Dreams?!

[LadyDragon]

Something similar has probably been asked before, but here goes anyway.

I know that a few of you out there have probably had similar dreams to this and I just wanted a little bit of feed back as to what everyones oppinion might be.

You're caught in a situation where the only way out is to fight till you can't anymore. Sometimes its only one attacker, but then again it might be several. In the dream as hard as you try, as much power as you may be using, it seems like nothing you do is effective. None of your defenses seems to be working properly. You pretty much feel like you're getting the snot kick out of you. These bad guys just keep coming at you like mack trucks. But of course you wake up and ask yourself, what the heck was that. I know I could've beat those guys. What was holding me back.

 

[7starmantis]

I'm so glad you posted that, it seems I'm not freaked out then!! I was about to spend alot of money at a therapist office.

No, I have had those dreams many times, its like I'm almost going slow motion and my kicks and punches are like just tapping them. God, its so frustrating!! I think the dream makes me more angry than anything else. I wake up all frustrated, I have to go hit the bags or something!

I'm just so glad I'm not the only one!

7sm

 

[clapping_tiger]

Your not alone, I have those dreams all the time. I call them "no smack power" dreams. Although I do not get the snot knocked out of me. I have to fight, and no matter how hard I hit them, nothing happens, If I try to hold them, they are just like, what are you doing. You feel like a 2 year old child trying to beat up an adult. I think they are kind of funny.

 

[clapping_tiger]

I forgot to post my opinion on these dreams. I think they come from a fear that perhaps if you were forced to defend yourself, maybe your training may not be effective.

 

[7starmantis]

Originally posted by clapping_tiger
I forgot to post my opinion on these dreams. I think they come from a fear that perhaps if you were forced to defend yourself, maybe your training may not be effective.

Yeah, I've thought about that, but then I have had to defend myself before and it went fine. So that kind of takes away from that, but I guess it could still be that same "fear". The human mind is a weird thing!

7sm

 

[Akula]

Before I get to an opinion, I would almost like to ask a sub-question.

What are dreams? Are they your mind trying to express ideas to your subconscious, or are they premonitions, or just your mind playing, or any combination or none of the above.

Now the opinion. It's possible that the people you're trying to hit, aren't really people at all, but represent some problem or situation you're currently dealing with. Being in the martial arts, your mind uses imagery that would be familiar, thus the group attack. That could be why sometimes there's just one, other times several. The inability to deliver any effective blows, continuing the imagery, could mean a recognition that you may need assistance to get out of the situation. When a dream like this wakes you up, the details can still be clear, but fade fast. When you wake, try to recall details. Did you recognize people? What were they wearing? Where were you? Granted not all detail will be retained, but it may give you some clues.

I get these dreams also. What I do is I actually keep some paper and a pen nearby to record some of the details for later reference. I know that sounds a little geeky, but that's me. By the way, I've actually solved some work problems in dreams, and wrote the results down after waking from that dream. Checking the results when you wake up for real can be a little strange generating thoughts like "That't the strangest solution I've seen in a while...but it works."

 

[LadyDragon]

Well, we all know that our minds try to play tricks on us. But are our dreams try to point out to us our strengths or weaknesses or both?

What is it that these types of dreams are trying to tell us? Granted you could be battling something in your everyday life that could be causing the dream. But what if that isn't the case. Is the dream then just trying to make a point about our training habit, or lack there of. Or is it just an over active imagination playing out through our subconcious and showing us that we're not as invinceable as we thought we were as kids.

 

[Ceicei]

The dreams I get are different. I haven't had those in a long time where I couldn't fight back. The ones I have now are more of where I end up getting really hurt, but always manage to finally defeat my attacker(s) in spite of the injuries (in my dreams, my attacker is always armed with some sort of a weapon and I am not. His weapons vary: a wire [to wrap around the throat], a knife, a gun, a stick, a sword, a brassknuckle, a tire chain, etc.)

I really hope its not a premonition of something.

A friend says I'm just mentally prepping myself for the event that I likely will get injured during a real-life attack. I really don't know how I would fare against the situations in my dreams in real life, but they do give me some ideas of strategies. I do know that if escape is not possible, I will fight back.

I have had to deal with an unarmed attacker twice (sustained no injuries from these attacks, but had to deal with mental and emotional issues resulting from them). It happened many years ago, so I no longer dream about this.

- Ceicei

 

[theletch1]

Ceicei, this is gonna come across as psycho-babble and is probably way off base... but here goes. I don't think that your dreams are a premonition OR your minds way of prepping you for injury. I think that your dreams are simply a reflection of how much you've already ovrecome to reach the point that you have. The injuries in your dreams are most likely the emotional/psychological damage that you've endured. The attackers are all of the hurdles that you've overcome, the people that said you can't do that (and I mean in life as well as in the MA). So long as you keep on winning then keep on dreaming.:asian:

 

[TKDman]

Its obviously those dern Inner Demons...

Didn't u guys watch the Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story?

He will tell u how to defeat them.

 

[satans.barber]

I've had dreams like that. I once had this dream where I was running down these stairs, like fire escape stairs, and I had to fight people on every landing. I'd beat them down, run down some more stairs, but I never got to the bottom.

