Thread: lucid dreams?

I know this is probably a stupid question, but what is a lucid dream exactly? Are there several levels of lucidness? I’ve heard and read different things,
so which is correct?
1) Dreams where you know you are dreaming= lucid dream
2) Dreams where you know you are dreaming + control yourself= lucid
3) Dreams where you control yourself+ surroundings= lucid
4) Dreams where you control everything (narrate story and have it play out)= lucid

Almost all of my dreams since about the age of 14 have been #2. I don’t really like 3 or 4 so I usually end up waking myself up to stop them. They take the fun out of dreaming for me. Lol!
But someone told me I couldn’t be having lucid dreams because I didn’t meditate for hours on end and something about an astral plane and a spirit guide?

So, which of these = lucid? Or are they all lucid? Or none of the above?

Thanks!

1 and 2 are the correct answers. Awareness has everything to do with it and control just is the icing on the cake.

As for me, being able to fully control your dreams, takes a lot of practice and training. I guess those dreams were SEMI-LUCID. You're dream seems so real but it's like a movie playing in front of you. I believe being lucid is the state when you have an imaginary/dream body, and have a sense of the surrounding (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch).

You'll soon find your answers, there are a lot of experienced LD'ers around here.

By the way, welcome to Dreamvies! Enjoy dreaming!

The main definition of a lucid dream is that you know you are dreaming. Normally when people talk about lucid dreams, they mean a dream in which you actually do something with the knowledge that you are dreaming. I would say #2 is the best definition of what a lucid dream really is.

Some rare people seem to always be able to recognize the feeling of dreaming. We have a few members who are naturals, like this.

Thanks for explaining it to me! I had read and heard a bunch of conflicting info, so I’m glad I found someplace where several people agreed. I must admit I am a little surprised at the answer, but I learn something new everyday! Thanks everyone for answering!

Originally Posted by Robot_Butler

The main definition of a lucid dream is that you know you are dreaming. Normally when people talk about lucid dreams, they mean a dream in which you actually do something with the knowledge that you are dreaming. I would say #2 is the best definition of what a lucid dream really is.

Some rare people seem to always be able to recognize the feeling of dreaming. We have a few members who are naturals, like this.

Have you ever had a lucid where you were having a bunch of fun and decided to go with the flow of events? Also I've had plenty of times (when I started out) where I realized I was dreaming, but I just couldn't get anything to work. I was still lucid, but I was lacking control. In my opinion, #2 is the optimal choice, but not the best definition; 1 and 2 are still lucid dreams.

The actual definition is, knowing that you're dreaming while you are dreaming.

Of course control and etc. is fun, but that's not the definition. The definition is simply knowing that you're dreaming. Lucidity =/= dream control.