The Dream Classification Chart

Throughout my life I’ve had a number of different kinds of dreams. This is my attempt at trying to classify them in an attempt to better understand them.

Level 1. Impression dream: left with only a vague impression of a concept where I feel there’s more but I can’t put my finger on it, these tend to fade quickest
Level 2. Narrative dream: feels like watching a movie, there’s a story playing out, most often this kind of dream will be the kind of dream that holds information if interpreted
Level 3. Lucid dream: I’m aware in the dream and I know that I’m dreaming
Level 4. Multilayered dream: I wake up from one dream into another more lucid dream often the only way to know if I’m dreaming is to do reality checks
Level 5. Hypnogogic experiences: while the experience is happening, I can’t tell what a dream and what’s reality. I often have to do multiple reality checks upon waking to be sure I’m awake (sometimes one or many of them would suggest I’m awake when I’m actually still dreaming)
Level 6. WTF dream: my dream seems more real than my walking life after I wake up. These are the kind of dreams that make me question my very concept of reality.

Strange Lumberjack Man Sleep Paralysis

Last night I had a weird sleep paralysis episode featuring what I’ve come to understand is generally called the lumberjack man. Here is what I recorded when I woke up about it.

I dreamed I was editing a yard with something like the open sim editor floating above it. Then I went inside the house/apartment and talked to someone about playing some kind of game. Then I was editing those trees again and turning the needles of a pine tree more blueish. Then I started drawing some lichens that were on the tree on some paper. Then I had some of the lichens in my hand and I had the impression they were sentient so I started taking to it. Nothing happened so I gave up and tried to go to bed. The house was like a larger version of my apartment but with the kitchen in an area leading to the bathroom instead. I closed my eyes to sleep and thought I saw someone. I sat up and turned on my phone’s flashlight and saw my freezer door close and then a man peaked around the corner. He had a beard and was wearing red flannel. I tried to say something to him but found I couldn’t speak. Then I woke up with a start. When I realized I really was awake I felt the need to sit up and check that I locked the door to my apartment. I had. I laid back down and tried to go back to sleep for awhile but I couldn’t fall back asleep. Then my alarm went off. I hear people arguing outside. It is a fullmoon.

I would classify this as a level 4.5 dream.