Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dreams

All my dreams are coming true!

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:13:41 -0800

I have been called back for my dream job - an internship on a public radio program. Please help me impress my potential employers and get this position! In October, I applied to intern on a weekly public radio program that does news and analysis type programming. The internship sounds great: I would pitch stories and have my hand held through the entire production process, and my stories would end up on the air. I am so incredibly excited at the prospect of doing this.

Yesterday, they called me back; unfortunately, I don't think I came off all that great over the phone. I was kind of caught off guard (was at work; wasn't really expecting a call, office is under construction and loud), and I just don't think I was at my best. They offered me a chance to tour the studio and I jumped at it in the hopes that I could present myself a little better in person. The tour will be conducted by one of the show's producers (the same person I spoke to on the phone).

I would love to get a little input from the hive mind about what kinds of questions I can ask, what I can expect, and generally how I can impress them.

Information on me
-Have a lot of experience with audio recording/editing
-Have a degree in journalism
-Am a public radio fanatic

Any suggestions you could give would be huge. If you have any questions for me, you can post them in the thread and I will email the mods, or you can contact me at throwaway email : radiodreamjob@gmail.com.

Never had a nightmare

Anonymous — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:25:29 -0800

I've never had a nightmare. Why? Is this normal? I can't fully account for when I was a small child, but in recent memory I cannot remember ever having had a nightmare, or even a truly disturbing dream. I've had exceptionally vivid dreams as well as the usual anxiety dreams of being naked or falling on rare occassions, but never anything close to nightmarish. Amongst my friends and family I can't find anyone else who has never had a nightmare. It feels weird.

Googling "never had a nightmare" shows I am not alone, I just wonder if there might be a cause, or an article or some sort of insight into this. I've had a normal-to-difficult life including problems with depression and anxiety and a fair share of waking problems, I can't think why I might be immune to having nightmares. Is there a cause, or am I just lucky? Any tips for inducing a nightmare? I guess I am coming from a view of nightmares being an accepted part of everyone's life, perhaps they aren't?

FWIW I'm not on any medications or diet, I drink moderately, no drugs, exercise daily, eat healthily. Slept in all sorts of environments home and abroad and no other sleep issues. Mid 30's.

Playing good mentor/bad mentor

Admiral Haddock — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:56:49 -0800

Tutoring a 14 year old. How to be supportive of dreams and yet practical? I'm tutoring a fantastic 14 year old as part of a program focused on getting inner-city kids into good high schools (and from there, on to college). My student is very interested in acting, and wants to apply to an arts-oriented high school and then go to college and get into the movie business and be a famous actor. Hooray!

I've never seen him act--I take on faith that he's good, but I know he's got a great personality and is very funny and bright. But acting is a tough row to hoe, and I'd like to make sure that he keeps his options open.

We haven't talked at all about how hard it can be to make a living as an actor. Is this something we should do? He's very interested in school--but primarily, it seems, as a means to getting to be an actor--and I don't want to stifle that enthusiasm. The tutoring program is really geared towards nuts and bolts (and we don't have much time with the kids), so I don't have a lot of visibility into the rest of his life, though I do know that few people in his family finished high school.

Any advice?

Bonus question: he's asked me to pull together some materials on colleges that have good programs in film/theatre. I was thinking USC and NYU, but this is not my area. What should he have on his radar?

Why am I suddenly having these dreams?

kleenkat — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:31:39 -0800

Why have I suddenly started to dream about other women? Here is some background info... I am not married but in a long term relationship with another woman for about a year and a half. (I am also a chick). We recently purchased a house together and will be moving next month. Also, I just turned 29 and my parents recently divorced this year after 30 years of marriage. I have dreams about random stuff like this maybe a couple times a year, not often. BUT, in the past three nights alone I have had dreams with consecutive themes-- I am with another woman, or cheating on my girlfriend, or she simply does not exist.

The first dream I had reunited with an ex, my first "love" and real relationship, so to speak who I was with for three years and also have had unresolved issues with for the past couple of years since we split. I have since moved on but from time to time get nostalgic and/or have dreams. This dream was one of intense love.. I remember embracing my ex and saying "Please don't do anything crazy until I'm done with this semester of school" (I'm finished grad school). I am having a hard time with school, work, and remodeling our house right now I guess is why I said that. but in my dream, I felt so much love and my current girlfriend didn't exist.

