Some random blogger and neuropharmacologist has theorized that in some cases where brain damage or dysfunction is involved, people are unable to remember dreams or to have lucid dreams. Judging by my own dream habits, it may be true. While my dreams are most definitely extravagant, I only remember very small portions of them... say a couple seconds worth, if I remember them at all which is pretty rare. And, even though my dreams are horrifically terrifying, I have absolutely no feeling or emotion during them or when I awake afterward, which I thought was normal, but apparently it isn't. My memories are about the same way. Actually, if my dreams weren't as surreal as they are, I would easily confuse them with memories. In lucid dreaming, they say you're supposed to be aware that you're in a dream. There's no breaking 4th walls in my dreams. I'm not even aware that something is unrealistic... until I wake up, of course.

So, I was wondering if anyone could give me a comparison? Are they vivid and realistic? Do you have emotions during them? Can you feel anything physically? Etc. I know dreams are difficult to remember for anyone, so maybe I'm just exaggerating. On the other hand, despite that I haven't found any other research on the subject, this blogger had some convincing science to support his hypothesis.

[bassmaster1786]

I don't remember most of my dreams but I can recall feelings from them. nightmares feel real. if I get hurt I feel some pain. I got shot several times and felt myself gasp for air in my dReams. lucid dreams are uncommon but they happen. read my post about astral travel here that was an epic dream

Really? I don't remember feelings from any of my dreams. I can only relate the experience to watching a virtual reality Tim Burton movie while your half asleep, not paying attention, and on some really good hallucinogens. I once made allies with the grim reaper as we fought a horde of demented fairy creatures on a flowery hillside that appeared to be under an ocean of pink water. And there's nothing un-manly about that... Yet again, I only remember about two seconds of the actual dream, and my "dream self" was seemingly unaware that the event was even taking place.

[indiajade]

Wow, this is very interesting Michael! What is the link to where you found this information?? I too rarely remember my dreams (there are only a couple of occasions where I have actually remembered them in my entire lifetime!), and when I tell people this, they seemed to think this was odd as well! On occasions where I have remembered them, I woke up with strong emotions from the dream as if it actually happened (I was actually furious at my boyfriend after one of my dreams until I realized he just p***ed me off in the dream vs reality).

[lynn P.]

Very interesting Michael. I started having lucid dreams 2 yrs ago and never knew about them so they creeped me out initially. Also experienced emotions like intense fear where I'll wake up and my hearts beating or wake up crying. I'm also active and kick sometimes lol. Also have a history of sleep walking. In lucid dreams you can control and you're aware you're dreaming so I suppose one can control the emotion as well.

[racee]

when i was younger i couldn't remember my dreams. i only had night terrrors, and now adult i still have night terrors, but as well i have night mares and then theres the occasional dreaming. the only good dreams i remember are the ones that i have repeated over and over. i am "famous" for having repetitive dreaming.

i die alot in my dreams as well, as feel pain. i also get when i wakee up i can't move for what seems like 20 minutes, i'm kinda stuck there i get this like euphoria feeling. i can see my surroundings but everything like a fog and my brain isn't connected to my body. my dreaming i will get stuck in a scene. i'm aware i'm dreaming and i will do something in my dream and decide that didn't work out and go back and try and do it differently and i will get stuck in that pattern till i wake up.

i never know if i quit dreaming and start daydreaming, cause i daydream so much that what may be my lucid dreams may actually be that i woke up and went straight into my daydreams. i have had the same ongoing day dream for 14 years.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

When I do have dreams, very rarely, they are very intense. My last dream I woke up furious for about 30 minutes before I could finally relax and calm down. When I woke up I knew I was awake and it was a dream but the anger was still there and strong for a while. I've had dreams where I've felt every emotion from happy to angry to hurt to worried to fear pretty much the whole emotional spectrum and it seems those emotions can be stronger than the ones in my waking life sometimes but I never know while I'm dreaming that it's a dream.

I've also had a dream, it was about 2 years ago that I was drowning. I stopped breathing in the dream and my body stopped breathing. After holding my breath as long as I could I started choking. The choking and coughing woke me up. It was pretty intense. I wouldn't have known if someone wasn't next to me (doing nothing about it but watching me... Yeah I left him) to tell me when I woke up about the not breathing. But the choking woke me. When you sleep you're not comatose (well not me, that's why I don't take sleeping meds) so I think things like choking and holding your breath will only last so long until you wake up... At least I hope lol

But these dreams are far and few between. It's interesting what you posted here thank you for this thread

[Salmacis]

What a great thread! :-D I don't know much about the scientific portion regarding dreaming, but I no doubt have damaged my brain through years of alcohol & drugs. However, I have the same dream experience now that I did when I was a child.

