Hi there, I have been thinking about what a lucid dream is. I know it's when you realise that you are dreaming when in a dream, but really what we might think is us 'realising we are in a dream' and taking control could literally be how the dream was planned out to be and you doing reality checks and realising you are lucid could be part of the dream itself, already programmed, not you realising on the spot. I can find this acceptable as when you think about something for a long period of time you do generally tend to dream about it as it is playing a huge role in you life.
However, is this what a lucid dream really is? Just you getting it into your mind that you will do these 'reality checks' or go lucid, so you just dream about it and experience this? Don't get me wrong, I am not skeptical of lucid dreaming. I have no had a lucid dream as of yet (to my own knowledge,) but it strikes me as something that you push yourself into dreaming about, only to literally have the dream you are being lucid and not really being lucid as such. - Or is this what 'lucid dreaming' is?
For example, if I thought all day and all night that I will be lucid and I will do reality checks in my dream, I might do them as part of my dream without making a conscious descision to do it and then in my dream, which is already planned out and I have no control over, might think I have control over it, but not really realise that I am dreaming, and then wake up thinking I was lucid. This is what I feel I am going to do eventually when I am concentrating on going lucid.

Or... Does the fact that your body automatically does a 'reality check' in a dream signal you to take over and make conscious descisions?

Sorry if I have not explained it well as I find it hard to explain myself, but if anyone could have a chat about it I would be grateful

Thanks.