I think that he don't refers to the natural awareness. he refers to the detachment you have when you are lucid, when you know you are dreaming. I mean, I wants to say that when you know you are dreaming, you become aware and you become free.
because for example, one can have dreams of "dreaming of being lucid" and that's not lucidity. in those dreams, you "think" you know you are dreaming(you don't really know it) and so, you are not free from the dream. awareness in the dream state(KNOWING you are dreaming), lucidity, means freedom.