Lucid dreaming is the ability to control dreams. There are some symptoms and experiences that allow dream control to be understood before and during the experience.
Lucid Dream Symptoms and Experiences
The symptoms of lucid dreaming can be described by a series of experiences that indicate awareness during the dream:
Realizing You Are Dreaming
- The most basic symptom is the realization that you are dreaming. Suddenly there is an inner realization, “This is a dream!”
Conscious Thinking in a Dream
- During the dream you can consciously form thoughts and make choices. For example, you might say, “Now I must try flying.”
Controlling the Dream
- During a lucid dream you can gain the ability to change your environment, events or your own behavior. You can do actions such as moving an object or flying in a dream.
Details become more vivid and realistic
- Colors, shapes, sounds and other sensory details in the dream environment often appear clearer and more realistic than in normal dreams.
Realizing that there are no physical boundaries
- In the dream you realize that there are no physical limits. You can fly, walk through walls or have superpowers.
Rapid Emotion Changes
- Your emotions can change rapidly during a lucid dream. You can go from feeling fearful to feeling safe and joyful when you gain consciousness.
Performing Reality Tests
- During a lucid dream, you can test “Is it real or is it a dream?”. You can count your fingers by looking at your hand or observe how the environment reacts by turning a light switch on and off.
Information you remember in a dream
- When you are dreaming, you may remember something you need to do when you wake up or a problem in real life. This can strengthen the awareness between dream and reality.
Awareness of Body and Environment
- In the dream you may experience an awareness, such as feeling your physical body or examining other objects in the environment.
Sudden Awakening or Effort to Wake Up
- During a lucid dream, when you want to get out of the dream, it is also a common experience to try to do so. You may try to close your eyes tightly or throw yourself from somewhere.