Dreams Comrade_: On a basic level, I think dreams are a mix of what is seen during the day and the mind processing everything. Nothing on determining the future, but only a collection of things that are happening presently or on the past. The line between a dream and reality is thin while in the dream but wide when in reality. This morning I had an experience, the line to me isn't clear now. The event was that I was physically paralysed with a force pressing me down and it was whispering rough in my left ear. ...to me it was a dream, and my body was physically tired. I do think that there are dreams that can convince you that something physical is happening. (Edited by Comrade_)  Brightsky: aha, lucid dreams. Do some reading...it's a dream state where you can actually impose your will and control certain events happening in your dream. Involves a deep level of meditation. It's often thought -- and sometimes it truly feels this way -- that we are always in a dream state, that none of this is real. It's a gigantic movie. That we are all actors on a stage and God gets to watch us act out our lives. Makes some kind of sense.  brainfart: I disagree. How do you explain dreams in which let's say you see Joe Pesci, shirtless, riding his motorbike, while you are pulling up chunks of grass with your elbows? [I assure you, I'm completely serious.] Comrade_: I know of those, and I've had a few like that. Where within the dream I was conscious that it was a dream and I was able to drive it in another direction without waking up. But I'm not sure this one was, I didn't have control on it and it seemed very realistic, in that moment I wasn't convince it was a dream. Even imagined the breath on my face. Comrade_: What do you mean though, brain? Strange dreams with multiple random events, could be a mix of what you're thinking of/ see in your awake state merged together. (...idk I think too that dreams are feelings/emotions in pictures. ) Brightsky: I think I know this, if we weren't allowed the creative recreation of the dream process, we'd all go mad! It's the marriage of real and unreal, fact and fiction, which enable us to work out, if not in reality then in dreams, what events occur in our day-to-day lives. brainfart: I find it hard to relate to any of my dreams. You say it might be what I'm thinking about, but it's difficult for me to connect any of my thoughts to my dreams. My usual dreams are the kind where very little seems even slightly plausible. They are random, and meaningless, at least in my opinion and in the opinions of the people I've shared my dreams with. I do like the understanding that dreams represent our surpressed and surfacing feelings/emotions. A lot of dreams people tell me about seem to enunciate one's fears/goals/memories. Although, sometimes vaguely. ManUtd4ever: Yes Jack...dreams are feelings/emotions in pictures.. esp when the dream is of ... Cristiano Ronaldo@CR7  and I have control over him in that dream...shhhh...  Sash Ria: I've experienced what you did this morning. A force paralyzing your entire body almost as if it's suffocating you. I think this probably occurs when you're not in a full state of sleep. Your body has succumb but your mind is still somewhat awake.. which then blurs the lines of dreaming and reality. Most of my dreams probably relate to something I've seen at some point or a conversation I might have had. I also think the mind has the ability to store information/images subconsciously. So what may seem like it's completely random is probably just something you didn't really pay much attention to. Brightsky: Just wondering if this genre of dream would be classified as a nightmare...the type of dream state where there is a lot of fear and the inability (frozen body/pressure in the chest) to somehow move and physically escape the terror of impending doom. Like the dreams where you want to scream to alert someone of your panic, but try as you may, no sound comes out... Sash Ria: I get what you're saying Brightsky. They would definitely be classified as a nightmare for me. In this kind of dream it's not like the usual ones where you're maybe watching an act or a story is playing out. The fear is real to the point it controls you physically not just mentally. Brightsky: I feel lucky, in that I seldom have this type of dream. I feel that somehow they occur more frequently when a person is vulnerable, reflecting either a weakened physical or mental state...the dreams bringing to life the sensitivity of the state of being human... Comrade_: Ah I see now, Brain, but even if it didn't happen on said day, some thoughts are suppressed and memories too, so I'm not sure. Like you, I've had dreams too that sometimes go outside of what the norm is for me too... Brightsky: Jack, why did you start such an interesting thread when I'm at work...bleh bleh bleh...I'll have to get back here later... ManUtd4ever: @Brightsky : Yeah I have experience that before many times when I sleep straight on my back.. In my country, where many religions /races believes that when you wanna call out/scream at someone out of panic or for help but you can't coz you feel that your whole body is numb and had been pressed down, it means that an unseen force or an evil spirit is doing that to you...especially when you sleep in a soldier position lying straight on your back with your arms by your side as oppose to a side sleeper.. But then again that is just superstitious beliefs...altho' sometimes it freaks the hell out of me.. especially when you see a ghost or a demon chasing you in your dreams which I have experience many many times..  Comrade_: My close friend told me this: "In Arabic we have a term for it "Jathoom". Which is originated from "Jtham" means to paralyse during sleep. According to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH sayings. This case is attributed to two things: either lack of spirituality and guidance or the body being exhausted or also when you have a late heavy dinner. So he gives some advices on that. " Brightsky: I've heard tell that many folks from central america or south america or Africa, for that matter, are ruled by suspicion and some type of voodoo-magic stuff...I don't ascribe to that, simply because once fear gets a hold of a person it clouds the vision and begins to rule the mind. I prefer my mind to be ruled by a force of love and goodness, rather than evil. I give energy to good vibes. But I understand where you're coming from. ManUtd4ever: I have strong beliefs and I am a very spiritual person ... (altho I may not look like that  )Late dinner? Hmmm...I don't think so.. I feel that has something to do with your mind coz whenever I'm damn tired and just wanna close my eyes and sleep there goes mind wondering and thinking of demons and ghosts!  I will be too terrified to even to close my eyes after that! And this happens often when I watch horror movies...but it has little bit of something to do with my past too as I have experience with my close friends and family, unseen forces which left me traumatized for 6 months! Comrade_: I agree with that, that it is most likely the mind and if a person believes in ghost then sometimes it'll manifest itself..example a simple thing as a curtain blowing in the wind, someone who believes strongly in ghost will conclude that it is a ghost whereas someone who doesn't would probably get up and investigate and see that it isn't. Then again there's a lot of things in life that haven't been explained as yet.. Sash Ria: I think superstitions,when it comes to dreams especially is something that's not limited to certain countries or cultures. We have many here. Like ManUtd4ever said, about the sleeping on your back, we also have that same belief here. Others too are if you dream of a funeral you'll hear about a birth, rats in your dreams are supposedly an indication that you have an evil spirited/unlucky person in your life. I remember having a series of dreams in which my teeth were falling out. It freaked me out to the point that in my conscious state I convinced myself my teeth felt loose, I mentioned this to a friend of mine who is a superstition queen, She told me that it was a sign of vanity, that could also have manifested from a fear of getting old. (Edited by Sash Ria) | Philosophy Chat Room 18 People Chatting Similar Conversations |