I generally remember my dreams 3-4 times a week, but let them fade fairly quickly if they don't interest me. Usually when I dream, I do not realize I am dreaming. However, I am able to actively think, plot & make decisions while dreaming, which might be why I never feel I have proper rest. My brain just keeps churning while I sleep. There have been occasions when I awoke confused as to whether something was just a dream or if it really happened.

As far as emotions, I definitely feel them when I dream & on occasion, they carry over into life. At other times, it's the opposite. I have feelings I can't identify while I'm awake, but I end up having a dream that spells it out for me.

[Charlie_J]

I have always had lots of dreams (a lot more so on meds), and regardless of the actual content, most of them seem to take place in the same "otherworld".

After all these years, I could make a map of this world. The central thing seems to be a river, which is swamplike at one point, holidaylike at other points, and tapers away into a desert. The different places in this world come coloured with mood and atmosphere, so the map would show which places feel strange, happy, scary, nostalgic etc. In the case of the hotel, that contains several emotions for me, depending where in the hotel I am.

I didn't realise how strange all that sounds until I typed it.

ETA: Just writing the above has actually caused me to remember many dreams I've had going back months, because I'm remembering the landscape. Very strange.

[gma45]

Your post reminds my of an Eagles song......Welcome to the hotel California! Don't know if you have heard it....go to youtube if you haven't. Stay in the happy places at the hotel please! Wish I could remember some of my dreams, the good ones!

[Charlie_J]

No hotel last night. I adopted a herd of zombies and we got complimentary tickets to see Meatloaf in an arena I've been to before in dreams. It was rubbish, and people were walking out halfway through. Support was an x factor failure. The free food was a joke.

How is it possible to have a crap night out in dreams? Especially when it started out with so much promise...

I mean... adopt a zombie today!

[siempre nada]

When I was in high school I used to have a lucid dream at least once a week. I'd say they felt VERY realistic. I had emotions during the dream, mostly of excitement, because I knew I was dreaming and could do whatever I wanted. Certain experiences have stuck in my memory through these dreams. (i.e what flying feels like, having a tail, sexual relations with people.) I know none of this has happened so it can't be a real memory, but it feels VERY real. I've slept with friends in my dreams who behaved/smelled/looked much like they do in real life. It felt really awkward talking to them the next day..

[happiedasiy]

Mindful dreaming is a dimension of the mind. A creative place, enjoy!
I talk in my sleep but never remember the conversation, makes the mornings
awkward.

[happiedasiy]

Where the zombies friendly, scarey, or just in the way?
I 'd like to talk. You have a skill thats noteworthy!

[Chad1One]

Just the other day I went to lay down at 1730. I quickly started to dream. I soon figured out I was dreaming and so me and my sister began to run through a tunnel that would change as I willed. The tunnel began just being dark, then was filled with boxes (like the old school game shows with obsticle courses). I then decided to climb a pile of these boxes and my sister wanted to sit in the chair at the top, all of this I am dreaming and knowing that I am dreaming. As we sit there in this room on top of boxes, I turn to my sister and say to her that we should claw through the ceiling (which we are inches from) since I am dreaming. As we start to pull away globs of ceiling I say to her, hey, since I am dreaming why don't I just dream the ceiling opening up, and lo and behold it did. We surfaced on the flight deck of a ship. It was so real I had to tell myself in the dream to feel my arms holding my pillow, and I did. I couldn't focus on trying to feel the pillow to hard or I would have woken up, this I understood in my dream. I woke up shortly thereafter,and went to the living room of my apt. and it was 1800. I had been asleep for 30 minutes, and it felt like I had slept for 5 hours!

[kazoocorral]

Hello Michael, as far back as I can remember age 3-4. I have always had lucid dreams as if I am watching TV. I can recall pretty much any one these dreams as if they are real memories.

Sometimes I dreamt in vibrant colours, monotone colours, black and white, or black and white with little bits of colour here and there. I have never felt physical pain, but I can smell, taste, feel emotions good and bad, feel breeze, feel heat, and suffocate.

I was plagued with night mares for roughly ten years and near the end of the night mares before I sought help. I would wake in different rooms or my closet, dream with eyes open, sleep walk, talk, sleep run... search for weapons for protection in kitchen or lock self in bathroom and awake suddenly because of the racket I was creating.

Also, something else extremely bizarre and quite interesting to me is something I have not heard of other people doing, I somehow taught myself how to wake from terrible dreams by tossing myself out of bed while in a middle of night mare onto the floor while to wake self.

Cher