Thread: Reverse lucidity...?

Quite a weird experience last night.

The dream started as a non-lucid. I woke up on a school morning, really early, to pack my school bags. I went back upstairs to my room, then became suddenly lucid. I decided to go outside and fly around, so I got halway out of my bedroom window, when I suddenly stopped. Wait a minute... I thought... what if this is reality? What if I'm just really tired, and I'm thinking that this is a dream, and I'm about to plummet to my death? I looked around at my surroundings. It was all incredibly vivid and detailed and real. I could feel the cool breeze on my skin... I could smell damp air... I could see the mist in the streets and the brown/orange sky caused by the streetlights. I had a few moments of indecision before realising my vision was very narrow... I could see ahead of me, but my peripheral vision was nonexistant. This made me realise it was a dream afterall. I breathed a sigh of relief and flew off over the landscape.

Two weird things about this. Firstly, the fact that I genuinely confused the dream with reality for a few seconds, and secondly, the fact that I had no peripheral vision - something that I've encountered before in lucid dreams.

Anyone else had an experience like this?

-Pat

I recall that sometimes in my dreams I'll doubt whether or not they are reality, sometimes I'm convinced they're real so I don't become lucid. But I was never fully conscious to begin with so I guess these are two different things.

Also, I haven't experienced limitted vision before, but I've heard it's common in dreams. Maybe this could become a new DS for you!

Yeah, I've doubted reality before. I've had dreams that seemed just as real as real life.

Has the limited vision happened to you before? Maybe it's unique to this situation.

I frequently have extremely blurred vision in dreams where I am unable to focus on anything.

I wouldn't say it's anything to worry about, it is something that just happens.

I hate getting caught up in that
what if this is not a dream!
The vividness of some dream scenery can be so beautiful at times, and could as you said be so "detailed and real."

As for your peripheral vision. Try to take short glances at things in your dream. Try not to get stuck staring too long at one object.
Look at something then shift your attention periodically to different things.
Might help?

Well if i'm in doubt i'll doe a quick nose reality check, but usually once i click onto the fact that its a dream, it stays that way.

Originally Posted by Pensive Patrick

Firstly, the fact that I genuinely confused the dream with reality for a few seconds

This is a problem which is not uncommon for me. Some people claim that in every single lucid, you can always feel that signature "dream-like" feeling. I have not found this to be the case. While I do sometimes feel that dreamy feeling which makes me so sure that I am dreaming that I don't even bother doing a reality check, other times I don't get that feeling and will be hesitant to accept the "reality" as a dream even after failing a reality check. However, a couple more reality checks will assure me that I am dreaming. I usually end up telling myself, "Okay, this might seem every bit as real as waking life, but I know that it is not possible to breathe through my nose when it's pinched shut this tightly, so it has to be a dream..."