I am here as a Neubie to learn what I can about dreams.
I feel like a freak. I want to be able to understand what the heck kinda dreams I am having, if it's "normal" and how do I control them so I can not feel like I am losing my mind.
I am not fearful now, but as you get older and the mind slips a little in and out of reality I want to be able to tell the real from the dreams.
So here we go:
I have always had intense dreams from a young age. Anywhere from silly to scary. I have the normal voices, background sound, etc drifting between wake & dream state. I know I am concious but I am dreaming at the same time. There are sometimes I am not sure which side I am on. No reality check seems to differ. Each state of "being" is real.
I call these "Kodak" dreams. I experience all the senses. I can Smell, Feel, Touch, Taste, Hear everything as if it is real. I can hear myself breathe, taste my saliva-chap stick, smell the lotion/sweat/or warmth coming off my skin. I can feel the clothes I am wearing. Everything is intense. I think it is this extreme awareness or heightened sensory that finally decides okay...dream. From here I relax and enjoy the "show" (dream) unless it is too overwhelming then I manipulate the outcome the best I can IF I am not too caught up in the action to control things.
I also have Deja' Vu dreams where I am introduced to someone that I feel I have met before. Sometimes they say a key word or phrase that instantly reminds me I have heard them say that before and can almost mime word for word what they will say next. Sooooo
at some point there is some traveling going on on my part or what?
I never get 7 hours of sleep...well maybe once or twice a year. I end up with headaches if I sleep in. I do most all Lucid dreaming in a sort of afternoonish nap state. The more intense dreams (movie length) are when I retire for the night.
Nothing seems to trigger these "Kodak" dreams I seem to get them without daily living influence.
My most easily detectable reality check is that I am not me in the dreams. Then I know immmediately I am dreaming. These dreams are usually very intense in sensory department. I can feel everything at a magnified level. Mostly I can feel the person I am in there thoughts, feelings, the different way they smell. I can identify some memories they are having. I kinda visit people or am in a dream where the dream people are unaware of my presence. Sometimes I try to touch them and if I do it gentle enough they cant tell im there. Sometimes they detect something or a presence is around them and it freaks them so bad I have to leave the dream (their scaredness causes me to retreat.)

REAL WEIRD stuff here....
Does this sound normal for this type discussion board?