I've had DMT excursions that were remarkably dreamlike. Not in its imagery but in their feel.
As for whether or not the dream world is the real world, I have read countless near death experiences where it is said that the 'place' they visited while 'dead' was more real than reality.
I've often read that we do in fact leave our bodies and visit other realms while asleep.
I think there is some truth to this.
But there is no way to figure it all out while still in this plane unless we die... and the universe is so vast that I'd say it encompasses enough realities to accommodate each and every one of ours.
What I mean is that reality is highly subjective and individualized. Depending on our beliefs and more, our dreams reflect those.
I think dreams are the way our soul, Spirit or essence, expresses itself. I could be wrong. I've been trying to figure all of this out because I've had such a stressed out life and full of tragedy, pain and abuse... full of crap, basically
And so, I'd like to think it will stop when I die and I can catch a blissful break for at least a little while until I get sent back here to do it again....
I hope I don't have to come back and that I learned enough to stay on the other side...
I hope I graduate to wherever the next level is.....
But anyways, that's a very interesting topic you posted and one, I'm afraid, we will not be able to figure out collectively, for quite some time yet.
I've pondered such questions for a long time and all I've come up with....I mean, the end result of the equation, is: Unconditional love
You get what you give, you reap what you sow, do unto others as you'd have them do unto you, all that jazz....
And so, even though it still leaves many unanswered questions at the moment, for me at least, I've found that it does work , again, for me at least, to learn to give unconditional love and that my dream world or higher state of being, benefits from that even though it's a bumpy road
One last thing I'd like to mention is that many of those who have had near death experiences have said they came back with the knowledge that no one actually dies, we just move on and go where we fit...
In other words, the purpose of this life and this world is that we learn to grow in love and earth is one giant 'soul school'
Sounds good at least