Thread: Are lucid dreams as deep as normal dreams?

I mean, in normal dreams you don't know if you're dreaming or not, everything is real and you enjoy/suffer it accordingly.

However, in a lucid dream you know that you're dreaming, so theoretically nothing should feel real and most things shouldn't be as deep, for example, if your lucid dream is about some sort of imaginative game, Game of Ender style maybe then there shouldn't be any difference...

...but if were speaking of a beautiful dream, one where, for example, you went to some sort of fantastic and astonishingly beautiful world e.g
dreamviews.com/f60/semi-lucid-astonishingly-beautiful-inception-style-dream-139424/
or where you had a close friendship with someone or falled in love or whatever of that style, then you'll always know that you're dreaming and everything shouldn't feel as good.


Though, you don't know what you have until you lose it, so:

Either a lucid dream is more shallow because you know you're dreaming...

...or because you know you're dreaming you know that's not going to last forever and you enjoy every moment of it.


So, all you that have had lucid dreams, please tell me which of the two possibilities is true, I just can't decide, though I can safely say that my dream was the best thing that I ever experienced in life, I can't say if it was because I knew that I was dreaming or because I didn't!

Thanks for your attention!

Your close... At least in my experiences.

My friend, ALL Dreams have the potential to feel "real". However, in a regular Dream you can only remember that it felt real. In a Lucid, you know that it feels real. Objectively, I would say that neither is more "real" than the other. Subjectively, I would have to say Lucid Dreams are more realistic because you can stand there and think to yourself " Hey I'm Dreaming", whereas you could not do that in a regular Dream. There is also a greater chance to remember Lucid Dreams rather than regulars, so they feel more real in that manner as well.

Originally Posted by PlanesWalker

Your close... At least in my experiences.

My friend, ALL Dreams have the potential to feel "real". However, in a regular Dream you can only remember that it felt real. In a Lucid, you know that it feels real. Objectively, I would say that neither is more "real" than the other. Subjectively, I would have to say Lucid Dreams are more realistic because you can stand there and think to yourself " Hey I'm Dreaming", whereas you could not do that in a regular Dream. There is also a greater chance to remember Lucid Dreams rather than regulars, so they feel more real in that manner as well.

But aside from those benefits, when you actually know that everything, as real as it may seem, is a dream, then you feel slightly detached from that world for knowing that you're dreaming or you live every moment of it knowing that is not going to last forever?

Originally Posted by Carrot

Lucid dreams retain the capability of normal dreams. You're able to feel and experience lucid dreams just as you do for normal dreams. Gaining consciousness in lucid dreams doesn't mean you're shutting out all the subconscious and unconscious that are acting on your dream, it just means you have the power of choice. I can assure you lucid dreams are nothing like the daydreams we have, you're definitely 'living the lucid dream'.

However I haven't polish my lucid dreaming skills up to the best. I am not able to experience all feelings and senses that are happening to me in the dream. For example if I'm walking in the lucid dream, I know I am walking but I might not necessary feel that I am walking. Maybe it's because my dreams aren't as vivid as real life. But if I were to focus my thoughts on one action or feeling, I will get the same feeling as I do in real life, for example hugging.

But in a more, er... existential manner, if you dreamed, for example, about moving to a space station, and you made some friends and played a little in zero-gravity, would you feel everything related to that?

Would you feel happiness of knowing that's not normal? Would you feel grateful for that change? Would you feel existential angst of the vastness of the space? Would you feel a mix between exaltation and depression knowing that you'll have to leave that fantastic space station to wake up in reality? Would you?

Originally Posted by Miguelinileugim

But in a more, er... existential manner, if you dreamed, for example, about moving to a space station, and you made some friends and played a little in zero-gravity, would you feel everything related to that?

Would you feel happiness of knowing that's not normal? Would you feel grateful for that change? Would you feel existential angst of the vastness of the space? Would you feel a mix between exaltation and depression knowing that you'll have to leave that fantastic space station to wake up in reality? Would you?

It's very hard for me to explain that because your lucid dreams are dependent on you and how you feel about lucid dreams. Like what Radioshift had said, lucid dreams are based on expectations or at the least on what you're focusing on, if you're focusing on playing in zero-gravity without being concerned that it's not normal, you will enjoy yourself floating around. But I must say, losing my gravity is a common sign of lack of stability to me so I floated around in my lucid dreams sometimes even when I don't want it.

I believe most people don't feel angst when they gain lucidity for the first time, you get this *Aha!* moment when you realised that you have achieve a higher level of realisation (since everyone else are DCs) and people will start trying to do something different. If you want to have fun, you can have fun out of your LD and your experience might be more realistic than normal dreams because you're aware of it.

