Lucid Dream · 3:02am Oct 3rd, 2013
Last night, I had a bizarre experience, and as I cannot get it out of my head, I have no recourse but to share it with all of you. The expression, “pinch me, I must be dreaming” is a reference to the commonly-held belief that it is impossible to feel pain in a dream. Thus, by inflicting physical pain on oneself, one can definitively establish that one is awake.
This breaks down if it is possible to be hurt within a dream, as happened to me last night. Unfortunately, the ethereal nature of unconscious wandering is such that I cannot remember the context for the scene which I am about to describe. All I know is that, in my dream, I was seated at a desk much like the one at which I am currently typing this. Some event, perhaps a voice calling for me, prompted me to stand up, whereupon I cracked my head on a lamp.
It hurt. Anyone who has ever stood up in a low-ceilinged room, or sat up on the lower half of a bunk bed, knows the pain of unexpected head trauma. (Strangely enough, it reminded me of nothing so much as my fifteenth birthday party, during which a close friend of mine accidentally connected his mini-golf putter with my head.) It felt in every way indistinguishable from real, consciously-experienced pain, and it is this that prompted the most profound experience I have had in quite a while.
The only reason I was able to remember this event is that, immediately afterwards, I realized that it should have been impossible for anything to hurt within a dream. In other words, while still dreaming, I had managed to become aware of that fact, triggering my conscious mind without waking my body. If you have managed to spot the flaw in my reasoning above (namely, that I could only have been aware of the impossibility if I had already known that I was dreaming), well done; that flawed logic was somehow enough for me at the time.
This phenomenon is known as “lucid dreaming”, and it is absolutely fascinating. The typical depiction of lucid dreaming has the dreamer able to affect and control his or her dream, but the only real requirement is to know that one is dreaming. Looking back, I wish that I had taken better advantage of the experience. I suppose I was distracted by the throbbing headache.
In any case, it really shouldn’t have been surprising to learn that pain exists in dreams. The sensation of pain is, after all, created by the brain; why shouldn’t it be able to recreate that feeling? Numerous studies have been conducted on topics like phantom limb syndrome and optical illusions to show that the brain is very easily tricked into feeling things that aren’t there.
I suppose this hasn’t really been pony-related, so have a Luna. She is the protector of dreams, after all.
I had one of those experiences once. I don't even know how I got there but for some reason I had a pistol and was holding someone hostage in a hole. The police were all around me and their lights were flashing atop their cars. At some point I must have waved my gun around and I saw a flash. From about 200 yards out on a slight incline, I see the bullet that hits my neck. While I didn't feel any pain, I could feel the warm blood leaking down my side and I remember blacking out. It was strange but when I did, I felt at peace somehow. I fell on the ground and died in a puddle of my own blood and then about 15 seconds later I woke up in a cold sweat.
Another time was when I was traumatized by watching Jurassic Park when I was maybe 4 or 5 years old. I always felt like I needed a shotgun and a personal electric fence at all times. The shadows in the halls... fucking scary as shit. Anyway, I had quite a few dreams where I ended up being eaten alive and such. I think one time I was stepped on, and I know I fell to my death at least once.
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Yes, I have not quite shuffled off the mortal coil yet. Sorry, things have been mildly hectic for me recently. I should be a bit more frequently active going forwards.
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Are you sure that wasn't a premonition? I'd steer clear of police and shallow hills for a while, if I were you. Dinosaurs, too.