Thread: I dreamt that I was lucid dreaming?

Howdy. First post here.

So I've been trying to lucid dream, on and off, for a couple of years. Never stuck with it—it's always been on my mind, but never dedicated myself to it. I usually have pretty creative and entertaining normal dreams, and lately they've been more vivid and easier to remember. So for the past week or so, I've finally started to commit a little more to bringing on some lucid dreams. Dream journal, reality checks, telling myself every night "I'll know that I'm dreaming", etc.

So this happened last night, and it's why I'm making this thread:

I thought that I had a lucid dream, but when I reflect on it, I'm pretty sure it was just a normal dream about lucid dreaming. I don't remember too many details about it (I forgot to record it!), but I remember this much: it was inside somewhere—an office, or maybe my old school, and I was talking to somebody from my past (an old teacher, I think). At some point I realized that I was dreaming—but I don't think that I actually realized that I was dreaming, but rather that's just what happened within the normal dream (seems like this kind of thing should have triggered me to become lucid for real—but eh. don't think it did). I wasn't really aware of myself or anything, the rest of the dream carried on like any normal dream would, like even though I was lucid in the dream, I was still following some track or course and wasn't really thinking much for myself.

What do you make of this kind of thing? Have you experienced this before? What advice or suggestions do you have for me?

Thanks.

This is actually more common than you'd think, as far as I know. Beginners especially experience this, or in your case, a non-beginner who has recently begun again. They tend to go away the longer you stick with it, but I myself am only lately getting back in the dream journal/reality check/etc. routine, and I could be mistaken. I'd say just stick with your reality checks, perform them regularly in your dream to keep yourself grounded, and maybe have a written list of dream goals that you wish to achieve in lucid dreams that you review before bed each night. It'll give you something to try in the dream, and that may further ground your lucidity. Hope that helps, and I hope some other DV member doesn't point out that none of that is right at all!

Keep with it and good luck, though.

I've had dreams where I'm in bed trying to WILD and I'll dream of the sensations of WILDing and have a DILD cause of this. Like the LorqVonray94 said, I'm pretty sure this can be a common thing.

Yo and welcome to dreamviews.
If you realized that you were dreaming, even for a split seconds, then you were actually lucid. It seems that what happened was actually that you just had low awareness and probably lost lucidity or you just didn't recalled your waking life memories.
If it's the case that you lost lucidity then you should concentrate on lucidity more next time and use some stabilization techniques to increase awareness, Dream Stabilization and Clarity Tutorial - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views , I personally suggest the 'engaging senses' and 'rubbing hands' ones.
If it's the case of not recalling waking life memories or goals, then i suggest writing/typing your goals right before going to sleep and/or using them as mantra, helped me alot when i was starting out.
Quality of lucid dreams is pretty low for some people when starting out, but don't worry, with practice they will definitely get better.
Good luck!

Welcome to DV!! This is very common, I had the same problem back when I was starting. Although judging by what you've said you were actually lucid, but like Checker666 said, you weren't very aware because you had low awareness. Keep at it and you will improver very quickly

I had a somewhat similar dream: I dreamt that I was dreaming, and in the inner dream I was attempting full lucidity - but not quite getting there - although rigorously trying to awaken my "dream" senses by eating grass.

But, dreaming about lucidity - even if you were not attaining it at the time - does reveal that lucidity is much on your mind, and if you keep that up, then lucids should follow in the not too distant future.

still a lucid dream. just because you weren't attentive and logical doesn't mean you weren't lucid. You said yourself that you knew that you were dreaming, and that is lucidity's defining characteristic. That is all. It may have seemed like you were only "dreaming of being lucid" but that was simply because of your inexperience with stability and dream control. Dreaming of being lucid is not possible because that implies there are two simultaneously maintained layers of dream. The first is the dream. The second is the lucid dream. It does not work like Inception; layers cannot be maintained because dream material disappears when we look away. Think of the Buddhist inquiry "If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears, does it make a sound?" because with dreams it doesn't. However, don't worry, this is very common for many people. If you weren't entirely sure if you were asleep, it would be called a pre-lucid, however in your dream you clearly knew completely.

I've had this happen; it seems to be common amongst those who are trying to develop their ability to lucid dream. There is some argument as to whether this dreaming that you were lucid 'counts' as a 'full' lucid dream, but I side with the positive interpretation that says that knowing that you're dreaming, even if unstable, lacking control, and lasting only a brief moment, still counts as a lucid dream. The other positive is that your dream-work (journals etc) is clearly affecting your subconscious and is changing your dreams. I strongly suspect that this is only the beginning, and that more and deeper lucid dream experiences await you

I suggest you add to your profile a LD count of 1; enter this dream into a dream journal here at this forum, and try again tonight. Keep going, and good luck!

Thanks everyone.

Anyway, I have an update. Managed a REAL lucid dream tonight, and I'm super happy about it. I was only lucid for a few moments before I woke up—but it worked and I'm damn proud that I've made this step. All the stuff I've been reading and practicing has begun to pay off. Thanks so much everyone.