The second dream was with some "weird" girl who was kind of hippy or bohemian, I didn't know her, and we just had a weird sexual relationship/friendship. She shared a house with a bunch of weird people, etc. I don't know. Again my current girlfriend wasn't present.

The third dream was about a girl in my class who honestly I had not even thought about since the 1st day of class. I just remember thinking, "man I am old" since it was an undergrad and the class had both undergrads and graduates. Not attracted to this girl in real life, and I don't think we have even spoken. But in my dream, we had a really awesome friendship and relationship and the sex was amazing. She had so much spunk (again I dont know this girl at all) and was really fun to be around. I kept telling her something like, "I can't do this, blahblahblah, my girlfriend" ...then I got really frightened she was going to blab about our affair to my current girlfriend. anyway I woke up and was like, WTF?

Why am I having all these dreams about other women.... maybe sometimes I think my girlfriend is not very fun or very spontaneous, but, I do love her very much and she is funny. The sex is OK. We are very compatable as mates, and after the whole thing with my parents, and since I was very young, I've always questioned the reality of "love" and the assignments to the word.... I ask myself all the time if it is real, have I have been "in" love, etc. But I think I just suffer from the "grass is greener" syndrome. I am happy with her, I think I may just be ready to get out of this small apartment, and done with the hectic semester. Oh, and quit dreaming about other women because it makes me feel like I missed out on something, but that may be wrong of me to thing/feel. What do you think? TIA...

Should I literally follow my dream?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:50:37 -0800

I had a dream about an ex-boyfriend last night and I'm wondering if I should do anything about it. The relationship ended a couple of years ago because of his heavy workload - he didn't want to keep me waiting if he couldn't be around and I pretty much agreed that it was best we separate. I tend to think I missed him more than he missed me since his career went into overdrive soon after, traveling to America for work (we live in Australia) and he was out of the country not long after we split anyway.

He's back in town and I've seen him a few times since - just as friends, though. I would quickly fall back into bed with him and the relationship if I let myself.

He's not on my mind very often; rarely, in fact, unless he updates his Facebook status or his blog. And I certainly don't pine for this relationship.

But last night I had a very vivid and intimate dream, which tied into where I am at the moment and where he is. It's brought up a lot of old feelings in me, pinged that part of me that knows he's the one who got away - and reminded me of all the good times we had when we were together.

Past experience says that we could well slip into old patterns, but we're both single and I never lost those feelings for him - so should I follow this dream I had? Should I re-initiate contact on a more personal level?

Or was the dream just a memory of the past and not an indicator of what I should do next?

Metadreamfollower (at) gmail (dot) com if you want/need more information.

Waking Lifestyles

Potomac Avenue — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:35:02 -0800

Is lucid dreaming real, or fiction? Are its practitioners and advocates fringe scientists, spiritualists or charlatans? (or all three in mixed proportion) On the one hand, there have been studies that seem to verify it (from wikipedia):

"During the 1980s, further scientific evidence to confirm the existence of lucid dreaming was produced as lucid dreamers were able to demonstrate to researchers that they were consciously aware of being in a dream state (again, primarily using eye movement signals).[9] Additionally, techniques were developed which have been experimentally proven to enhance the likelihood of achieving this state"

On the other hand, all of this research seems to have been conducted by a single psychologist , who now runs a Institute which sells many expensive machines to help you Lucid Dream or Lucid Dream in style. This strikes me as awfully convenient, and similar to other parapsychology branches' suspect techniques, yet even Skeptic's Dictionary can't find anything amiss with his practices.

What is the mainstream opinion of this area of research among psychologists and neurologists? Does Lucid Dreaming prove anything interesting about the nature of dreams or is a meaningless party trick?

(Previous threads on MF and AskMe have focused on LD anecdotes and How-tos, rather than its scientific explanation. It's clear that many many people can Lucid Dream on purpose using the methods described by Lucid Dream Institutes and others--but the anecdotes don't prove that the "experience" of consciousness and will as described by the dreamer aren't added, upon waking, to the random firings of neurons--fabricated memories of lucidity no different from any other dream. As fun as they sound [I've never purposefully induced LDs] I wonder if they are similar to the insights supposedly gained by drug experiences: the hallucinations contain the feeling of meaning, rather than any actual intellectual content, so why couldn't the memory of the dream be infused with the "feeling" that you were in control ex post facto the usual oneironautical process.)

