12 replies to this topic

[Musashi_HUmar]

Over the years, I have frequently died in many of my dreams. It frightens me. I remember one time, it was because of a giant bug in a wheat field. Another time, it was by some scary psycho killer. I've been having these dreams since I was a very young child and I still have them. I'm just wondering what all it means and what I can do to end it. I thought maybe some discussion could help me get to the bottom of this.

[sapphire]

Whoa. Dying on a regular basis? Wow. I remember I can only remember one dream where I died, and that's cause I tripped out of a helicopter and hit the ground.

If you honestly are worried though, well I wouldn't be too much. They're just dreams, and they are completely separate from our real lives, and ANYTHING can happen in them. And if you're still worried, well, I'm pretty sure many of us NiGHTS fans on here have twisted, frightening, or just plain bizarre dreams, so again, nothing to worry about. Unless we should all worry...

[Musashi_HUmar]

I know I shouldn't be afraid too much, maybe. But I'm just wondering what could be causing them. I'd like to be able to figure out why they're happening and what I could do to make them stop. This has been going on for far too long.

[Nemoide]

Well, I'm a fan of "dreams as wish fulfillment" theory, being the only theory which really gives meaning to dreams not actively/consciously controlled by the dreamer. I also suspect that the dreamer is the person best suited to figure out the meanings of their dreams. So it's really about what it means to you. There's never an objective, external meaning to what happens in dreams.
Oh and my best friend in college had dreams of death regularly, it's not something unheard of or evidence of something bizarre or anything.

As for stopping them, the easiest way might be to practice lucid dreaming.

[Sage]

Sounds like you're giving Zero a run for his money :3

Okay, I'm sorry, that wasn't in the best of taste ^^()

That's a tough one if you've been having these dreams since you were a child. Just a thought, but did a relative pass away when you were a child, and did you attend the funeral? I remember having nightmares about death after I went to a funeral as a child, and it didn't help that the relative in question was my slightly older cousin who died of cancer at age 5. I got over my nightmares within a couple of months, thankfully.

Does that ring any bells for you?

As for stopping them, I'd say watch a lot of old cartoons (like Looney Tunes) and see how it affects your mindset. I can't count the number of times I've fallen from high places in my dreams, landed, and bounced STRAIGHT back up into the air again XD I remember it hurt my feet to do that though >.o In my experience, sometimes if you think about funny, zany things like that, they'll affect your dreams.

Best of luck finding your solution. ^^

[Musashi_HUmar]

No, no relatives died. I don't really understand why these dreams happen. So far, I've had no luck finding a solution.

[Kori]

Well, I dunno how much help I can be, but I'll try. :3

I looked up death in my dream dictionary. It says, "Such dreams enable us to become aware of what our deepest fears or feelings are regarding our own death, or the death of someone we love or know."

So I guess the question is... when you dream of such things, what's the most vivid, intense feeling you have? Is it simply because you're afraid of death, or the loss of something else, or the manner in which it happens?

It's not the easiest topic to explore, and Lord knows I'm no counsellor! If you'd rather I shut up, pleas say so - I'll take no offense.

I hope you find peace in your dreams!

[Musashi_HUmar]

I think what I feel most is a deep sadness along with a good amount of fear. It gets pretty scary some times with the manner in which I die. It gets pretty gruesome, so I won't really go into detail about it. Thanks for the help, those who have offered so far.

[Level 99]

I offer only my own personal speculation into the realm of dreams as an occasional dreamer.

I used to have nightmares as a kid, pretty constantly too. I also used to dream all the time. I've had a good number of both dreams and nightmares where myself or someone else has died. In the best-case I can speculate that death is possibly a symbolism for transition cessation of negative experience. I hate to make you ask yourself this question but, just for sake of diving into your own mind, you say you're scared of these dreams but while dreaming, how do you feel around the time you experience what you do? Are the dreams ending when you die in your dreams, or is there something else you experience after? In the worst-case I could speculate you enjoying the experience of it being completely negative on a subconscious level. Do what Nemoide said and try lucid dreaming. If you can't reach insight into what's causing this and you want it to stop, then at least you can attempt to control your dreams and prevent it from happening in the first place.

I make no claims to know anything about dreams, only to say what comes to my own mind when I think about what it could mean to anyone. I only ask questions that I would want you to ask yourself since, as Nemoide also pointed out, we are the best ones to explain our own dreams. Good luck.

[Musashi_HUmar]

Well not to sound emo or whine or anything, but my life hasn't been very pleasant. Throughout my childhood and still today, my mother has yelled at me a lot and used to torture me for stupid reasons. Any reason she could think of, really. It's not too often when something does happen after I die in my dreams. Usually, I wake up within a minute after dying. I tried lucid dreaming once, but it didn't seem to work out. I'd like to try again, but I'd really like to find a really good way that will work for me first.

[Kori]

Have you tried the "wake-back-to-bed" technique? It's a pretty good way to practice and induce lucid dreaming!

The basic ideya is that you set your alarm for about 5 hours after you fall asleep. When the alarm goes off, stay awake for about 2 hours (read a book, play a game, something pleasant and perhaps something you want to dream about), then go back to sleep. By interrupting your sleep pattern at that particular time, you will more than likely fall right into REM sleep right away, and give you a perfect window to try lucid dreaming. It's a pretty good beginner's technique, I think, since it drops you into the perfect dream-time, and eventually, you'll recognize the dream and be able to take control.

You should consider this tho - usually at first, the most you'll encounter are vivid dreams. So be prepared!

Of course, maybe you've already tried that.. ^^;

And again, I don't mean to sound like a therapist or anything, and please forgive me if I'm being too forward, but it seems that the pain is what affects you the most, not necessarily death. :<

*hugs*

[Musashi_HUmar]

I might try this on a night where I don't have school the next day. I need as much rest as I can get for that. But that does sound like an interesting suggestion. I really do hope I can put these dreams behind me for good.

[Kori]

I hope so too! Let us know if it helps at all. :3

I try to think of NiGHTS and the ideya of courage - it really is a tough challenge, facing your own nightmares, but you can do it!