On a sort of related topic, has anybody tried lucid dreaming?
It's kind of like inception, where you know you're in a dream and you can control what's happening.
Why would anyone in the world try lucid dreaming? It can be terrifying, like having a bad trip. It often accompanies sleep paralysis, which is what can make it terrible, since you start seeing things that are in a "real" setting while you're unable to move. Nightmare = running from ghosts in the woods. Lucid dreaming + Sleep paralysis = ghosts in your room while everything is exactly like it normally is.
That last part is how I can tell the difference between lucid dream + sleep paralysis vs. a nightmare. When I have a nightmare, all the details are fuzzy and I even though I can't tell it's real at the time, when I wake up, I know it was a nightmare. When I'm going through sleep paralysis, the details are crystal clear, as if I'm already awake. My clothes is exactly where I left it, the clock is showing a specific time, I can hear people on the street through my window, etc. But then the lucid dreaming kicks in and I'm floating through the air or an axe wielding maniac is sitting next to the bed.
The only cure: Education. Educating people that nothing crazy is happening to you, and that sleep paralysis is a normal biological process will prevent them from freaking out and going insane (or being scared to sleep). Or, have a normal sleeping schedule, of course, but that isn't possible for everyone.
