Thread: Free will in dreams

Ive had lucid dreams where I know I am dreaming (or just about know, sometimes not totally) but I seem to have no free will but an illlution of having some free will (Like in the film exerstenz where the woman plugs herself into the diseased pod). It is more like a group of unrelated thoughts inside me that control what I do. Where I get almost no choice about what happens but yet still have control over my body. This is especially weird when it is something like crawling into the dark tunnel and I know it is going to get really messy and possibly bad but I end up doing it anyway.

Hey there,

Remember that 'lucid dreaming', or 'lucidity' of whatever you want to call it is not one big constant. Awareness in dreams tends to vary a lot, from low level awareness where you might know you're dreaming but you don't actually act upon this knowledge, to mid level awareness where you know you're dreaming and can use this knowledge to help you in whatever you're dreaming about, to full blown lucidity where you realize it's only a dream and can chose not to continue whatever current thing you're doing and go do something entirely different.

What you describe is seems to me what most people call semi-lucidity or low level lucidity.

-Redrivertears-

It is possible that you were dreaming about having a lucid dream. Also, like Redrivertears said, in some dreams you are aware, but you "go with the flow" instead of having total control. If you realise that you are dreaming, try to increase the vividness by rubbing your hands, it will raise your awareness level.

I never heard of the hand rubbing, I hope I get an opportunity to try it out.

Hand rubbing is a good one, but another you should try is looking at your hands and studying them carefully so you see all the individual lines and curves in it, this will help things become more clear and real, this in equal help clear your mind a bit more so you can think a bit more clearly, you just need to focus and stare until you feel your mind is clear. Good Luck!

My dreams are usually third person, I see myself with a third person camera running around like in WoW or Splinter Cell. Sometimes dreams are more like movies to me and I don't even exist in the dream, just watching. Maybe I need to lay off the video games..haha. Now how to get back into first person mode, thats the problem!