I can't punch or run in my dreams!

Whenever I’m fighting someone in my dreams which is almost every night, I’ll swing like im in slow mo or something and they have no effect. Same thing when I’m running…I’ll be running slower than an 80 year old woman even though I’m trying to run as fast as I can because something is chasing me. I wanna lay someone out but something won’t let me!

try running backwards
it always works for me

i punched a picture in my LD and it barely made a sound

Now that you mention it I do. Not the punching part but definitely the running. On a few occasions this has happened. It’s not really like slo-mo but I’m definitely running slower than I would in real life. I remember a while ago I was being chased by something (I think they might have been in a car) and I was trying to run like a madman down my street, but it’s kind of hard to describe what was preventing me from running. It’s like there was an invisible wall or glass ceiling or whatever that prevented me from surpassing a speed limit. I felt so uncoordinated too which is what I think was the root of the problem, like I fell over once and was very dizzy. I was trying to acquire a rhythm but the act of running was just seemingly impossible, especially at speed. Like I was trying to juggle or something. Very weird.

I’ve had the running thing. It’s like trying to run in a pool, in chest deep water. Frustrating and hard as hell.

i have this prob too. try grasping the ground to pull yourself. i always grab a chunk of grass and pull…somehow this jumpstarts me to go a little faster sometimes it makes me fly off…

I too have had problems running in my dreams. It’s weird, the faster I try to run, the slower I go. It’s always when somone is chasing me as well. I think I am suppose to confront whatever is chasing me and not run away from it.

i think whoever said it’s like running in water was right.
you can run backwards though

Yeah it’s weird when this happens to me. I find that one of my legs wont work so I end up doing a really odd lope thing.

The punching thing I’ve had as well, when Iwas younger. I found that when I had to punch someone in real life that I was really paranoid that the same thing would happen so I really went for it. :woo: Let’s just say that I was never bullied again. :gni:

perhaps yourself?

Of course you can’t run. That’s why it’s frightening. The dream is about “running but not escaping”. Thats a fear of yours, i guess - maybe symbolic - and so you dream about it. Therefore, you can’t escape by running. It would make the dream senseless, it would contradict it. Maybe your Subconcious wants to tell you “Don’t run, it doesn’t help anyways.”

I can imagine that running backwards is not considered as an act of fleeing by the mind. Therefore, you can run backwards. It’s a workaround. And of course, you are “facing the danger” while running backwards. Maybe that’s what you are supposed to do by your subconcious mind?

By the way, what i can’t do in dreams is beatboxing. It’s something i’m quite good at in waking life. However, if i want to show it to somebody in a dream, it’s just not coming out, or its not loud enough. I don’t have an Idea why this is… maybe it shall show that i’m insecure? But I’m not. Suggestions :smile:?

I find I can’t run or punch too…

Not quite like being in water, maybe something more substantial. I would say maybe caramel. Like running in caramel, only it’s less delicious.

I couldn’t punch either. My fist would hit the guys face, bat at the end of the
punch, it would be really weak. Now it seems to go away and I can hit just fine.
But I wish it didn’t so I could use it as a very obvious dream sign. I suggest you use your “dream weakness” as a dream sign.

wowww ive had the punching problem in my dreams since i was very little. everytime i ever try to punch someone in a dream its in slow motion and just like Chris_18 described, once it comes into contact with someone its very weak. i also think in real life sometimes that i will swing at someone and it will be slow, like Angelmouse said. It feels so weird to read people talking about something you thought no one else had haha

Gah I got the punching thing so badly last night. It’s bloodboiling! You want more than anything to be able to punch but it’s just soooo slow.

I want to work on changing that, because I want to kick some ass!

(Wasn’t a lucid dream though, I think I could probably punch in a LD).

However I think I may know what part of the punching problem is. This just occured to me while typing this.

I wake up every morning with both my arms asleep because I sleep with my head resting on my arms. So my arms are paralyzed for a minute upon awakening. I think that might explain it.

Anyone else who experiences it also experience the arm thing?

For the running: Do not focus on running itself, rather focus on getting somewhere save. Imagine being in a place far away (It can be made up or something you see in the horizon.) And then go there. Just be there and do not run to the place.

For the punching: The same thing, but do not focus on hitting your enemy. Know that he will fall down. The ‘hitting’ part will be skipped and your enemy is defeated :smile:

In general: It is a dream! Everything is possible. Just believe :smile: Let your fear go. The tips I gave above are just trics. You can actually run fast or punch someone if you believe and calm down.

Edit: I have the paralized arm thing a lot but that does not mean that I can’t use my arm in a ND/LD

Hola!,
That happened to me! I was running away from floating creepy stuff like heads, and I was “running” up the stairs. I was going like 3 MPH! I trying punching them but it was like dis-locating my arm! I tried fighting someone and they were just walking with me punching and kicking them really hard!

-Alex K

I really think it has something to do with sleeping on your arm and stopping the blood flow to it. Lot’s of real life things affect your dreams. You hear your alarm clock as a siren going off or something. Dog licking your face, you dream it’s somebody else doing it.

When I run it feels like someone was pulling a rug out from underneath me.
Almost like I’m on an invisible treadmill.

I can never land a good punch in my dreams if I am myself. However, if I am someone other than myself I can usually do it very well. Two occasions come to mind. In one dream I was Robin Hood, and there was a monster charging around a busy marketplace. I went for my quiver, but instead of an arrow my hand returned with a wooden spoon, so I did the obvious and beat the beast unconscious with it (not quite punching). The other occasion, I was an escaped genetics experiment, fighting for my life and freedom, and I landed some very good punches, imbetween the swordfighting and various decapitations. I think the fact that I don’t do well when I’m myself shows that it’s probably down to a fear of not being able to defend myself.
I only remember a problem with running once, which was when I was lucid. It was just sluggish and drawn out.

I find my running to be actually quite normal when it comes to speed, it’s control that i seem to have trouble with. Like for example, when i’m being chased i run all lanky and awkwardly.