So many people talk about a spiritual and emotional affinity with their pets, even when they are gone. I know it can’t be proven, but I do believe it is real.
Special people too. I am a very cynical person, but like my dog, i have had a special person visit me more than once, it was obviously a vivid dream, but you never know…
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Yes, and I think we know that there is a difference between a dream and that kind of experience? (especially if you are awake!)
I have found that during the few times I have lost people there is a heightened sense of awareness around remembering their voice, and dreaming about them, but that other experiences can defy logical explanation.
The whole Christian worldview is based on that.
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Well, i assumed i was awake, the experience was so real, and there was that strange feeling of being awake but knowing/thinking it was a dream.
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Lucid dreams - it is a thing. Can you decide the story in that moment?
Sorry if I’m going off-topic. I’m getting a lot of this at the mo, and not just about pets, so I may start a new topic.
Take care.
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I know all about lucid dreams! In my post on the top 5 songs, i chose Silent Lucidity by Queensryche, you may like to YouTube it! No need to apologise for going off topic to me, that’s how conversations work! 
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My staffy always used to make a deep sigh sound when he was relaxed in his basket in the kitchen and a week after he was put to sleep, both me and my mum at different times heard the exact sound as if he was in the kitchen with us.
He also had a habit of kicking the kitchen door with his back feet when he laid on his stomach and once or twice heard the door make a hitting noise.
Gave me such goose bumps but I believe pets visit before they fully transition
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My certainty of being awake has perhaps dropped to 99% now, l’d rather keep my mind open to a little doubt. The lucid dream idea would explain a lot. 
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I used to be able to lucid dream when I was younger. Can’t do it now, but it was pretty fun whilst it lasted!
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I’ve had a couple of lucid dreams, it’s a really weird feeling! There’s a ton of stuff on YouTube about how to train yourself to lucid dream although I think some people have a more natural inclination to it than others.
I had one unfortunate dream where something really unpleasant was happening to me and I knew I was dreaming but I couldn’t wake up. In the end I thought kicking out and yelling in the dream would wake my husband who in turn would wake me up and get me out of it…it did work! Looking back that was probably more of a nightmare than anything else.
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I’ve suffered from this since I was a child- its called sleep paralysis and it’s terrifying. Every time it happens someone is trying to strangle me or touch me inappropriately and I literally cannot move or make a sound even though I am fully awake.
I now have a nightlight! 
Funnily enough, I had one of these dreams last night! 
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@PrettyKitty24 The lucid dreams are certainly better than the sleep paralysis ones…they’re just plain frightening! 
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Ive been afraid to try lucid dreaming from my sleep paralysis experiences but I have heard lucid dreaming is pretty cool!
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I was never able to do really cool stuff, I could stop nightmares if I needed to (I just used to curl up into a ball and eventually when I looked up the dream had changed) and I could almost fly (I say almost because it was just jumping really high - brilliant until I dropped out of the sky and woke up). I used to have dreams about being on a broomstick (Harry Potter was my life) but I couldn’t ever get more than 2 meters off the ground.
@PrettyKitty24 Sleep Paralysis sounds absolutely horrible, I’m sorry you’ve experienced it 
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Sleep paralysis is scary - I always feel like I’ve woken up, and I can feel myself moving my arms, but when I look down everything is motionless, almost dead-like. It used to freak me out as I tried harder and harder to get my dead arms to move and I felt so awake. It was like I wasn’t inside my own body. I now know that really I’m still asleep, so if I stop trying and imagine going back to sleep I’ll eventually wake up properly, all moving parts in order!
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I’ve been playing with lucid dreaming for years and it is still hit and miss mostly as to whether I can control the dream.
Regarding sleep paralysis I can help. If you are aware of being asleep and unable to move calm your mind, don’t panic, big breath out and DROP.
Now let me explain what drop is… simply it is the feeling of letting your body fall to the ground, the body should feel heavy as it would an unconscious body with all muscles relaxing simultaneously. Practice it and feel it whilst awake in bed and you will be able to when asleep. Basically it’s a sudden relaxation that will pull you out of the hypnogogic/hypnopompic state where paralysis occurs.
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I don’t think I actually want to control the dream / life, it’s more fun being carried along with the flow and I remember all sorts of experiences. I’m sure my subconscious knows what it’s doing.
On the other hand, thinking about what might stimulate continuous orgasms and perhaps not being the most suitable gender, maybe I do. 
I used to lucid dream a lot in my early 20’s. One particular dream scared me though.
I was consciously aware I was asleep but I had full control. I remember finding my way into a run down mansion and you know that feeling like you’re being followed or watched and the feeling was sinister and remember running away from this large shadow.
Last thing I remember is someone rather muscular pulling me out of the way if it and then waking up 
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