[bezoar]

Just a thought here.  If the marijuana made you more hyper, then maybe, like hyperactive children, you have an idiosyncratic effect from downers and should try an upper for relaxation.  How about a cup of coffee before bed?  It used to work on my hyperactive stepchild.

[neilep (OP)]

Nancy, many thanks for your tip....I'll give it a try....and report back.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[tweener]

My meditation was self taught.  I decided that it was something I needed to do and just started doing it.  It took quite a while, but I was able to go really deep after a while.  Like I said, I can't really help you much in a forum.  Probably not at all, even if we were able to meet every day.  

I will say that many of the books I've read on meditation don't take the same approach I did.  Not to say it wouldn't work.  Some are close.

Basically, I would visualize something familiar, simple, yet detailed (like an apple or orange) and concentrate on it down tothe finest detail all the way through.  Sometimes I would count backwards from 100 and visualize the numbers.  Then I would try to visualize the space around me, all the way through the walls and furniture.  I could "find" things that I had never seen before.  If I was meditating and someone came to the door, I would know who was there.  I could also find things in my mind that I didn't know were there (self-hypnosis?).  I found some really scary things that way.  I think that may be what ultimately drove me away from such deep meditation.

Jay, the "shadowy things" would make a good horror story.  There have been a couple of times I've been so far gone that they were stopping to look at me.  Still shadowy though.


----
John

[OldMan]

Hey Neil I finally found out what it was my mum took that really knocked her out. Turns ot it wasn't a herbal one afer all but is called omnicontin. Not sure if thats the correct spelling but it sounds right. Hopefully with all the suggestions people are giving you here you might find something that works for you.

John, thats really interesting about the meditation you mentioned. How did you know who was at the door? Did you just sense as such who it was or see them? (Astral projection?)
I agree the shadowy things would make a great horror story! Sounds kinda freaky having them stop to look at you.

Tim

[neilep (OP)]

Hey John,

Cheers for your insight into your meditation technique.....I'll do a little research before I have a go and I thank you for your input.


Tim, I appreciate you letting me know the name of that drug.....I must admit I can't find any info on it, even changing the spelling a little reveals no results, but, I've made a note and will mention it to my consultant.


One thing I forgot to mention is that I find I have the most vivid dreams, spectacular in colour and form, surreal in nature and on occassion very lucid, so much so that It dawns on me that I'm dreaming and when you realise that, the sensation of being able to control the dream is extraordinary, better tha any theme park ride or drug induced high !!! I wonder John, if that is a similar state to your 'astral projection'...actually, upon reflection I suppose it's not, as one deals with reality and the other does not.....still, It's an incredible experience though.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[tweener]

I don't know much about "astral projection", I just knew who was at the door.  I was also able to control my dreams, as well as induce them to start on the topic of my choosing.

I keep thinking I shoud get back into meditation, but I don't seem to have the drive to get started on it.

Neil, I'll be glad to give you any input you want, but I'm really not sure how to instruct anyone.


----
John

[qpan]

Tweener - you used to be able to control your dreams? Until what age? I used to be able to control my dreams (when i was a child) and boy was that fun!

"I have great faith in fools; self-confidence my friends call it."
-Edgar Allan Poe

[Donnah]

John, that's great that you could find things in the room and see through walls!  Different than astral projection because you didn't go there.  It sounds more like remote viewing.  

I'm another one who had good control of my dreams when I was a child, and the colors!  I could control my dreams, and still can to a lesser degree.  I love flying in my dreams (no technical intervention) but haven't done that for a while.  Now that you mention it I recall doing a lot more flying and dream control when I was meditating regularly.  

As a child I had terrible nightmares too, the kind where someone is chasing you or shooting at you and your shoes are made of lead, so you can only run in slow motion and you try to scream and you can only squeek out some pathetic sound.  Got rid of those by controlling my dreams.  There was a man with a knife chasing me through a bog and I kept telling him I didn't want to fight.  I stopped, faced him and put my hands up.  He slashed me across the ribcage and I got so angry that I grabbed his knife and did him in.  Never had another nightmare.

[OldMan]

No worries Neil, I spose it is possible that drug is only available here is Australia.

Sorry the astral projection thing was my meddling. I've read all sorts of things that have been suggested about it and is one of those concepts I don't exactly put my faith in but I don't rule it out of consideration all together. But some articles I've read suggested that Lucid dreaming and being able to control one dreams are forms of or steps towards astral projection.

