So i have always had intense, vividly detailed dreams every night for as long as I can remember (I'm in my 30s), but I have never been able to control things quite like other vivid dreamers seem able to do based on what ive read from the community 🤔
I have "internal thoughts" in my dreams, have told certain characters that "I thought I was dreaming or something!" In interactions, and I've even referenced past dreams I've had to dream characters 😵💫
But even though it's an intense, vivid, hours/days-long experience in my brain every night, I always am operating under the conditions of the dream (if that makes sense) and have never been able to affect the surrounding environment/situation.
I regularly experience physical sensations while dreaming; a recurring example is a small bird landing on my shoulder, & I can feel the small but firm grip of its talons, hear the gentle rustling of its feathers, and notice the way its presence slightly distorts my hearing on the side it's sitting on.
Does this all count as "lucid dreaming"? Or am I supposed to have more agency? It always feels kind of like "going with the flow" and rolling with the punches so to speak.
I've read about/tried (albeit casually) the techniques that are supposed to help, like the reality-checking light switch stuff, but i still feel at the mercy of my dream scenarios, and they can get quite disturbing and harrowing.
Anyways, just wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone else & if this is indeed "lucid dreaming"?
Thanks for whoever takes the time to read and/or respond! 🙏🏻