Thread: Intelligent DCs

yea ive noticed that people always say their dcs are retards. mine actually seem normal, i think its ok. maybe it has to do with what people expect other people to act like, idk

Perhaps there's a correlation between the intelligence of the DCs and the intelligence of the dreamer, them being projections of themselves and all. Bahaha.

For me, it depends on the DC. There are the extras, the ones who fade into the background, and have a sheepl-like mentality. Then there are the characters, who have a lot more to say, and are typically more dangerous.

To use Inception as an example, I liken "extra" DCs to the swarming projections shown in the movie, while the real "characters" are more like Mal.

My DCs are a lot like Samael's as in it depends on the DC and the type of dream I am having. There are "extras" who are pea-brained and then there are the more life like DCs who although do not take on a form of someone I have seen in RL I could see my self (and have in a few dreams lucid and non-lucid) having all manner of conversations with and getting meaningful answers from because they seem so real to me at the time.

Take Care,
D.G.

I would definitely agree with the above. I've run into some extraordinarily intelligent DC's with some very insightful things to say, though, like everyone else, I do also have my moments with DC's who speak total gibberish and eventually just fade out.

My noobish observation is that DC's in LD's tend to be more stupid and sheep like because that's what I expect of them. Where as in normal dreams my subconscious tends to invent more depth and personality for them as soon as I become lucid I'm aware they're DC's and they pretty much do what I say. Of course I haven't spoken to that many DC's in LD's so my opinion might change.

Theoretically, it's up to what you believe, if you expect DCs to be dumb hey will be dumb, if you expect them to be intelligent they will be intelligent (probably not more than you)

I thought everything in our dreams including DCs were just parts of our subconscious? If that's the case, would DCs responses coincide with how we would respond to the same things in real life? Depending on how strongly we're feeling about wanting a response in the first place from them of course. By that I mean, in waking life, we ask questions we don't expect terribly in-depth answers to. If I were to ask a question with the mission in mind to receive a coherent answer as opposed to asking away and hoping for at least some oral noise as a response, would that make a difference?

hm... interesting. maybe it has something to do with the fact that most of my DCs are real people that i know or videogame and movie characters?

It's rare for my dreams to include people I don't know outside of 'background extras' who I never actually talk to. All of the people in my dreams are people I know in real life, and they act pretty much the way they do in waking life. It's actually pretty cool, it means I know them well enough that, atleast subconsciously, I know what they will do in a given situation.

A lot of the main DCs in my dreams are seemingly totally random people, as in I really don't know who they are. It's odd, because I guess I invent personalities to go with them. Each one seems to think differently, but think nonetheless.

They act as you expect them to act, that given I believe they can be as smart or as dumb as you believe people can be.

I'm going to revive a real old thread here.
And I have a couple question for you guys.

1) Have any of you ever had a dream character in a LD trying to convince you that they're more intelligent/advanced than you are?

2) Do any of your DCs sometimes get excited when you become lucid?

My DCs tend to get very excited when I become lucid, observing my every move, waiting for me to talk to them or make them do something. ^^
On one occasion not long ago one of my DCs got overly excited when I became lucid. When I asked them what they symbolized they could hardly contain their
excitement. I had to calm them down in order to get a straight forward answer from them. Actually, the whole situation was pretty hilarious because for some reason I felt kind of embarrassed for the DC for making such a fuss over me becoming lucid.

as far as I can remember all of my dream characters are regular, but I've yet to talk to any DCs in my lucid dreams, so unlucid me probably didn't notice if their sentences didn't make any sense.

Judging by the number of responses to my questions I gather this is something not many are concerned with, that this some rather personal phenomenon I am dealing with here.


A couple of nights ago I became semi-lucid and one of my DCs tried to help me along to become fully lucid by saying something weird, but I didn't quite make it.
I kind of observed myself pondering whether what the DC was saying made any sense. It was like observing my mind figuring out whether this situation was worth becoming lucid over. Unfortunately, my mind took a turn and reasoned away the weird comment that my DC made. Yet another missed opportunity. My bad.

