nightmare has me grounded

[flygirl60 0]

I am going through my AFF course and am at level 5. Over the last week I have had two really bad nightmares, well really only one but I had it twice.
I dream I am in freefall and go to throw my chute and it gets caught on my ankle. I try to shake it lose and nothing. I try to pull it free with my hand and only tumble around making it worse, finally I hit my cutaway and reserve but the main is there to stay and the reserve gets tangled up. I see the ground rushing up at me, then I am on the DZ watching what I know is me bounce. both times it was so real I just knew it was really happening.
I have tried to go do my level 5 three times now and can't go through with it...yet I know I have to.
Has anyone else had a simular experience and maybe some advice? My husband tends to think I am reading too much about malfunctions.

[andy2 0]

OK, I've studied dreams as a "hobby" you could say for a few years now. My dreams have always fascinated me, and I always love to examine them, etc.

My advice, if youre having trouble with dreams. First, look why this dream scares you. You're afraid of going in. I suggest learning everything you can about your equipment, so it becomes familiar to you, and OF COURSE drilling your emergency procedures in your head. This will equip you better when/if that time comes that you have a nasty malfunction. This will put your subconscious mind to rest, I bet.

Second, really sit down and examine your dreams, write little details, etc about the experience. Find patterns, find inconsistencies. The more you are familiar with the way you dream, the easier you are able to handle a nightmare. I bet after a couple weeks of writing down your dreams in a dream journal, thinking about your dreams, etc, you will stop having nightmares altogether. It worked for me.

You can't read too much about malfunctions, unless youre reading about them in a non productive manner. Try to have the attitude such as, "that is horrible, what can I learn from this unfortunate skydiver's situation". Youre reading to LEARN then, not just reading to freak yourself out, which is non productive.

OK, I probably gave you more information than you were looking for. I'm only a novice skydiver, I hope I help.

blue skies, Andy

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let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[betzilla 56]

Next time you have that nightmare, try to change the outcome, when you realize it's only a dream. I had a dream once where I was about to go in. Then I thought, "hey, this is a dream -- anything is possible here."

In 'lucid dreaming," you can take control of your dreams and change the outcome.

I also try to look at my skydiving dream as visualization, of a sort. What did you do in your dream that caused the bridle to entangle with you? It's a chance for you to learn from mistakes without actually making them.

[flygirl60 0]

You can't read too much about malfunctions, unless youre reading about them in a non productive manner.

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Thanks to be honest until this dream malfunctions only mildly bothered me because I had read so much about them I figured I would know what to do.

OK, I probably gave you more information than you were looking for. I'm only a novice skydiver, I hope I help.
are you kidding you can never give me too much info all help is greatly appreciated

[PhillyKev 0]

It's normal for everyone. I was sitting around with a group of jumpers last week and we were all talking about our skydiving nightmares. Everyone of us has had several. Face it, jumping out of a plane is not the most natural thing to do. In fact it's one of the most unnatural things to do. It violates the survival instinct. We overcome that instinct with our knowledge, training, and gear. But going against a basic human instinct is bound to cause your subconscionse to say WTF???

[flygirl60 0]

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It's normal for everyone. I was sitting around with a group of jumpers last week and we were all talking about our skydiving nightmares. Everyone of us has had several. Face it, jumping out of a plane is not the most natural thing to do. In fact it's one of the most unnatural things to do. It violates the survival instinct. We overcome that instinct with our knowledge, training, and gear. But going against a basic human instinct is bound to cause your subconscionse to say WTF???

Good to know that other skydivers deal with this also. Tommrow morning I am going to jump nerves or not, I feel I HAVE to or be haunted by this thing, never jumping again just isn't an option.

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

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Next time you have that nightmare, try to change the outcome, when you realize it's only a dream.

Yes, this is a good idea. Make sure you remember your big HOOK KNIFE in your next dream. Cut the bridle, then cut away and open your reserve into clean air and stick a perfect landing!

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In 'lucid dreaming," you can take control of your dreams and change the outcome.

I love these! I always get laid and I usually fly around like a superhero.

[Samurai136 0]

I've had nightmares about high speed malfunctions w/ a sniveling canopy. I've never had a cutaway and I figured that a high speed malfunction must be my sub-conscious mind's biggest fear.

I've always drilled my emergency procedures to the point that they become an instinctive reflex.

I think everyone has had some bad dreams in this sport.
Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[flygirl60 0]

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Make sure you remember your big HOOK KNIFE in your next dream. Cut the bridle, then cut away and open your reserve into clean air and stick a perfect landing!

Hook Knife? should I have one? No one has mentioned it to me.

[Luv2Fall 0]

Haven't had a skydiving dream yet.

[Genn 0]

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Hook Knife? should I have one? No one has mentioned it to me.

Are you being serious?

[oldnewbie 0]

Believe it or not, nobody mentioned a hook knife to me either!!!!!

However, I did read about it here at dropzone.com and then figured out what it was!!!

[flygirl60 0]

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Are you being serious?

yes, I have heard of them but no one has said a thing to me about them. I certainly have never been told to get one or carry one.

[PhillyKev 0]

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Haven't had a skydiving dream yet.

