Thread: Intentionally giving up control

I started lucid dreaming a few years ago and then gave it up abruptly after a frightening experience. Almost from the first I could control the dreams but in one dream I was walking from the house that I had created to a barn outside on the property. As I approached the huge barn doors I made a conscious decision to "be surprised" by what I found inside. Without going into tremendous detail, as first the experience and the imagery I encountered was very rich and interesting but quickly took on a rather sinister quality. I realize in hind sight that at that point I should have resumed control but I panicked and abruptly woke myself up. Since then I have been afraid to try lucid dreaming again because I'm not sure what happened. I would like to know what mechanism comes into play when one releases control in a lucid dream? Is it simply the subconscious that takes back over control as it does in a regular non-lucid dream?

I appreciate any insight you can provide.

Firstly, welcome to the forum, azure!

To answer your question - yes, your dream will play out on its own (just like a non-lucid dream) when you're not actively controlling it. It was a neat idea to will yourself to "be surprised" with whatever you found when you opened the barn doors. Were you still lucid when things started turning sinister? If so, you should have realized that you were only dreaming and there was nothing to be afraid of. You may have lost lucidity at that point, though, which explains why you were so freaked out by it.

Don't let this scare you off LDing - I think all the positive experiences far outweigh an occasional nightmare. Also, the better you get at LDing and developing control, you can make sure not to repeat the experience.

Good luck!

Bad experiences can be very frightening. But when you fall off the horse, you should always get back up and keep right on trucking. Giving up this wonderful ability is depriving you of something beautiful. Don't be defeated by a nightmare. It happens to the best of us. Regain your ability and keep on going. You'll be surprized by your progress. Welcome to the forum!

I will definitely get back up on the LD horse! Thank you both for the support and encouragement.

Azure

Originally posted by azure13
I will definitely get back up on the LD horse! Thank you both for the support and encouragement. *

Azure

It's wonderful that you have reconsidered! I look forward to hearing your future experiences.

I remember on dream where I looked up at a blank billboard and just had this overwhelming fear come over me. I don't know why I got scared, and it may have been subconscious.

Is the subconscious what is being played out in dreams?

Originally posted by azure13
I started lucid dreaming a few years ago and then gave it up abruptly after a frightening experience. Almost from the first I could control the dreams but in one dream I was walking from the house that I had created to a barn outside on the property. As I approached the huge barn doors I made a conscious decision to "be surprised" by what I found inside. Without going into tremendous detail, as first the experience and the imagery I encountered was very rich and interesting but quickly took on a rather sinister quality. I realize in hind sight that at that point I should have resumed control but I panicked and abruptly woke myself up. Since then I have been afraid to try lucid dreaming again because I'm not sure what happened. I would like to know what mechanism comes into play when one releases control in a lucid dream? Is it simply the subconscious that takes back over control as it does in a regular non-lucid dream?

I appreciate any insight you can provide.

Originally posted by Rainbow Werewolf
I remember on dream where I looked up at a blank billboard and just had this overwhelming fear come over me. I don't know why I got scared, and it may have been subconscious.

Is the subconscious what is being played out in dreams?

It only makes sense that the subconscious is what splices all of these things in together. All of the things that you might subconsciously fear, love, or hate are the stuff non lucid dreams are made of.