Thanks! Hope this wasn't too long winded. I need a nap.

I'm a bit reluctant to go to bed...

Neonshock — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:01:11 -0800

I have bad nightmares... The situations vary somewhat but generally they are:
(sexually) violent and gruesome situations where I am going to be murdered/raped in a horrible way
very vivid and 'real'
make me wake up eventually like ...in movies...with a big gasp, sweating, unsettled and needing comfort, tearful, etc.
occuring maybe once every couple months, sometimes nothing for 6 months or more.
not linked to any real life event or worry (although I have suffered sexual attacks in my life, they are very different situations to what happened to me)

So...why is this happening? Theyre very annoying and put me in a very unhappy and nervous mood for the rest of the day. They don't occur enough for me to worry per se but they are upsetting and can bother me for a while after. 99% of the time I have undisturbed sleep and lovely, satisfying dreams of perfect situations. Is my unconcious balancing itself out? Does anyone else get this?

Is that a conversation we had, or did I just dream it?

jacalata — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:42:59 -0800

I remember things that didn't actually happen - I dreamed them. This is inconvenient, but is it a problem? An example: Last night I went out with friends. This morning I remembered sitting in a car next to one of them, sleeping on his shoulder. I also KNOW that I was not in a car with him last night, and it's pretty unlikely I've ever fallen asleep on his shoulder. That's the only thing that makes me sure I dreamed the first bit. This is definitely not related to drinking - I have also 'remembered' going shopping with my mother a few days before, until I realized I hadn't seen her for close to a year, I 'remember' reading/writing emails, having conversations with people, a day at work/school - and sometimes I realize that this memory is completely impossible, and didn't happen. The thing is they're not impossible because they involve flying or unicorns: they just aren't compatible with some actual fact, like I can't have gone grocery shopping yesterday because there's no milk. What if some of my 'real' memories are similarly imagined, they just don't have an obvious conflict with reality? That time my brother got angry because I didn't give him my travel plans for visiting him...did he forget I told him? Or did I imagine telling him? How do I tell?

So, does this happen to everyone, or does it sound like something I should mention to a doctor? Possibly related background: I've been on antidepressants for about a year, but these incidents definitely predate that (although not the depression itself).

Staggering Insomnia Almost Seems Preferable

EatTheWeak — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:41:16 -0800

Please hope me get control of my bad dreams until I can resolve their real-world roots. Hi. Here's the situation - I quit smoking marijuana at the start of the summer and have reduced my boozing to a very low level - like, maybe once every six weeks if there's an occasion that warrants it. As a result of these lifestyle changes, I've regained an awareness of my dreams. The bad news is that these dreams have been, with a single exception, uniformly shitty for the past few weeks. I woke up yelling this morning and have felt crappy all day. I can't take much more of this.

These aren't nightmares, exactly - "anxiety dreams" would probably be more accurate. I'm a fella highly prone to anxiety and depression and this is an especially anxious time for me. I've got two main sources of tension in my life right now - one of which I'll be able to unravel towards the end of next week and another that has to wait until mid-August. Examining the symbolism and the situations that I REM myself into at night seems to trace these dreams back to my real-life tension pretty reliably, so I realize that the permanent cure here is to address this tension in the waking world.

Until I am able to do so, however, I would really like to stop dreading my bed. Being able to sleep through the night was one of my favorite early benefits of sobering up, but these dreams are getting really vivid now. Hell, the one that woke me hollering today had a humiliating plotline. So, what are some reliable, short-term techniques to tamp down these awful dreams during the interval preceding my first opportunities to dial back their real-world causes?

Degrees of Difficulty: In some previous, similar AskMes that I've read, a frequently given piece of advice is to exercise more. In my case, I'm already doing rather a lot of that. The best control I've ever found for my aforementioned anxiety and depression problems is my four formal weekly workouts. If you include my bicycle commutes in your reckoning, then I workout daily at this point. It's also frequently suggested to reduce one's caffeine intake - at the moment, I'm already down to one or two mugs of coffee a day with breakfast. I'm open to eliminating caffeine entirely if you really think that's the best thing to do, but it would mean more sleeping in order to have the energy to manage my life. And at the moment, sleep is where I'm not at all a Viking.

