Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Dreaming about a Dream within a Dream

I Dream a Dream within a Dream...

This is one of the most confusing, mindfucking dreams ever and I'm sure we've all had one of these multi-layered dreams. They unravel like matryoshka dolls and it doesn't seem to come to an end until we finally wake up from it.

Dreaming about a Dream within a Dream is like peeling layers off an onion, new elements are revealed about the dream or it can merely set the stage for an entirely new dream emerging from deep within the subconscious. What's so troubling about it? If you're a lucid dreamer this totally sets you off, you lose control and you stop being lucid. You totally give in to all the elements and scenes that would take place.

But more often than not you are aware that these are not 2 dreams intersecting or two dreams held together. But like in a movie, you wake from the occurence of the first dream, only to find yourself having your reality distorted, surprised to finally realized, you are not really awake, but still dreaming- trap in a dream. And when you do finally wake up, you still feel uncertain about it, you still fear you might be dreaming. This kind of dream can be such a disassociative experience for any person.

Why does this kind of dream happen anyway?

On why it happens, well who knows? The reason could be physical and chemical, something in your body is working overtime, some organ is secreting too much or busy digesting or releasing too much of this and that. That your brain reboots the dream in midstream.

One lucid dreamer calls this a form of false awakening

In my case, I experienced this commonly as a side effect of sleeping pills such as stilnox or unisom. Sleeping aids affect people differently and can produce the most vividly strange dreams.

What does Dreaming within a Dream mean?

We can say that such a dream can be considered a nightmare. As it prevents you from waking up and after a few layers, the dream can cause you great distress. The more you struggle to wake up, the more the dream unravels.

If your "Dream within a Dream" is on a pleasant tone, then it is a whimsical journey. Perhaps one dream is meant to protect you from the state of the other.