Quote Originally Posted by Eonnn View Post
Most people don't understand what it is, and when you tell them they seem uninterested.

Others are amazed and intrigued whilst only a few of those will actually pursue it further.

Then you have people like my brother who says he's had them a few times and doesn't think much of it.
Good categories. Those do seem to be the three reactions. I can think of at least one of each of those people in my life.

Most people who I've told about it seem intrigued though. The most common reaction is that they've heard about it before and are interested. Like my mom - she'll still ask me how 'that lucid dreaming thing is going' occasionally. And there was a professor I had once to whom I brought it up for some reason, and she seemed fascinated, and told me we'll have to talk about it when class is over because she'd love to hear about my experiences - something that never happened. I've never seen anyone interested enough to want to do it themselves. Then people like my dad and brother are completely uninterested.

The third reaction is the one that confuses me the most. The first lucid dream I can remember having took place when I was like 12 years old. I had never heard of 'lucid dreaming' before, but it was one of the most exhilarating feelings ever, and I could definitely tell it was different from a regular dream. I wanted to be able to do it again. I can't imagine that someone could experience that and not want to do it again. Maybe theirs just aren't as intense.

And then there's my boyfriend. These people confuse me even more. Often, when he tells me about some dream he had, if it was unpleasant, he'll say he woke himself up to get away from it. The first time he said this I was like "wait... you knew you were dreaming?" and he said yes. I asked him if he always knows he's dreaming, and he said he does. But he's never tried to increase his awareness or control anything. He doesn't think there's a point because it's just a dream, and his recall is poor so he remembers them to be dull and hazy. Maybe I'll ask him to do something in a dream once, just to prove that he can. I get the feeling that perhaps he doesn't have that much awareness in his dreams. Like he realizes he's dreaming, which is the only requirement for lucidity, but doesn't understand that it isn't real. That sounds contradictory but I think all of us who have practiced LDing have experienced that at some point - knowing you're dreaming yet for some reason still taking stuff that goes on in the dream seriously, failing to realize that none of it matters.

My aunt is like this too. My mom told me about a conversation they had, and my aunt told her that she always knows when she's dreaming, and even controls the dreams sometimes to change them if she doesn't like what's going on. But again, she doesn't go any further and try to create some amazing world or anything.