False Awakenings

So I was speaking to a friend about this last night and since it seems to be something that a lot of lucid dreamers go through, I figure I should make a post about it.

False awakenings are the phenomenom of feeling like you've woke up then realised you're dreaming. You might wake up in your own room, with your regular surroundings, only to wake up again a few minutes later. For many people, myself included, this then repeats itself for quite a while. In the past I've had upto 10 false awakenings in a row. If you start experiencing these (especially if you've been practicing dream recall), it's a good sign that you've come far. Your mind is very alert while you sleep to the point where it's struggling to tell the difference between dream and reality. However, this should only last about ten minutes at most and isn't something to fear, it just means you're in deep sleep and as soon as someone budges you or makes a noise you'll wake up like normal.

What not to do: Don't try shouting people. Everyone does it, and I fall in every time. I shout "wake me up, I'm dreaming and can't wake up" - it feels so real that I genuinely believe I've been shouting them. Obviously I'm still under sleep paralysis and am not shouting anything, but the dream replication is so damn real. Another not to do: Don't panic. Sure, it can be a bit frustrating, but rather than trying to fight it and force yourself to wake up (which, in the past for me, has been proven futile) just have some fun. Conjure stuff up, explore, do dream stuff. You're basically locked in a lucid dream that, unlike the usual, is actually not going to fade out within minutes of you realising it. Of course, make sure you're definitely dreaming first, you don't wanna try flying whilst in waking reality (this is very unlikely though).

It is admittedly frustrating and a little frightening at first but unfortunately an unavoiable side-effect of lucid dreaming, but it's a sign that you've come far. See it as like when you've got a muscle aching after the gym. Sure it's not a nice feeling and you could do without it, but it's a good thing because it shows that you've made progress.

So if you can, try to take advantage of the false awakenings you'll no doubt eventually experience. Have fun, sleep well and happy flying.