Thread: Self-Control in a Dream

Being lucid is like being awake... some people (myself included) have dreams so vivid its as if you're awake. There is no difference... no difference except that you can be a god... XD

I definitely feel this sometimes in my dreams, you aren't alone there.

People confuse lucid dreaming with vivid dreaming all the time. They are two different animals. In a lucid dream you are in complete control. There might be DC's coming and going or odd things happening but you are fully aware that you are dreaming and that nothing can hurt you. It's an amazing thing.

Originally Posted by Mechaxis

My question is: If I achieve lucidity, will I gain control over my actions? Or will I simply become aware that I am dreaming, but be forced to follow the set actions my dream has lined up for me?

You will have control over what you do. You will be presented with events in your dreams, but it is up to you how you respond to them. If you attain lucidity but keep on following how the dream wants to go, you'll most likely get distracted and drop back into a normal dream. A good way to stay lucid by not getting distracted is by making a list of things you want to do in your dream and write it on your arm, or create a special pair of glasses with an HUD to remind you that you're dreaming and show you the list. Or you could ask a dream character to remind you every so often that you're dreaming.

Although you can control what YOU do, some people aren't able to straight out control the dream entirely. The first time you try to fly, or change scenery, or create something to use in the dream, you probably won't be able to because you don't believe that it can actually happen. We're so used to the physical world that even if we're in a dream we're so stuck to a certain set of rules and we think that they apply to everything. Just make the distinction between the real world rules and dream world rules and you'll be able to do what you want. As long as you believe something can happen in a dream, it will. If you expect to be on the moon when you open a door you'll be there, or if you expect for something to be in your pocket when you reach into grab it it will appear.

Same goes with a dream character. If you open a door expecting to see someone, they'll appear and greet you. If you say "Hey, don't you remember that time you (Insert any situation here)?" they'll say "Yeah, I remember" or something similar. Belief and expectations go a long way in the dream world.

Originally Posted by faceonmars

People confuse lucid dreaming with vivid dreaming all the time. They are two different animals. In a lucid dream you are in complete control. There might be DC's coming and going or odd things happening but you are fully aware that you are dreaming and that nothing can hurt you. It's an amazing thing.

And just to clarify this post, lucid reaming is where you are aware that you're dreaming. It doesn't matter if you're in control or not.

Example: You could be lucid in a dream where you're bound up in chains and can't move and a monster is about to eat you. You can realize that this is a dream, but you might not be able to control what is going on.

You are always in control of what you do in your dreams or how you react to stuff happening in them, you just aren't always aware that you're dreaming.

Originally Posted by LucidPirate

... just to clarify this post, lucid reaming is where you are aware that you're dreaming. It doesn't matter if you're in control or not. Example: You could be lucid in a dream where you're bound up in chains and can't move and a monster is about to eat you. You can realize that this is a dream, but you might not be able to control what is going on.

I have to disagree with this comment. I have never had a lucid dream where i could not control my surroundings. Maybe someday it will happen... perhaps when I am in a coma and unable to awaken. But 40 years of lucid dreaming and this has never happened. In my humble opinion there is no such thing as lucid nightmares that you cannot control unless, say, mind altering drugs or mental health issues are involved to begin with. When you have a real lucid dream... you know it. There is absolutely no doubt , and any 'chains' or 'monsters' that might have been around you at the start of lucidity can simple be 'thought away'

You misunderstood my post. I only said that SOME people can't control their dreams. Personally, I can control my dreams with almost God-like power. But what I was saying was you don't have to be able to control your dreams for them to be lucid.

Originally Posted by LucidPirate

You misunderstood my post. I only said that SOME people can't control their dreams. Personally, I can control my dreams with almost God-like power. But what I was saying was you don't have to be able to control your dreams for them to be lucid.

It is a contradiction in terms to say you are 'aware you are dreaming' yet not in control of the dream. I will defer to my previous answer that only drugs, mental illness, coma or illness can create such a condition. I am not saying it is impossible. I am saying it is improbable. By the way, we are only debating semantics of the term 'lucid dreaming' and not the definitive of 'lucid'. However, as you cannot prove or disprove a negative i could just as easily be wrong.

Most of my lucid dreams are ones in which I hardly have any control, although the level of lucidity is only about '60%'

Odd. I would call that a light dream and not a lucid dream... where one slips in and out of sleep and dreaming. In a lucid dream you are aware you are dreaming ergo, you should be aware that you have control of the dream.

So you can have control to an extent, like for instance I had a DILD this morning and used some telekinetic powers but I couldn't really control the actions of the DCs. Not unless I just imagine them to stop what they're doing?

Okay, let me clarify the meanings of "control" as I meant them.

1. When saying, "I am in control in a dream", that is talking about your awareness or consciousness in the dream and the ability to choose your actions and responses to stimuli within the dream. The "in" in "in control" is the key word. When using the phrase "in control", it is inferred that you are talking about your actions.

2. When saying, "I can control my dreams", that is referring to the ability to manipulate and change the dream world, including the scenery, dream characters, and your own powers within the dream.

Everyone is always 100% in control of their dreams, but they are not always aware that they are dreaming, nor can they always control what is going on in the dream.

So to quote the original question...

My question is: If I achieve lucidity, will I gain control over my actions? Or will I simply become aware that I am dreaming, but be forced to follow the set actions my dream has lined up for me?

I'll answer this in sections.

If I achieve lucidity, will I gain control over my actions?

A: You are always in control of your actions within a dream. However, you don't always realize that you have control over them because you're not aware that you're dreaming.

Or will I simply become aware that I am dreaming, but be forced to follow the set actions my dream has lined up for me

A: Yes, you will become aware of your dream. No, you do not have to follow the set actions within a dream. You can follow those actions, but you will then most likely fall back into a normal dream.

Now, to move on in the discussion...

To quote the Dream Views wiki:

A Lucid Dream is a dream in which one is aware of the fact that it is a dream. This awareness gives you consciousness, which then allows you to take control over the dream and do anything you want, although control is not a necessary part of lucid dreaming.

We all have the ABILITY to manipulate or control our dreams, but some people don't have the know-how to make it happen.

Lucidity = Awareness that you are dreaming.

Lucidity =/= Control of dream world. You don't have to be able to control or manipulate the dream world to consider a dream lucid.

I've had many lucid dreams where I was fully aware that I was dreaming but was unable to control or manipulate the dream world. It took me a little while to practice using powers such as flight and telekinesis. Even with over 10 years of LD experience I still have trouble controlling abilities such as spawning dream characters or changing scenery although I'm getting better at it.