Can't defend myself.

[PleaseJustListen]

In dreams when I'm in a bad situation or a nightmare I am unable to defend myself. Most of the time in my dreams the only thing I can think to do is punch whatever it is that's hurting/chasing me but when I go to punch it starts of fast but becomes slow and eventually stops. This has happened for a very long time and it affects my self esteem in some ways, it makes me think that I can't defend myself and adds on to my depression when I think about it.

Any thoughts?

[Neil Templar]

If what you're doing is consistently not working, perhaps it's time for a different approach? (in life as well as dream-states)
I've found that facing the fearful thing has usually made it less scary, and often allowed me to get to a point where it actually becomes something cute and loveable. (Most of your fears are generated by your subconscious, so they're part of you. When it comes down to it, every part of yourself is love(able), right?)

Oh and I'd stop owning "your" depression.
Every time you use the phrase "my" depression, you're re-enforcing it within every cell of your being. Try to work on using different language when discussing it.
You're simply in a state of depression. You don't own it, it's not yours. It's a temporary state.

Unless you want to keep it? Because that's what you're telling your subconscious and your physical being every time you say that.

You may find by making this subtle change in the way you verbalise and communicate inwardly about depression, that it has less of a hold over you, and that will translate into your dreamworld...which will in turn have a knock-on effect in your waking mind, when you remember having a more positive outcome in your dreaming...
You see what i'm saying? You've already acknowledged the link between your dreaming and your waking conscious/mental state.
Well that works both ways. You can make changes in both states, dreaming and awake, that'll benefit you immensely in the other, simply by trying a different approach to engaging with whatever you're having difficulty with at the time.

I hope this is helpful, and not too intrusive? You didn't ask about depression, at least not directly, but it felt like that was at the core of the subject, or at least relevant enough to go into... (sometimes I can't stop the stream of consciousness until it's all out. Apologies if this isn't the response you were looking for.)

[IA56]

In dreams when I'm in a bad situation or a nightmare I am unable to defend myself. Most of the time in my dreams the only thing I can think to do is punch whatever it is that's hurting/chasing me but when I go to punch it starts of fast but becomes slow and eventually stops. This has happened for a very long time and it affects my self esteem in some ways, it makes me think that I can't defend myself and adds on to my depression when I think about it.

Any thoughts?

Hi,
Then you are like me, what you have to remember that we do not have to defend our selves at all, and I Believe it is why it does slow down in the Dream that you will understand that when you try to punsch someone....there is a very good defence, and it is self awareness...self confidence...when you do understand that you do not have to defend yourself, there are no enemy, there are only YOU!! Do you have to punch yourself?? of course not....so .....here on earth we do know that we are learned that if we can not defend ourselves we do not survive....and for me this has caused a deep trauma, because all of my being is charged with knowing...there are no enemies....there are only LOVE. Love do not fight.....!!

Love
ia

[PleaseJustListen]

Thank you. All of what you said, Neil, has been noted and I will try to follow through with what you have suggested. Thank you for your input, it was not "too intrusive" or anything of the like.

[PleaseJustListen]

Hi,
Then you are like me, what you have to remember that we do not have to defend our selves at all, and I Believe it is why it does slow down in the Dream that you will understand that when you try to punsch someone....there is a very good defence, and it is self awareness...self confidence...when you do understand that you do not have to defend yourself, there are no enemy, there are only YOU!! Do you have to punch yourself?? of course not....so .....here on earth we do know that we are learned that if we can not defend ourselves we do not survive....and for me this has caused a deep trauma, because all of my being is charged with knowing...there are no enemies....there are only LOVE. Love do not fight.....!!

Love
ia

That is an interesting way of putting it and I agree. There is only love and awareness. I think that I have to overcome myself in a sense and prove to myself that I can defeat my issues with love instead of violence. I already attempt to do this in my daily life, as I am a pacifist, so transferring it to the dream state should not be too hard. Thank you for your response.

[CFTraveler]

There is another possible reason for what is happening: When the dream becomes problematic, stress inducing, you start to wake up. And since you're already paralyzed (as you should be), the body awareness transfers into the dream itself, and you become unable to act. I do believe the attitude or reaction change (casting love) will change the mood of the dream and you'll be able to wake up completely from it without the bad experience.

[Osiris]

Fantastic dealing with Depression advice!

I've "defended" myself "over there" and in dreams tons of times, and in some pretty ugly fashions. Sometimes you dont even have to do anything just threaten and get good reactions. However a Reaction is 99 times out of 100 what the guilty party is looking for. The best defense is, if your conscious enough to pull it off, is no defense at all. Simply a blase' attitude is the absolute best. If someone comes at you with a butcher knife, over there, screaming bloody murder at the top of there lungs...SO What!!!...You've seen it all before, I know I have. Its ALL A Head game over there. Refuse to play and there is nothing left but some crazy persons idiocy to deal with lol. Which is always boring or funny, either way you win. Confidence rules the day, and if things get out of hand you always have the huge energy reserves your physical body provides you with so, basically your untouchable unless you LET it happen by blowing your cool.

Mind you I do believe there are Karmic ramifications regarding the things one does to another on the Astral planes and often times Dreams and OBEs can seem strangely similar. Dont mean to go off on a tangent but I find myself concerned with Karmic issues over there when you do ahhhh somewhat violent things over there with alittle too cool of a head if you know what I mean...

[PleaseJustListen]

There is another possible reason for what is happening: When the dream becomes problematic, stress inducing, you start to wake up. And since you're already paralyzed (as you should be), the body awareness transfers into the dream itself, and you become unable to act. I do believe the attitude or reaction change (casting love) will change the mood of the dream and you'll be able to wake up completely from it without the bad experience.

Thanks for the insightful feedback. I might just try that. I maybe am just a bit of a masochist though so I don't know.

[IA56]

Thanks for the insightful feedback. I might just try that. I maybe am just a bit of a masochist though so I don't know.

It is good that you admit that you might be a bit of a masochist, then you have to first solve it why, what happened, because if you are then the love cast might be impossible because you Think you need some spanking for some reason, that you Think you are not able to love that Deep or then you have got lost a bit in that area of feeling some degree of pain is felt as a pleasure, this is on the sex area and on the lowest area of ...and you might mix the sexual energy with sex....just a thought I got and I say I appologize if I am total off, it is not my meaning to harm you in anyway, but I know that the biggest thing is to mix up energies and theres purpose Before you have total sorted them out what is what.

Love
ia