Am I meditating or is this something else?

reticulatedspline — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:24:31 -0800

Am I meditating or is this something else? So I have this... thought exercise? technique? ...not sure what to call it... this thing I do. I usually it when I'm in bed to help me fall asleep faster, though I have done it other places: during yoga, on the subway, etc.

Basically I close my eyes, and allow images to form in my mind's eye. It's sort of an actively passive exercise, since consciously thinking about what I'm seeing- or thinking about anything for that matter- or trying to control what images form, breaks it. It's definitely something I consciously decide to do, and am aware that I am doing, but once I've started doing it, any actual thought breaks it.

It's always very random stuff. People, faces, objects, behaviors, and sometimes just various shapes. They start off sort of grey, blurry and indistinct, more the suggestions of the shapes and objects, than anything. If I'm good about just going with the flow, not thinking about anything, they gradually become more distinct and more visible (hard to verbally describe what you see in your mind's eye, but its sort of like the difference between seeing something through a pane frosted glass and then having the glass gradually become more transparent) and if I can hold the right mental state for long enough they lose the grey tones and start to be in vivid distinct colors. They also tend to start off taking up a small portion of the space in my mind's eye, but towards the end can grow to be fill the entire space. And when I get to this point it really feels like seeing the thing for real, rather than just imagining it. By the time I get to this point, I feel incredibly relaxed.

If I'm in bed, I usually fall asleep very shortly after I get to the stage where I'm experiencing this level of realism. This is why I find it particularly effective as a bedtime exercise. I've gotten to this point a few times while elsewhere too, most usually in Yoga during the final shavasana, but since external stimulus tends to break it up I generally don't have much luck getting beyond semi-distinct shapes when I'm in a public place.

I've been doing this for years, as I said, mostly to help me fall asleep. I mentioned this to a friend the other day and she said it sounds a lot like meditation, what with the need for me to cease all conscious thought for it to effectively work.

I've never actually tried to meditate, so I wouldn't know. However as I understand it, meditation generally doesn't involve falling asleep, and that seems to be the eventual destination of this thing I do if I can keep it up long enough. I also have never heard meditation described as an intensely visual experience, which this most certainly is. In fact, it's pretty much all visual and nothing else.

Any gurus/yogis/whatever out there who can tell me if what I've been doing counts as meditation or if it's something else?

Though my dreams, it's never quite as it seems

edman — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:43:08 -0800

In dreams ,are you actually talking to yourself when you have conversations with other people? I realize that there is no one else other than yourself in your dreams, but the conversations you have with other people, is that your mind projecting what you want that person to say, think what that person would say, or your memory of what that person would say, or are you just talking to yourself?

Like in dreams, emotions are evoked, anger, sadness, happiness, and even surprise!, based on responses and actions of other people in your dream. How can something surprise you that you have full control over?

How do I get my weird dreams back?

aliasless — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:52:54 -0800

How can I get my weird dreams back? I love sleeping and I love dreaming. For most of my life, I've had extremely vivid, highly symbolic, and often nonsense dreams, which I have enjoyed immensely, even the bad ones. I have a huge dream journal, and occasionally have had significant personal realizations from my dreams. I've even dreamt lucidly a few times.

Starting around the beginning of the year, my dreams have become more and more pedestrian. Now, instead of spending the night riding a giant seahorse to the potato moon of the dog star planet, I end up dreaming that I am about to go overdue on a bill, or that my passive-aggressive neighbor left a note on my door. That type of thing is pretty much all I dream about now.

How do I get the weirdness back into my dream-life? So far I've tried creative writing exercises, a spontaneous vacation, and even a dose of hallucinogenic drugs, none of which have had a noticeable effect on my dreams. I'm a perfectly healthy male in my late 20's, in climate zone 8b.

