Thread: Why don't we realize that we are dreaming when miracles seems normal :)

What sugar said. The logic center of your brain shuts off therefore you don't think logical.

There's also a statistic that 90% of all behavior is habit. Since we are usually even less aware in dreams, maybe that's an explanation too.

well said sugarglider11

The logic center shutting down makes sense. Could it also be that we see so many bizarre things in movies that when we see bizarre things in our dreams, we don't question them?

I wonder if lucid dreaming was more common in societies 1000 years ago when there wasn't so much imagery available.

If the logic center is shut down, how do we know to do reality checks?

Originally Posted by Kroy

If the logic center is shut down, how do we know to do reality checks?

There are two reasons that I can think of for that, one is that It's a habit, I doubt. The other is that the logic center only shuts down almost completely.

Ok, like sugar glider said, the logic part of your brain just shuts down when you are dreaming.

But just remember habits are nothing to do with logic. So if a reality check is one of your habits, you end up doing that in your dream, just like you would do any other one of your habits in a dream.

Originally Posted by Zenman

The logic center shutting down makes sense. Could it also be that we see so many bizarre things in movies that when we see bizarre things in our dreams, we don't question them?

I wonder if lucid dreaming was more common in societies 1000 years ago when there wasn't so much imagery available.

I would really like to know this too. I'm thinking that most of your dreams might actually be using the same part of the brain that you use when watching a movie; you understand what's going on, you even feel involved in it, but you never actually place your own body or yourself in the story or what is happening. I see a lot of weird stuff, as we all do (especially internet users ), so I wouldn't be surprised if this is making it harder!


One thing I have noticed is that I can play games for hours on end and only dream about faint concepts from them, but if I play Warcraft 3, sure as hell isn't real, I will dream about it. This hasn't led to me being lucid, but I'm working on it . Regardless, I'm not sure why this is happening, but perhaps it is because I have played the game for years on end? Is it the colourful graphics? The multiplayer part of it? I really don't know, but it would be a fascinating study.

Originally Posted by Ethereal

I would really like to know this too. I'm thinking that most of your dreams might actually be using the same part of the brain that you use when watching a movie; you understand what's going on, you even feel involved in it, but you never actually place your own body or yourself in the story or what is happening. I see a lot of weird stuff, as we all do (especially internet users ), so I wouldn't be surprised if this is making it harder!

Actually, you use more of your brain while you are sleeping than you do while watching television. The brain actually is really just keeping you alive while you're in front of the TV...

Originally Posted by Kordan

Actually, you use more of your brain while you are sleeping than you do while watching television. The brain actually is really just keeping you alive while you're in front of the TV...

Yea, your subconscious is like the biggest part of your mind. I think

Kind of ironic that people are using logic to state that the 'logic centre' of the brain is turned off when no one knows that for sure anyway. The logic centre isn't a defined place, it's mixed in with the rest of the brain, senses, emotions, everything, sure there is an area which deals with most of it, but it by no means is 'turned off'. What is dormant is the concious mind (mind not brain (more is known about one than the other)) and what we perceive as reality, what seems real to one person is different to another, but in dreams that doesn't matter because the 'realisation' is dormant.

Anyway at the risk of rambling, think about these things don't bluntly say 'this is how it is and this is what you will believe' have an open mind until it's closed with proper scientific facts and data (again your choice).

Personally I believe that dreams hold such cathartic value that our emotions drown out the 'logic' or 'reality' of it, even if it's the most abstract of dreams it will tend to be an emotional experience anyway, even if it makes no sense, and these feelings lead us on in the dream and continue it without questioning it. Of course it's possible to break through this, just as it is possible to suppress or rid emotions in waking life.

Anyhow just a thought

P.S
And an interesting link I found: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/b...ding_sleep.htm