There’s no reason why we can’t have a little more fun when we’re dreaming. Here’s how I’m taking steps to add some self-directed excitement to my dreams.
A few years ago during one of my dreams, I realized I was dreaming, and with that realization it occurred to me that I could do whatever I wanted to do. Why not? After all, I was only dreaming.
While I can’t remember exactly what I decided to do during that dream, I have a hazy recollection of flying, and I have a strong recollection of waking up with the very empowering understanding that I had consciously shaped the direction of my dream.
Teeing Up a Self-Directed Dream
Intrigued, I decided that I needed to do it again. For several nights, I went to bed concentrating on taking control of my dreams. To tee it up, I engaged in repetitive, internal self-talk as I set out to fall asleep:
When I start dreaming, I’m going to take charge… When I start dreaming, I’m going to take charge… When I start dreaming, I’m going to take charge…
A few nights passed with nothing special, but then it happened: I had another one of those dreams.
This time I remember it clearly, it didn’t last long, but I was running the show. Here’s how it went down –
I was sitting in the backseat of my car with my wife just outside, standing by the window. And then it hit me: “I think I’m in a dream.” I decided I needed to test my theory and came up with a sure-fire way to prove it out. “If this is truly a dream, I should be able to push my arm through the car’s closed window.”
I placed my hand against the window, pushed gently but firmly, and sure enough, my arm passed through the closed window, with one side of my arm inside the car and the rest of it on the other side.
My test worked. It was as if the window was made of a weird, liquid-solid substance. The kind of material that could only exist in a cartoon, or sci-fi flick.
Conjuring up a Dream-Time Super Power
“Okay, I’m dreaming. Now what? I know! I’ll jump through the car and charge at that house just across the street. I should be able to pass right through its front door, just like my arm passed through the car window.”
And sure enough, it worked. Running at full speed, I easily passed through the door of the house, as it turned into that same, strange liquid-solid stuff I encountered in the previous dream. And with that the fun was over; I woke up.
Over the past few years, I’ve had a couple of more take-charge dreams. They came about randomly, with no pre-sleep, self-talk rituals involved. They just happened. For some reason, they were very brief, but I was in charge and it was a kick to wake up realizing I had been in control.
The Latest Dream-Time Adventure
The other night, I wondered if I could make it happen again. I decided to go back to the pre-sleep, self-talk routine, and it worked. I was suddenly just outside a house I used to live in. “I think this is a dream and if it is, my go-to test should work,” I thought to myself while in dream mode. And with that, I gently but firmly pushed my arm against the side of the house. At first, nothing, but I persisted, and sure enough the side of the house turned into that now familiar liquid-solid stuff and my arm passed through.
“Okay, I’m dreaming! Now what?”
I glanced across the street and saw an unfamiliar mansion.
“What’s that mansion doing in my neighborhood? Who could possibly be in there? I know what to do! I’ll run right through the door and look around.”
Sure enough, I passed right through the door and found myself standing in a large, interior vestibule. I heard something stir on the other side of a closed door within the house. The closed door immediately transformed into that obliging, liquid-solid stuff as I pressed my head against it, and as my head passed through, I made eye-contact with what seemed to be a drug-addled couple. They stared at me bleary-eyed and slack-jawed for a few seconds, then one of them yelled out, “Call the police!” And I fled in terror.
The getaway was easy. I ran through a wall to get outside. I ran through neighboring fences and brick walls. “They’ll never be able to track me down,” I thought, “I’m the only one who can pass through walls!”
I eventually found myself at the back of my old house. Aiming for the kitchen, I ran through a wall to get inside. And with that, I woke up.
With a Little Practice, This Could Get Interesting
Okay, it was a short dream, and while it might not sound like much, it was plenty exciting. It’s important to keep in mind that dreams don’t often make a lot of sense. And in defiance of all rational explanation, sometimes the simplest, reality-distorting dream-occurrences can conjure up loads of excitement and emotion. (At least that’s how they tend to work for me.)
Could my dreams be more interesting? Could I find more exciting things to do while controlling them? “Yes” and “yes,” but give me a break, I’m new at this.
For now, I’ve got a reasonably solid dream-time-test to make sure I’m really dreaming and to kickstart the process. I’ll keep on looking for the liquid-solid stuff as I work on launching my next, semi-controlled, night-time adventure.
You might want to try it out for yourself.