Quitting the competition, while still running the race

Chrysalis — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:25:20 -0800

Help me get my focus back on my own life and happiness and stop comparing/competing with my ex in my own mind... and stop having how I compare with others as a condition to my happiness/self esteem in general... 3 months ago I found out my boyfriend had been cheating on me, so I packed my bags the same day and moved back to my home town (I'd moved city to live with him, had been there a year) to try to rebuild my life. I've been doing a pretty good job of that, all things considered, and now have a great job, am studying and keeping busy with my sport, have reconnected with all my friends and have a pretty good social life, but I still find myself comparing or competing with him in the back of my mind... wondering whether I'm doing better or worse than he is (I cut off all contact so I don't know anything for certain and he doesn't know what I'm up to)... even though I know it doesn't matter and there's enough happiness to go around for both of us.

Due to the fact that he cheated on me with much prettier girls, my already shaky confidence in terms of attractiveness, has taken a bit of a beating, whereas he would have got a huge ego boost and being very handsome, charming and a seasoned player who knows what people want to hear, no doubt has more girls on tap. I've been getting some male attention which has been reassuring but somehow I feel like maybe I should be trying to be a player like he was, and compete with him on that level. Then I remember that I actually *don't* want to just have a whole bunch of meaningless encounters or dishonest relationships just to stroke my ego, I would at some point like to have a real, caring relationship, if indeed such a thing is a realistic expectation, and I certainly don't want to use or decieve anyone the way he did me. Sometimes I worry that maybe the fact that I want something different in terms of relationships to what he wants is some kind of deficiency and Mr Player knows something I don't.

We also compete in the same sport, him much more successfully than I, and I'm sure that would continue to be the case, and to be honest, that bothers me. I always put in 100% effort but he has more natural talent and experience. I hate that he was so awful and is living out my dream.

I know I need to go back to thinking in terms of "me" not "we" and just focus on my own life and have that be enough in and of itself, and that he is not the kind of person I should even want to be like, but there's always a little voice in my head when something good happens going "haha, take that, I win" and the opposite when something bad happens. And then, as in the above example, sometimes I want things I don't even want, just so that I can feel like I came out alright. I guess I have a bit of a fear that he's just more of a winner in life and I'm the loser who got played - I don't want to think like this!

I know I am a competitive person anyway, and I have always been guilty of comparing myself to others, to the detriment of my own happiness, but I want to change. I want to stop comparing myself to him, and to other people, and stop setting "being better/the best" as a precondition to my happiness/sense of self worth. I feel like I'm wasting my life away like this!

What are some things I can think about or do to help me live my life in the context of my own personal values/goals/dreams again and not keep having to compete to prove to him or myself that I am a great person?

Do movies shape the way we imagine things or vice versa?

Senor Cardgage — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:56:09 -0800

Do movies shape the way we imagine things or vice versa? I notice that when I dream/daydream/concept that I often think very cinematically (meaning imagining things staged/put together/"filmed" even in a motion picture narrative style). What I wonder is if one type of visual conception is a result of the other. I notice that when I dream/daydream/concept that I often think very cinematically (meaning imagining things staged/put together/"filmed" even in a motion picture narrative style). What I wonder is if one type of visual conception is a result of the other.

For instance, are the more cinematic conventions of imagination simply the way we as people imagine things and of course filmmakers eventually found ways to express that kind of imagination with technology OR are we so surrounded by ideas expressed in that visual fashion that we adopt them in to the way we conceive things and that informs the way we imagine and dream.

Also, I've often wondered after seeing pieces of ancient artwork if the flat-plane 2d style was also a product of the way we imagined and visualized the world around us or just technical limitations of the time. Did the advent of proscenium space thinking force a reconception of space for people in their own thoughts?

Sorry to go all late night dorm-room bongsmoke on you guys, but I've wondered this for a really long time and would love to get some different viewpoints from the hive on this.

Why do I dream about murder and adultery?

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:22:52 -0800

dreamfilter: Why do I have scary dreams about killing people and cheating on my wife? On a semi-regular basis (once every month or two for the past several years), I have dreams where I kill someone or have sex with someone who is not my wife. There is always a "what have I done?" point, where I can't believe the implications of what I've done to my life. It's such a relief to wake up in the morning and realize that, no, I haven't killed anyone or cheated on my wife. Why do I have these dreams, what do they mean?

