You know… sometimes when I wake up, I have no idea if I was dreaming or just remembering something. For a few seconds, I’m stuck in this weird space, like—was that real? Did that actually happen? And then, boom! My brain wakes up properly, and I realize, “Oh, never mind. Just a dream.”
But have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you were convinced it was a memory? Like, you actually had emotions attached to it, and you just know it happened—even though deep down, you also kinda know it didn’t? And then you start questioning everything… like, wait, is this a real memory, or is my brain just messing with me?
Now, here’s the thing—I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream that actually came true. At least, not that I remember. But sometimes, I really wish they would.
Anyway, a while ago, I met this girl through a mutual friend. We started talking, and she was super easy to talk to. We had a ton of topics to go through. But here’s the fun part—after she downed four beers (I was still barely finishing my first one—how??), she got all serious and carefully asked me, “Do you dream?”
At first, I was like, “Uh, yeah? Doesn’t everyone?” But then she told me she knew people who don’t dream at all. That got me thinking. I told her, “Of course I dream! But you know what’s crazy? Sometimes I wake up and genuinely don’t know if something actually happened or if it was just a dream. It’s so weird! It makes me feel like I had a seizure or something because I get these memories and emotions that don’t even feel like mine.”
That’s when she hit me with her story.
She told me she doesn’t like this world. She doesn’t like how people are. So she spends most of her time living in her dreams. At this point, my eyebrows basically flew off my face. What do you mean, ‘living in your dreams’?
She explained that as a kid, she never really fit in. She spent all her time reading and hanging out in the garden. Then in high school, she finally made friends—thought they were her real friends—but over time, she got caught up in drinking and drugs, and she couldn’t (or wouldn’t) get out of that cycle. Eventually, she started looking for ways to escape, and that’s when she decided—she’d live in her dreams instead.
At this point, I was completely lost. Live in your dreams? Like… what??
That’s when she told me about lucid dreaming—where you realize you’re dreaming and can control everything inside the dream world.
Of course, I had to Google it later, and turns out, it’s actually a thing! Lucid dreamers can think clearly, make decisions, and even change their dreams however they want. Some can fly, shift environments, or interact with dream characters like it’s a video game. Apparently, this happens because the part of the brain that controls self-awareness and decision-making (the prefrontal cortex) stays active while dreaming. Some people experience it naturally, while others train themselves using reality checks, dream journals, or meditation.
But here’s where it gets even crazier. She told me she can move in her dreams. Like, she can actually walk, run, fly—whatever she wants. And get this—she claimed she could even send signals to her real body from inside the dream. Subtle stuff, like twitching a finger or moving her eyes.
At this point, my brain just broke.
Is this true? Is this possible? I have never experienced anything like that, and honestly, I never thought dreams were anything more than just… dreams. But now, I’m seriously questioning everything.
What do you think? Have you ever had a lucid dream? And more importantly—if you could control your dreams, what’s the first thing you’d do? 🚀
“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” - Paul Valery
With love, @tinabrezpike ❤️