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  • Let’s Talk About Dreams and Disability

    Posted by alyssa-silva on July 1, 2022 at 11:00 am

    Let’s talk about dreams. The other day, my dad asked if I walked in my dreams, and I told him no. But the weird thing is that I’m not really driving my wheelchair either. I’m kind of just floating around. I know that sounds bizarre, but in my dreams, I’m not really aware of my body and just focused on what I see. Does that make sense? I’d love to know what your dreams are like! I think it’s so fascinating. Do you walk? Run? Drive your wheelchair?

    deann-r replied 1 year, 6 months ago 7 Members · 16 Replies
  • 16 Replies
  • blake-watson

    Member
    July 1, 2022 at 11:10 am

    Yeah dreams are pretty fascinating. Like you, I’m usually a floating camera. I do recall a few dreams where I was walking (running really) and some where I was driving my wheelchair.

    One dream I had when I was a kid… I was sitting on the ground and a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz came, swooped me up, and gave me a ride. It was a fun dream. I ended up killing the wicked witch by pushing her into her swimming pool (no idea why she had a swimming pool lol).

    • alyssa-silva

      Member
      July 2, 2022 at 11:32 am

      First of all… LOVE that you still remember this dream. That’s pretty impressive. Secondly, this sounds like an awesome dream ???? Fun fact: whenever I had a little too much to drink and my dad asked me how my night went, I always told him it had something to do with flying monkeys so he wouldn’t ask me any further questions haha.

  • jeremy

    Member
    July 1, 2022 at 1:19 pm

    I’m always walking and I kinda assumed it was because I didn’t get my chair until I was in the early 30s.  But I recently realized that I have no trouble with things like stairs and running in dreams and they’ve been a nemesis all my life.

    A side note…  I recently had my first lucid dream.  I got nervous and forced myself awake just to make sure I could. Afterwards I tried to have more for a week or so until I started to read that it could cause sleep paralysis and noped out (that sounds awful).

    • alyssa-silva

      Member
      July 2, 2022 at 11:36 am

      Sleep paralysis is definitely something I’d try to stay away from too! A lucid dream sounds so interesting though. I’ve had dreams where I’ve told myself I’m dreaming but I could never control or manipulate what would happen next.

  • delphine-andrews

    Member
    July 1, 2022 at 1:52 pm

    I also float or am just sitting down somewhere. So validating to know others experience the same. Always thought it was just me.

    • alyssa-silva

      Member
      July 2, 2022 at 11:37 am

      I thought it was just me too!!! I’m so glad I asked this question.

  • dennis-turner

    Member
    July 1, 2022 at 2:14 pm

    In my dreams I walk, but I walked for most of my life.

    Interestingly enough,  while I was struggling with Covid I knew when my oxygen levels were terrible (50% or lower) because I couldn’t walk without falling. I remember falling off curbs and not being able to get back on in my dreams. That woke me up!

    • alyssa-silva

      Member
      July 2, 2022 at 11:40 am

      That is interesting! Dreams are so incredible. I’m always so intrigued to hear people’s experiences with them.

  • deann-r

    Member
    July 5, 2022 at 8:52 am

    How interesting. I’m a floater too. I always think my dreams would make the best movie plots until I try to piece them together and they make no sense.

    • blake-watson

      Member
      July 18, 2022 at 12:38 pm

      omg I do this all the time!

  • adam

    Member
    July 17, 2022 at 10:02 am

    Always driving or at least in my chair in a vehicle. Whenever in a vehicle almost always the driver is the cab driver who drover me to school & back for 7yrs. He killed himself nearly 20yrs ago.

    When just in my chair I’m either really skilful (usually back playing sport) or my battery is dying and I’m traveling uphill and I can’t do something I gotta do quickly enough.

    On the rare occasion I have the floaty 3rd person dreams I’m usually out on the open ocean filled with anxiety what’s beneath me or behind me.

    That’s not even the half of it but I love sleeping & dreaming. Sometimes an old dog or loved one shows up & it feels real & awesome. Waking up is the sucky part.

    • alyssa-silva

      Member
      July 19, 2022 at 11:46 am

      Your dreams are so vivid! I don’t know why but whenever I’m dealing with a bout of bad acid reflux, my dreams are so wild. They feel so real too.

      • adam

        Member
        July 20, 2022 at 1:56 pm

        Yeah, I think I always dream but only remember maybe two or three every few months. They are very vivid while others just seem to fade away in my memory no matter how much I try and recall them when I wake up.

        Dreams fascinate me. Like your brain is powering along while you’re out cold, with almost no control over any of it, your brain is taking you to places, times and people you can’t access any other way.

        I feel now I “dream backwards”. As in, I used to dream about doing things in the future. Now my dreams involve me doing stuff I can’t do anymore. The other night I dreamt I was eating a hamburger, I could hold it up to my face with both hands and take a decent bite. I wake up hungry and remember it would take someone to cut up the burger and me 45 minutes to eat it.

      • alyssa-silva

        Member
        July 21, 2022 at 12:59 pm

        I have those dreams too! Had one just last night in fact. I’m having a lot of trouble swallowing, and I guzzled down a milkshake in my dream. Waking up after dreams like those is not fun — puts me in a bad mood right away. Dreaming really is so fascinating.

      • adam

        Member
        July 22, 2022 at 2:42 pm

        Absolutely bad mood right off the bat! As if being hungry doesn’t make you grouchy already you just wanna hop outta bed & go cook/order something & devour it. But by the time I’m up & ready for any of that I’m over it.

  • deann-r

    Member
    September 29, 2022 at 11:27 am

    Dreams are so weird. Lately I’ve been dreaming I’m in my powerchair attempting to leave but steep steps are blocking me. No matter how steep I attempt bumping down them. Sometimes backwards. Usually I wake up before I know if I made it. The last scenario was in a tree house. When I wake up I think how stupid because I couldn’t have gotten there in the first place.

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