Are we dreaming right now?

[Count Igor]

Well, in all honesty we can't truly know whether everything we see and do is a dream or not. However, there are some ways to check. Try flipping a light switch; if you're dreaming, not light will turn on or off. Also, text, particularly numbers, will change if you look away for even a second in a dream.

People always say that to me, but the lights always seem to work for me in dreams. The text usually changes. Though I did spend a dream reading a book. It was awesome as I didn't look away for it to change.

Since when are dreams that detailed? I'm usually not even in control when I dream, it's usually like watching a movie. I did have one incredibly realistic dream where I actually thought to myself at one point, "I wonder if I'm dreaming?" then dismissed the possibility. Then I woke up. It was weird.

I get 4 types of dreams
1. Terrifying nightmares (Not so much anymore)
2. School dreams (It's a real pain, as it adds another hour or two to my school time)
3. Dreams I can't remember
4. Incredibly detailed dreams.

(It covers pretty much everything, I guess.)

The detailed ones are usually very complex. I remember one time I made up my own book. In the dream.
I forgot it after, but I'd made about 60 pages and a front cover.
That was a cool dream.

 

[The Rockerfly]

huh, that;s weird

I know this is off topic but I was just watching the nightmare on elm street remake...

Maybe I am in a dream

No Rockerfly, YOU are the dreams.

[/mind blown]
Seriously, now I feel uncomfortable, I need to take a shower now...

 

[wulfy42]

Well, in all honesty we can't truly know whether everything we see and do is a dream or not. However, there are some ways to check. Try flipping a light switch; if you're dreaming, not light will turn on or off. Also, text, particularly numbers, will change if you look away for even a second in a dream.

People always say that to me, but the lights always seem to work for me in dreams. The text usually changes. Though I did spend a dream reading a book. It was awesome as I didn't look away for it to change.

Since when are dreams that detailed? I'm usually not even in control when I dream, it's usually like watching a movie. I did have one incredibly realistic dream where I actually thought to myself at one point, "I wonder if I'm dreaming?" then dismissed the possibility. Then I woke up. It was weird.

I get 4 types of dreams
1. Terrifying nightmares (Not so much anymore)
2. School dreams (It's a real pain, as it adds another hour or two to my school time)
3. Dreams I can't remember
4. Incredibly detailed dreams.

(It covers pretty much everything, I guess.)

The detailed ones are usually very complex. I remember one time I made up my own book. In the dream.
I forgot it after, but I'd made about 60 pages and a front cover.
That was a cool dream.

Ah that is very similar to me. The school/work dreams though would often combine with the incredible detailed dreams. I remember when I was younger spending hours in school only to wake up and find it as a dream. I was bored to tears in HS......and then I had to live through it in dreams as well.....serious torture.

I also had nightmares very rarely along time ago, but not so much in the last decade or so. Probably has to do with not sleeping alone or something. Used to dream of semi-waking up and being unable to move while a man with a knife was creeping up on me from the door. Think that was first when I started to master the whole "WAKE UP" thing. That is also why I found out about being paralized when you dream...because I wanted to figure out why I was unable to move.

Haven't had dreams like that in a long time though (yeah!).

 

[Cogwheel]

huh, that;s weird

I know this is off topic but I was just watching the nightmare on elm street remake...

Maybe I am in a dream

No Rockerfly, YOU are the dreams.

[/mind blown]
Seriously, now I feel uncomfortable, I need to take a shower now...

And to think all I meant that as was a cheap joke.

Sorry about that. Was just quoting some infamously awful fanfiction, don't mind me. Well, paraphrasing, but anyway.

 

[Astoria]

Oh God, this came up soooo much in my philosophy class this year. Try not to think about it too hard cuz all you'll end up with is a major headache. I say regardless of whether this is a dream it's the only reality we know so why bother wondering if you're not gonna get an answer?

 

[wulfy42]

Oh God, this came up soooo much in my philosophy class this year. Try not to think about it too hard cuz all you'll end up with is a major headache. I say regardless of whether this is a dream it's the only reality we know so why bother wondering if you're not gonna get an answer?

True I guess. But what if we are dreaming and if we just tried hard enough we would wake up? It felt like I was close this morning. What if I am in a coma and this is all a dream and all I have to do is realize it and try hard enough to wake up?

I guess that is starting to sound all matrix like now....but for a time this morning I really felt that way. What if this is all a shared dream.......like the matrix I guess.....and if one of us tries hard enough we can force ourselves to wake up into some other reality. Perhaps if the idea was spread around enough before we actually accomplished waking up enough of us would do it together that it would be impossible for the dream to have it go by unnoticed.

I vaguely remember an outer limits where spider like aliens forced the humans into dreams that they thought were reality....all while feeding on them. Thing is, if that really is what is happening I certainly don't want to wake up to that!!!

My life is pretty good as well...even if it is a dream....so would I really want to wake up if I was in a coma? I don't think so at this point at least.

The feeling though this morning was really weird.....hard to put it out of my mind I guess.

 

[Astoria]

Oh God, this came up soooo much in my philosophy class this year. Try not to think about it too hard cuz all you'll end up with is a major headache. I say regardless of whether this is a dream it's the only reality we know so why bother wondering if you're not gonna get an answer?

True I guess. But what if we are dreaming and if we just tried hard enough we would wake up? It felt like I was close this morning. What if I am in a coma and this is all a dream and all I have to do is realize it and try hard enough to wake up?

I guess that is starting to sound all matrix like now....but for a time this morning I really felt that way. What if this is all a shared dream.......like the matrix I guess.....and if one of us tries hard enough we can force ourselves to wake up into some other reality. Perhaps if the idea was spread around enough before we actually accomplished waking up enough of us would do it together that it would be impossible for the dream to have it go by unnoticed.

