Quote Originally Posted by MonochromeBaku View Post
Thanks for the reply, this really cleared a few things up. I'll be patient and work hard, but I hope it isn't really 10 years. I'd assume that's the very farthest end of the spectrum with hard work on it. On another unrelated point I was wondering about - if you'll indulge me - is relating to time. In a dream, hours can pass in the dream with only minutes passing in real life, your time perception is slowed down. Does this apply to lucid dreams, or does becoming lucid restore you to a waking-life time-sense?
Time in dreams is mostly the same as waking life. Some studies revealed that depending on what your actions the time might be slower. For example, counting 1 to 10 took basically the same time, but doing sit-ups took about 44,5% longer in a lucid dream than in waking life.
What you're refering though is not a characteristics of dream themselves. The sensation of time dilation can be seen in movies for example. We experience a cut-scene with something "2 months later" and we end up accepting without knowing that there was a temporal jump. This happens many times with dreams as well. You'll probably experience some "time slowing down" in your lucids, but it's impossible to pin point what exactly you'll experience. Remember that your entire experience is based on a mental model created by your brain at the same time you perceive it. Add to that the fact that certain brain areas responsible for logic and perceptual thinking are way less active and you can understand why sometimes lucids can feel like they include themselves in a whole new realm of reality.