Natalie:

Though I generally assume I am myself in dreams (I rarely check in mirrors to confirm!), I do have a similar experience on a regular basis:

I call them "other people's dreams.' In them I am me, but every other character in the dream is a stranger, the setting of the dream is alien, and usually the action or conversation of the dream is something beyond the realm of what I would do or say naturally, even in the warped world of dreams.

One consistent element in these dreams is that the strangers I encounter always know who I am. Though its oddness does help bring about lucidity, their recognition puzzles me. Maybe they think I'm someone else, too? So then, by extension, I guess I may actually be someone else in dreams. Hmmm.

Peter

P.S. And no, when lucidity does come and I ask who these people are, I am never told ' they just look at me funny.

Hmm...I didn't know I was dreaming so different in comparison to others... How do your dreams usually look like? And don't you immediatly recognize while remembering your dream that you were somebody else in it?

I seem to have nothing else than "otherpeople's dreams" And yes - it's perfectly normal that the setting is alien, that I am somebody I'm not used to be, others take this for normal... I rarely dream of familiar settings, persons and/or at the same time being myself!

I've been almost everything already.. A child, a familiy member, a cartoon figure, a computer figure, a man, an old greek in ancient times, a celebrity, a complete stranger, a mother, myself, even a frog ...

And sometimes it's even more weird: Sometimes when I'm dreaming and being myself, it seems that I'm the others at the same time; that means I can feel their emotions as well - but know how to seperate between mine and their's. But I fail to control them or notice that I am dreaming...

And sometimes I'm an invisible observer without any self-perception at all... Without any feeling, opinion, involved senses...

Why am I dreaming like this? Is it very different to your dreams?

Happy new year!

Natalie

Natalie:

First: Never fret about your dreams being different from others; worry when they're the same! Creative minds rarely work in unison with the herd ' treasure your differences.

Now ' what do my dreams look like? Almost anything, I suppose. They are always full color and replete with all the details that I expect (usually pretty close to reality). The scenery, the locale, rarely repeats so there isn't much sense describing that.

Yes, I do indeed recognize that I'm in "other people's dreams.' I feel like a stranger, and often the isolation is difficult. Maybe that's why the unknown characters are always so friendly to me"

Though I've never been the other people (that is a very cool aspect of your dreaming by the way: you might consider that list of beings you've been not as "almost everything" but as just the beginning of a great exploration), I often do feel connected to their emotions and thoughts. I never had a problem separating them from my own, though, because, well, I just knew they weren't mine to be confused by.

I've been an invisible observer many, many times, though the detachment didn't bar me from feelings like frustration about my distance, or sympathy for troubled characters (or an occasional urge to turn the channel). Like yours, my physical senses were shut off while I watched from a distance, or from a state of non-existence relative to the "other people.' This kind of dream is an excellent time to become lucid, because your distance from the action can offer an excellent opportunity both for creativity (everything is "big picture'), and for real introspection because of the intrinsic solitude.

Why are you dreaming like this? That I can't answer (the gods of this site frown on such speculation anyway), but I can tell you not to worry about it. The fact that you are dreaming, and that you can be aware of it, is all that matters. Think of the unusual nature of your dreams as a bonus, a fascinating addition to your dreamlife. Try not to look for meaning ' the "why" in dreams is only important if you are in the care of a qualified psychologist who has found reason to explore recurring events in your dreams.

Are your experiences different from mine, with respect to "other people's dreams'? Certainly (i.e., I never got to be a frog!). But I think the similarities that I sense are fascinating, too. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with these experiences.

Peter

Well, Peter and I make a great team! We're always showing up in here presenting alternatives to each other's viewpoints. I totally agree with everything he says above with one exception: "Try not to look for meaning ' the "why" in dreams is only important if you are in the care of a qualified psychologist who has found reason to explore recurring events in your dreams."

