dream, I have to stop and ask myself "Did I have that conversation?

when we are asleep and we do not dream i.e - a slow Alpha wave, (the most inactive our brains will be unconscious) are body is doing all it can to rejuvenate itself. During REM (dreaming) their is a different autopilot on, one that is not primarily concerned with restoring our body, but one that is concerned on creating an alternate universe or reality through the night instead. The complication makes us almost aggravatingly more tired in the morning.
sorry I don't have any links, this is just what I've read in a book on different states of consciousness.

I think you should do an astral projection course or get some of the top books on the subject. Then you will have certain tools at your disposal such as being able to clarify the meaning or the light? Or being able to switch to a higher dimension or asking for your spirit guide to join you, or looking at all your past lives etc. It seems that although you are lucid, you don't have the tools you need to progress? Just a guess

I don't think you can stop dreams, per say.

However, I will say this about me....when I'm having a bad dream, I always seem to wake myself up from them. I dont know how, I just wake up every time. I cant recall ever having a bad dream that didn't wake me up completely. So, I don't know if its my subconscious waking me up or what is causing it. But I almost hate it, because I end up laying there thinking about it.

What your describing sounds entirely normal, don't let anybody freak you out. As human beings, our brains are each individually chemically different. Some people have very vivid dreams, others dream occasionally. What I've heard is the more you get used to the concept of lucid dreaming, the more frequent they appear.

I've always had very lucid dreams, similar to what you are describing. My dreams have progressed over time, becoming increasingly real. I remember the first time I dreamt in color, with sound, taste, touch; each time laying into what effectively became a full sensory dream.

I've always loved sleeping, it's when I really get to think. As I lay in bed, I usually think about a script I'm writing or project I'm working on and by the time I'm asleep I find that I'm already dreaming about something related to what I was thinking about at the time of sleep. It's an interesting form of brainstorming that I've developed and it has worked quite well for me. If you are able to control your dreams, then use them constructively!

Lastly, if you want to "turn off" your dreams, try (one) the following:

Brewing a cup of catnip tea before bed. Fresh cut catnip; usually found at health-food stores).

www.herbs2000.com...

"To make yourself a truly effective nightcap, simply bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. of preferably the fresh cut herb or else 1 tsp. of the dried material and let steep for about 20 minutes until lukewarm before drinking. Honey may be added if desired. An Old Amish Herbs remedy called Night Nip works pretty well, too, for insomnia. Three capsules before retiring is suggested. The tea is also very good for reducing fevers, the miseries of hay fever, and nausea. A small cup of warm catnip tea sweetened with honey is good for calming hyperactive kids."


Purchase or make your own Kava Kava tincture and mix a few drops with a glass of water before bed.

en.wikipedia.org...


Hope that helped!

reply to post by philosopherrose


Don't stop dreaming and don't let the dreams fill up your mind when you are awake. Sorry to hear about your mom, I can relate. Life is a temorary situation, make the most out of it is what your mom is trying to tell you. I try to avoid remembering my dreams/visions, it's almost like being in your own personal movie. Always been amazed by how the mind works, it keeps going after you take your last breath here in one form or other.