So every now and then when I sleep I have out of body experiences while I sleep. Well sort of...In my dream I would float above my body, escape to the skies and fly. With inhibitions released I would float above my bed and look down at my physical body still asleep in my bed. Then upon realising what was happening I’d thrust back into my body. It is perhaps the most realistic of all my dreams as I would literally feel my bed shake upon ‘landing’. My whole life I just figured this dream of mine was normal, until I started to share it. “No? That never ever happened to you?”
It is perhaps the most peaceful of my dreams. Floating above the clouds- no care in the world! Just me at one with the universe. However, recently I started doing some investigation on this sort of dream. If none of my friends had it, did anyone else in the world have such dreams? How many persons had out of body experiences that were not experienced because of the thrust of death’s gentle pull? Was I simply weirder than I had already imagined myself to be, in comparison to all the other persons I associated with on a frequent basis?
Hmm in order to Google this I would probably need to condense this... what in the world do I search for? Out of body experiences while sleeping? Floating in my dreams while sleeping? Dreaming about flying? Sleep paralysis?
So my first thought was an OBE. I found that "Out of body" experiences (OBEs) are personal experiences during which people feel as if they perceive the physical world from a location outside of their physical bodies. At least 5 and perhaps as many as 35 of every 100 people have had an OBE at least once in their lives” (Blackmore, 1982) However, it is related to near death experiences. This was certainly not what was happening to me.
What seemed more likely was something called lucid dreaming. What is that you may ask?
“Although we are not usually explicitly aware of the fact that we are dreaming while we are dreaming, at times a remarkable exception occurs, and we become conscious enough to realize that we are dreaming. "Lucid" dreamers (the term derives from van Eeden, 1913) report being able to freely remember the circumstances of waking life, to think clearly, and to act deliberately upon reflection, all while experiencing a dream world that seems vividly real (Green, 1968; LaBerge, 1985; Gackenbach & LaBerge, 1988). This is all in contrast to the usual past characterization of dreams as typically lacking any reflective awareness or true volition (Rechtschaffen, 1978). Lucid dreaming is normally a rare experience. Though most people report having had a lucid dream at least once in their lives, only about 20% of the population reports having lucid dreams once a month or more (Snyder & Gackenbach, 1988).”
“Celia Green (1968) reported that all her lucid dreamers refer to flying dreams, several of them describing that the flying prompted lucidity.”
Okay though it is rare it is totally normal....right?
I was completely okay with having my liberating dreams of flight every now and then. I mean who wouldn’t want to know what it was like to be supergirl or superman, even for a minute or two? I would not give up the memories of those dreams for a million dollars. But then I came upon the 2011 movie Insidious while I was searching. So of course I had to watch it.
Surprise, Surprise the entire movie was about a child and his father who had the ability to experience the same dreams that I had. Only, their dreams came with a lot of negative things. I was completely in shock when I realised this child floated away in his regular flight dreams from his body and didn’t come back. OMG! Clearly fictional but such a strange movie and it indeed left me spooked. -_-
Though the movie was scary and my dreams are a tad weird (YES I admit it lol). Dream floating or dream flying is indeed a cool feeling! They say your dreams expose inner most desires and that they contain messages about what is on your subconscious. Some may even go to the extreme and claim that your dreams can predict the future and reveal things about your present that you were not even aware of.
I am not sure if I believe any of that. But what I do know is that I look forward to the rare dream of flight that allows me to feel relaxed and care free; a luxury that my reality has currently deprived me of because of my many responsibilities and problems.
My search led me to these sights..You may read more for further information.
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