Hi everyone,

I am the kind of person who, through his whole life, has believed anything in a dream, no matter how weird. I could even see crabs flying in the sky and believe it. Also, I have the annoying habit of waking up whenever I get a hint that i'm dreaming.

But today I think I made a partial breakthrough!? I only got 6 hours of sleep last night because I woke up and took a final exam in the morning, then went back to bed at 9 a.m., which is something I never do. (I think this will come in handy later for my questions.)

So, my dream was 3 transitions. I was in a very weird James Bond movie in the first transition, then I was in a courtyard in the next transition with a raccoon, and then in my third and final transition, I was on a hiking trail back home where I live, still standing next to that raccoon, and then I saw a car full of the people from the James Bond movie drive by. After this I ran and jumped off of a cliff. (Hehe, a bit hasty to jump! )

When I jumped off the cliff, I experienced only 1 second of fear of falling, but then I must have realized I was dreaming because the rest of the fall I was so excited and happy, loving every second of falling towards the ground. That's never happened before and seems totally counter-intuitive.
I even remember the fall being very detailed. I could see myself falling through the foggy morning air, the feeling of falling through the air, and I could clearly see the bushes and the trails on the ground, just like back home. Then when I hit the ground, instead of the usual waking up, for the first time ever I was still in my dream and I did not wake up. I then had one final transition to a new location after that and then my dream ended.

So I just have a few questions regarding this dream:

1. While I was falling, I felt like my brain was trying to pull the "wake-me-up" trick. However, I think I remember fighting that urge and telling my body to just stay in the dream and enjoy the fall. Would this be considered exerting control in my dream?

2. I usually believe anything in a dream and I always think i'm in real life. Was it perhaps the fact that I saw both the raccoon and the James Bond men and it was too much for me to think it was real?

3. Last question: I always get my 8 hours of sleep, wake up, and I am active the rest of the day. But since I only got 6 hours, woke up for my test and was still tired, and went back to bed, was that maybe a reason that I was able to dream so well? Does sleep pattern or habit have anything to do with the awareness or frequency of dreams, or the success in attaining lucidity?

I would really appreciate if experienced lucid dreamers could help me answer these questions.