pre-lucid dream

   A term introduced in or shortly before 1968 by the British author Celia Elizabeth Green (b. 1935) to denote a *dream state during which the dreamer starts to wonder whether he or she is really awake, and may or may not come to the correct conclusion. Conceptually as well as phe-nomenologically, the pre-lucid dream is related to the * lucid dream and to * false awakening. As Green asserts, "It often appears to be the case that by the time it occurs to a subject to question whether he is dreaming, the dream is of such a perceptual quality as to defy the most detailed inspection. This is particularly true of that type of pre-lucid dream associated with a 'false awakening'. This is a phenomenon which, although otherwise rare, seems to happen frequently to subjects who have completely lucid dreams as well. After a lucid dream, they may have a subsequent dream in which they seem to wake up in bed in the normal way. After some experience of this, it may occur to them to doubt whether they are really awake, and they may then proceed to examine their environment in the hope of obtaining clues. Sometimes they do realize that this is still a dream, and another lucid dream may follow. Or, alternatively, the dream may remain pre-lucid."

   References

   Green, C. (1968). Lucid dreams. London: Institute of Psychophysical Research.