Hi there, this is my first post and I just joined this forum ... I am not familiar with the terminology, but look forward to learning.

I have been vivid (lucid?) dreaming for many years, and it is always a conscious effort brought on purposefully ... usually, I "meditate" lying down on my back with the "intent" to have an experience.

I have many times had the dream experience that begins right there where I fell asleep. In my bed, or where ever I am is where the dream begins.

For example ... I recently went backpacking by myself, and was lying in my sleeping bag not far from a stream. I fell asleep and in the dream I felt hands over my eyes. I immediately felt a "recognition" of "them", and said, "is that you?" ... in my being I recognized that "yes! It IS you!!!" as if I was expecting them ... and I very excitedly got up and was frolicking around with them ... and, all sorts of forest animals big and small. I was very agile, like an animal, myself. I never saw who/what the being who's hands I felt over my eyes were ... I often have trouble with "sight" in dreams ... maybe that is a "control" thing ... a fear thing of maybe not fully wanting to see "it", out of the fear of what I might see ... if that makes sense.

Another nature experience ... I was in my sleeping bag in Keams Canyon, AZ ... I fell asleep and then there was a man standing over me right there ... a native american, and he said "the clouds are really going to be moving fast today" ... I said, "Oh?" ... he said "yeah" ... and I woke up to realize I was right there where I was in my sleeping bag, in the dream. I fell asleep again, then awoke early morning looking up at the sky to see clouds rolling past faster than I have ever seen clouds move. I later spoke to someone that was visiting the grand canyon, not far away as the crow flies, and they too confirmed how quickly the clouds were moving ...

Does this sound like what you call lucid dreaming?