Discussion Wild Vivid Dreams

[derpyderpins]

So I don't talk about my dreams much, but they're consistently like what I'm about to describe, and I wonder if this is a common experience or if I'm just weird.

First, and I don't think this part is uncommon, they're a weird blend of fiction and reality. That's pretty normal, right? I have weird dream versions of certain cities in my head that are not at all in the same layout as those towns IRL, but I know when I dream of being in [x City] it will be that same dream layout as before. I could probably sketch it out, tbh. Additionally you have your stereotypical dream stuff going on of basically reality warping, different physics, things that make no sense accepted as normal, etc.

The scenes are detailed, and often long. If I really think about it when I wake up I remember these long exchanges back and forth I had with people.

There are many scenes. This is what prompted this post. I wrote down what I remembered from my dream last night and it was SIX distinct scenes. If I told you any one of them you'd agree it sufficed as an example of a single dream. But they do somewhat flow together although I can't always remember how the transition happened.

The last thing is that more and more I'm having more instances of confusing the dream and reality. Example, one thing last night was that I got a huge scratch in my phone that was rough and disruptive when I tried to type. Now, I think it would be normal to wake up and check your phone for the scratch and then be relieved it's not there, but what I do is start using my phone and subconsciously avoiding the non-existent rough spot for a few minutes before I realize it's not there and it dawns on me that it was just part of the dream. That's a really innocent example but it gets weird when I don't notice until days later.

So do you think that's all pretty typical? Btw this is very normal for me it's just that I usually push it out of my mind when I wake up. Tell me about your experiences with dreams and what's typical for you.

 

[enduringwinter]

Once I dreamed that my friend was pregnant, forgot that it was a dream and got her a pram for her birthday. She was not pregnant.

 

[Eternal Eyes]

I can go months without having dreams and then suddenly have an extremely vivid one, the last vivid dream I had involved me watching a football game in a massive stadium, only to get there and realize I was so high up in the bleachers I couldn't even see anything and was having awful vertigo, even worse was that I was the only person up there.

Onto more interesting dreams, I once had a dream where I initiated a light saber duel with an old friends father (who was abusive), it was set in a wild west town, think guns at high noon but lightsabers instead of guns, I remember my shock...his saber was green, and mine was red. In the same dream I flew an X-wing over a massive desert, it was basically wild west meets sci-fi. I remember exploring the town and every gravestone in the graveyard had my name on it.

I once had an awful nightmare where I died in a hit and run car crash, my ex speeded into me while I was crossing the road, killing me instantly.

The worst nightmare I have had though is one I only began having a year or so ago, where all my teeth crack and disintegrate. I firstly thought this could be a nightmare about going to a dentist, until I looked it up on Google, it turns out the nightmare of teeth falling out is very common among anxious and stressed people, it implies fear of loss, supposedly. I know what it was about, it was about me moving from where I used to live, and losing my one irl friend due to that.

 

[emptyenvelopes]

I think it's fascinating how some people have really realistic dreams and others dream more unrealistically. The feelings the dreams evoke from me are real and raw, but for me it's like my dreaming mind struggles with settings. So I know right off the bat that my dreams are not real.

Like in my dreams, all the settings get smushed together. For example, let's say the dream starts in my house. Then I walk outside and I'm in my high school courtyard. Then I walk out of the courtyard and I'm in the forest at my grandparents house that's hundreds of miles away.

It's always a minimum 3 places smushed together that I never question while in the dream. But I always wake up wondering how my brain came up with those wacky settings.

 

[Apathy79]

I would say my dreams are very similar to what you describe in all 4 aspects. Pretty much every detail you mentioned resonates with me. In my case, some of them seem extremely epic. Like years of events mushed into a couple hours dreaming. What amazes me about your post is how well you recall them afterwards. That's something I really wish I could do. I can sometimes remember the last few moments quite well. But all the lead up to it disappears. I know it was there, and I have this feeling like I just went through something profound, but the details are all lost, barring a snippet or 2 right at the end. That frustrates me endlessly, so I thought it worth pointing out that ability to recollect them is worthwhile and potentially rare.

 

[derpyderpins]

I would say my dreams are very similar to what you describe in all 4 aspects. Pretty much every detail you mentioned resonates with me. In my case, some of them seem extremely epic. Like years of events mushed into a couple hours dreaming. What amazes me about your post is how well you recall them afterwards. That's something I really wish I could do. I can sometimes remember the last few moments quite well. But all the lead up to it disappears. I know it was there, and I have this feeling like I just went through something profound, but the details are all lost, barring a snippet or 2 right at the end. That frustrates me endlessly, so I thought it worth pointing out that ability to recollect them is worthwhile and potentially rare.

I've considered this in the past, but maybe it is time for me to start something of a dream journal and examine this deeper. Record notes about mood the night before, then details of the dream the morning after. I know if I don't take the time right when I wake up to think about it I will forget, but if I sit there when I wake up and can recall a ton of detail.

 

[Apathy79]

You can find out a stack about your subconscious processing of your life that way. Joseph Campbell got me really into that side of dreams in the Hero with 1000 Faces - that section largely inspired by Carl Jung. I try to lie there and remember too before opening my eyes but it doesn't work. The feeling the dream induced is still powerful and present but the content of the mind is gone and I can't get back there. Once you figure out the language of the dream, you'll start seeing the messages your subconscious is processing through them. Some of the examples Campbell and Jung provide help catalyse what certain sequences usually mean.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Sadly only my nightmares usually get to be this clear and vivid. For example, I have a recurring nightmare about me blowing up the stove and everyone I love along with it. Some details change but it's happened often enough that I'm forever scared to cook anything.

 

[Gangrel]

Recently i had a dream about a deceased member of this community after i read his goodbye thread.