Dream within a dream

**Concubine** · 07-13-2012 09:45 AM

Hi

Long time chronic vivid dreamer here with some very odd and psychic dream experiences, but have only recently realised that lucidity is an ability which can be developed. I've been looking into it for the last few days and have so far managed lucidity in two dreams. In the first dream it was fleeting, but in a dream I just had last night, I realised I was dreaming, I decided to control my dream without waking up, and then I did what I had decided to do in the dream, I finished my "dream mission" then lapsed back into normal dreaming. During my "normal" dreaming time I continuously realised I was dreaming and then lapsed back to unawareness, over and over and over.

Is it possible I dreamt I was dreaming of being lucid in my dream (but was not actually lucid), and dreamt that I could control my dream but was somehow only just having normal dreaming? It's all very strange, but it was wonderful.

Now it just feels.... like a dream hehe

**Matte87** · 07-13-2012 11:53 AM

There's no such thing as semi-lucid or dreaming of being lucid. If you know you're dreaming, then it's a lucid dream. If you're not sure you knew you were dreaming, then it was a non-lucid. Some lucids may be fuzzy or you might not always think straight, but as long as you know it's all a dream then you're lucid. You can slip in and out of lucidity in the same dream several times if you're not paying attention and let yourself go too much with the flow.

Also, no such thing as a dream within a dream. It's all one dream that changes

**Concubine** · 07-13-2012 03:23 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely knew I was having a dream and as I said, I was able to do what I decided to do in my dream. I remember actually thinking "whoa, this is a dream. Ok, this is what I am going to do" and then doing it. It was great, and a completely surreal experience.

**Robot_Butler** · 07-13-2012 10:09 PM

It is easy to get caught up in the dream after becoming lucid. Lose your concentration for a second, and lucidity can slip away.

**TheModernNinja** · 07-15-2012 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by Matte87

Also, no such thing as a dream within a dream. It's all one dream that changes

Depends. That is your opinion, but it could be wrong.

**dms111** · 07-15-2012 04:36 AM

Originally Posted by Matte87

There's no such thing as semi-lucid or dreaming of being lucid.

Yes there is.

I don't believe in the semi lucidity, though.

You say you can slip in and out of lucidity during a dream. I say if you feel you've lost lucidity it's because you weren't really lucid in the first place. I've lost lucidity in dreams but after I've awoken I can think back and always find enough holes in my judgement to tell me I wasn't really lucid in the first place. I think dreaming of lucidity is an experience that feels quite different from an ordinary dream, but it still isn't what I'd consider a true lucid. During a true lucid the idea of losing lucidity is strange. It just can't happen. How could you actually forget that you're dreaming once you've realized it? I don't get it.

Everything related to lucidity is up to interpretation I guess.

**Jdeadevil** · 07-15-2012 05:53 AM

When you're dealing with dreams, you can describe your subconscious the same way as the doctor describes time (Dr. Who), it's not just a line that flows from left to right, it's just a big bubble. Your level of awareness isn't as simple as saying you're either lucid or you're not, because your subconscious is more sophisticated than that and the general feeling of semi-lucidity is unexplainable; you really have to experience the feeling to know. Having a non-lucid dream about being lucid isn't semi-lucidity either, that's the separation between the dream scenario and your level of awareness, two different things where one is lying to the other and the other is believing it and failing to become aware.

My own experience with this is when I was first practising reality checks, I'd look at my hands and ask myself now and then if I was dreaming. If my consciousness couldn't process my hand correctly then that would automatically mean I was dreaming. However, the reason I was failing that was because I was missing the vital point. Asking yourself if you're dreaming is all very well and good but you have to analyse the question to the point of where you wouldn't be surprised if you were actually dreaming and your entire day was just a false memory, because that's when your subconscious begins to recognise "Am I dreaming?" as a valid question and not just a rhetorical one where you end up deciding within five seconds that it's a silly question to ask because the answer is so obvious. What happened when I failed was that I would continue this non-lucid, but the scenario changed and it was about me knowing I'm dreaming, not a dream I was aware and could take control over. So being semi-lucid is different than a non-lucid dream about being lucid.

Edit: The best thing you can do is meditate and give focus to which reality you're in.