He’s just crazy, probably schizophrenic.
Lots of people have lucid dreams—it’s nothing more than a dream in which the dreamer becomes aware he is dreaming.
He is just plain mentally ill, nothing more than that.
That's my first choice, but New-Age-induced psychosis is a close second.
Lots of people have lucid dreams—it’s nothing more than a dream in which the dreamer becomes aware he is dreaming.
Check the Wikipedia entry for "Lucid Dreams" that I posted above. "Lucid Dreams" is much more than being aware of one's dreams. This is a full-blown New Age meditation/astral projection practice involving out-of-body-experiences, consulting "spirit guides," etc.
Since he was taught this in college, we can assume that he was getting the full course. Robert Moss (the author cited above) offers extensive courses in this.
Many of mine are.
I think it may be a case of how logical your thought processes are. If I find myself having trouble running because I am naked and up to my knees in syrup, I think, "Whoa....that's crazy and unbelievable. I'm dreaming".