Remember that DC's are nothing more, or less, than a reflection of your own thoughts; perhaps even some thoughts that lie deeper in your unconscious than you normally dive.

It could be that this subject is a unique one for you, Kairos, simply because your mindset is in a unique place. It is your own expectations, whether you know you have them or not, that tend to energize DC behavior, so yours might be doing things totally different than other people's.

In other words, the DC's might just be reflecting your own excitement (this could be even more true if you're generally calm about LD'ing), and are not being excited on their own. By the same token, as projections of your imagination, they likely would have no idea why they are excited. Instead of asking them questions, and going down the road you did, it might be better to just let them have their excitement and leave them be; after all, your dreaming mind might just have created a handy tool for venting your own excitement away from your dream body DC (and that would be a very good thing).

Why a DC would tell you it is smarter than you is another subject, though; in that case I would suggest asking them why... perhaps your unconscious has something to share.

If we expect dream characters to posses knowledge that we're not aware of, will they actually behave as more intelligent individuals? If this is what we expect for a dream character to act like, then where did he/she got that additional information? And what if the opposite happens? What if I expect a dream character to act in some way, and it turns out he/she acted how it wanted regardless of my expectations? What if I were to expect a dream character to act unexpectedly, what then?

The little experience I've had as a lucid dreamer has made me question the degree to which expectation works in the development of the dream. Not everything goes as planned when in a dream; expectations, even while playing a very big role, can only go so far. I know I'm not the only one who has thought of this. If I remember, in "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep," dreams of higher quality can arise to the dreamer, perhaps containing knowledge which may have been unknown to the dreamer prior to the experience. Although these types of dreams are likely to become "available" to more advanced practitioners, the idea behind a "dream of clarity" may limit our use of expectation in how these dreams play out. Even while reading "Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self," it's known to us that what we find or experience in our dreams may not always be in line with what we expected to happen in them.

It's interesting to note that DCs can behave VERY differently depending on whether you're lucid or not. It would be strange (and a great dream sign!) if DCs in non-lucids behaved like "no-brain extras". My (when lucid) DCs also tend to be very quiet and complicit, while when non-lucid can be very aggressive and infuriating and in conflict with me.

Thanks for your input, guys. I appreciate it.
You gave me quite a few things to think about.


@Sageous

In other words, the DC's might just be reflecting your own excitement (this could be even more true if you're generally calm about LD'ing), and are not being excited on their own.

I've been thinking about what you said there. And you're right. I am generally calm about LD'ing. I have been honing my “emotional response system” as I call it for many years now, thru dream work, meditation and yoga. I am overall a very composed person. Dream work/study is my absolute passion. And I am very serious about it. I like to think of myself as someone who takes care of their dream world and considers it of equal importance as physical reality. Over the time I have trained myself to keep my emotions under observation at (pretty much) all times (awake). What I don't mean is that I suppress them. What I mean is that I rather observe them and allow them to pass without getting attached to them or identified with them; I am by no means perfect in that department. I keep working on it.
And that is where the other aspect you mentioned comes in:

after all, your dreaming mind might just have created a handy tool for venting your own excitement away from your dream body DC (and that would be a very good thing).

For me LD'ing is one of the most exciting things you can do. I just love it so much. It is so much fun, plus it can do so much for your personal and spiritual growth. I would spend at least 6 hours LD'ing every day/night if that was possible. But let’s get back to the point: like I said above, to a certain degree I have managed to teach myself how to “handle” (channel) my emotional responses.
So what you said resonates with me a lot. This internal mechanism (my DCs getting all excited when I become lucid) might be a handy tool that I developed for processing excitement (one of the primary adverse emotions that hinder LD'ing) in the dream state.

I hadn't looked at it this way. So thanks again for helping me see/explore it.