You probably need to research mals more and the shit that can go wrong...that'll get your subconscious going.

[PhillyKev 0]

Do a search on the forums for "hook knife"...lots of threads talking about what they're good for and what they're not.

[andy2 0]

[QUOTE]Hook Knife? should I have one? No one has mentioned it to me.

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Are you being serious?
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my DZ didnt supply me with a hook knife for AFF. I think thats common, I think a beginner could do more damage than good in an emergency if he/she thinks HOOK KNIFE I'll CUT SHIT. Best to drill in the vital emergency procedures, look right, grab right, look left grab left, peel right, pull right, peel left, pull left. FJC is already confusing enough. Anyways, thats off topic.

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[oldnewbie 0]

I've had this type of dream often!!!(well, not that often)

Usually i'm having a mal and i'm speeding to the ground, pulling everything my hands can grab, hoping for some kinda canopy to come out!!

Usually no canopy comes out, i hit the ground full speed, then i get up, look at all of the onlookers and say something like *I really need to work on my landings more often* or*Damn, that hurts* as i walk off to manifest on another load, or *I bet you people wished you could land like that*.

Then i wake up in a cold sweat, and analyse the situation!!!

Sometimes dreams are really stupid!!!

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

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Haven't had a skydiving dream yet.

ha ha ha I just had one sleeping at my desk this morning. It was complete with tornados (very cool) I assume because we were checking out Buffalo Lake on our climb to altitude this weekend (It got hit by a tornado a week or so ago) And I happened to drive through a town where there was a boogie and they were dropping prize-loaded flat-bed trailers with canopies attached. And you got to keep the prizes if you were the first one to the trailer.

And yes, ask AFF instructor about the hook knife... Ask if you can carry one on your student jumps. If you know you can defeat the mal you will kill the nightmare.

[Genn 0]

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my DZ didnt supply me with a hook knife for AFF. I think thats common, I think a beginner could do more damage than good in an emergency if he/she thinks HOOK KNIFE I'll CUT SHIT. Best to drill in the vital emergency procedures, look right, grab right, look left grab left, peel right, pull right, peel left, pull left. FJC is already confusing enough. Anyways, thats off topic.

I'm sorry, but saying that it is 'confusing enough' is...OMG...freakin' scary! There is a reason the course is so long....so that you know what you're in for.

I had a hook knife. I was told one non- confusing thing: This is in case you have a line over on your reserve and you need to cut the line.

After some experience, different disciplines, thinking, etc. I now know that a hook knife can come in handy for more than the above mentioned situation.

[PhillyKev 0]

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After some experience, different disciplines, thinking, etc. I now know that a hook knife can come in handy for more than the above mentioned situation.

One of the reasons I carry one is people whipping the door open on hot days once you reach 1000' without making sure everyone's seat belt is off. A canopy deploying out the door with your seat belt on isn't good for anyone.

[flygirl60 0]

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And yes, ask AFF instructor about the hook knife... Ask if you can carry one on your student jumps. If you know you can defeat the mal you will kill the nightmare.

thanks I will do that, if I can't have one on student status I will get one as soon as I am off it. I am usually level headed in an emergency(which is why I don't understand why this dream bothers me so much) and don't think I would go chop happy but it does sound like a good idea to have one.

[betzilla 56]

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Hook Knife? should I have one? No one has mentioned it to me.

No, don't sweat it. When it's time for you to consider having one, your JM's will talk to you about it.

[betzilla 56]

***After some experience, different disciplines, thinking, etc. I now know that a hook knife can come in handy for more than the above mentioned situation.

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Here's the thing about that situation -- think about it:

If your bridle is entangled with your ankle, it's FAR from your reserve container. Therefore, if you go straight for silver, you will most likely get a clean reserve deployment without ever touching your hook knife.

If you cutaway first, you risk entangling your reserve with your main risers, which are still attached to you, since your main container never opened. I was taught not to waste time with a cutaway, if it won't separate me from my malfunction.

If you start trying to cut crap with your hook knife, you're wasting valuable time as you pass thorugh your hard deck at terminal. I wouldn't want to go in with nothing out, but my hook knife in my hand. Maybe that's just me.

Although I carry a hook knife, I will probably only use it if I have a reserve malfunction, to try to improve my situation as a last resort.

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[flygirl60 0]

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If you cutaway first, you risk entangling your reserve with your main risers, which are still attached to you, since your main container never opened. I was taught not to waste time with a cutaway, if it won't separate me from my malfunction

Thats something to think about because I would probably have cut away hoping that it would pull free. maybe I need to study up on this particular mal a bit more.

[arlo 0]

please, as much advice is given to you in this forum (with the best intentions), listen to your jumpmasters/instructors...not us. when you are free to jumpmaster yourself, then all this other information may come in handy. too much information from too many directions while you're still on AFF can be detrimental to your learning right now...

go kick it's ass!

arlo

p.s. FWIW, i've had my share of total/low reserve pull dreams where i've hit the ground just at line stretch. I'd jump up, look around (to see if there was a witness), brush myself off thinking "Damn! I hope no one saw me do that... hey! i'm still alive! "