From Tibetan dream yogis to our modern Master LaBerge, people who focus on lucid dreaming often minimize the role of dreams in giving us information we might miss otherwise - but they don't dismiss it altogether. And many dream-masters maintain that the best interpreter of your own personal dream symbolism is you yourself.

My very favorite current example!

Six weeks ago I was beset by extreme pain within my pelvic area. I managed to drive to the doctor's office where I got a tentative diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease. I totally agreed with the diagnosis - I'd come up with the same by looking through various health-care references - and trustingly started taking two different antibiotics.

That night I dreamed I found one huge grapefruit hanging from a tree. Near it on the same tree was a huge pear. Before I could reach either, two malicious-looking women with big knives approached and one swiftly cut the pear and whisked it into their car. "Hey, give me back my pear!" I ran over, opened the car door and retrieved the giant pear. It had been nibbled a bit but was basically intact. I never did like grapefruit much but I really did want that pear.

As soon as I woke I thought, "Abnormal growths are always being compared to citrus fruits, like 'as big as a grapefruit.' The uterus is a pear-shaped organ. They're going to want to cut out my uterus, but I might get to keep it - with just some scarring."

I went back to the doctor and, to make a long story short, an ultrasound test revealed uterine fibroids for which the usual treatment is a hysterectomy - and I'm vigorously pursuing alternative treatments, despite female surgeons advising me otherwise!

Three cheers for meaning in dreams and a happy new year to all!

Joy

Joy:

Actually, we do agree this time. I believe that dreams carry substantial meaning, on many, many levels. You may have even caught me doing a little interpretation now and then in past exchanges...

In the name of brevity I gave Natalie a global answer for a very specific question (sorry Natalie!). Certainly there may be an answer to why she dreams as she does. But I do not believe that her question can be honestly answered online. It needs to be explored by her, or by her with the help of someone who knows exactly what he or she is doing. In the meantime she can use the nature of her dreams as a tool for exploration without necessarily understanding its roots. I guess I should have been more specific. I just hate long answers!

Also, kudos to you on your diagnosis. My wife just went through a similar fibroidal experience, sans dreams, and also faced a battle with the doctors regarding treatment (she did avoid a hysterectomy, though).

Peter

Heeey!! Usually I'm myself in my dreams. Sure, I might be a parachute instructor or a scientist on an alien plant or something. Sometimes I have beard or dread looks etc. But I'm still me. I have my own body and the same opinions and thoughts as when I'm awake. In my LDs I think I always have a first person view. It's only when I'm just entering or loosing a LD I might have another perspective. But in my ordinary dreams though, I often have a third person view. This is a common perspective in computer games and I guess that's why I so often experience it. At this moment I can't remember any dreams where I've been another person. But sometimes I have dreams where I'm not present. "I" am just a camera flying around doing nice tracking. It's like watching a movie. And sometimes when I dream about playing games, I don't have a body or such. I'm like a god watching everything from a bird's eye view.

7--/'--?

Hi Dreamers, "Non-self" dreams are sublime. I've only had a few I can remember. There was zero fear, zero attachment, zero pain, and 100% enjoyment of and appreciation for creation and phenomenon. Sujectivity is cool sometimes, but objectivity is the state that binds everything. Perhaps these kinds of non-self dreams are a tap into the space outside the ego construct. These non-self dreams are quite interesting--a fluidity of experience--a fluidity of energy--freedom. Good dreams, Michael

I should say what really happens with Peter and me is we express what seem to be different points of view which end up converging as we clarify our perspectives.

"Objectivity is the state that binds everything" - Michael. I like that!

Yesterday I ran across a cool quote attributed to the Buddha: "People who have opinions just go around bothering one another."

"Cartoon-like images" is quite the wide-ranging topic!

Joy

Joy:

Well said! I guess when two people are looking at the same object, even from two different worlds, if they are truly honest about what they see they are destined to agree. Whether they know it or not!.

And remember, an opinion is a person's truth until someone proves otherwise, so maybe it's good that bothering is done.

Peter