Annoying False Memories!

**4thDimension** · 08-03-2014 09:47 PM

Have you ever had a dream in which you remember a particular event or thing that in real life never happened? It is hard to explain but here is an example: I dreamt I was walking along a road and saw an orange/brown house. I then said to my brother, "there is that boring house we saw the other day." In real life I had never seen that house. I think that false memories are the brain's way of explaining certain unfamiliar events in dreams. If the brain didn't create these pesky false memories, we would all be having lucid dreams much more often because we would question things a lot more!

**ZhengHe** · 08-04-2014 07:09 AM

I often experience false memories in dreams. sometimes I think I've done something in real life, but I only did in a dream.

I would like to point out however, that memories are false. By this i mean they are inaccurate recordings of past events, that become distorted by the stories we tell ourselves.

**Cubellius** · 08-04-2014 06:52 PM

Yep, happened to me as well.. Other times I remember things that happened in real life while inside a dream, and still not get lucid!

**Memm** · 08-06-2014 11:55 AM

Sometimes I think I remember something while awake and then realise it was a dream I did it in, usually happens only after extremely vivid dreams.

**4thDimension** · 08-06-2014 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by Memm

Sometimes I think I remember something while awake and then realise it was a dream I did it in, usually happens only after extremely vivid dreams.

Yes, this happens a lot to me as well. Once, I dreamt that I found something that I had previously lost. The next day, I got excited because I remembered finding it but then I realized it was just a dream!

**insideout** · 08-07-2014 06:15 AM

It happens even in my lucid dreams sometimes. For example, I was in a dream version of my childhood home, looking at old toys or trinkets and think to myself that they look just like in real life, impressed by my subconscious ability to remember detail. But after I wake up I realize those things never actually existed in my waking life.

**Gaea** · 08-07-2014 06:19 AM

Yep, these false memories are annoying, and I have them, too.

**acatalephobic** · 08-07-2014 08:52 AM

This happens to me a lot also, and if anything I try to look at it as motivation to be 1) more aware, and 2) more accurate in distinguishing between reality, dreams, and all the rest.

From what I understand, lucidity is a combination of the two...excellent awareness is great, but won't help if you're unable to realize that what you're keenly observing makes no sense whatsoever.

If you (like me) are easily convinced that dancing across a lake full of mines in slow motion to music, or hugging Jimi Hendrix while holding an AK47 is possible...be prepared to be posting in "Stupidest Ways You've Missed Becoming Lucid" a LOT. Don't you dare be ashamed though, because that thread is hilarious and awesome in it's own right.

Unfortunately though, the more mundane/everyday/could-happen the dream scenario is--even if it is innacurate or downright false--the more easily we are convinced. The same applies to all memories, and that's where it gets really interesting I think...

When I am fooled in such a way by my subconscious, my attention often focuses on how my conscious mind allows the same thing to happen.

Our brains are hardwired to seek out patterns and explanations, even in cases where none exist. Our ability to analyze and retain information isn't always perfect. It's annoying sure, but acknowledging it is essential before any progress can be made.