How does it feel? I'm desparate to know!

**Griff05** · 10-20-2008 02:59 PM

Hello, I'm new. I've been interested in LDs for a long time but have never been able to do it

I was just looking through people's posts about their lucid experiences and was interested to know what a lucid dream is like compared to real life - for instance, I have read that lighting is usually a bit odd and looks either too bright or too dark because our brains can't recreate this perfectly. What else happens in LDs that is similar to this - when you are having a LD is it like the real world?

I guess when you're in the dream you feel like it all looks and feels normal?

When you're in the dream are you able to compare it to real life at the time?

Sorry if this makes no sense

Griff

**Sylph** · 10-20-2008 04:32 PM

Hello! Welcome to DV.

- for instance, I have read that lighting is usually a bit odd and looks either too bright or too dark because our brains can't recreate this perfectly. What else happens in LDs that is similar to this - when you are having a LD is it like the real world?

The way people experience dreams varies from one person to another, I guess.
The way you perceive light is a good example. Someone who's into photography, for instance, is more likely to see hiper realistic light, simply because he/she usually goes around noticing that kind of thing in the real world.
The same applies to other kinds of sensorial input, wich is why people will advise you to pay attention to the real world and then pay attention inside the lucid. The more you focus on a particular aspect, the sharper it will get.
It also depends on how lucid you can get. Lucids can vary between vague to "hiper" awareness, if you will.
The more lucid you are, the stronger the sensations and impressions.

I guess when you're in the dream you feel like it all looks and feels normal?

In my experience, "normal" isn't the word. It's like you're dumped in another world or something. It may all seem real but, since you're totally aware that it's a dream, it kind of feels different as a whole. It's when you try to do something like touching an object and see how it feels that you get a greater sense of "real". My lucidity tends to be low to average, though.

When you're in the dream are you able to compare it to real life at the time?

Yep. It's like you're awake inside the dream. You can stand in front of your house and think "Wow, it looks just like the real thing. It even has the scratches on the wall."

Yikes! I write too much.

I hope my descriptions were helpfull. I'm sure the more experienced dreamers will have stuff to add.

Good luck at getting lucid.

**drewmandan** · 10-20-2008 06:29 PM

I find that lucid dreams look real enough, but the feel more 'alive'. It's like the Force from Star Wars was a real thing. Remember how Yoda said everything is connected? Well that's what a lucid dream feels like. And I have force powers as well

**Shift** · 10-20-2008 10:32 PM

Depends on the lucid dream itself, for me at least. Some are not as high lucidity, some are not as clear. My lucid dreams are often disjointed. Like, I'll think about walking across the room, and suddenly be on the other side of the room. This lack of traveling time, unless I focus on it to make it exist, makes it feel a little less real than RL.

Hearing, smelling, touching, tasting... if you focus on these things, they'll exist in the dream. So depending on how good you are about just sitting back, clarifying the dream, and observing, the realness of a dream could vary.

Yea and a lot of my lucids feel like I don't actually have a body, like everything is just an extension of me. I'm not sure if it's my mindframe or what, but it's very cool.

**drewmandan** · 10-20-2008 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by Shift

Yea and a lot of my lucids feel like I don't actually have a body, like everything is just an extension of me. I'm not sure if it's my mindframe or what, but it's very cool.

Well everything is an extension of you. It's all just your own mind.

**Shift** · 10-21-2008 12:25 AM

Originally Posted by drewmandan

Well everything is an extension of you. It's all just your own mind.

I know that, I'm just saying, the fact that you feel so in tune with everything, and that you can sometimes feel physical sensations of other objects, even though I don't usually feel that often in my dreams.