I'm your basically healthy late 20s guy. No alcohol/drug/abuse/psychological issues. No crime/adultery in my background or family.

Are my dreams sign of a sleep disorder?

idle — Sun, 31 May 2009 01:56:41 -0800

I have issues with dreams...specifically having them before I'm supposed to. I think I have a sleep disorder. I have lots of dreams. Very very vivid dreams. I always remember them and sometimes they will be intense and I'll wake up with a rapidly beating heart. I also dream when I fall asleep in class for 5 minutes...which led me to read that this is not normal and may be the sign of a sleeping disorder.

I am young and since getting on a more normal schedule, I no longer have problems with sleeping in class, but if I take a short nap I do still dream and I still have the vivid dreams every night. I wear a mouthguard at night because I also grind my teeth. Sometimes I talk in my sleep. I have hay fever, but antihistimines like Claritin only make me more tired in the morning.

In the past I've been treated for depression, but my life is very happy now. I get lots of exercise, sunlight, and healthy food. I am in love with my boyfriend.

What kind of disorder could this be? Who should I see? What kind of treatments are used?

I'm smarter only in my dreams. Literally.

raztaj — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:44:46 -0800

I just had a dream in which I could remember dates, names, and lyrics (correctly) that I could not recall in my waking life. Why can't I draw upon the same pool of stored information in my brain when I'm awake? Can I change this? The dream didn't involve a kind of memory-jeopardy, of naming and remembering things, but they were along the plot of my dream, in which I could remember various things that I couldn't remember when awake. Obviously this information did not go in one ear and out the other, but is being stored somewhere in the deep, dark, recesses of my brain.

Can I access this pool of stored knowledge? Or work at it in some way? Why do dreams so freely do this, recall such information as if there's nothing strange about it in the least? Am I forever doomed to be smarter only in my dreams??

Dreaming about public indecency

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:30:59 -0800

I'm constantly dreaming about masturbating in public. Is this normal? If not, how can I stop? Background: I'm a 25 year old gay male with a pleasantly active sex life. Recently, within the past six months or so I would say, I've suddenly started to dream about masturbating in public.

I have one of these dreams usually every other night, although sometimes several nights in a row. Nothing in particular seems to trigger them and I'm not aware of anything that might have started it six months ago.

The dreams all follow a standard formula: I'm hanging out in a public venue -- sometimes a parking lot, somtimes a neighbor's front lawn -- church, work, the grocery store, the side of the freeway during rush hour, in my car during rush hour, on the set of a TV show, etc. when suddenly I dream that I have the irresistible and overpowering urge to masturbate.

I start doing the deed and usually end up getting arrested or otherwise "exposed" by family or friends (who are usually laughing at me). I'm not sure if it makes any more sense, but these dreams are usually immediately followed by dreams of catastrophic disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc.). They so often follow each other, actually, that sometimes I wonder if they are just two parts of the same dream.

Normally I'm pretty relaxed when it comes to stuff like this but the frequency and vividness of the dreams is starting to disturb me. I'm not used to having ANY vivid dreams every night or every other night, let alone weird/nightmarish sexual dreams.

So, is this normal?

If not, is there anything I can do about it?

A friend with unrealistic dreams, what to do?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:34:53 -0800

How do you tell a friend that their dreams aren't realistic? I know it's not GROOVY to be a PARTY POOPER and tell someone not to pursue their dreams. I usually tell people to do so and to work hard at it and I really mean it. But in THIS CASE, for a certain friend, I just can't get myself to do it!

I have a good ol 'mate who (after getting laid off recently from their job) is considering pursuing a childhood dream -- a field of study/work that is VERY difficult. I love this person as a good friend, but trying to be objective as possible, I just can't see that person succeeding in that field. It's a very difficult and competitive field that requires a lot of hard work, with TONS of thinking, planning, creativeness, conceptualizing, mathematics skills, etc. Problem is I'm always finding that person lacking in these very things VERY VERY MUCH and VERY VERY OFTEN!!!

This person is DEFINITELY a nice person and the last thing I want for that person is to put down a lot of resources into pursuing this dream only to fail. (Also! It's not the first time something like this has happened but in regards to other things unrelated to this and often much smaller scale. As in, having unrealistic goals, hopes, or expectations.). But really, I don't think this person has what it takes to do what they want!

