A curious way of dreaming.

I really hope I don't sound like I am bragging, or anything of that nature. I just really have been wanting to talk to people about my dreams, and wonder if anybody shares this form of dreaming with me.

Anyhow, it may be that I am an artist (primarily a graphic artist) and go throughout the day having to imagine how something might look, or feel, or affect any other sense. But over the years I have developed the ability to accurately experience how something might affect my senses. I can look at a table and tell you what it would feel like, smell like, taste like (don't ask), sound like if you tapped it, etc. I am able to pick the sensations out of my experiences so well that ever sense I can remember I have been able to incorporate them into my dreams. Now because I can remember sensations, I can close my eyes while wide awake and visualize what these would do (while sitting at my computer right now, just thinking about flying I can imagine what it would be like through taking experiences of falling, feeling wind in my face, and all other things related). So in my dreams this gives me a unique control. While I have only once had a lucid dream in my life (and it only lasted a few seconds) I have what I like to call 'semi-lucid' dreams on a nightly basis. I understand how to control my perceptions to the point that I control my dreams even though I don't know I am dreaming. I already control them in everyday life, so it's a normal experience. Just in my dreams, the effects of it are a bit more direct. For example, last night I had a dream where I was swimming along in a large bay when I saw several large shark fins approaching. As an almost natural response to the threat I took a few quick strokes, launching myself up out of the water. But instead of sinking back down I decided I would prefer to stay above them...so there I stood, walking on the waters surface (it's a really weird sensation, trust me). The sharks kept coming at me, and I was getting frustrated and really wanted to make them go away. So gesturing their way, I made a heaving motion, and them, along with the surrounding 15 feet of water went soaring off at supersonic speeds before slamming into a cliff side.

So getting to the end point, I am wondering if anyone else has experienced a semi-lucid dream. Where, while you don't realize you are dreaming, you take for granted your control over the dream world, and as such can do whatever you want.

Hey there,

Yes, like you, I tend to have a lot of these semi lucid dreams. Not all the time though. For me this usually occurs when something in the dream happens that I don't like, or that scares me. These are lucid dream triggers. Sometimes they'll make me fully lucid. Most of the time they'll give me this sort of semi lucidity where I can use dreammanipulation to intervene and turn things around, to my advantage.

A good example. A while ago I was having a dream that I was playing soccer. Only no matter how hard I tried, whenever I kicked the ball, it would not go where I wanted it to be. It was a really frustrating experience. So frustrating in fact that my dreamsense kicked in, and I became semi-lucid as you describe. I used dreammanipulation to try and do better, and pretty soon was playing like a pro-star, winning us the game :)

Ofcourse if I had gotten fully lucid, I'd likely simply have stopped playing and moved on to my current dreamgoal, but my awareness didn't go that far.

-Redrivertears-

Yes it is much like that. I would of course prefer fully lucid dreams, but I suppose it is an acceptable trade off. The only lucid dream I have had was the weirdest dream I have ever had though.

I was sitting in a small inner office room. I can remember it really vividly. The carpet was red, it had white walls, there was a file cabinet by the door and a few chairs lined up beneath large windows with the blinds down. I was sitting there waiting for someone. When it just clicked for some reason that I was dreaming. So I stood up, but before I could get fully up something woke me up. I was still sleepy so I opened my left eye to look and my bedroom door was open and my sister was pulling our beagle out of my room so it wouldn't jump up on my bed. Now the weird part was that with the closed eye I was still viewing the lucid dream world. So being still tired I closed the open eye and went back to the lucid dream. Though after that I snapped back into a normal semi-lucid state. So when I finally did get out of bed I remembered the dream and talked to my sister about it. She said that it had really happened. Apparently the dog had realized that my door was partly open and pushed it open to go say good morning to me. So my sister, seeing this grabbed the dog and prevented her from bothering me. She says she remembers me opening one eye and then closing it again and rolling over.

Thinking back on that dream I can recall the sensation. It was alot like being two people at once. I don't know if that makes sense, but that is the best way I can put it.

And that was the one lucid dream I have had. All others have been these semi-lucid dreams. They aren't as fun as lucid dreams, but at least I can always turn nightmares into something else, and I always know I can do anything I want.

I know what you mean, a week ago I had a lucid dream with my highest level of lucidity yet, and it had started out as a semi-lucid one. I was in a world I had never seen before and deep down I felt I had created it, as if I were a god. I started playing around, flying etc. until I realized this was a dream and remembered my lucid tasks.

Ever had the feeling, that you were awake in some realms, while being asleep in others?

As if we always were everywhere, yet only "there" where the focus/attention is at?

I think I have experienced the same as you spak of, so pleas bear with me. ;p

Hmmmm interesting I have had a few dreams like that, but the majority of my dreams are Lucid so I can't really say I have experienced the Semi-Lucid control aspect to which you are speaking.