Author

Subject: Dreams within dreams

bridger

09:35 14/01/2003 

This was really a series of dreams, about a dozen nested dreams within dreams.

It seems when things got too weird in my dream I would tell myself I was dreaming and would wake up and then go through another scene which I would eventually feel I was dreaming and tell myself to wake up only to be in, yet, another dream.

In one of the last nested dreams I was actually playing back one of the previous dreams and in the process realized an image I had missed the first time around in the original dream within a dream. I pondered that in my dream and said that didn't make sense and woke up only to eventually discover I am in yet another dream.

I convinced myself to wake up and I actually thought I had awoken but then I find myself back in the dream experiencing a scene from a dream from a few instances previous over again as if it were continuing without being interrupted by subsequent dreams.

At this point I feel I was commanding myself to wake up and when I actually did wake up I forced myself to get up and walk around so I would know I wasn't dreaming and so I wouldn't go back to sleep.

I can remember each scene vividly and I can remember the dreams within the dreams vividly and they all are weird scenes on their own.

I haven't been able to find anything regarding dreams within dreams.

Note:

I can only remember three dreams over the past ten years and they have all been extremely weird.

Dream edited for easier reading - JT, 2005

Read the original thread or Jane Teresa's view.

Julia

07:18 15/01/2003 

Hi Bridget

When I first started practicing dream-work, Jane told me to get a really nice pen and a journal that really meant a lot to me and/or something expensive (so that the emotional or financial investment would subconsciously prompt me to remember my dreams). I would consciously state before I went to sleep that I would remember my dreams and write them down upon waking. Sooo....

that night I dreamt three vivid and wonderful dreams, I awoke after each dream and wrote down each dream after I had it. Upon waking in the morning I eagerly awoke to re-read what I had written that night...... only to discover that I had written down my dreams...... in my dreams. The pages were blank! The next night I was sure to consciously say that I wanted to remember my dreams and write them down 'when I was awake and conscious!'.

So dreaming within a dream does happen - it's not that wierd at all.

There's infinite possibilities within the world of dreams.

Do you feel like sharing any of the themes/ story lines of your dreams within dreams!?

Julia

bridger

03:31 16/01/2003 

Good day Julia,

Actually it's "Bridger" with an "R" and not "Bridget." - wrong gender.

I do quite a bit of writing and I did go about writing down the dream I had that morning. As I indicated before I never thought I had dreams and never really thought too much about it. Needless to say, though, I'm thinking a lot more about it now.

There was only one coherent message in my dream, well ...coherent to me, and that was everytime things started to get too weird (not just weird but "too" weird), I would tell myself "I'm just dreaming and if these are the dreams I get from drinking then I have got to stop drinking."

Then I would wake up in my dream and eventually things would get too weird again and I'd tell myself I'm in a dream and to stop drinking and then I'd wake up again only to be in another dream. There was one particularly warped sequence where I never said "dream" but I had indicated "I was hallucinating" and had asked others if they were seeing the same things. Then I would look around and say "here I go again, I'm hallucinating again, do you see any of what I see at all?"

So I figured my subconcious was telling me to "stop drinking."

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong in "stopping drinking" except that I'm not a drinker. Sure I'll drink with the ball team or hockey team or other social gatherings, but not to excess. If I'm driving I don't imbibe, if I imbibe I don't drive, so it's not that I'm irresponsible.

I had not been drinking at all when I had the dream. The food I had was regular ordinary food and I even asked others who ate the same food and drank the same water I had the previous day if they suffered any ill-effects or unsettling sleep and no one suffered from anything.

I've been to the doctor and medically and physically I'm fine. Nothing to be concerned about. I'm not on medication, I don't smoke or take drugs. The only drug in my house is Neo-Citrin for when I have a cold and I haven't had to touch that in almost a year.

But I have declared to everyone that I have stopped drinking. Naturally everyone is curious as to why I have decided to stop drinking since I'm not an out-of-control drinker to begin with. I mention the dream and they chortle and laugh and roll their eyes. I just figure that if my subconcious is telling me to do something or to NOT do something, I better listen to it. It's the same with gut-feel.

I'm just not sure what to make of the dream itself and the images are still bothering me. The summary I have already written about my dream is already 3000 words (about 5 times the length of this reply). It's too long for a message forum (heck, even this response is too long). I don't even know if it is possible to break the dream into components since even separate "dream sequences", so to speak, still flow together as part of the same dream.

But thanks for the response, Julia. At least I know that there are others who have had dreams within dreams (Edgar Allen Poe, notwithstanding).

