by Stefan Zugor: When you do something in real life, you have a ‘memory’ of it, and you can look back and almost ‘live it’ again… 
When you do something in a dream (Lucid or normal), you have a memory of it and can live it again in the same way.
You can feel what you felt at the time and you have a vivid memory of what you were doing, and why you were doing it (Most of the time).
So, who’s to say which memories are more ‘real’?
There is more to this than just speculation and my opinion, so keep reading, because you may be in for a surprise.
So lets say that you go on holiday in waking life and you experience a beautiful sunset while standing on the top of a mountain. A wonderful and spectacular event that leaves a memory in your mind. You’ll be able to look back on that experience and feel happy that you’ve had it and it’s YOURS.
In much the same way, let’s say that you’re a sportsman and you love snowboarding. In waking life you soar down the mountain, carving up the snow on your board and you land a huge jump perfectly, just like in the movies.
The memory of that would be equally real and would have left an imprint on your mind. You’ll be able to constantly refer back to it and feel those feelings again. Simple stuff so far right, but what about dream memories?
What about if you did the same thing in a dream?
The memory of that would be just as real, as if you’d done it in real life, right? Yes. It would.
And therein lies a huge possibility for people. You see, because the memories feel so real, ( and they are), you can experience beautiful things in a lucid dream and wake up with the memory of those things.
The memories can stay with you for life, and you’ll be able to constantly look back on them and smile, even be empowered by them.
I know when I first did my Skydive (In waking life) I felt invincible for two weeks after, and now whenever I look back on it, I feel powerful once again!
The same is true of dream memories. I have traveled to other dimensions in my dreams, and I have the MEMORY of doing so, so whenever I’m feeling down I think back to that experience and feel those feelings again.
It makes me feel better about myself and I realise how insignificant my ‘problems’ in waking life are in the grand scheme of things.
It goes beyond ‘nice memories’
You may be reading this and thinking it’s just a load of nonsense, and that dream memories are just ‘dreams’, but it goes way deeper than that. By the way, when I say ‘Dream memories’ I’m talking about all types of dreams, Lucid or normal, more on that later.
It’s been scientifically proven that when you ‘think’ pr dream about doing something, the SAME circuits fire in your brain that would if you were ACTUALLY doing it.
Think about that for a second, if you dream about skydiving, your brain can’t tell the difference between that and ACTUALLY skydiving.
So, do you think that MAYBE by doing things in the safety of your dreams, you can train your mind to be ready for the REAL version of those things? Yep.
Do you think that by practicing things like public speaking, sports, martial arts, playing an instrument etc, that your brain will improve just as it would with waking practice? Yes.
It’s a truly incredible thing, but it’s true.
The potential for people is that by learning how to ‘lucid dream’ which is the ability to become self aware in your dreams and control them, you can CHOOSE what to dream about and therefore what memories you want to have!
By choosing to experience empowering things and situations that bring out the best in you, you’ll have REAL memories of doing those things. Let’s say you have a job interview in a month that you’re nervous about, just have a Lucid Dream about it and practice it in the dream!
The memory of it will be REAL and you’ll actually feel more confident when you do go to the real life interview! This is just one example, you could apply this to many situations.
The mind can’t tell the difference between imagined events/dreams and ACTUAL events.
When I say the mind, I’m referring to the subconscious mind. Of course, your CONSCIOUS mind can tell the difference, but it doesn’t matter.
This is why it’s so important to keep an eye on what thoughts and ideas you let into your mind and awareness because they’ll shape your mind and determine your future, but hey, that’s for another post.
Go out there and live an incredible life, make AWESOME memories, but then come back, sleep well and have incredible dream memories too, because your mind won’t know the difference. You’ll just remember an amazing experience-filled life, and you deserve that.
Author Bio –
Stefan Zugor is a long time Lucid Dreamer and has been teaching people to Lucid Dream online for years, He’s recently started speaking and coaching in person as well. Find out more about him and learn more about dreams at ‘How To Lucid Dream’ Also, check out his free ‘Lucid Dreaming Lessons‘
