What exactly is lucidity?

Hi, I've been wondering for a while over what lucidity is. Do you become aware while lucid; is your mind awake? If so then why do you need to practice dream recall? Doesn't it become part of your normal memory because what you just experienced was something really vivid and realistic while you were aware?

The reason I ask is because I just woke up and I vaguely remember controlling my dream (I know it happened but I barely remember it). For some reason I don't remember, I became aware that I was dreaming so I walked outside my house into a sunny day and started rubbing my hands.. that's the last thing I remember.

I haven't written in my dream journal for a while so is that why?

I guess my real question is do you have to remember lucid dreams or do you wake up and they're part of your memory like anything you do in real life?

There's a difference between a real life memory and a lucid dream memory. I am not sure for others but the main difference is my senses are not as sharp in a lucid dream as compared to real life. So I wouldn't take note of slight discomforts in lucid dreams, like a tired leg or an itchy arm, as compared to real life. And I think our brain has the power to differentiate between real life memories and lucid dream memories too. So since lucid dream is still a dream, it will be categorised under dreams and we might lose it if we don't try recalling it.

That's why dream recalling is one of the first step many people practice to advance to lucidity.

As for the question on lucidity, the moment you're aware you're in a dream, your consciousness takes over the dream while your subconscious still controls other factors in the dream.

I may be wrong since I'm fairly new in lucid dreaming too.

Somehow the brain doesn't feel like dream memory is worth "saving" and as soon as you wake up, you'll forget about it. You have to try and recall dreams every morning and eventually the brain will know that it's something it should "save" and not just throw away. That's a logical viewpoint, exactly how it works I don't really know.

Lucidity in a dream is awareness, why it's not super vivid and solid is because you're not just looking at a scenario and processing what you see, the brain makes every single image up on its own (along with the sounds, smells, feelings etc) and it can't be an easy task. That's why we need to focus.

And one more thing, imagine yourself getting up, walking outside, doing ten different things and walking down to your supermarket. Now, try to recall everything exactly as you imagined it. You'll find that it's almost the same with dream memory, it's not very easy. I've got a theory when it comes to memory and it's that the more senses you incorporate in the action, the better the "imprint" ie, memory of that action will be.

To answer your final question, lucid dreams are a bit easier to remember than normal dreams as you're aware when you're waking up and hold on to the memory you just came out of. There's still a chance you'll lose the memory though so stick to it and lie still, try to remember everything you experienced in as much detail as possible before writing it down.

When we dream the chemicals in our brain designed for converting memories to long-term storage are suppressed. This is why we don't recall our dreams very well.

Most vivid dreams occur during the later REM cycles, usually the period right before we wake. This helps us remember them better. These dreams also last longer than dreams earlier in the night.

Practicing dream recall is best done immediately upon waking, when the visions are still in our mind and we can still connect to the REM cycle we were dreaming in. If we don't get these memories converted to long-term storage they will simply fade out. Lucid dreams are no exception; if you don't practice recall efforts the lucid dream will disappear or fade like any other dream. Our awareness in a LD does not give us additional advantage at remembering it. The events in the dream are more likely to be remembered because of their unique status and the fact we typically wake during or right at the end of a lucid dream, but without making the effort to recall it the dream will fade like any other.

Your not really "awake." But you can have that feeling of omg I'm AWAKE. It's like a heightened state of sleepiness.
If you wake directly from a lucid dream it's easiest to recall.

I'm too tired to read everyone's responses :(

Thanks a lot for the information. I'm still not sure I understand why awareness in lucid dreaming doesn't give much additional advantage in remembering a dream.

From the many lucid experiences I've read, I've found that most people are amazed at the realness and vividness of a fully lucid dream. I don't see the relation of having such an experience with having to recall it when you wake up or else it will fade. Know what I mean? Is it possible to remember a lucid dream as something you experienced in real life?

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Originally Posted by Texada

Is it possible to remember a lucid dream as something you experienced in real life?

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I'm sure it's possible, but extremely unlikely. If you knew it was a dream while you were dreaming why would you forget that it was a dream when you look back at it at some point in the future? Unless you take a serious blow to the head that scrambles some of your memories I doubt this would actually happen. You're more likely to mistake an ordinary dream for something that happened in reality. False awakenings can give many good examples of this happening.

Most of my lucid dreams are incredibly vivid and I remember every part of them as if they were real life, they really do feel like real memories. The only thing I forget is the amount of lucidity or control I had in my dream.

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Originally Posted by Texada

Do you become aware while lucid; is your mind awake?

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Yes.

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Originally Posted by Texada

If so then why do you need to practice dream recall?

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You don't. It's new-age hype.

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Originally Posted by Texada

Doesn't it become part of your normal memory because what you just experienced was something really vivid and realistic while you were aware?

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Yes.

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Originally Posted by Texada

The reason I ask is because I just woke up and I vaguely remember controlling my dream (I know it happened but I barely remember it).

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Vaguely remember? Barely remember? Non-lucid.

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Originally Posted by Texada

For some reason I don't remember, I became aware that I was dreaming so I walked outside my house into a sunny day and started rubbing my hands.. that's the last thing I remember.

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"I became aware that I was dreaming.." It doesn't sound like it.

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Originally Posted by Texada

I guess my real question is do you have to remember lucid dreams or do you wake up and they're part of your memory like anything you do in real life?

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If it's a lucid dream, you won't forget it. If you have two, you won't forget them. If you have three, you won't forget them.. but like all experiences, the more you have, the less you remember.. and if you feel the need to write them all down in case you forget, then those ones are not worth remembering in the first place.

Don't believe the teenage hype. They can b.s. 'til the cows come home.