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Happy Dreams

This may come as a shock, but I often feel like I have no control over my fate and that the world is spiraling out of control.

That is why I like to think about my dreams, like these.

I was actually flying between skyscrapers in New York City just like I was Superman but it was really me.

I was agile as a cat, fast as a jack rabbit and sleek as an eagle as I sped effortlessly up and down between the tall buildings, coming back close to the streets before soaring high again and experiencing the wind in my face and a feeling of unbelievable, unbridled freedom, then settling back down gently and waking up with a weird feeling as if I had just fallen into bed.

I was barreling down Route 80 on my motorcycle when the brake cable snapped and I saw my wheel starting to wobble. It was starting to pour as I tried to slow down but the throttle cable was stuck and I kept going faster and faster, reaching 85 miles per hour, before I was somehow able to pull off the highway and drop the bike, mangling it totally but miraculously escaping without injury and then I woke up.

And then there was the time when I was trying to run away from some imminent, ghostly, unspecified danger that was quickly gaining on me while my legs felt like they were made of concrete and I couldn’t run and a steamroller was getting ever closer, before I woke up.

I think people are probably having more bad dreams now that the world is spinning out of control. Dreams are mysterious and often difficult to understand and some, not so difficult.

In my flying dream I could say that I was successfully escaping from the COVID 10 pandemic and was able to toss of my earthly connections like I’ve wanted to do so many times and where I was in complete control of my destiny and where I was essentially indestructible, another lifelong goal.

Then there’s the motorcycle dream, another not so veiled reference to feelings that life is out of my control and that I may be barreling faster and faster to some fate that has nothing to do with plans and everything to do with good or bad luck. Could it be related to fears that my life is not my own anymore and that forces are combining to threaten everything I have come to believe in and treasure?

And who hasn’t felt like something scary and powerful and Republican was gaining on him and he was facing absolute destruction by a force that was becoming like a cancer on the landscape?

Or maybe the dreams are just about being Superman, having a broken motorcycle and running from a runaway steamroller.

God knows that the current national implosion and impending Armageddon are causing people to have more nightmares. So it isn’t enough that Trump is ruining your waking hours but he’s also imposing on and wrecking your sleep.

So while you can’t change Trump, you can find ways to reduce nightmares that may be causing waking stress, anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation and substance abuse.

And that brings me to lucid dreams, a fascinating experience when you are aware that you are dreaming and you can sometimes change the dream including the people, the environment and the outcomes, like suddenly being able to run like the Flash away from the evil bulldozer or being able to reach down and hold the brake cable with one hand while steadying the motorcycle and coasting to a safe stop or being suddenly incredibly attractive and desired by every woman in the dream.

Lucid dreaming won’t cause Trump to resign or end the pandemic over night but it can help control or eliminate nightmares and bring about more restful sleep, improve mental health and make it easier to deal with the real life waking nightmares.

During a lucid dream, you’re able to realize that the nightmare isn’t real and that you may be able to turn a nightmare, like Trump’s re-election, into a more neutral or pleasant scenario.

Lucid dreaming usually happens during REM sleep and about 55 percent of people have experienced one or more lucid dreams in their lifetime. Frequent lucid dreaming is rare with studies showing that only 23 percent of people have lucid dreams at least once a month.

Tips on triggering lucid dreams include:

Since lucid dreaming usually happens during REM sleep, spend more time in this stage.

Follow a sleep schedule.

Exercise daily.

Avoid electronics before bed.

Create a relaxing sleep environment.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.

Keep a dream journal and write down the dream immediately upon awakening.

Practice reality testing as a way of training the mind to know its own awareness. This is done through reality checks that you do during the day. For instance, concentrate on pressing a finger on your palm. If the finger passes through, you’re dreaming.

Or focus on mirrors and realize that your reflection will not look normal during a dream.

Another tactic is to pinch your nose. If you’re dreaming, you will still be able to breathe through your nose.

Experts suggest experimenting with different reality checks and choosing the one that works best and then doing it a few times a day.

Happy dreams.