New Member, New experience, New Confusion!

[Colby]

I would love a couple answers here.

The past two nights I have been in the middle of my dream, and realized I was dreaming, and took control of myself in my dream state.

I was sure this was lucid dreaming, but nothing has ever felt more real, and I felt very real, intense tingling in my body, I'm assuming these are the 'vibrations' that occur while one is beginning to AP.

My sister and I discussed this for quite a long time over the holidays, and I just returned from visiting her, and I had her words in my mind as I 'took over' in the dream, 'you have to believe it is possible, and think positively for it to happen.' These were the immediate thoughts I had as I realized I was dreaming, and I thought 'it's possible, I want to fly.' I, however, did not think the exact phrase, 'I want to astro-project/travel', but I think it was in my thought process.

So two nights ago, when this happened, I was in London on a street, under a bridge (no, it didn't fall down ), and I immediately thought that I have to fly. I took off in a sprint, telling myself that flying is possible, and that I will be okay, I can fly I can fly! And after I came out from under the overpass, I jumped, hands at my side as if to thrust myself into flight like Peter Pan, and it worked. I started to fly above a dark, cloudy London city, and continued to ascend to the point where I started to doubt my control over my flight. This was my first mistake and I immediately began getting scared and telling myself to descend, and finally could, but felt like i couldn't control my descent either. In hindsight, I should have told myself that I was in control, and I did to a point, trying to will myself to land on a nearby building, but as I came close to the building, I woke up. I awoke and immediately a huge smile stretched on my face, and I felt more alive than I had in quite a while in the mornings, most likely due to the excitement of actually feeling what it was like to fly.

Then, last night, I again realized I was dreaming and took control. This time I wanted to see how fast I could run, seeing that I was in a large green field, again on a very dark, cloudy day (without rain). Buildings sat on either side of the field, and I was next to one, walked away from it a good 100 feet or so I think, and took off running, with huge strides and wind blowing through my hair. I immediately, for some odd reason, looked around while running, and I was trying to find someone, almost looking for assurance, as I am now, that this was real. I wondered if I was astro-projecting, because I felt the vibrations again this time. As I neared the building, I tried to jump over it but couldn't. I jumped as I normally would. Maybe it was a lack of belief that I could jump over it, or maybe I was stuck between a dream state and a lucid dream state.

This is why I came here, looking for a couple interpretations. Any help would be incredibly appreciated! I'm amazed with AP, and I'm getting ready to try it tonight.

Any comments welcome. Thanks, and sorry for the long post!

[Zino]

Oh you are a lucky one and -so- close!

These both were definitely Lucid Dreams and they do feel real, but AP feels -so- much more real! Everything is in place, I remember my first LD I was so convinced I was APing I tried to do the things I heard of, but when I woke up I realized it was a dream after someone gave me a comment on here.

In LD's things that you want to happen will happen differently, the jumping is a pure sign of this, all the possibilities in your head just flood out and one of them is chosen subconsciously.

But, I'm digressing...The way I've had an AP is by forcing myself through a wall or being backed into something and imagining it is like a game, once I go out of the map I'm in a special untouched sorta' place.

You will know when you're in an AP, when you do it for real using the LD technique you will most likely find yourself in your bedroom.

Well done!

[Colby]

Thanks for the response!  I was leaning toward thinking it was still LD's, but the vibrations I felt threw me off.

I'm going to try to AP through an LD for a little while.  Seems like it would be the best way for me to be able to do it at this point.

I find it hard to continue to be tired while trying to project as I fall asleep, or after I wake up in the middle of the night from sleep and go to return and AP.

I get so excited at the prospect of doing it that I can't seem to get my physical body to stay tired.

Any tips on that would be great!  But regardless, your response is very appreciated!

[wizkitten]

You're definitely on the right track..  your body is falling asleep and you are maintaining focus.
I used to have great difficulty relaxing, and now I've found that I tend to have difficulty maintaining my focus (I just wake up 8 hours later)

Next time.. try to concentrate on the thought that you are going to leave your body, be that floating up, sitting up out of your body or whatever.
You will feel the vibrations, but ignore them as a side effect of what you are doing.. and take them to be an indicator that you're on the right track.. the vibrations mean that your body is in the process of falling asleep.. concentrate on leaving your body (i have found affirming to myself "i want to leave my body" helped).

I have heard that the best way to improve your chances is to go to bed, then set your alarm for 4am. Wake up, go get a drink, if you're hungry have a quick snack, go to the toilet.. then go back to bed and try it out. When you have your experience, you will know it. My experience was with complete waking consciousness, sitting in bed as my body was still in bed.. the only things that made it seem unreal were the fact that I sat up so effortlessly (I willed myself up rather than ever having to use my stomach muscles), there was no sound, and I had little control over my body.. I felt like I was floating through a real world, and unable to control it properly.

Best of luck.