Having a dream within a dream within a dream?

[Heb69]

Hi Guys I've just signed up to this forum after realising that it's actually not that common for people to lucid dream. To be quite honest, I'm not too sure what it's still about anyway and thought I might sign up to share my experiences, meet those who can do this stuff and get some answers... I often control my dreams and change the situations/circumstances in them. However, lately most of the dreams I can recall have been dreams within dreams and sometimes even a dream within a dream within a dream. These types of dreams are increasing in regularity for me... that's why I needed to find out more but I haven't really been able to find anything direct on the topic. More just lucid dreaming in general... I don't quite get how this occurs and find it strange, exciting and scary at the same time. Is this lucid dreaming too or is there another name for it? Do you guys also do this? Why does this happen?

[ClouD]

I'm assuming you're not deliberately entering these dreams, and hence unaware until you wake up. So yeah, the term used commonly for waking up within dreams is 'false awakening'. It's very common, and often detrimental to lucidity.

[Abra]

Try to think of it as all the same dream. The scene shifts to that of your bedroom, and you dream that you are waking up. Not really some deep layered thing. I proposed a few reasons to why we have them, here's the gist of it: Lucid dreaming is an anomalous state that confuses the mind. When lucid, parts of the brain make connections that usually only a waking state would make. This signals other parts of the brain to induce "wake up sequence." Of course, since we are still dreaming, the wake up sequence is mistakenly played out in our dreams! I think these false awakenings are occurring either by chance (could be a temporary trend) or because you are becoming more aware in your dreams. I expect this should fade. Even if it was the latter, your mind will habituate to it, allowing for 'continuous' dreaming.