It has been asked of me how do you know that your dream is more than just a dream?
Number one, all dreams have a reason, it's just the effort of breaking the code that we can get lazy about.
 I think it's the suprise element in a dream which carries the most lucidity, the most value to utilize in C1. (C1 is consciousness waking level)

There's a lot written about dreams, and the symbology of them but so far we are still at the beginning stages of exploring the value of looking closer at them. Back to the surprise element. There have been occassions of where in a dream I've been "shocked" into lucidity by a surprise element.
In other words if I get this shock value, I consider it's an out of body state rather than a dream. The shock is not usually unpleasant, it feels rather like when you're sound asleep and a loud noise happens to bring you instantly to C1, only you're "out there" jarred awake. Attention is now revited on the cause, usually a person you're interacting with who brought you to this awakened state. Then, the emotions would be involved, or even a mild state of revelation we might say as some information is reaching you and being impressed on the brain cells.
  Sometimes humor is involved in this awakening within the dream or obe. These are great, unforgettable actually.
 Once the shock value was watching a friend leap into the air..he leaped a little too high for this to be real. In that moment of surprise, in which I knew this feat could not be accomplished in C1, and not that gracefully, and I did observe the lack of gravity here, I at once knew I participated in being out of body, out of physical body that is. I did appear to have this other body, and it was my energy body in the same form as my physical.
So I was surprised. This was not how I expected my friend to act, and in that surprise I had much greater lucidity. I continued to interact and remembered a great deal of the interaction, I believe due to my greater focus of attention, it was now "real" and how fantastic to be creating reality "out there," and at the same time being filled with wonder that I could be doing this, interacting without my physical body, just my awareness and my energy body. I think feeling wonder can be classified as a good feeling where discovery is involved.
As a matter of fact, since I was there, I had no choice even if the shock was uncomfortable momentarily, I needed to learn about myself and I was aware in both states, this was my journey to learn of astral journeys and to pass on the information.
 Another time I recall being shocked, I was with another friend I'd met on a forum and we discussed books for awhile out there. I left the room, the astral room, and told him I had things to do, he wasn't leaving, he didn't take the hint and in that particular obe, I was to become enlightened how I do this all the time, I simply walk away from people and I wasn't clear and I might have assumed that others would understand me when I said I had pressing things to do.
 He found me again after I'd walked away and got really indignant to humorous proportion, and it produced a shock in me. I later discovered to my delighted verification, indignant posturing was part of his energy signature, such signature is like a character trait in the energy or emotional body. This trait I could not have known about, not on a conversation forum. It has to be felt and experienced either in physical proximity or as I did, in this obe.
I later discover there was a method to his madness. I became clear later in C1 about my behavior patterns in relationship; how easy it is for me to not be clear in my communication to others.
 He would be a passive observer in that case, yet I'm sure he had agreed to interact with me out there and through his behavior he would reflect to me, and awaken me to my hidden beliefs that I need not be clear. I later changed my mind, it was not loving to not be clear. It is not loving to assume things either. It is always healing to see yourself through another's eyes, whether they are saying you are wonderful, or you are a huge disappointment to them. Out there, the truth can be shocking, yet healing.

So in general, I'd say dream adventures can be potent, they can help you come awake, to hidden behavior patterns, so you can take another look at why you are as you are. Only a true friend would tell you the truth.
 And that's why I can tell when a dream or obe is real. If it changes me, helps me think about and make a new decision, to have more honest, open, loving communication with another, it's very, very real.

Your post is timely for me, Alysia.  Thank you.   I’ve been wondering what makes a dream lucid?

I like the idea of being surprised into lucidity.  You indicate that the surprise lets you know something is going on and then the dream seems more “real” with heightened interaction going on.  Does a lot of interaction indicate lucid dreaming?  I wonder what some other indications are of having a lucid dream?

Hi Rob, thats funny, we both thinking along the same lines. I'll have to do what I call cogitating on it for a few...maybe we'll both come up with some more ideas what makes us lucid in dream. I have an idea it's degrees of lucidity, like levels in a way, but all degrees being important steps.
I've read a few astral projection books which speak of "something not being quite right" in the dream, and this produces greater awareness that you are now in a dream landscape. from there, one is supposed to be able to consciously explore the landscape of secure some adventure remembered and felt upon awaking as important to us to be mulling over in C1.

so the awareness that something is different can be like the surprise element waking u up.
Bruce also identifies the "surprise" element can occur during imagination process such as daydreaming that u are talking to a deceased loved one and they say something completely unexpected but which is something you didn't know and u later verify as real.
and this is conscious phasing exploration I would assume.
I will be thinking about how to get more awareness out there but I don't think we can push the envelope to fast but maybe just figure out what allowing means perhaps. oh, and intentions, there's a biggee! to be conscious of our intentions.
do u think we've been taught not to daydream? maybe we should explore daydreams to get to the phasing part.
I know my early retrievals were like daydreams, thus not worthy of writing down it seemed. but utilizing the imagination consistenly can act to thrust us into the place where imagination creates reality outpictured, linking this physical world with a nonphysical plane where dreams come true. sounds poetic, but Einstein did say "imagination is more important than knowledge." now, if I get called he didn't say that, then I stlill like it and believe it! hehehe.

sometimes we just have to trust we're in the right place at the right time. love, alysia