[OldMan]

Donnah, your dream sounds somewhat similar to one I had. I had the same character trying to catch and drag me into the wall two nights in a row. In my case before going to sleep the next night I went into a deep meditative state and coerced the dream into occurring again, this time instead of having him almost catch me I turned his own weapons against him and had him trapped. I wasn't as mean as you I didn't kill him
Didn't have the dream any more after that. In fact I've generally found all dreams, even those that aren't the most pleasant very enjoyable since then.

Where is this topic going? Astral projection, dream interpretation.. what next?

Tim

[pencilhead]

I had a friend that had trouble sleeping at nights.  He figured the best thing to do to get sleepy is to do exercises.  LIke jog in place for 20/30mins.  Hey if you're body is tired and not your mind then you may want to exercise and hear a book on tape to get both your mind and body tired.  OR maybe your not the average person and your body doesn't require alot of sleep???  Doctors sometimes misdiagnose people.   I am the opposite of you neilep.  I dose off so quick.  It's crazy! hahahaha  I talk jibberish when I am tired and forget alot of things.  But most of it because I was pretty much screwed over in the head.  So what can i do when I feel as if someone is out to get me at night?  I used to put salt in all openings wherever I thought things could go in?  I would be scared that something was trying to take me away when I was around 5/6 and also I would go to bed quickly because I didn't want to be conscious of anything.  hrm...?  FEEL FREE TO TYPE YOUR OPINIONS!!!

[Donnah]

Pencilhead, what do you mean when you say that you were screwed over in the head?

[pencilhead]

basically told I was a loser, stupid, idiot, shhhhed, crap... etc for 20 1/2 + years of my life.  I believe it for so long like an idiot.  ekk
living in dreams isn't too nice nothing is real until you see the matrixheheh ok
but i was born into a world of no real world.  we all have our own dreams.  I try not to get tied into anything not even in myself because it's not real.  I take a step back to anaylze what is going on. u know what i mean.

[Donnah]

Psychological and verbal abuse then.  You can reprogram yourself.  Try drawing a big circle on a piece of paper.  Inside the circle write all the things about yourself and your life that you like and/or want.  Outside the circle write all the things that apply to you or your life that you don't want.  No time limit.  Then you can make (or buy) a tape/CD with subliminals reinforcing the things you wrote inside the circle.

[pencilhead]

[]
THANKS!!! WILL DO!

[Tann San]

Hi, when you can take control of your dreams it's called lucid dreaming.  I read a book on the subject a few years back.  Theres alot of information online about it as well.  The following is one such example : http://www.lucidity.com/.

Have you tried really tiring yourself out?  My work tends to throw alot of all nighters my way and sometimes the end result is that I can't sleep at the end of it all.  I beat my punchbag up for a an hour or two and that seems to drain any residual energy and minor stresses that might be keeping me awake.

[tweener]

I haven't had the someone trying to catch me dreams for a long time.  The only recurring dream I have is that the wall is going to fall.  I only have this when I am under a lot of stress. When it happens, I lose the normal inhibition about moving around and get up in bed and hold the wall.  My wife is afraid I'm going to punch holes in the wall.  I never remember the dream afterward.  Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often.

Strangely, my sister has the same dream when she is under stress.  As far as I know we never had any traumatic experiences that would bring on something like this.


----
John

[neilep (OP)]

My dreams are often set in a chaotic busy situation, the situation is always bizzare hectic, like an action sequence in a film,....I very rarely have dreams where I am alone....well...none that I can remember that is !! and I have never had a dream which in my dreamstate would incite me to 'sleep act'......

Could recurring dreams be provoked by recurring events in ones waking life ?



'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[bezoar]

Edgar Cayce used to say that all dreams were self meeting self, so I guess if you have recurring problems that are unresolved in your waking life, they could show up as recurring dreams, however, the unconscious speaks in symbols, so whether or not you would recognize it is debatable.

[chris]

The issues of power naps, sleep deprivation, sleep wake cycles, shift work and insomnia are tackled in a recent radio show featuring neurobiologist Professor Russell Foster.

Here's the URL :

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/html/shows/2003.11.30.htm

He also put together a page about his work :

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/biorhythms

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx