I thought I was going to get beat up

[Newai]

I was shopping casually for some clothes and anything interesting (a small excuse to get out of my apartment). I made my way down to the car gadgets and passed by a hefty man, making brief eye contact. I looked over some gear for a minute and went around the next aisle to price wallets. That big guy was standing there looking them over, too. After a moment, he asked me something, I don't remember the exact words, but it was along the line of if I was going to look at everything he was looking at. I replied that I wasn't. He left and that was that. Just now I was recalling the look in his eyes and it was quite serious.

At the time it didn't bother me at all, and pretty much forgot about it. I was dozing off here and it came back to me most clearly. There was some paranoia or disturbance in him. But since I'm a small enough guy when people get a good look at me, soft bodied and light weight, these kind of confrontations usually end without incident; I figure they usually decide I'm not a threat or much to bother with. Only now, thinking about his expression, I realized that he might have hurt me with just a wrong word. For the last few minutes now, I've been upset about this.

And then I realized that this never happened. The wallets in this huge department store are in the center of the building, and the car gadgets are way to the back in the corner.

My dreams are almost never this realistic. They're filled with symbols and impossible actions. I would never have thought this was a dream had I not realized the mistake with the store setup. Otherwise, I would've been on the lookout for him, and I still have a lot of his details in my memory. I'm afraid of this because it makes me doubt my memories and my interactions with people.

Have any of you ever experienced anything like this, is it unusual?

 

[JaredJames]

You need to carry a totem.

 

[Gokul43201]

That's not the end of it. You'll type in physicsforums.com into your browser when you wake up and arrive at a "page not found" error.

 

[Newai]

[To Newai] That's not the end of it. You'll type in physicsforums.com into your browser when you wake up and arrive at a "page not found" error.

Oh geeze. I'll probably get dream-banned some day.

You need to carry a totem.

Like a spinner or a die? [URL]http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/jumping/jumping0051.gif[/URL]

 

[lisab]

Oh yes, I've had dreams that I found difficult to distinguish from reality. So real, so much detail. It's...disconcerting, to say the least .

 

[leroyjenkens]

You should carry a knife. No one should be worried about getting beat up just for something they say. So if someone does try it, you can shank them.

I've never had a realistic dream like that, but I've had dream-like realities.

 

[Newai]

If I was going to carry protection, I'd prefer chemical spray or some such.

 

[DaveC426913]

You should count yourself lucky. It could be worse.

leroyjenkins is caught in a deja-loop.

 

[hypatia]

You should forget about it, odds are your dream dude has not thought about you at all today.

 

[BobG]

That big guy was standing there looking them over, too. After a moment, he asked me something, I don't remember the exact words, but it was along the line of if I was going to look at everything he was looking at. I replied that I wasn't. He left and that was that. Just now I was recalling the look in his eyes and it was quite serious.

Maybe he thought you were a store detective watching to see if he was shoplifting. Monitoring the customers too overtly can be insulting to them.

And I disagree with hypatia. He's probably still ticked off at you.

 

[AlephZero]

Have any of you ever experienced anything like this, is it unusual?

I have very few dreams that I am aware of. Maybe 5 or 10 times per year I wake up and know I had been dreaming but, have no memory of what I was dreaming about. Maybe 1 or 2 per times per year where I can remember the dream after I woke up.

However I have had two or three very strange "lucid dreams" in my life. Probably the strangest was one where I apparently had got up and went to get the morning paper. My car is parked on the driveway outside the door and I can see it through the glass in the door. Except in the dream I couldn't see it. So I got some shoes and a coat, and went outside. No car. Somebody must have stolen it. I was figuring out what to do next (what valuables had been left in it, whether to ring the police or the insurance company first, etc) when I turned round and saw the car. it was in the middle of my garden, upside down on its roof. This was totally realistic. I even unlocked the car doors and collected up some stuff from inside it. Then I went back into the house still figuring out what to do to report this and how the car could possibly have got where it was.

I don't remember how the dream ended, but later on that morning I got up (not dreaming this time), went to get the paper, saw the car in its expected place through the glass door ... and felt VERY confused.

 

[pallidin]

Not sure about how accurately dreams reflect reality.
Seems most of the time they do not. Bizzare images and bizarre associations.

Don't think that scientists have defined the actual role or biological significance of dreams.

 

[Proton Soup]

maybe NSFW

 

[drankin]

I was shopping casually for some clothes and anything interesting (a small excuse to get out of my apartment). I made my way down to the car gadgets and passed by a hefty man, making brief eye contact. I looked over some gear for a minute and went around the next aisle to price wallets. That big guy was standing there looking them over, too. After a moment, he asked me something, I don't remember the exact words, but it was along the line of if I was going to look at everything he was looking at. I replied that I wasn't. He left and that was that. Just now I was recalling the look in his eyes and it was quite serious.

At the time it didn't bother me at all, and pretty much forgot about it. I was dozing off here and it came back to me most clearly. There was some paranoia or disturbance in him. But since I'm a small enough guy when people get a good look at me, soft bodied and light weight, these kind of confrontations usually end without incident; I figure they usually decide I'm not a threat or much to bother with. Only now, thinking about his expression, I realized that he might have hurt me with just a wrong word. For the last few minutes now, I've been upset about this.

And then I realized that this never happened. The wallets in this huge department store are in the center of the building, and the car gadgets are way to the back in the corner.

My dreams are almost never this realistic. They're filled with symbols and impossible actions. I would never have thought this was a dream had I not realized the mistake with the store setup. Otherwise, I would've been on the lookout for him, and I still have a lot of his details in my memory. I'm afraid of this because it makes me doubt my memories and my interactions with people.

Have any of you ever experienced anything like this, is it unusual?

This person was likely on something. Very irrational response to you in such a benign environment. Totally unreasonable. I think most people can relate.

 

[JaredJames]

This person was likely on something. Very irrational response to you in such a benign environment. Totally unreasonable. I think most people can relate.

I've never heard to dreams being described as a rational environment.

Personally, I'm getting used to weird sh*t happening in my dreams. Keeps things interesting for one.

 

[drankin]

I've never heard to dreams being described as a rational environment.

Personally, I'm getting used to weird sh*t happening in my dreams. Keeps things interesting for one.

LOL, I missed the part about it never happening actually. I thought Newai fell asleep afterwords. :)

But, it did make me think about similar scenarios that have actually happened to me.

 

[JaredJames]

LOL, I missed the part about it never happening actually. I thought Newai fell asleep afterwords. :)

But, it did make me think about similar scenarios that have actually happened to me.

I've had plenty in real life. Not fun.

 

[drankin]

I saw a Nova program called "What are Dreams?" on Netflix the other night. I found it interesting. According to one study, bad dreams are actually really good for you. Your brain is putting together crazy abstract scenarios so that you can prepare for the real deal.

 

[JaredJames]

I saw a Nova program called "What are Dreams?" on Netflix the other night. I found it interesting. According to one study, bad dreams are actually really good for you. Your brain is putting together crazy abstract scenarios so that you can prepare for the real deal.

One does hope not. Otherwise last nights zombie apocalypse is going to be a right kick in the balls when it comes round - I couldn't survive in the dream where for some reason I was busting moves like Bruce Lee.

 

[Topher925]

You need to carry a totem.

I carry mine on me at all times.

The whole reality thing is one reason why I love learning things that I couldn't have (easily) thought of on my own. Its a frequent reminder that I'm not dreaming, in a coma, or strapped to a bed in a mental asylum.

 

[chiro]

I was shopping casually for some clothes and anything interesting (a small excuse to get out of my apartment). I made my way down to the car gadgets and passed by a hefty man, making brief eye contact. I looked over some gear for a minute and went around the next aisle to price wallets. That big guy was standing there looking them over, too. After a moment, he asked me something, I don't remember the exact words, but it was along the line of if I was going to look at everything he was looking at. I replied that I wasn't. He left and that was that. Just now I was recalling the look in his eyes and it was quite serious.

At the time it didn't bother me at all, and pretty much forgot about it. I was dozing off here and it came back to me most clearly. There was some paranoia or disturbance in him. But since I'm a small enough guy when people get a good look at me, soft bodied and light weight, these kind of confrontations usually end without incident; I figure they usually decide I'm not a threat or much to bother with. Only now, thinking about his expression, I realized that he might have hurt me with just a wrong word. For the last few minutes now, I've been upset about this.

And then I realized that this never happened. The wallets in this huge department store are in the center of the building, and the car gadgets are way to the back in the corner.

My dreams are almost never this realistic. They're filled with symbols and impossible actions. I would never have thought this was a dream had I not realized the mistake with the store setup. Otherwise, I would've been on the lookout for him, and I still have a lot of his details in my memory. I'm afraid of this because it makes me doubt my memories and my interactions with people.

Have any of you ever experienced anything like this, is it unusual?

Trinity and Morpheus are watching you, you are the one Newai... take the red pill.

 

[drankin]

One does hope not. Otherwise last nights zombie apocalypse is going to be a right kick in the balls when it comes round - I couldn't survive in the dream where for some reason I was busting moves like Bruce Lee.

You'll have to get your dream on! You must have an inner Bruce. :)

 

[rootX]

I love good dreams but I rarely get them. I recall sometimes learning new things in my dreams that I don't remember learning in real life. I also remember once I had death like experience in my dream; I was sweating like hell when I woke up from that dream. While other times, I have really pleasant and comforting dreams. If I wake up in the middle of those dreams, I just go back and try to extend them further. But, it has rarely worked out.

 

[drankin]

I must be smarter when I'm asleep. If I get stuck on a problem or project at work and I haven't figured it out by the end of the day I don't stress about it. I usually have it figured out by the time I wake up the next day.

 

[rootX]

I must be smarter when I'm asleep. If I get stuck on a problem or project at work and I haven't figured it out by the end of the day I don't stress about it. I usually have it figured out by the time I wake up the next day.

I solve mine problems at about 2 AM in the morning while sleeping. I would wake up instantly and grab pen-paper to write down the solution. But, I am a night person and think actively around that time. Most people around me are also night people and can be very productive at about that time.

 

[JaredJames]

I prefer nightmares over normal dreams. Far more interesting and enjoyable. Far more vivid with a lot more emotion and feeling in them.

One thing I have found over the past few years is that when I have a really memorable dream (something I wake up from and can remember vividly, generally nightmares), I have two versions of it.

I'll have the dream once and then will replay it identically up to some point, at which time a specific decision I make will change and instead of one ending I get another.

For example, in my above zombie apocalypse, I survived the first time around but when I had the dream again a few weeks later it was identical except for one decision near the end (the end being the point I woke up last time) and I ended up dying. Dream duration based on what I remember was equal both times.

I also find that the second time around I'm sghtly aware that it's a dream. It's as if I can feel it's a dream, I know it's a dream, but it doesn't change anything and it's as if I simply ignore it.