I vaguely remember an outer limits where spider like aliens forced the humans into dreams that they thought were reality....all while feeding on them. Thing is, if that really is what is happening I certainly don't want to wake up to that!!!

My life is pretty good as well...even if it is a dream....so would I really want to wake up if I was in a coma? I don't think so at this point at least.

The feeling though this morning was really weird.....hard to put it out of my mind I guess.

Yeah I get what you mean but those sorts of thoughts can turn into obsessions and drive you mad, believe me, I've had many sleepless nights wondering about things like that.

 

[The Rockerfly]

And to think all I meant that as was a cheap joke.

Sorry about that. Was just quoting some infamously awful fanfiction, don't mind me. Well, paraphrasing, but anyway.

It's cool, the shower made me fine again
Still, I have my eye on you.

Spoiler

 

[CrazyMedic]

I have layered dreaming but what gets me is that what happens is I had a dream within and the layer before I woke up was a urban war thing(I forget what the layer below that was) but in the dream I knew I had just woken up and when I woke up for real I thought I had been captured or something and when I heard my dad come in I ambushed him and because he was 6'6 and he didn't know it was me he just slapped me against the wall, I was fine just a bit dinged we still laugh about it.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Well, in my dreams, at least when there's parts that I can remember, it tends to be absolutely ridiculous stuff, yet in the dream all seems entirely normal.

For instance, I once teamed up with the Scooby Doo team to force Jamie Oliver out of his house because only his home was strong enough to defend against the incoming nukes. ( I think there was an underlying feeling of just wanting to leave him out there even tho there's obviously lots of room, because he's a smug twat )

I also used to have a recurring dream where scarecrows with pitchforks would overrun my street and when attacking people they'd turn into huge piles of mashed potato, and this was entirely believable and terrifying until about a minute after I woke, when I'd realise it was utterly mental.

 

[Cogwheel]

And to think all I meant that as was a cheap joke.

Sorry about that. Was just quoting some infamously awful fanfiction, don't mind me. Well, paraphrasing, but anyway.

It's cool, the shower made me fine again
Still, I have my eye on you.

Spoiler

Oh yes, the famous iSauron. Somehow, I knew before I clicked that you'd use that picture.

Anyway, I'd best stop derailing the thread and get back to fighting writer's block.

 

[Veldaroth]

Well, I can always tell when I am in a dream, so no, this hasn't ever happened to me. However, all you have to do is try to think of where you are and how you got there, as well as looking out for anything out of place. Works for me and it worked for the Inception guys, so you know...

 

[scythecow]

What if being awake is the dream and being asleep is some reality somewhere?

If so, I have killed and had wild sex with a RIDICULOUS amount of people.

Actually, I guess that's true either way.

 

[GWarface]

Well, in all honesty we can't truly know whether everything we see and do is a dream or not. However, there are some ways to check. Try flipping a light switch; if you're dreaming, not light will turn on or off. Also, text, particularly numbers, will change if you look away for even a second in a dream.

Also looking in a mirror is a way of telling its a dream, although it might turn out a little scary...
Another way is looking at your hands, in dreams you more often have 4 or 6 fingers on a hand, and it changes like you said about the text and numbers...

OT: Go read up on Lucid Dreaming... It sounds like it would be piss easy for you to do and it might help it being less freaky when you actually controll your dreams... I got some ebooks and stuff about it if anyone is interested...

 

[acturisme]

In a dream it is VERY difficult to read the front page of a newspaper (or anything else) and recall what it said when you woke up.

 

[Adecristo]

In a dream it's sometimes hard or impossible to read someting (as mentioned above) or to turn the light on or off. Also, running fast can make imagination not fast enough to generate all the things you run by, and there will be some magic, invisible wall, or the landscape will be somewhat empty or will start to repeat itself.
It's useful to remember that always, then it's easy to have Lucid Dreams if you try that while dreaming.

 

[wulfy42]

I will look in to lucid dreaming.

I have always dreamed a bit different then many other people I think though.

For awhile I would actually dream a story...and continue it each night. I'd start thinking of the dream I had the night before and fall asleep and continue the dream that night. I also have always been able to remember my dreams fairly well. I don't always remember them but far more often then most people from what I have heard.

I had the whole training my telekenetic powers dreams for years for instance....and over time I could move myself faster through the sky. In fact for a year or so I could only slowly move myself upwards and not any other direction. I developed the ability to move around myself and eventually the ability to move other objects with my mind over time and effort while dreaming. You would think I would be able to just do it in a dream, but nope...I had limitations that I had to work to overcome.

Now usually when I have dreams where I move objects with my mind I wake up with a headache. I don't have them often anymore probably because of that.

Things I do in real life have also often translated into my dreams. If I play a video game alot in real life I will dream about playing it. If I'm reading a really good book I will dream about reading it (often enjoying my dream version of the story much more then how it actually turned out). I have often tried writing down the stories I create while dreaming....some of them have been freaking awesome...but it's too hard to get it all down on paper other then the general idea.

I think I will do some research on dreaming and see if there are other people like me out there. My dreams certainly do not seem to be nearly as random as most peoples. I have always had very realistic dreams which has often made telling the difference between a dream and real life hard.

I think one reason why the whole telekenisis/levitation dreams stopped is that seems to instantly let me know I'm dreaming now...so I try and wake up or stop dreaming when it happens. Perhaps that is why I get a headache because I force myself out of a dream by concentrating hard and my body is not ready.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

Depends on your definition of reality/dreaming I guess.

 

[IbanezLaney]

The Matrix. Total Recall. Both explore the exact same idea of what is a dream and what is real.

 

[TehIrishSoap]

Someones been watching Inception....