Talking about negative feelings towards LD, for my first three to four LDs, I got scared of my LDs suddenly because I attempted a Task of the Month where I had to walk through a mirror and I feared so much that the mirror would show me my deepest fear. I walked through the mirror and the moment I was a few steps behind it, I floated back and I couldn't stay still without putting my hand on the wall for support. I felt really scared and I got out of the LD the moment I closed my eyes. The subsequent LD got weird because of that, when I gained lucidity, the DCs suddenly turned into motionless puppet and I couldn't sense any life, I lose lucidity soon after too.

So yeah, what I'm trying to say is that your LDs are base on how you feel and how you want it. Keep it positive and amazing things will come.

Originally Posted by Carrot

It's very hard for me to explain that because your lucid dreams are dependent on you and how you feel about lucid dreams. Like what Radioshift had said, lucid dreams are based on expectations or at the least on what you're focusing on, if you're focusing on playing in zero-gravity without being concerned that it's not normal, you will enjoy yourself floating around. But I must say, losing my gravity is a common sign of lack of stability to me so I floated around in my lucid dreams sometimes even when I don't want it.

I believe most people don't feel angst when they gain lucidity for the first time, you get this *Aha!* moment when you realised that you have achieve a higher level of realisation (since everyone else are DCs) and people will start trying to do something different. If you want to have fun, you can have fun out of your LD and your experience might be more realistic than normal dreams because you're aware of it.

Talking about negative feelings towards LD, for my first three to four LDs, I got scared of my LDs suddenly because I attempted a Task of the Month where I had to walk through a mirror and I feared so much that the mirror would show me my deepest fear. I walked through the mirror and the moment I was a few steps behind it, I floated back and I couldn't stay still without putting my hand on the wall for support. I felt really scared and I got out of the LD the moment I closed my eyes. The subsequent LD got weird because of that, when I gained lucidity, the DCs suddenly turned into motionless puppet and I couldn't sense any life, I lose lucidity soon after too.

So yeah, what I'm trying to say is that your LDs are base on how you feel and how you want it. Keep it positive and amazing things will come.

Thanks for sharing your experience I hope I lucid dream soon at least to be sure that everything you said is true

Also, I was wondering, how was your best dream? Have you written it anywhere? I'm quite interested about all those missiles, time-travelling and all that

Originally Posted by Miguelinileugim

But aside from those benefits, when you actually know that everything, as real as it may seem, is a dream, then you feel slightly detached from that world for knowing that you're dreaming or you live every moment of it knowing that is not going to last forever?

Well that depends on what a Dream is to you. If you believe, like many do, that they are nothing more than a fancy trick of the mind, then yes you may think less of your experiences there. But if you believe, like some do, that it is an actual plane of existence, well.....

Originally Posted by PlanesWalker

Well that depends on what a Dream is to you. If you believe, like many do, that they are nothing more than a fancy trick of the mind, then yes you may think less of your experiences there. But if you believe, like some do, that it is an actual plane of existence, well.....

Though I'm an absolute idealist, I can't just believe that dreams are an "actual plane of existence", though I may condition myself to believe they're real taking advantage of the irrationality of dreams.

But thanks for your advice

What PlanesWalker said.
Also from my knowledge it's all depends on one's skills/talent in lucid dreaming, some people are able to be in world/story that is persistent between dreams, resulting in some sort of alternate reality rather than just dream. So it's definitely possible to have lucid dreams to be 'deep' as you say.

Well, I have ever only had one lucid dream, but it was more profound to me. All things were perfectly illuminated and everything was clearer, perhaps perfect would not be too strong of a word. Something like the idea of Plato's Forms perhaps. I recall exploring the dreamscape, which looked like where I lived. I was able to jump, which was like an astronaut jumping on the moon.

By the end of it, I was trying to "summon" people but wasn't able to, and then the dream ended because I closed my eyes or started moving too fast or something like that.

So yes, for having so much more detail and abilities and knowledge, I think lucid dreams are more profound.

Lucid dreams retain the capability of normal dreams. You're able to feel and experience lucid dreams just as you do for normal dreams. Gaining consciousness in lucid dreams doesn't mean you're shutting out all the subconscious and unconscious that are acting on your dream, it just means you have the power of choice. I can assure you lucid dreams are nothing like the daydreams we have, you're definitely 'living the lucid dream'.

However I haven't polish my lucid dreaming skills up to the best. I am not able to experience all feelings and senses that are happening to me in the dream. For example if I'm walking in the lucid dream, I know I am walking but I might not necessary feel that I am walking. Maybe it's because my dreams aren't as vivid as real life. But if I were to focus my thoughts on one action or feeling, I will get the same feeling as I do in real life, for example hugging.

Expanding on what has already been said, when it comes down to it, lucid dreams are highly based off of expectation. If you expect to feel things, you will.

PlanesWalker nailed it - "in a regular Dream you can only remember that it felt real. In a Lucid, you know that it feels real."

you can have deep meaningful experiences in either type of dream, and also shallow and self-absorbed experiences in either type. It depends on your state of mind and what you are trying to achieve.