Thread: Do you control/steer the lucid dream or let it take the wheel?

I've only had a few LDs but I thought I would have goals to accomplish and things to do in LDs. When I read some journal entries, it seems like many people just go where the dream takes them and enjoy the ride.

Just wondering what your thoughts and experiences are on this?

I go both ways! For me, I will let the dream take control when I don't have a set goal or I'm not fully lucid and forget I can get rid of most of the dream's control. I'm pretty sure a lot of people are like this too. However, I know some dreamers like to let the dream take control. Sometimes doing this, the dream can send a 'message' you don't get as much when you take complete control. Usually, though, I try to take control because sometimes when I wake up after letting a dream take control, I regret it because I had a goal that I was looking foreword to accomplishing.

I check out the dream and see it is the place I wanted to be, and then see if it is a place I can accomplish a goal if not, if the place is just straight up awesome I will choose to check out the place and things around me rather than my own goals. Unless I don't have enough awareness, but that is happening less and less lately.

If I'm fully lucid, I'll take total control. But many times I'll know I'm dreaming, but don't know that I can actively change it. In those cases, I guess you can say I let the dream go where it goes.

Same to me, I first see what the dream has in store for me before I try to change anything substantial. I almost always experiment somehow with powers like flying, teleporting or making the dream brighter through cool means. My dreams are usually dark or somehow shady in the beginning, so making them brighter is almost always required.

I didn't get to be in total control yet. Lucidity was definitely there, but not everything worked out as planned. Most of the time stuff happens in a different or watered down version than I intended. I still have much to learn.

I used to let the dream take me where it wants, I did it for many years and it was quite satisfying. I feel like it made my LD's longer. But now I'm taking control again because I've got some goals I want to achieve.

Thanks all! My LDs are short indeed. I am going to try to just let it happen and see if I can stabilize the dream and just get used to what it feels like to make it last a little bit longer.

For me it usually depends whether or not I have a task I want to accomplish. For instance, now I'm trying to meet Misha Collins in one of my LDs, but I don't have any other goals so I'll just let the dream take control after I meet Misha. It can be very fun to see where it brings you, and if you just stay lucid you can take control whenever you want again

Originally Posted by Saschavs

For me it usually depends whether or not I have a task I want to accomplish. For instance, now I'm trying to meet Misha Collins in one of my LDs, but I don't have any other goals so I'll just let the dream take control after I meet Misha. It can be very fun to see where it brings you, and if you just stay lucid you can take control whenever you want again

Good point about taking control again. Thanks.

So far I have taken control every time but once when a dream guide (young woman) told me I was dreaming. I thought that was so cool I just went along with the dream and the direction she took me.

For me the dreams tend to last longer if I just follow them, or if I have a very straight goal that I'm trying to achieve.
Becoming lucid and not knowing what to do seems to end my dreams quickly.
You can try to slightly guide the dream in order to achieve what you wan't.
I usually go along when I'm semi lucid, because I don't remember what I'm supposed to do.

It varies depending on my awareness and mental state. For example, I have become aware, but right before awareness I had been trying to find a classroom. I had such a compelling drive in the dream that even after awareness I had to keep looking! When I woke up I thought "what the heck was with that?. Why was that so important to me"?