Thread: Waking Amnesia

I've never known anyone that had this happen, however, I totally understand it. It seems from my personal experience, that there are two different mechanisms at work, one while you are awake, and one while you are dreaming. I've got a whole set of dream memories that I recall while dreaming. It is quite uncanny really. I think that perhaps this is what might be happening to you. In those brief moments when you wake up, your dream memory is still active.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I think the closest I have come to this experience is waking up and not remembering what house I live in, or thinking I live somewhere I used to live. Sometimes it takes a couple seconds to figure it out. Could be the same phenomenon.

I had meant to reply to this before. I apologize for not.

Seeker, thank you for your input. It helps to hear from someone who is "into" dreaming like I am. I think you're right, though. My "dream" memories and RL memories were probably meshing and I was a little disoriented upon waking. I hate it when it happens, so I mostly just hope that it doesn't. I used to worry that I'd suffered some kind of stroke or something, but given my age, overall health and the fact that it's extremely temporary (a couple of minutes at best), I doubt that's the case.

Moonbeam, it sounds like a very similar situation as to what you described. It's scary when that happens, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only person in the world whose had something like that happen! Let's hope it doesn't happen to either of us again anytime soon!!

Ah, I've experienced something similar once.... I was attempting to WILD, and I was just kind of starting to fade off. However, I usually get to this point, and snap right back to consciousness, which is what I did, only this time, I had completely forgotten who I was. I had to think for a few seconds, to find out who I was, what my name was, and where I was. It was like my entire lifetime was gone, for about ten seconds.... Odd experience, but quite interesting.

Bayside, it is very strange and a little intriguing. I was telling my folks about it once and my dad said to my husband, "The next time she does this ask her *her* name."

I was like, "NOOOO!"

(usually the first thing I say to my husband after laying there wondering is, "Hey... don't laugh."

He says, "Okay."

I say, "What's your name?"



He's never laughed at me in the moment, but later on when we're both conscious and all, we talk about it and laugh.

Originally Posted by Follower;

Why don't you talk to the doctor? Sorry, but asking about such things in the a LD forum is a strange thing to do.
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I wasn't asking for a diagnosis. I was asking if anyone else had heard of it. And since the forum is "Sleep and Health", I thought it was an appropriate forum.

I think asking sleep and dream related questions is appropriate on a forum devoted to such things.

If you haven't already, sounds like you should get this checked... Because I just joined, I can't post the link for you, but you should read the wikipedia description of "Transient epileptic amnesia."

good luck,
chris

Originally Posted by ivey

Okay this is a weird one... I've never heard of this happening to anyone else, so maybe you guys could shed some light.

In the past, I've woken up not knowing a lot of things. I'd be laying in bed, and known there was someone next to me (my husband, in reality) and sometimes I didn't know his name, sometimes I wasn't sure what our "status" was (married, dating, one-night-stand), etc. Once I couldn't remember how long we'd lived in the house we were in (it was 3-4 years at the time). A couple times I didn't even know if it was a man or woman next to me. My husband has always been very understanding and supportive when this has happened to me, and within a minute of talking I regain all of my memory again. But for that few moments, it's really bizarre. I always chalked it up to some form of sleepwalking and waking up during it. Have any of you heard of something like this? I was always terrified that this would happen when I had a baby, but it hasn't... YET.

I'd love to hear any logical input on this....