**lagunagirl** · 10-21-2008 01:18 AM

it depends on your level of lucidity. If you jump right into it and try to do things like fly or blow up a DC, you're probably going to have a low level of lucidity. This will make things feel... for lack of a better word: "half" real. At least that's how I see it. I know that I'm dreaming... I'll be aware of that fact, which is technically lucid dreaming, but it just won't feel right. It will still feel dreamy, I won't be able to have the sensation of touch like feeling the breeze, or taste, and I'll almost sort of get tunnel vision. It's still more vivid than most "normal" dreams, but just not as good as real life. If you do it right and exercise the right control, you can get to a high level of lucidity which can feel completely real. I've gotten to a high enough level of lucidity that I had to keep doing reality checks because I just couldn't believe that I could be dreaming. It felt so real, and it wasn't like my mind telling my dream body what to do but it seemed like I was really physically there controlling my actions.

so pretty much, it depends on how much practice you get. A lot of beginners will finally become lucid, get excited (which already makes the dream fuzzy) and then go right into doing whatever is on their list of lucid adventures. Then it ends up seeming like a normal dream, except you knew you were dreaming, and end up thinking "wow, I thought lucid dreaming would be more exciting than that."

even if you don't flip out and go crazy, it still takes practice. After a while you'll get it right if you practice... and it's pretty awesome when you do!!

**Shift** · 10-21-2008 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by lagunagirl

it depends on your level of lucidity. If you jump right into it and try to do things like fly or blow up a DC, you're probably going to have a low level of lucidity. This will make things feel... for lack of a better word: "half" real. At least that's how I see it. I know that I'm dreaming... I'll be aware of that fact, which is technically lucid dreaming, but it just won't feel right. It will still feel dreamy, I won't be able to have the sensation of touch like feeling the breeze, or taste, and I'll almost sort of get tunnel vision. It's still more vivid than most "normal" dreams, but just not as good as real life. If you do it right and exercise the right control, you can get to a high level of lucidity which can feel completely real. I've gotten to a high enough level of lucidity that I had to keep doing reality checks because I just couldn't believe that I could be dreaming. It felt so real, and it wasn't like my mind telling my dream body what to do but it seemed like I was really physically there controlling my actions.

so pretty much, it depends on how much practice you get. A lot of beginners will finally become lucid, get excited (which already makes the dream fuzzy) and then go right into doing whatever is on their list of lucid adventures. Then it ends up seeming like a normal dream, except you knew you were dreaming, and end up thinking "wow, I thought lucid dreaming would be more exciting than that."

even if you don't flip out and go crazy, it still takes practice. After a while you'll get it right if you practice... and it's pretty awesome when you do!!

very, very, very well said

**Griff05** · 10-21-2008 11:48 AM

Thanks for your replies everyone - it's so interesting to see how people experience their lucidity and how they recall their dreams.

Yes- I know what you mean about lucidity and dream quality varying.

Last night I remebered two dreams and I can remember one very clearly like it was real, the sky was amazing and the sun coming through the clouds was amazing! And the other one was a dream about being at the beach and the water didn't even feel like water, in fact it was just a fuzzy blur. I am trying really hard to remember my dreams in detail so that if I do become lucid I can remember it clearly!

**Dash** · 10-22-2008 05:25 AM

Lighting is a bit weird. It's strange - you can tell if you WILD that it's not real because it's just 'different.' Some things are missing, like wind, or heat sensation. Not all of the time, but sometimes they are.Another thing I find is that areas are lit up without any light to light them. Interesting enough, your brain probably forgets those things because we take lighted rooms for granted. Rooms for me will often be in this bizzare half-lit state at night. The best resemblance I can describe is an unlighted room in your house when in the middle of sunrise - kind of bland, darkened, but still light enough to see.

It's weird, to say the least. Not scary or freaky, but different. You get to like it, just because it's so strange. I also had a bizarre WILD where it was too cold out, so I just snapped my fingers and made it warm. lol. It's not like real life though. It's something you really have to experience. Especially WILDs. Imagine day dreaming, but you actually get sucked into the day dream.

**Griff05** · 10-22-2008 12:32 PM

wow - sounds cool! I really can't wait to start being aware enough / lucid enough to remember dreams this clearly!

**Nefarious** · 10-22-2008 01:02 PM

Sometimes when the dream is very clear it feels like in reality. I get this surge of energy and I feel corrupted by power cause I can do anything!

Sometimes the dream is not clear and all I get is this "passive lucidity" where I know that it's a dream and nothing scares me. I just enjoy the dream even if I get mutilated by a chainsaw cause I am immortal. However I don't do anything here because when I try to it feels more like a thought in my head than an action in reality.

Sometimes a dream is so cool that even if it's clear and lucid I follow the story cause most of the scenery is created for me to have fun with.