Thread: Knowing I'm Dreaming But Not REALLY Knowing

So I have an interesting problem. The weird thing is, if I'm in a scary or weird situation or something, but never something like a nightmare, my dream self is like 'I've got to get out of here, I know I'm dreaming!' instead of truly realizing that I'm dreaming and then becoming lucid. I realize I'm dreaming and I know how to wake myself up but I can't seem to realize fully enough to use the opportunity. It seems like a waste haha so I'm trying to figure out how to use it. Any ideas?

do a reality check on the spot, trust me, it might seem aribitrary to do after you know your dreaming, but just do it. It helps SOO much.

This is actually a common problem. It's because the logic centre of your brain is asleep. Do a couple reality checks (pinch your nose, look at a clock, look at your hands) and try yelling "This is a dream! I can do whatever I want!"
My newest technique is to yell "Ragnarok", "Armageddon", or "Apocalypse" whenever I think I'm dreaming. They all cause major distortions and help me realize I can do whatever I want.

I think posters above are wrong that it's possible to perform some action at such a moment... At least I can't. Performing actions is only possible if you're already lucid.

It's truly weird to know that you're in a dream but not be lucid. But it's not real lucidity. Any time that happened to me I later found my actions to have been totally unconscious, just like in normal dreams, so I believe it's impossible to execute a conscious action in this case.

Even if actions in such a dream seem conscious you know they're not once you analyze how they happened. When unconscious you act in a kind of "flow-fashion", unable to stop and start thinking what to do. There's no ability to pause and make choice. Dreams with knowing that it's a dream are such unconscious dreams, without an ability to choose to perform an action or an RC.

Originally Posted by electricityscape

So I have an interesting problem. The weird thing is, if I'm in a scary or weird situation or something, but never something like a nightmare, my dream self is like 'I've got to get out of here, I know I'm dreaming!' instead of truly realizing that I'm dreaming and then becoming lucid.

Numerous times I've had these types of dreams, where I'm basically saying, "Nothing to worry about, it's only a dream," but somehow not realizing it's really a dream. Hell, it happens on a regular basis for me now. Aggravates me how I'm passing the lucid opportunity almost nightly.

yeah i have the same problem, i just posted a thread similar to this actually. i'm sure all it takes is a reality check, but i always forget about them.

Many of my dreams are of this type. Often I won't even "realize" it's a dream but will still "know" that the laws of reality don't work in the dream.

Its because you have no logic during dreams