Thread: First or Third Person Dreams... Explained?

Hi,

I don't think many if any of the things revolving around the exact "dream nature" are explained through some scientific means. But seeing how dreams often reflect thoughts and experiences gathered through the day or just in a general longer timespan, it might be interesting to hypothesize various reasons specifically through that lens.

I don't have 3rd person dreams too often, but some sort of spectator like experiences do happen. One could attribute that to the way TV or movies work, or should I say the way they could be percieved by the brain. Video games could also be a culprit. Being interested in the whole mind-brain relationship through introspection for a long time now, I must say that I do recognize for myself, how the brain extends its perception and influence to what could be called "virtual experiences" like TV or video games. For example when sitting down to do something on the computer in a dream, often I don't just stay in front of the computer with my hands on the keyboard, but rather the screen and whatever I'm doing, takes over the dream completely - vision, audio, perception of a body disapears etc. That's one way I find these strange points of view come about, for me of course.

Another reason could perhaps be that this is the way "you" sometimes think about yourself. When I was younger I used to remember things in 3rd person from time to time. Don't know why, but it happened. They were sort of false memories of course, since my eyes didn't float outside my body to take pictures, but still genuine. So even now if I try to remember something generic from my childhood I remember some events just like that. Do you have something similar going on?

Dreams just differ so much from person to person it's really hard to generalize something like this and find the exact cause. What kind of themes, mental attitudes or emotions do you notice in 3rd person dreams? Anything special about them beside the point of view?

Just my 2 cents I suppose.

Dreams that are vivid, first person, are usually on the REM period.
Others that take the third person perspective, are often associated with the nREM (non REM) period.

I've discovered that when I dream it is usually in a first person perspective. However, when I try to consciously visualise myself doing something I tend towards a third person perspective.

When my dreams are in a third person perspective I am usually not visually myself in the dream. I don't think I've ever had a primarily first person perspective dream where I was anything other than myself. There are dreams I recall that were in a 50/50 first/third person perspective where I was completely myself though.

I think there is a link with identity in my dreams. If there is a fantasy element of being someone that is significantly removed from my own persona, then a third person perspective seems to be the way my dreams conjure the visual stimuli.

Returning to my experience visualising in third person, I would suggest that it might be easier for the brain to imagine a realistic scene in third rather than first person perspective. If you apply that theory to dreams where my persona is not my own, then it makes sense that the brain would have an easier time conjuring the stimuli to create the dream from an exterior perspective since if it were to be interior how would the difference in identity be conveyed?

one of my most vivid dreams i recalled from last month was a 3rd person dream

Thank you all for the responses, interesting to hear the personal differences.

@Bonsay - I'm really intrigued by your mention of "virtual experiences" - that had never occurred to me. I actually don't recall any dream where I've used a computer or played a video game, though I do vaguely remember watching TV in one.

To be honest, I have no idea whether most of my dreams are first or third person. It was a thought that popped into my head, because I've never paid close attention to it in a dream. I *think* my point of view is sometimes mixed, it will change from on PoV to another sporadically throughout my dream, dependent on what's going on. I'm hoping to become more aware of this in any dreams I have in the future.

I got my best friend into lucid dreaming (she's had 2 so far :3) and she told me that most of her dreams are in third person, and she also daydreams and visualizes things in third person. I read somewhere that daydreams affect your dreams a lot, so maybe that could be apart of it.
@Bonsay, I have those virtual experiences a lot, but I never knew how to explain how it feels. Thanks for that. Actually, in my very first lucid dream while a ninja robot evil villain superpower guy was going around chasing me, I had one of those virtual experiences. Of course, I was freaking out because I could hear what was going on perfectly, I could even feel stuff, but I couldn't do anything about it because I couldn't move or see what was happening.

Yeah, it's all pretty cool. It's great because I've just found someone with the same dream effect in the Newbie zone. Maybe I'm onto something Here it is:

Originally Posted by GabrielG

Wow I envy you I've been trying this for about 4 days and I haven't even remembered any dreams except when I woke up this morning after thinking hard all I could remember was I was playing team fortress 2 and I could only see the screen but I don't remember any details. Then after something about a racecar. I need help and it's pissing me off can anyone PM me some tips? Oh and congratz man that's kind of rare to get it on your 2nd day.

I remember hearing it was caused by what stage of sleep you were in (nREM being 3rd person more often, like Brunor said) but I read an article that said it all depended on what part of your brain you were using at the time. The logical, analytical, or instinctive parts of your brain were first person, and the creative and abstract were third person. It would make sense, the only people I know who dream in third person generally do more creative things, like music and art, and I know a drummer who says that when he dreams, he never dreams of himself doing something, first or third person, but he always just dreams of random images and scenarios, or kaleidoscopic visions and whatnot.

I'd assume that what type of daydreams you have, or HI, would probably either be because of which part of the brain you use, or practice that part of the brain for any dreamlike event depending on if it was natural or intentional.
A Comparison Of Daydream And Dream Perspectives | College Student Journal | Find Articles at BNET
It seems like only under 50% of ppl daydream the same PoV they dream. That seems to make the whole "part of your brain" thing more likely to me, but I couldn't find any studies that concluded why certain perspectives are common, or why ppl see one perspective instead of another.

My dreams are usually do it in 1st person (dreamself's eyes) unless its in a scence I am not "in" therefore its 3rd person.

I've had equally vivid dreams in third person before. The most recent one I can remember in third person, I was someone else entirely. It's kinda like I played the role of a Prince. I remember being in a lot of trouble. For some reason it was a lot like Aladdin.