Scared that I'm dreaming - Do you know this feeling.

[Strit]

Hi everyone! I find that if I watch a scary movie (not necessarily horror, just something thats a bit chilling, as I'm a coward when it comes to movies) I sometimes afterwards get extra aware of my surroundings and start wonder if I'm dreaming. I guess that makes good sense as I'm in a physiologically alert state and my body wants to be aware of everything. But the weird thing is that I then get scared that it's actually a dream and I wish that it isn't and hardly dare to check. I think the reason is that as long as I believe that I'm awake, then my logic tells me that there is nothing scary behind the shower curtain, but if it's a dream there could be anything lurking in there. It makes no sense of course, as I know that if it's really a dream and I'm lucid then theres nothing to be afraid of. I never have nightmares, but I do find that in the moment I get lucid I sometimes become a bit afraid. I does go away very quickly though. Anyone recognize these feelings? -Strit

[SkaLord]

Hmm, if you are an anxious person you can have similar symptoms like experiencing the world as if you were in a dream but i don't really know if that's your case :S

[Strit]

I'm not really an anxious person I just really easily get scared from movies. Can you explain further what you mean by saying: experiencing the world as if you were in a dream I might have had that feeling sometimes when I was younger, but I'm not sure, though.

[Graves]

This makes perfect sense - it's just fear of the unknown. Learn to subdue/control your fear and you'll be able to do anything, both in waking and dreaming reality.

[SkaLord]

I'm not really an anxious person I just really easily get scared from movies. Can you explain further what you mean by saying: I mean the sensation of being like an actor in a movie, as if you were seeing everything that happens around you from a third person perspective. This happens to almost everybody at some time in their life but anxious people have this sensation very often. It's called depersonalization and people who suffer from this feel the world as being dreamlike or unreal. I don't think it's your case but just in case you want to know more about depersonalization I'll post a link to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization

[Din]

Strange, it's just the opposite for me. Normally I'm nigh-fearless when I'm dreaming, yet I'm a bit of a coward in waking life. I think, though, that your fear might stem from the knowing that anything can happen. I have a friend who, when she becomes lucid, has terrifying nightmares of bizarre and twisted creatures. But, these nightmares are created not by her subconscious, but by her fear. If you can overcome the fear, you can overcome everything.

[Strit]

Thanks guys. Year, fear of the unknown makes perfect sense. I also do believe that it'll go away as I get more used to LD's. Skalord: what you describes is not me, luckily -Strit