I see pictures while I try to sleep

So let me describe what happens.

I'll be trying to sleep with my eyes closed and as I slowly shift towards sleeping I'll start to see random pictures. These pictures are anything from sail boats sailing in the ocean, to trees, to people and more. It's always random and I don't always remember what I see because I'll fall asleep shortly after. These pictures seem to start out foggy and if I focus on them too much they'll disappear. Also as I shift closer to falling asleep these pictures start to get more realistic as if I was shifting from seeing these pictures to beginning a dream-like mental state.

My questions are is this normal? Does this happen to anyone else? And can I harness this in an attempt to create pleasant pictures and dreams to fall asleep with?

Originally posted by annonymous1234
So let me describe what happens.

I'll be trying to sleep with my eyes closed and as I slowly shift towards sleeping I'll start to see random pictures. These pictures are anything from sail boats sailing in the ocean, to trees, to people and more. It's always random and I don't always remember what I see because I'll fall asleep shortly after. These pictures seem to start out foggy and if I focus on them too much they'll disappear. Also as I shift closer to falling asleep these pictures start to get more realistic as if I was shifting from seeing these pictures to beginning a dream-like mental state.

My questions are is this normal? Does this happen to anyone else? And can I harness this in an attempt to create pleasant pictures and dreams to fall asleep with?

It is the hypnagogic state just before sleep. Everyone goes through this, but most are unaware. If you focused on the image while remaining calm and allowing your body to fall asleep, you could wind up being a part of what you are seeing. Once you are in you can control your dream vividly.

Originally posted by smithjustinb

Originally posted by annonymous1234
So let me describe what happens.

I'll be trying to sleep with my eyes closed and as I slowly shift towards sleeping I'll start to see random pictures. These pictures are anything from sail boats sailing in the ocean, to trees, to people and more. It's always random and I don't always remember what I see because I'll fall asleep shortly after. These pictures seem to start out foggy and if I focus on them too much they'll disappear. Also as I shift closer to falling asleep these pictures start to get more realistic as if I was shifting from seeing these pictures to beginning a dream-like mental state.

My questions are is this normal? Does this happen to anyone else? And can I harness this in an attempt to create pleasant pictures and dreams to fall asleep with?

It is the hypnagogic state just before sleep. Everyone goes through this, but most are unaware. If you focused on the image while remaining calm and allowing your body to fall asleep, you could wind up being a part of what you are seeing. Once you are in you can control your dream vividly.

Very cool to know! What's interesting is I have been focusing on the images and have been having very vivid dreams as of late. The other night I had even experienced Sleep Paralysis (very strange) for the first time in almost a decade!

My ultimate goal is to control what my dreams are.

I see things to but mine are flashes only. I don't have time to focus on them.
I also hear sounds, and the sounds are as random as the visuals. I usually have a real up close view of a persons face or sometimes just an eye.

One time I appeared in a foreign living room and startled someone vacuuming her floor she suddenly screamed upon seeing me and I immediate opened my eyes said WTF!

Weird visuals.

Originally posted by annonymous1234

Originally posted by smithjustinb

Originally posted by annonymous1234
So let me describe what happens.

I'll be trying to sleep with my eyes closed and as I slowly shift towards sleeping I'll start to see random pictures. These pictures are anything from sail boats sailing in the ocean, to trees, to people and more. It's always random and I don't always remember what I see because I'll fall asleep shortly after. These pictures seem to start out foggy and if I focus on them too much they'll disappear. Also as I shift closer to falling asleep these pictures start to get more realistic as if I was shifting from seeing these pictures to beginning a dream-like mental state.

My questions are is this normal? Does this happen to anyone else? And can I harness this in an attempt to create pleasant pictures and dreams to fall asleep with?

It is the hypnagogic state just before sleep. Everyone goes through this, but most are unaware. If you focused on the image while remaining calm and allowing your body to fall asleep, you could wind up being a part of what you are seeing. Once you are in you can control your dream vividly.

Very cool to know! What's interesting is I have been focusing on the images and have been having very vivid dreams as of late. The other night I had even experienced Sleep Paralysis (very strange) for the first time in almost a decade!

My ultimate goal is to control what my dreams are.

To control a dream takes depends on how aware you are that you are dreaming and being aware that everything you are dreaming is of your mind.

You can either remain conscious as you go to "sleep" or become conscious while you are "sleeping".

Awareness is key.

i hate the ones ware your getting chased by somthing and cant run away from it, anyway i get this now and then and cant seem to sleep wen i do, maybe i just have an active imagination or sumat i dont no

Originally posted by gremlin2011
i hate the ones ware your getting chased by somthing and cant run away from it, anyway i get this now and then and cant seem to sleep wen i do, maybe i just have an active imagination or sumat i dont no

I've heard that this sensation is caused by the fact that while you're dreaming of this running, your body attempts to do these actions but cannot because your body is paralyzed to prevent you from harming yourself in your sleep.

