Lcd And Daydreams, difference between them Options

In the mornings, when I have time, I usually extend a dream to its maximum. I think those are LCDs, since I'm aware and can control certain things (don't go there, turn that corner, rewind) even though the majority of the 'plot' is out of my hands. But - during LCDs, you can seize control of the entire dream. How is that different from a plain old daydream? If I suddenly control everything in it, then it's the same as walking around an inner fantasy world I'm continually constructing as I'm experiencing it (and not half as satisfying). I can pause and restart dreams at will (great if I have to go to the bathroom at night), but that usually involves me trying to keep out of it as much as possible.

Or am I misunderstanding something here? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused012.gif)

Well good question for starters.

The main difference between day dreaming and LCDs is the state of one's mind. While you are day dreaming you are awake, probably relaxed, but awake and alter and aware of your surroundings. Most of the stuff experienced in a day dream is mainly visual and some audio but not as intense or realistic while actually asleep. When you are having a lucid dream you are in an altered state of mind where you are usually unaware of your physical surroundings except within the dream. They also tend to be very vivid, intense and realistic (realistic as in they feel no different than if you were actually awake).

If we were to hook you up to a machine that monitored the electrical activity in your brain (like an EEG) what we would measure while you were day dreaming would different than that of while you were having a real lucid dream. The brain waves would show different kinds of activity going on and different areas of the brain would be active while you were day dreaming, but not while you were asleep.

Oh, that makes sense-

So it's not really LCDs that I've been having but... vivid, uncontrolled fantasies? In dreams, I rarely play an actual role - most of the time it feels like sitting in front of a movie, just observing what's happening (not always, just most of the time). So I have to find a way to become aware in the dreams I'm actually, while still staying inside it.

And yeah, most of the time when I let them play out I'm aware of my surroudings, and only stay visually/auditively inside the dream.

Thanks!

You should be able control your day dreams, just like LCDs, just not as vivid and you're not asleep. And actually there are different levels of lucidity during dreaming. Sometimes you're just aware that you are dreaming but you have no control over it, or yourself. Other times you can have partial control where you can control yourself and some aspects of your dream and then there are LCDs where you are in total control and can do just about anything you can imagine.

If you are having day dreams and are not meaning to, or otherwise in a situation that is just boring and your mind is wandering, and you are not controlling the content of the day dream that could be a bad sign. It could mean issues with the brain, or mental health. Day dreams that are not really controled or even intentionally initiated, are more like hallucinations.