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Kava and Dreaming

Blinkyrocket

Kava Enthusiast
I really enjoyed this thread, I know it's an older one and I'm not even sure how I found it. I've had a ton of Lucid dreaming I also have a sort of half sleep hallucinating that happens where I am aware what I am seeing is not real but it still scares the hell out of me because I can't "wake myself up" from it largely because I'm not actually fully asleep and it's also frequently accompanied by a sort of sleep paralysis. A difficult experience to explain. All of this without ever having tried Kava, I'm interested to see what happens with dreaming and half sleep states after using Kava.
That actually is sleep paralysis, I've seen a cockroach on the ceiling and then cockroaches all over me, an old deformed lady in the corner of the room, and some thing (something demonic) standing on my chest once, that one was particularly terrifying and you can't scream. But afterwards it's mildly funny/exhilarating. This was all after a difficult event in my life, never happens anymore.
 

Vinestal

Kava Curious
That actually is sleep paralysis, I've seen a cockroach on the ceiling and then cockroaches all over me, an old deformed lady in the corner of the room, and some thing (something demonic) standing on my chest once, that one was particularly terrifying and you can't scream. But afterwards it's mildly funny/exhilarating. This was all after a difficult event in my life, never happens anymore.
Yup this is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about. I've seen a lot of things crawling on the walls and ceiling. I wake my wife up and she just laughs at me and tells me to go back to sleep. It doesn't happen a lot but does so when I'm super tired and sore but can't quite fall asleep. I'm always aware that what I'm seeing can't possibly be real but it's still freaks me out.
 

Blinkyrocket

Kava Enthusiast
Yup this is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about. I've seen a lot of things crawling on the walls and ceiling. I wake my wife up and she just laughs at me and tells me to go back to sleep. It doesn't happen a lot but does so when I'm super tired and sore but can't quite fall asleep. I'm always aware that what I'm seeing can't possibly be real but it's still freaks me out.
The demon on my chest was actually after reading about it on Wikipedia, so my mind took that image and created it for me lol. Weird that you know they can't be real because for mine, the brief moment that I was hallucinating, I had no idea it wasn't real. Well, the first time I had no idea but then I started realizing. The fact that I could be terrified and believe that it was real and then be completely fine and calm once it went away actually calmed me and interested me. Good luck on your possible future hallucinations :p. I think once your stress goes away they'll go away too.
 

VictoryRider

Kava Enthusiast
Great thread.

Back a couple decades ago I had a bout of panic attacks that lasted about 1.5 years. During that time, I had really unsettling
strange dreams. After a while I had recurring dreams that fell into about 3 different themes. I really, really hated those dreams.

I learned about lucid dreaming and found I could use it to resolve the recurring dreams. It was really easy to recognize I was in
one of those recurring dream sequences since it happened so often. I could then become lucid.

Once lucid I could control the dreams. Whenever I would normally get into a predictably scary/unpleasant part of it, I would
change the outcome into something pleasant. It worked!!!!! It took a couple months for the dreams to stop coming but
during that time they were no longer frightening. I got to the point where I could turn them into really interesting and fun/pleasurable
dreams.

Haven't done this in many, many years. It definitely has some therapeutic uses.
 

yiki

Kava Enthusiast
After closer examination of the situation, i'm now 100% sure, that Kava does not change my dreams, but the lemon balm in my kava candies does.
I can only encourage everyone to try a tea made from 3 teaspoons of lemon balm before bed and see what happens. I know talk about other plants is not welcome here, but i thought it would not be respectful to not let my former statement stand.
 

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
Interesting topic. When I first started drinking Kava 15 years ago, one of the big selling points was the more lucid and vivid dreams. I used to get them every time I drank Kava, though back then it was only a few times a week. These would be multi-layered, super intense dreams where I could easily breakthrough and interact on a conscious-dreaming level. The only thing that has given me more intense dreams is malaria prophylaxis (lariam, mefloquine) or fever itself. However, recently I have not had the vivid dream side effect (or benefit, as I like to think of it). I'm not sure what happened, but I miss having rich, elaborate Kava dreams.
 
S

Summer

I definitely had a change in my dreaming pattern since taking kava. When I was in withdrawal from Klonopin I had horrible nightmares for months. When I started taking kava, the nightmares almost ceased and now, two years later, they are pretty much gone and my dreams are almost always pleasant and very vivid. I barely have nightmares anymore.

I think the further I get away from the Klonopin is helping, of course, but I am certain the kava affects my dreaming in positive ways.
 

Vinestal

Kava Curious
After closer examination of the situation, i'm now 100% sure, that Kava does not change my dreams, but the lemon balm in my kava candies does.
I can only encourage everyone to try a tea made from 3 teaspoons of lemon balm before bed and see what happens. I know talk about other plants is not welcome here, but i thought it would not be respectful to not let my former statement stand.
Want to say thanks for the info on lemon balm, I took a couple of capsules with actual leaf in them last night before bed after 8 oz of tart cherry juice and a Valarium tea and had some of the best dreaming and sleep I've had in years. I'm still waiting for my Kava to show up in the mail, I'm learning some helpful things in the mean time.
 

avahZ

YAHWEH Shalom
Interesting topic. When I first started drinking Kava 15 years ago, one of the big selling points was the more lucid and vivid dreams. I used to get them every time I drank Kava, though back then it was only a few times a week. These would be multi-layered, super intense dreams where I could easily breakthrough and interact on a conscious-dreaming level. The only thing that has given me more intense dreams is malaria prophylaxis (lariam, mefloquine) or fever itself. However, recently I have not had the vivid dream side effect (or benefit, as I like to think of it). I'm not sure what happened, but I miss having rich, elaborate Kava dreams.

It's likely because you are getting older. In my 20's I had many dreams, now that I am in my 40's I have few dreams or few that I can recal. That concerned me so after checking with Dr. Google, it appears to be a normal part of getting older...
 

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
That's sad. I love dreaming. Actually had some brilliant dreams last night and do think it's connected to the enormous Nambawan shells I consumed.
 

yiki

Kava Enthusiast
Want to say thanks for the info on lemon balm, I took a couple of capsules with actual leaf in them last night before bed after 8 oz of tart cherry juice and a Valarium tea and had some of the best dreaming and sleep I've had in years. I'm still waiting for my Kava to show up in the mail, I'm learning some helpful things in the mean time.
Vinestal, reading this makes me very happy. I've been a big fan of lemon balm for a while now and found that it gives me deep rest and effortless sleep. It also seems to inhibit harmful viruses, so it's a great plant to take during the cold season. The special and visionary dreams it sometimes provides can also help youi emotionally. It will be interesting to see how you like kava. To me, Kava is not comparable to the gentle, subtle embrace of lemon balm, but probably more intense and depending on the strain deeply relaxing or very inspiring.
 
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