Kevin Royston

I am somewhere in the middle of the spectrum normally. I rarely if ever lucid dream, but on many occasions when falling asleep I experience hyper-realistic visualizations (only in my mind's eye) that I have moderate control over. It genuinely feels like my mind's eye is flipped from low to high definition. This usually happens after an overwhelming day or when I am exceptionally tired but too energized to sleep. I have ever experienced similar to you are describing, woke up and saw a massive and realistic spider .... in my minds eye. It only lasted for a second but it woke me right up. From my past googling, "Hypnagogia" is the process of falling asleep which does seem to explain some of my experiences. In your case the word seems to be "Hypnopompic" for the transition from sleep to awake. Hope that helps in your search :) .