Half-dreaming?

This morning when I woke up, I remembered being in a very vivid dream. My eyes were still closed, so I tried to relax and fall back into the dream. It worked. I was back in the same location with the same problem I was facing (it was an alien survival dream). For a split second I thought I had achieved lucidity, but when I went to move, my shoulder came up off the bed in real life.

I attempted dropping back into my dream 3 more times. Though it seemed like I was dreaming, I still had full control over my real life body, and absolutely no control as to what was going on in my dream (I myself moved around but it was more like I was following a story of myself).

It kind of felt like I was dreaming, but at the same time I'm wondering if my imagination was just running wild by itself while I had my eyes closed.

Any thoughts?

You were dreaming. :) This happens to me all the time if I let myself sleep in. sometimes I even get up to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, and still fall back into that same dream. You are barely dreaming at that point, though, so controlling your dream is difficult.

When this happens to me, I find that getting up for a minute or two to go to the bathroom is actually a good idea. During that time I'm still just barely awake, and I turn the dream into a daydream in my head. I decide how I want the dream to go from there, and then drop back into bed and fall immediately to sleep. For the first few minutes, don't try to do anything. Just let the dream unfold and dont be an active participant. I find that most of the time, the daydream I thought up of how the dream should continue is actually how it happens, so if I forget along the way that I'm dreaming, the familiarity or deja vu of it usuaully reminds me. Your mind supplies you with imagery, or mini dreams, as you're falling asleep, but being active in them wakes me up. So I wait a while instead, and my body falls further asleep and the dream around me becomes clearer. If you're still aware of your physical body, its too soon to try anything. After that you should be able to have a full dream experience. :)

That sounds like a DEILD there really cool if you can master them. I recommend checking out the toutorials for them :D

I've had a few experiences like that. What sometimes happens to me: I'll fall back into a dream, then "wake up" to my bed, then fall back into the dream, etc., but the "awake" me was actually still a dream :shock: Kind of like a really confusing FA (false awakening). So when you think you're awake but there's something a bit strange, you might want to do a reality check. Especially if you're having trouble falling back into the original dream.

Since you were able to move/feel your real life body, it sounds like strong HH (Hypnagogic hallucinations) to me. Normally they are only still images, but I have had them to follow storylines before.

Talking off the cuff (aka just speculating), from what you said it sounds like you were immersed in a dream, but that your body wasn't quite ready, physiologically, to keep your body still during your dream. Has this ever happened to you before? Do you ever physically act out your dreams?
Conversely, during NREM your body is supposed to be relaxed, but not completely paralyzed. It could be that you were in one of these stages of sleep and just not relaxed enough to prevent that movement.
If it happens again, I recommend just focusing on the dream but not moving, Simply focus on what's around you, look and listen, but try not to move your body and see if it is able to steady itself on its own as time passes.

This happens to me all the time

Yeah, they weren't false awakenings, because I got up to use the restroom after about the second time.

Shift, that makes a lot of sense. I'll try that next time it happens.

I agree with Shift also. I would also listen to blackirises since he seems to have them from time to time.

I've had this experience one time while taking a nap. I was driving down a freeway (I was also trying to attempt a WILD and not DEILD) and suddenly there was a car that was stopped in front of me so I slammed on the breaks, and my foot really did move as if it was hitting the break pedal.

I wasn't sure what it was and was curious to know but never came about asking.