First let me say that I've read all about this and I've been lucid dreaming on and off my whole life, probably since the age of eleven, but I've been able to control it in my adult life. The weird thing is, unlike most lucid dreams, recently I'm not myself when lucid dreaming, nor am I dreaming about a place I've ever been to or people I've ever met. I'm still hyper-aware that it's a dream, I can still control everything that goes on, I can recall all the details (including the smallest thing like how the fabric of a towel felt between my fingers), but I'm not seeing it through my eyes.

For instance, a few nights ago I had a lucid dream where I was an elderly man who had lost his wife. I don't want to go into too much detail as I'm a writer and it's actually given me an idea for a new story, but the events that unfolded were extremely fantastical and something that definitely couldn't happen in real life.

This left me wondering if there are different types of lucid dreaming or if there is something else going on here. I've been known to have precognitive and empathetic dreams before as well, but I know this is a completely different experience from either of those. Does anyone have any ideas?

Many people have dreams in which they become someone else. I don't think they have to be lucid dreams.

I think they are ways of exploring different sides of your personality.

If you have a look at some of the dreams in Maljonic's dream archive, he writes about dreams like this sometimes.

Dreams as windows to alternate lives

I am a believer in alternate realities, and lately have become convinced that dreams can be a viewing portal to those alternate selves. Especially when the details of the dreams don't match with your current reality. My current theory is that deja vu, past-life memories and dreams are all interconnected and tied up with viewing alternate universes from the eyes of alternate selves.