I've had similar experiences but mine are as if i'm in a fight with somebody, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot hit the foe i'm fighting with.

Originally posted by annonymous1234

Originally posted by gremlin2011
i hate the ones ware your getting chased by somthing and cant run away from it, anyway i get this now and then and cant seem to sleep wen i do, maybe i just have an active imagination or sumat i dont no

I've heard that this sensation is caused by the fact that while you're dreaming of this running, your body attempts to do these actions but cannot because your body is paralyzed to prevent you from harming yourself in your sleep.

I've had similar experiences but mine are as if i'm in a fight with somebody, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot hit the foe i'm fighting with.

ive had the same in fights while dreaming and its scarey to think you cant defend yourself

but wot you say about being paralized in sleep how come we all figet? and this mite sound crazie but my ex missies woke me up one night crying cause i was screeming like i was being tortured or summat while in a deep deep sleep, i say deep as i cant remember anything about the dream or nightmare

Sometimes I have dreams of having to pee, and as much as I pee, I can't finish and it's hard to start all the while I retain the sensation of peeing and having to pee. Then I wake up and realize I actually have to pee.

Hope the word pee doesn't offend anyone. I'm not trying to be crude.

Originally posted by gremlin2011

Originally posted by annonymous1234

Originally posted by gremlin2011
i hate the ones ware your getting chased by somthing and cant run away from it, anyway i get this now and then and cant seem to sleep wen i do, maybe i just have an active imagination or sumat i dont no

I've heard that this sensation is caused by the fact that while you're dreaming of this running, your body attempts to do these actions but cannot because your body is paralyzed to prevent you from harming yourself in your sleep.

I've had similar experiences but mine are as if i'm in a fight with somebody, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot hit the foe i'm fighting with.

ive had the same in fights while dreaming and its scarey to think you cant defend yourself

but wot you say about being paralized in sleep how come we all figet? and this mite sound crazie but my ex missies woke me up one night crying cause i was screeming like i was being tortured or summat while in a deep deep sleep, i say deep as i cant remember anything about the dream or nightmare

I'm pretty sure that there's only a certain stage of sleep where the paralysis occurs. I don't know all the scientific mumbo jumbo but I'm sure there's someone who will come across this thread that will be able to go into those details.

i lay my head on the pillow(face down) i put both hands under pillow an put lil pressure on my eye-an eyelid, i look in my eye lids 15-30- min- 1 hour maby 2., i see patterns, then pictures, then i feel as if im there. this dose not put u to sleep, only just focus

It's unusual to experience that state consciously. I have experienced it since a head injury. LOL. I kind of like that part of falling asleep. I see all kinds of stuff....random....makes no sense.

Update
I seem to not be able to see these pictures anymore. I don't know why.

Me too,

Ever dream with you eyes wide open and you are wide awake, not daydreaming actually a dream like state, you lose track of your surroundings but are caught up in the vision.

my answers would be yes, yes, and yes, culd be just your mind winding down too tho so who knows but its nothin to worrie bout

Yes, those hypnogogic images can be quiet interesting. Now what you need to try next is to "ride them". That is the term I came up with because that is what it feels like to me, like a roller-coaster ride.

When you see an image, say of a sail boat, don't concentrate on it (you did that right) just let it come and go but as it fades and the next image comes in, you can learn to ride the images for something like this:

You see the sail boat and you are at the wheel sailing along, then you jump overboard and turn into a fish as you swim with a school of fish, then shoot through an opening and you are diving off a cliff with a waterfall in Hawaii and then you sail through the sky to find yourself in a parachute and as you fall to land you sink into the ground and go to middle earth, etc.

All of that example being just whatever image your mind creates, you just go with it and "ride them". It can blow your mind..it does mine and I've been doing it my whole life but it's always new and different. There are songs, quotes or random chatter going on with them, too. Most of the time they make NO SENSE what-so-ever. I hear things like "the rim of salsa", "Jumping it doesn't create Kevin" lol, just silly things BUT when these happen (just as you stated) then you are about to hit dreamland and as others have stated, you can learn to ride those images straight into a lucid dream. It takes lots of patience and trial/error but you can do it.

reply to post by annonymous1234


I see animals most of the time like panthers,tigers,cats mostly part of the "cat family".

reply to post by Stormdancer777


I have had this happen kind of. Closest thing I've come to this is have 1 eye open with the other closed. I kind of lose focus on the light and it will seem as if both eyes are closed. As soon as I realize what's happening I see out the other eye again. Similar to how when you meditate you can lose the focus with a single thought.