What type of dreams am I having?

[Phoenix]

Is there a thing as a partial lucid dream or am I having very vivid dreams? Also, why I don't think logically in dreams? For example, I recently dreamed I was with family members passing through mall On our way to bus depot to travel to another city. Very. Large, vivid, colorful mall. I saw a woman with a baby, my dream mind felt the baby was being neglected so my dream self decided to take the baby. He was a lovely infant. The baby was in a diaper only so we searched the mall for a Walmart to buy emergency cloths for baby. I passed a non traditional church in mall and a lady in back pew wanted to hold my new baby and I handed him over. Next I popped in a fancy restaurant within mall. All waiters wore extravagant multi colored fake beards shaped like the pipes older men smoked in the past :? The waiters gave us maps of the mall and my mom headed to Walmart. By the way, she was a few years older than me in dream. Next, I realized that I left my baby with strange women in strange church and I went back for baby. The lady had 3 babies so I had difficulty determining mine. Then he smiled like an angelic being :angelic:and I reached for him. Now he has no cloths and needs a diaper also. Ok, I'm exhausted in my dream and traveling to and fro and never made it to the bus depot :? In dream state I do things I would not do in reality like take a baby!!! Does the logical brain get left behind in many dreams? I would love a relaxing vacation dream lol ~
Last night I was painting a gym-I'm presently recuperating from that exhausting dream! What is really going on haha

[CFTraveler]

Your forebrain gets turned 'down' when you dream, so that you're not using critical faculties then. When something wakes it up, you start realizing it's a dream due to the frontal cortex becoming active, possibly related to brainwave changes (prob. as a result and not a cause)-and you begin thinking critically and making judgements on your experiences.
That's why Freud and Jung called in conscious and subconscious minds- the conscious mind is operated (or operates, depending on your favored school of thought) by the forebrain (frontal and prefrontal cortex) while your subconscious mind, which has very little critical faculties observes, memorizes and reacts, associated with the hindbrain.
Thus a 'lucid' dream is when you start analyzing the experience, making decisions about its reality, and becoming aware that you're in a dream or altered state, or eventually, 'a different reality'.

[John Sorensen]

Just to add what CFT has already said:

In the dream state, if we take events literally, dreams just seem insane, or at the best chaotic and random.

However, if we look at events in dreams not as literal, but symbolic, then they can make more sense to our waking selves.

Following on from that, the literal or logic of a dream is not a reliable indicator of what the dream is about or means to you, however the EMOTIONAL content of a dream will nearly always give you an accurate idea or feeling of what it is you are communicating to yourself and exploring in your dreams.

The next dream you remember, try exploring the emotions and feelings of that dream, rather than looking for logic and linear reasoning.

Feel your dreams with your intuitive mind.

[IA56]

Hi Phoenix,
I only want to say the same as CFT and John, it is the feeling what will lead you in right direction in your Dreams, the happenings can be very odd but be allert and attentend at your feelings in the Dream.

Love
ia

[Phoenix]

Thank you for reply. I can access limited control of dreams but not complete control. I will continue with training.

[Phoenix]

Hi John,

I totally agree with you regarding the abstract symbolism in my dreams and emotions evoked! I often awaken with joy, elation, and and the last dream created stress and caused me to rest the following day. I will concentrate more on the symbols and emotions - yah :clap:

Thanks Mucho!

[Phoenix]

Hi IA,

You are truly correct! I do notice the intense emotions After awakening. I will work on relaxing more in real life so my dreams are more relaxed. Then I maybe able to observe more. Goal is to meditate more before sleep.

Thank you mucho :clap:

[Tenacity]

Thats very intresting CF iv never heard it descirbed that way about the frontal cortex being shut down. makes perfect sense though. That gives me an idea for a new reality check to try out

[CFTraveler]

Thank you for reply. I can access limited control of dreams but not complete control. I will continue with training. Why do you want to exert complete control? In my way of thinking, one of the ways the subconscious communicates with you is by giving you messages encoded in the symbolic imagery. If you strive for total control, what you are accomplishing is to silence the subconscious and force it by your conscious mind to submit to your will. What on earth can this accomplish? (Or if I'm reading this wrong, please clarify what you mean? Thank you.)