Stopping time

[bluebird]

Not sure if this is the right section, so my apologies if I'm posting in the incorrect place.

I rarely experience anything worthy of sharing these days, but a lucid last night had me very very confused. I'd like some feedback if anyone can work out what happened?

14th May 2013

I am asleep but not dreaming, just semi-conscious in a black nothingness. I suddenly become aware that I am asleep, and therefore I must be dreaming. No scene emerges, and I haven't done a reality check so I don't feel a part of any dream at all really. I start to move through the blackness, seeing no changes but having the sensation that I am flying very quickly. I start to think about my brain, exploring my deep subconsciousness while I'm in whatever state this is. When all of a sudden I get a feeling I've never had before. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt like some deep connection with a part of my brain (or a world) which I'd never accessed before. I hold on to the feeling and try and enhance it, feeling almost like I'm separated from my soul, body and mind completely.

That's when it happened. At first it felt like I was dying, but after a while I realised that thought was incorrect. I started to notice I had stopped moving and at this point I felt really detached from anything I ever was. I stretch this feeling even further, and then I'm certain that time itself had stopped. Not just real life time, I genuinely felt stuck in this plane of existence within my mind. It felt like the dream wasn't progressing. I stopped thinking, I stopped being and I stopped existing even in the dream. As soon as it had happened, the feeling was gone. I felt like I had come crashing back to reality (the dream 'reality') and I was living normally again. I recall nothing after that but it didn't wake me

---

I'd say the whole experience lasted what felt like about 5 minutes in dream time, but I have absolutely no concept of how much "dream time" passed at that point when time stopped. It was almost like my life was a movie reel and the projectionist had just switched me over from one reel to the next and hoped I wouldn't notice.

I don't think this means anything, but I'm interested to know if anyone else has had any dreams even remotely similar to this? It's certainly not something I'm used to, and I can't recall reading about any experiences similar to this before.

Any thoughts?

[pj]

The only thought I have is "wow."  At least right now.

That was a really interesting one!

[Shellidfl]

I agree fully with pj... Wow.  And not sure what else to say at the moment...  I think I have a new goal, bluebird!

I appreciate you trying to put into words your experience.  Thank you.
Shelli

[johnb]

Amazing experience! Sounds like descriptions I've read of states some people are able to achieve after years of regularly practicing meditation.

[bluebird]

Amazing experience! Sounds like descriptions I've read of states some people are able to achieve after years of regularly practicing meditation.

I haven't practised meditation before   I would really like to if it leads to more experiences like this though! Definitely a great way to expand the mind, maybe one day it will be time to explore everything meditation has to offer both in dreams and outside of them

I agree fully with pj... Wow.  And not sure what else to say at the moment...  I think I have a new goal, bluebird!

I appreciate you trying to put into words your experience.  Thank you.
Shelli

I wouldn't even know where to begin aiming towards this as a goal! Entering the void would probably be the best starting point though. I think I also have a new goal

[iadr]

That's when it happened. At first it felt like I was dying, but after a while I realised that thought was incorrect. I started to notice I had stopped moving and at this point I felt really detached from anything I ever was. I stretch this feeling even further, and then I'm certain that time itself had stopped. Not just real life time, I genuinely felt stuck in this plane of existence within my mind. It felt like the dream wasn't progressing. I stopped thinking, I stopped being and I stopped existing even in the dream. As soon as it had happened, the feeling was gone. I felt like I had come crashing back to reality (the dream 'reality') and I was living normally again. I recall nothing after that but it didn't wake me.

Great experience bluebird! You seem to have entered a state in which you were one with the universe. It's an experience that iadr has only experienced two or three times when he was meditating in a dark room, and was awesome every time it happened. For us, it was an experience that lasted close to an  hour, as had no desire to end it. We'd rank an experience like that right next to a full blown obe, as it is fantastic.

[bluebird]

Thank you very much for your answers iadr. Did you write down what happened in that meditation session by any chance? I would be very eager to read it if possible. Sounds like you must have had an amazing hour

[iadr]

Thank you very much for your answers iadr. Did you write down what happened in that meditation session by any chance? I would be very eager to read it if possible. Sounds like you must have had an amazing hour

You're welcome bluebird, and thank you for sharing your experience. No, we wrote nothing down after our experiences, although we can still remember them like they happened yesterday. They were such awesome experiences that all we could think while they were happening was WOW, as nothing else mattered, and we had no cares or concerns, or desire to do anything else other than to be there.

[Sunshine]

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[howitzer]

Wow wow wow wow!!!!!!
I wish I had it journaled. It's somewhere posted on dream views.

I had similar experiencing that I called "the void."
I didn't take it as far as you,but it is remarkably similar!

It is very difficult to explain. I felt like there was one stream of consciousness. Like consciousness was ALL that I was experiencing.
Did it seem that way to you Bluebird?

[Snaggle]

 fun with delta wave states or your first experience of the "clear light". New stuff is always fun.

[Jomid59]

fun with delta wave states or your first experience of the "clear light". New stuff is always fun.

We need to put an eeg hat on bluebird.

Idle musing...

Boundary Exchange_Page_1 by JoMiD, on Flickr

[Jomid59]

maybe one day

No. Start now.

[johnb]

Maybe there is a part of the mind that isn't aware of time, and you somehow tapped into that.  Or, maybe it was just a dream.  It's kind of like when I had those split consciousness dreams, it really felt like different parts of my mind were aware as separate consciousnesses.  But then when I woke up, it was hard to know if it just wasn't a dream of having split consciousness.  How could I tell?  But they aren't like any other dream I've ever had.

Interesting point. Not sure dreaming you're having separate consciousnesses or that you have no awareness of time is different from actually having separate consciousnesses or having no awareness of time. For example, when you're dreaming you're in a state of extreme fear, you really are in a state of extreme fear, aren't you?

[bluebird]

It is very difficult to explain. I felt like there was one stream of consciousness. Like consciousness was ALL that I was experiencing.
Did it seem that way to you Bluebird?

Yeah what you're describing sounds very similar! For most of it I just felt like all I was doing was thinking, and sometimes not with "bluebird's mind" but just "a mind", almost like I had disassociated myself with my thoughts completely, it was very interesting. However once I hit the freeze in time I didn't feel consciousness at all, I felt like an outside entity or a spare part that had nothing to do with thinking, so that bit sounds different

maybe one day

No. Start now.

Sorry Jomid I am possibly the biggest procrastinator ever but it's definitely something I'm not going to ignore