I often feel like there is something other than myself observing me in my dreams. It feels like something is staging the dream a certain way and testing me. This is in lucid dreams too. It feels more powerful than me... it feels kind of like taking a drivers test with the person in the passenger seat telling you what to do while holding controls that can override yours. Certain powers or abilities simply won't work while I have this sensation and I'm stuck performing a certain task. Also, the environment and things that occur during these dreams can't be altered by my thoughts how I normally would in a dream. The environment is as stable and persistent as in waking reality, and the instances that occur in it are as random and unchangeable as waking life. If I close my eyes and spin around while thinking of another dreamscape, I'll re-open my eyes and find myself in the same spot as before... impressed at the amount of unchanged detail. In regular lucid dreams, whenever I think of something, it happens. Whether I think I can or can't do something, I'm right... But in these, everything happens seemingly random and on its own, beyond my conscious thinking.

For one example I found myself in a small town. There were some buildings and cars, and sounds of people and animals, but it felt empty like a ghost town in a video game. I instantly felt like it was a staged test, for no reason I can think of. I start looking at everything and reading everything to explore and stay stable. I spot a tree a distance away from me with vibrant leaves more bright and beautiful than anything else in the dream. The leaves were a purple-ish light color that you don't see in waking life. I had to go to this tree. But then suddenly I can't walk normal anymore, and the gravity changes so that I start floating away... So I'm floating around trying to gain control and sort of swim-float to the tree... then a person walking a very big and intimidating dog is walking in my direction. They casually walk right on by, and it seems like they were put there to see how I react. If I would get scared or attack them etc.. and I really thought the dog was going to attack me but it didn't. I eventually made it to the tree and touched the leaves and examined it as much as I could for a few seconds. Then I woke up, and when going back to sleep I did not re-enter that dream again, as if it was completed.

Making it to that tree took multiple attempts of waking up, going back to sleep and re-entering the dream exactly how it was when it left off. I kept floating away until waking up, or getting distracted by something else and waking up. The focus and determination it took to complete a simple task was incredible...

After this and some other similar instances, I'm left wondering if this is simply stemming from my subconscious or unconscious mind like I had always assumed everything in the dreamworld was... or if it's actually something more. I realize the brain/mind is as powerful as you can imagine - and moreso... I realize there are different levels of consciousness... different levels of regular dreams, different levels of lucids and so on. So the common sense answer and logical answer is that these are regular lucid dreams, just with different levels of lucidity and control. BUT, the feeling that these dreams were staged tests trying to guide me or help me gain or improve mental and physical abilities is hard to shake. After these dreams I also get a feeling of doing bad on a test that I had time to prepare for.

Does anyone else have experience with these types of lucid dreams? Any input is welcome.