Thread: Past Experience Of Sense Vs No Experience

I just remembered a small part of a non lucid dream I had yesterday night. I took a everything bagel and hit it against the table or plate. When I did that, I thought of the way it would feel. Like with this, most of my senses in dream have a on the spot sense when I think about the way it should be but than...what about the experiences that we can't do in WL or haven't experienced. I find that my mind just makes a connection and goes with it. Like how I've never been jabbed in the stomach but can feel dream pain from it. Than when it happens again I expect it and come to recognize it more. Or how when I bite my dream finger it feels like rubber and...taste like it? I don't remember a time I put rubber in my mouth unless I think more and recall the moment when I was little and put a baby pacifier in my mouth out of curiosity. I have a feeling expectation played a important role in that experience too.

Anyways, in what way has your mind used past experiences of sense for things you haven't experienced in WL, in your dreams?

I'm pretty sure that's how it is for a lot of people. Sure, you may never have been experimented on by gray-skinned aliens or punched in the gut your whole life, but that doesn't stop your mind from filling in the blanks. I've seen some pretty crazy things in dreams (A psychedelic colored sky, a blazing hot topiary garden, the world shifting into 2D) yet they always felt ''real" in a sense. If it weren't for our brain's ability to make complete guesswork out of situations, then dreams, or more commonly, lucid dreams would be damn near impossible.

Originally Posted by Jdoggad

I'm pretty sure that's how it is for a lot of people. Sure, you may never have been experimented on by gray-skinned aliens or punched in the gut your whole life, but that doesn't stop your mind from filling in the blanks. I've seen some pretty crazy things in dreams (A psychedelic colored sky, a blazing hot topiary garden, the world shifting into 2D) yet they always felt ''real" in a sense. If it weren't for our brain's ability to make complete guesswork out of situations, then dreams, or more commonly, lucid dreams would be damn near impossible.

yeah, reminds me of that one dream where I thought I would be dissected. Not pleasant but good that it was just a dream. ^w^Those sound like cool experiences. I'm more curious about the specific experiences that trigger that "Real" feeling. I know a lot of things can but its pretty interesting if you can pin point it to something very familiar.Hmm, true. XD I can't imagine never dreaming. It would be difficult to look forward to sleep.

Nebs-

What you mentioned at the start about how we come to understand the world, came to mind when I was making the topic as well. Didn't know it was smell, touch and taste that came first though.Interesting. Ive never heard of synaesthesia before. That would be pretty funny if I could taste things I hear and feel things I smell. I think my thoughts would be on overdrive.Than again, we must do it too but in subtle ways.

haha yup.Thats what makes lucids fun. I like the picture of that piercing eye. From the words im guessing her eyes are like a x ray combined with a heat sensor. XD

DarkMatters-


Hehe It'd be unfortunate if you did experience it. Bologna...I never thought of that before but I can see how you would pick that up.That must have been uncomfortable if you wished to go back to the Bologna feeling. I don't think much of my body Image having bones either.

Yep I think it is a fill in the gaps method, in the same way as in waking life we "expect" (reality is all about filling in the gaps as it is an abstract concept made up of our past perceptions/experiences and was originally put together from our limited senses).
For me, it might be useful however to take note of which types of sense impressions we are getting, as to me this word be important, as smell, touch & taste come before everything in the hierarchy of perceptions, as it is the first sensory impression we gain of the "world" (whatever that is).
To get back to the original point tho xD how your mind decides the sensation to match to a new object, I would presume this is the same mental mechanism used by individuals who have synaesthesia. Who can taste things they hear, or feel things they smell Oo
maybe with practise we could all do that! that would be so cool ^^

Quite an interesting way to get an answer in your dream though. For instance you need to make a choice and are unsure in waking life, in a lucid you could taste the two objects to see which was better or listen to them or sniff em to see which you prefer.

Online synaesthesia test reveals how you perceive colours, tastes and sounds | Daily Mail Online

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That's like when I push a finger through my palm in a dream - not something I've ever experienced IWL! Usually when I've done in in a dream it felt like pushing my finger through some thick bologna. No pain, and my hand didn't even really feel anything, but the finger felt like it suddenly smashed through a roll of bologna.

Then after waking up one time I thought about how weird that is - there should have been bones and muscles and stuff in there. Then a couple of times later when I did it there was a weird feeling - not exactly pain but like discomfort, and I could feel bones sort of getting pushed out of the way. Then I wished it would go back to the bologna feeling lol!

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Originally Posted by Darkmatters

That's like when I push a finger through my palm in a dream - not something I've ever experienced IWL! Usually when I've done in in a dream it felt like pushing my finger through some thick bologna. No pain, and my hand didn't even really feel anything, but the finger felt like it suddenly smashed through a roll of bologna.

Then after waking up one time I thought about how weird that is - there should have been bones and muscles and stuff in there. Then a couple of times later when I did it there was a weird feeling - not exactly pain but like discomfort, and I could feel bones sort of getting pushed out of the way. Then I wished it would go back to the bologna feeling lol!

Ugh, I can see it now. Pushing your finger not only through your bones (Which would hurt enough as is), but also your nerves, arteries, and muscles too...


Well that's one less reality check I'm never doing again. Least I can't think of anything bad that can happen by plugging your nose. Unless you forget to breathe while doing it. Which would probably be bad.

Well that's the order we use/acquire our senses from birth. Smell scientists have observed doesn't take the same path as the other senses and is not mediated/filtered by the mind, so it's the most primitive I guess. maybe, that's why no animal has developed to handle a skunk, lol. I think we can already imagine what seeing music might be like as there are so many visualisation for music players these days.
Also as there are so many references to synaesthesia in our language I ponder as to whether it used to be far more common place to have this ability, people talk about warm music, gentle, heavy etc using one sense "touch" to describe another "audio" and a zillion other references.

Originally Posted by Nebulus

Well that's the order we use/acquire our senses from birth. Smell scientists have observed doesn't take the same path as the other senses and is not mediated/filtered by the mind, so it's the most primitive I guess. maybe, that's why no animal has developed to handle a skunk, lol. I think we can already imagine what seeing music might be like as there are so many visualisation for music players these days.
Also as there are so many references to synaesthesia in our language I ponder as to whether it used to be far more common place to have this ability, people talk about warm music, gentle, heavy etc using one sense "touch" to describe another "audio" and a zillion other references.

Yeah, skunks have it easier than most animals. When i think of music and touch, i can't see them separately either. Wouldn't be surprised if it was common in that way.
Also, synesthesia reminds me of a piano program i saw on youtube.... i think.

lol well luckily it doesn't hurt much - it was just a very mild discomfort. Nothing like if you did it for real.