I agree - whoever is not lucid dreaming...learn the techniques and try, it really is amazing. Of course it drives me bananas, as I find it extremely puzzling how I can interact with people, some of them characters from my book, and they react to what I say with surprise and a couple of times, even with an enormous sudden joy. How can I surprise them if I am creating them? You will not believe how weird and wonderful it is until you experience it yourself.

Even being aware that you are dreaming, it is impossible to think of them as not being 'real'. What if we are able to contact people we have known from previous lives, because we are not in control to the same degree and our souls are able to influence us, but the people are camouflaged to look like contemporary people/acquaintances?

The other possibility is, because we only make use of a tiny percent of our brain, during sleep info from the parts we do not use is able to 'leak' through?

So many wonderful possibilities and I think each person will accept/believe or evolve theories, according to their own personality or needs.