Having said that, I also had a dream where I chopped up this giant spider with my katana, so I guess they don't always make too much sense! Actually, that may have been after I saw Return of the King...

Ian.

 

[Ceicei]

Originally posted by theletch1
Ceicei, this is gonna come across as psycho-babble and is probably way off base... but here goes. I don't think that your dreams are a premonition OR your minds way of prepping you for injury.

Uuummmmmm..... I hope that's all that they're not. BUT if something DOES happen, then I don't think I would be surprised to get hurt in some way... After all, what we all do is MARTIAL.

The injuries in your dreams are most likely the emotional/psychological damage that you've endured. The attackers are all of the hurdles that you've overcome, the people that said you can't do that (and I mean in life as well as in the MA). So long as you keep on winning then keep on dreaming.:asian:

Interesting interpretation. Thank you for your comments. I'll keep on winning and hopefully that translates into life also.

- Ceicei

 

[Chronuss]

Originally posted by satans.barber
I also had a dream where I chopped up this giant spider with my katana, so I guess they don't always make too much sense!

I saw that on Inuyasha once....

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Ceicei,

As an ardent skeptic, I'd say you weren't having a premonition. I don't believe dreams tap into the future.

Psychologists are now saying that dreams are a way for the brain to sort the days data and reorganize it for the purposes of retention.

This doesn't adequately explain dreams of impotence...where we whack anagonists to no effect (or in your case with effect but at cost), nor does it explain the recurring visits of a beloved dead parent (one I've had). When we get these dreams we tend to try and attach meaning to them. We get premonitions as an explanation, "warnings", "visits from beyond", and other supernatural explanations. Its more satisfying than some of the very dry explanations of the medical community...but it ain't necessarily so.

Still, I don't see any problem with the more Freudian-ish explanation that dreams like these described (replete with attackers) are reflections of our unresolved fears. We train to gain power...somewhere in the back of our mind is the fear we won't have this power when we need it. This might be the source of these nightmares.

How many of you, as children, had dreams that your parents abandoned you? Or maybe had the dream that you went to school in your underwear? How about the one where you get to school only to find out you had a final that you didn't know about and didn't prepare for? All of these are dreams of impotence. They tend to change as we age. Our dreams tend to reflect our current age and issues.

Emotions are mediated by hormones to a great extent...its quite possible that hormonal fluctuations, combined with sleep states, produce these dreams. Remember those wildly erotic dreams we all got when we were young?* Perhaps our training effects the endocrine system in a way that causes us to have mini-hormonal surges while we're dreaming...and it comes out in the form of a nightmare. I'm speculating here...but it makes more sense to me than a supernatural explanation.

Regards,


Steve

*Oh what I'd give for them now....

 

[Ceicei]

Pscyhoanalyzing dreams don't really get us much any where, although many people find that fun to do.

Originally posted by hardheadjarhead
Psychologists are now saying that dreams are a way for the brain to sort the days data and reorganize it for the purposes of retention.

I'm pretty sure that is more or less what I am doing. In my dreams, when I fight back, I can see that sometimes things I learned are incorporated. It is almost as if I am mentally trying out different moves, experimenting to see if they might work in certain scenarios.

Emotions are mediated by hormones to a great extent...its quite possible that hormonal fluctuations, combined with sleep states, produce these dreams. Remember those wildly erotic dreams we all got when we were young?* Perhaps our training effects the endocrine system in a way that causes us to have mini-hormonal surges while we're dreaming...and it comes out in the form of a nightmare. I'm speculating here...but it makes more sense to me than a supernatural explanation.

:rofl: This made me laugh.

My fighting dreams are fairly consistent, regardless of whether they are during that "time of the month".

However, you did bring up a point worth considering...

Since dreams can be pretty intense and does trigger a "fight or flight" response (adrenaline increase), it wouldn't surprise me if some people may seek or become addicted to this. :shrug:

Maybe that's what I'm doing?

Of course, as to why my attackers are armed with different weapons and I'm not... :idunno: It's not something I would consider fun, especially when I end up getting hurt in these dreams and still able to defeat my attacker(s). Perhaps theletch1 is right, my fears/barriers/worries may be represented.

- Ceicei

 

[hardheadjarhead]

My fighting dreams are fairly consistent, regardless of whether they are during that "time of the month".

My painful experience shows that women generally work out their monthly aggressions by sitting astride their supine male and slamming his head against the floor.

Or is this just me?



Regards,


Steve

 

[Ceicei]

Originally posted by hardheadjarhead
My painful experience shows that women generally work out their monthly aggressions by sitting astride their supine male and slamming his head against the floor.

Or is this just me?

:rofl:

I think it's just you. Maybe you are timing your interactions with your females....

- Ceicei

 

[Black Bear]

I had this one dream where I was fighting a really little guy. The face was this guy I knew from high school, but he was super-tiny and he was completely nuts. He was grappling me, and biting me. He bit me in the nuts.

I could never forget that dream.

 

[8253]

I have these dreams also, I take them as a statement to myself not to give up on anything even though at the time it may seem impossible.

 

[Black Bear]

Anyone tried that lucid dreaming stuff? I think it's lucidity.com?