Jane Teresa Anderson

08:08 16/01/2003 

Hi Bridger,

I also have these dreams within dreams from time to time and they always leave me laughing.

My favourite type is my false precognitive dream. It goes something like this:

***

I have a dream. I think I wake up (but, in fact, I'm still dreaming.) The events of the first dream repeat, but I think they're really happening. I go around telling people, "Hey, I've dreamed this! It was a precognitive dream. Look ..." and then I go on to detail all the point-by-point evidence.

When I finally do wake up I am disappointed that my procognitive dream evidence was unreal. As a (frequently) genuine precognitive dreamer this often leaves me checking and double cheking my reality state!

***

My second favourite type is my Lucid Dream lecture dream. It goes something like this:

***

[Definition: Lucid dream - when you're dreaming and you suddenly realise you're dreaming and stay in the dream experiencing two states of consciousness simultaneously - waking consciousness and dream consciousness - you can also manipulate the dream when you are lucid ..]

I dream I am on a bus giving a lecture on dreaming. The bus passes a street that has featured in a previous (genuine) lucid dream. I point the street out to the students: "I had a lucid dream about this street". We all look at the street and discuss lucid dreaming. Throughout the dream I DO NOT wake up to the fact that I am dreaming (even given the clue about lucid dreaming), firmly believing I am awake.

***

I take two approaches to nesting dreams:

Firstly such experiences have helped me to redefine reality on many levels - to acknowledge an element of confluence as long as the language is considered as symbolic, not literal.

Secondly, I always interpret such dreams (unless I manipulate them while lucid) as the content is always meaningful on a personal, psychological and spiritual level for me.

So - that drinking theme in your dream, Bridger, comes back down to symbolism and dream interpretation.

Hope this helps.

Who else has had this kind of experience?

Jane Teresa

Lena

09:34 16/01/2003 

Hi Bridger,

Your dream reminds me of a movie, "Waking Life", that is about a guy having a dream-within-a-dream experience. The whole film, an animated one, is about him having these incredibly intense discussions with people about the meaning of life.

There might be something in it for you.

Lena

Gloria

11:20 16/01/2003 

Hi Bridger, Fascinating thing about the drinking. following on from what Jane says, what does the drinking symbolise for you?

My train of thought goes so: If water symbolises the emotions, could it be that you are taking on (drinking) other people's emotions or emotional problems. Or perhaps one particular person's emotions.

I also found it interesting that you called yourself 'bridger.' A bridge frequently spans water. Any connection?

Love, Gloria

Gloria

11:22 16/01/2003 

Oh, yes, I see it now. A bridge is a connection!

G.

guest

13:05 17/01/2003 

Hi Bridger,

Here's a thought. What if your unconscious is delving into things you can't yet comprehend, 'imbibing' emotional or spiritual truths (which of course you are thirsting for :-)), and your conscious mind (which is so logical and down to earth) can't resist interfering and saying 'Enough of this, you've got to stop drinking!'

Nani

Gloria

19:02 17/01/2003 

Hi Bridger, I had another thought which ties in with Nani's. If the drinking indicated in your dream alludes to alcohol, then it could be to do with spirituality. Alcohol = spirits.

Do come back and tell us if you work anything out.

Love, Gloria

bridger

06:09 18/01/2003 

I'm generally level-headed. I consider it of myself and others consider it of me. I can't get the images out of my head. Proclamations of "just forget it" or "don't let it bother you" don't hold much bearing because they didn't have the dream, I did.

I can't get the images out of my mind. I don't focus on them but they keep coming back. The dream wasn't scary and it wasn't a nightmare. I'm working towards signing up as a member and seeing if I can work towards "peace of mind" based on discussion.

I think (and feel) it's plainly obvious that I need to work something out if the images are lingering with me even two weeks after experiencing the dream.

Heck, I'm not even looking for an "actual meaning." I think talking about it and discussing it would go a long ways to settling my mind.

I do appreciate the responses. The dream was more than simply dreams-within-dreams and an assertion to stop drinking. Perhaps the phrase "I gotta stop drinking" is a symbol (as has been alluded) and has deeper significance when considered in conjunction with everything else.

Oh, and as for the name "Bridger." It's the English translation of my last name - nothing hidden in my choosing it.

Lena

09:19 18/01/2003 

Ah, but whenever we choose something, like a name, there is ALWAYS something hidden (unconcious) about it. Your concious mind just isn't aware of why you chose it, but there will have been a reason for sure!

Do join. I'm very curious to hear about your dream.

Lena

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