I don't know how to approach this situation! I want to voice my opinion but don't want to sound like a complete assmeister because this is a childhood dream for the person and they seem to be seriously considering pursuing that dream (even though it seems they lack the qualities required to be moderately competent in that field).

AHH! WHAT TO DO!??? ERRR.... AHHH.... SHAZBOT!

SWM seeks dream.

allkindsoftime — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:16:55 -0800

What is it like to dream? You: Average, normal sleeper / dreamer. Have dreams occasionally, frequently, or even every time you sleep. Can remember what the experience of dreaming is like and relate it in a simple yet effective manner that will help me understand the experience. No drugs / other substances used to help the experience. Not practicing any of that strange "lucid" stuff. Just straight up, run of the mill dreams.

Me: Might have had dreams as a kid, but really can't remember. Had exactly 2 dreams that I can recall in my 20's. People tell me I dream more than that (and just don't remember it), but its still an experience that I simply can't conjure in my mind. As an aspiring writer, I wonder a lot what it is like and whether it might help my writing (I burn envious when I hear about those people who keep a pencil and pad by the bed). Interested in stories about your dreams, great or terrible, and what they most feel like when compared with a real-life experience that I could comprehend.

I just want to know what the experience is like. Is it like watching TV? Is it more real than that? Is it always about plausible stuff or do you frequently find that you are a dragon-fighting robot made of cheese? Do you just see things or do you actually hear / smell / feel them too? Do you remember them clearly or do they fade fast? Do you generally dream about the same stuff, or about anything at all?

I realize everyone is different and the question may be a little vague, but I'm just wondering what a "normal" experience of dreaming is actually like. I've read through all the dream questions I can find and almost all of them assume some ability too...assume I don't have that. TIA.

The good life can be wherever you decide to make it

Sassyfras — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:48:47 -0800

I would like to build a house . . . just for fun . . . on paper or online. I can't make my dreams a reality, so I thought I'd at least have some fun with the ideas bouncing around in my head. Is there a website or program (free!) that I could use to create my dream house?

A Dream-Pregnant at 56?

~Sushma~ — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:04:54 -0800

Why on earth would a post-menopausal woman dream every night about having a baby, nursing and changing diapers? Also, the ex-husband shows up all the time (it ended badly 16 years ago). She can feel the baby nursing, and loses it sometimes.

Lucid Dreaming as a Senior Project?

zenja72 — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:02:06 -0800

I am a high school senior right now, contemplating various senior projects for last semester. I'd like to consider learning to dream lucidly as a project. I've found in the past that I can't become lucid unless I have immense concentration, something school deteriorates. So, any ideas for structuring a senior project around learning to dream lucidly? I know I could have an electronics component (building a face mounted lucid dreaming machine), a psychology component (reading books on sleep, dreaming, lucid dreaming, etc.), a philosophy component (i.e. reality), and a biology component (various herbal supplements?). Also, how can I convince high school bureaucracy, my teachers and peers to let me try what they'll perceive as a hokey, new-agey concept? What happens if I can't learn to dream lucidly?

Urg. Zombie need job. Pay bills. No brains anymore. Work for brains.

emptyinside — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:08:49 -0800

NewJobFilter: Wrestling with new opportunities and quashed dreams. I've been offered a new job in one of my career paths that seems to have a bright future, but I just can't get excited about it. One, I'm too jaded from previous promises of directions and possibilities. Two, it pays less then I was making 8 years ago. Three, I'm finally making a little progress as a freelancer, so giving up the freedom causes me existential pain.

But I need to pay rent and eat.

How can I approach this job with an attitude of everything is possible?
&
How can I make sure my dreams don't fall by the wayside?

Go away, nightmares!

lunit — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:59:34 -0800

Help me get rid of nightmares! I've been having nightmares probably 4-5 nights a week for the last year or so and I'd really like them to go away. The subjects change depending on what's going on in my life, but they're generally marked by someone close to me dying or something violent happening to me or someone I care about. I have them regardless of the setting in which I sleep (I just moved, and I also went on a long trip recently and the nightmares continued). Short of being less anxious, is there anything I can change in my lifestyle to help? Thanks!