I get slightly scared when lucid dreams start to feel just like waking life

**Yuusha** · 11-03-2014 06:22 PM

Have you ever experienced this "problem"?
I have had a number of fairly vivid lucid dreams which have been awesome, but they have always had that specific "dreamlike" quality about them, like how everything has a more "liquid" quality to it or that I move more softly and a little slower.
But sometimes my lucid dreams get vivid to the point when they feel just exactly as waking life, and at this point I feel a little intimidated by them.
I think the whole experience is really bizarre - I know it is a dream, but I just cannot accept it as a dream, because it is too close to waking life experience.
This gives me a sort of "uncanny valley" vibe, where it's hard for me to accept it as either waking life or a dream, and I don't know what to do with it.
Sometimes I have even "given up" on the dream and wanted to wake up, because I feel overwhelmed by the lifelike quality of the dream.

**mimihigurashi** · 11-03-2014 06:48 PM

Had dreams that made my jaw drop in awe because they were more realistic than waking life, never had a problem, I don't see what the problem is. You have nothing to be afraid of, don't stress over it.

**LucidEveryNight** · 11-03-2014 09:47 PM

Most of my lucids lately have been like this and I love it

the main thing to remember is you are the one in control and nothing can hurt you, and I know what you mean it is a really weird experience usually the super realistic real ones I look at my hand like 20 times through out the dream before I do stupid things because I question how it can possibly be so real, our brains are amazing things I think we underestimate the power we have.

**CJC** · 11-03-2014 11:08 PM

It can be very freaky, so if it makes you feel uncomfortable, do something impossible to justify the dreamlike nature of where you are.

**Acala** · 11-06-2014 07:20 PM

The REALLY freaky thing for me is realizing that my mind is capable of generating a nearly flawless perceptual world with no outside inputs. And then realizing that the perceptual world in the waking state is ALSO generated by my mind, albeit with different inputs. Dreams within dreams.

**SinisterDezz** · 11-07-2014 06:23 AM

It always made me uncomfortable.

Then I got over it.

After a while, it wont seem to be that huge of a deal. I focus on other things than that while I am lucid, so it was never a HUGE issue. Only took a few lucids to get used to it when I hit my 100ish LD mark.

**LiquidNitrogen** · 11-08-2014 04:00 AM

I hope I experience something like this soon. I've been trying to lucid dream for a while. I've only had one lucid dream and that was a few years ago before I knew what it was.

**AnotherDreamer** · 11-08-2014 09:03 AM

What really scares me is when my waking life feels exactly like lucid dreams. A few months ago I was driving and I suddenly felt super strongly as though I was in a dream and I thought for a second about how fun it would be to drive the car over the cliff next to me and fly over this lake in the car. That's pretty scary.

**ThreeCat** · 11-08-2014 03:49 PM

Hi Yuusha! I think it can be helpful to just remind yourself that it's only a dream, nothing is happening or will happen, and nothing can hurt you. You may just benefit from viewing the scene from a more detached position, as opposed to unconsciously expecting the dream to be like your positive experiences, which can be disappointing if they don't stack up. I also think Dezz has a point--after a while, you should naturally get acclimated. Keep on dreamin

@anotherdreamer: that is terrifying. Do you get that feeling often?

**AnotherDreamer** · 11-08-2014 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by ThreeCat

@anotherdreamer: that is terrifying. Do you get that feeling often?

Not that often. It's mostly when I have phases of very frequent, long lasting lucid dreams. That's when waking life seems more and more to be like I'm in a dream.
I wonder if a lot of other people have that kind of experience or if I'm just a weirdo.

**ThreeCat** · 11-08-2014 11:43 PM

I've had some moments, while practicing the preliminary practices of dream yoga, where I really felt as though everything around me was a dream. I also had a moment the other day where I really thought I was dreaming--the clock weirded out on me and gave the wrong time. I nose pinched hard several times, and was still wary as I went indoors.

As weird as it sounds, AD, I think your feelings are actually a good thing--it means you are really in touch with your dreaming mind. Just be careful not to hurt yourself or anyone else