Dream Decisions...

[jjm121]

I'm not saying i dont believe in lucid dreams, but i do question it. In dreams, your decisions feel just as real as they do in real life. Right? So, in a lucid dream, wouldnt they feel just as real? How do you know if your not being tricked by your mind? Maybe all the wonderous things you are about to set out to do are just a regular dream?

[MelodicRipple]

Your topic title reminded me of the beginning of the Kingdom Hearts game, where you (as Sora) are told to answer a few questions. Whatever you decided upon affects the gameplay, or the characters, I think. In dreams, decisions do appear realistic as you say. Sometimes they seem like some kind of test. Once I was asked what love meant to me. The only option I remember is communication, which is what I picked. For some reason, the whole question seemed important, and the answer had to therefore be honest. It's like an important decision weighs upon your shoulders, you know? Maybe those dreams are just a bit of what's to come. Who knows?

[jjm121]

exactly. (KH rules by the way)

[Bosco]

Lucid dreams are not a myth....In normal dreams you feel things but its just like watching a movie to me. In lucid dreams you feel the feelings like 10 times more and your decisions are made by you at that point

[MelodicRipple]

So any dream that involves decision making can be considered a lucid dream? If that's the case, then I'm surprised. By the way, jjm121, Kingdom Heart indeed does rock!

[juroara]

Originally posted by MelodicRipple So any dream that involves decision making can be considered a lucid dream? If that's the case, then I'm surprised. By the way, jjm121, Kingdom Heart indeed does rock! a lucid dreaming is nothing more but KNOWING you are dreaming, it has little to do about making decisions

[lord soth]

a lucid dreaming is nothing more but KNOWING you are dreaming, it has little to do about making decisions[/b] Actually, without making conscious descisions, a lucid dream would be just like an ordinary dream. I dont know about you, but I have had dreams where I have thought that it was a dream, but didnt become lucid for some reason Also, many of my lucid dreams have trailed off into normal dreams, but without me being lucid, but still knowing it was a dream. Making conscious descisions allows you to control the dream, without them, its more like a play for you to watch.

[juroara]

Originally posted by lord soth a lucid dreaming is nothing more but KNOWING you are dreaming, it has little to do about making decisions Actually, without making conscious descisions, a lucid dream would be just like an ordinary dream. I dont know about you, but I have had dreams where I have thought that it was a dream, but didnt become lucid for some reason Also, many of my lucid dreams have trailed off into normal dreams, but without me being lucid, but still knowing it was a dream. Making conscious descisions allows you to control the dream, without them, its more like a play for you to watch.[/b] yes, youre right. it would play out like a normal dream!! but that is the definition of lucidity. it has nothing to do with control. though KNOWING you are dreaming is the first step to controlling dream saying or thinking "im dreaming" and doing nothing about is still a lucid dream. as boring as the dream may be!! and a lot of lucid dreams are boring.....becuase we make no choices

[Alric]

The line can really blur. Your making the decision either way, so trying to tell the difference between a conscious and unconscious decision can be hard. I think even when your lucid, the unconscious mind have the majority of control over you while your conscious mind is just going along with the ride. Kind of like if your walking down the street and someone jumps out of the bushes. While you are fully aware your unconscious mind takes control and you jump out of the way, or scream or whatever. In dreams its like the same, you may become away you are dreaming but most of your actions are still controlled by your unconscious mind. Which is why you normally act stupid even in lucid dreams.

[Wildman]

jjm121 and Alric have a good points, and it's something I've sort of been wondering about as well. I definitely 'believe' in lucid dreams since I've had some, but I'm really trying to see if I'm making conscious decisions each time, or still letting my subconscious control most of what I do. LDs aren't only about making decisions though, just realizing that everything around you is created by your mind. Maybe a lot of LDs might seem to be consciously controlled, but actually aren't (at least not completely). I think you can tell if you're really in control if in the lucid dream, you actually sit down and think for a second, instead of just going off doing one thing after the other. Decisions seem real in normal dreams, but what really separates lucid and non-lucid is whether or not you think before you decide to do one thing or the other.

[Leo Volont]

Originally posted by jjm121 I'm not saying i dont believe in lucid dreams, but i do question it. In dreams, your decisions feel just as real as they do in real life. Right? So, in a lucid dream, wouldnt they feel just as real? How do you know if your not being tricked by your mind? Maybe all the wonderous things you are about to set out to do are just a regular dream? "Tricked" by one's mind. Well, yes, of course. Dreaming IS a subjective experience. So, call it a "trick" or call it a Lucid Dream, but the one point to focus on is that people KNOW when they have a Lucid Dream. Yes, some beginners 'think' they might have had a Lucid Dream, but such experiences disqualifiy under the heading of "If you have to ask, then you didn't..." But those who have had an actual Lucid Dream know that there is definitely a distinction to be made. Before the days when such a terminology existed, such Dreams were called "Big Dreams" or "Vivid Dreams", distinguished by a heightened consciousness. Is it all just a "trick" of the mind. Well, perhaps, but it is a trick which requires a large investment of conscious energy, as it is a very intense experience, followed by something of an afterglow and everything. No one could just 'think' they had such an experience. Such dim 'thinkings' could never have much more of an impact or intensity then a simple memory, and memories are dim at best. When people say they "remember like it was yesterday", well, they may be correct about that, that they know the details, but what they can never say is that they remember it as though they are seeing it now. Present Perceptions are bright, while memories are dim. so for a Lucid Dream to impress one as an actual intense conscious experience, it would need to exert itself with more than just the energy of a memory. In fact it reminds me of Sri Ramakrishna's response to a question about how he perceives his visions of God. He replied, "It is like the way I see you now, only very much more so". If anything, a Lucid Dream has more of an intensity of consciousness than even that of Waking Consciousness, that is, so it can have desired impact. Indeed, I have noticed it, and just a few weeks ago somebody else posted on the phenomena in Lucid Dreaming of surrealistically intense small details in the ground and flooring. Now, in waking consciousness do we ever have people remark on the intensity of the carpeting or the parking lot? Well, no... that is not unless they are 'tripping' or something. So Lucidity must be distinguished by its extraordinary intensity. It must be more than a 'trick', in that such substantial power must have a real and substantial source.

[BillyBob]

After having many many lucid dreams myself, I've become aware of what being conscious is, its pretty much impossible to explain in words, but I'll do my best: conscious is when you reflect on what you just did in the dream in awe (while your within it) conscious is when you think about your current state (you actually stop and go "OMFG I'M IN A DREAM RIGHT NOW and then you stand looking at what your mind has created in a state of total speechlessness) conscious is also when you stop and think what to do next, but you cant think of anything because you know anything is possible, so you stand there pondering what the hell you want to do until the dream fades and you wake up wishing you had thought of something still pondering the question another clear way to see consciousness is you find yourself jumping up and down just to see how well your subconscious can create the feeling of your shirt brushing against your skin. only to be utterly amazed when it feels "just like you imagined it" that's consciousness the reason its so hard to tell if you were conscious within the dream is because we're only conscious about 30% of our waking lives. the other 70% is spent driving in your car, typing on the computer, watching TV etc... since in the 30% we are actually conscious we're usually doing something important we never get to reflect on the feeling of consciousness, thus when we become conscious in dreams the feeling is totally new, to actually notice everything around you and be able to hold your focus on one thing for 5 minutes at a time. That said I'll bet you still don't get it, that's ok though. My 2nd lucid dream was the first time I myself had become completely and totally conscious of my state (more than I ever could in waking life) and it blew me away, I never doubted lucid dreaming again. so keep trying to LD, once you have one wherein your totally conscious you'll never forget it