Thread: Blind people and lucid dreams...

Last night, I thought about blind people and lucid dreaming, and I came to some interesting conclusions, nothing special, but I wanted to share it with you people, I want to hear what do you think about it.

To create dreams, we use the information that we gather using our senses.
So, to create a dream landscape, we have to know how nature looks, and we can know that only from experience and that is because we collect visual information with our eyes.

I thought it would be good for people who lost their eyesight to learn how to have lucid dreams, because in their dream world they can see and they can create beatiful and vivid scenes using their brain.Brain remembers information gathered before the person lost his/her eyesight, therefore, this is possible.
But that's not the thing that got me really thinking.

I thought...What's with those people with a birt defect, people who were born blind ?
How do their dreams look ?
Is it possible to use their brain's eyes to create images in lucid dreams ?
Not from experience, but from imagination.

You never saw a pink rabbit with a bazooka jumping on one leg, but as you were reading this sentence, you created a picture in your head.

Maybe this wasn't a good example because we know how a rabbit looks like, how a bazooka looks, and what colour is pink.
I don't know anyone who was born blind, so I don't know... do they have visual imagination too and how does it work...?

Those thoughts are really bugging me, so I would like to hear some comments and answers !

It said something about blind (since birth) people dreaming in my biology book, but I don't have it anymore. It said something about they don't see things as seeing people do when dreaming, it's different.

Originally Posted by Silent_Lucidity

It said something about blind (since birth) people dreaming in my biology book, but I don't have it anymore. It said something about they don't see things as seeing people do when dreaming, it's different.

That's what I assumed, if they lost their eyesight, they didn't lose "their mind's eye", so if they can "see", it's something completely different and abstract.


One more thing, I forgot to mention it before !

When people who lost their eyesight have dreams, let's say that they always dream like "normal" people (I'm not sure about that, please correct me if I'm wrong), wouldn't that be an obvious sign that they're dreaming ?

Let me put it this way...

Is it easier for people who lost their eyesight to become lucid in their dreams?
Just think about it...

I think for people that have been blind since birth could have dreams about what they might imagine things to look like. I really have no idea but thats what I think. The only way to be able to tell is to ask someone who is blind what their dreams are like I guess.

geez ive never thought about that but its an excellent question ..maby they would just talk to people in dreams or hear things instead of seeing and hearing possebly

Originally Posted by Erinn

...
When people who lost their eyesight have dreams, let's say that they always dream like "normal" people (I'm not sure about that, please correct me if I'm wrong), wouldn't that be an obvious sign that they're dreaming ?

Let me put it this way...

Is it easier for people who lost their eyesight to become lucid in their dreams?
Just think about it...

Well... maybe. But on the other hand, it should be also obvious sign for us seeing alien or dog who can talk or something, and we don't get it anway. You know what I mean?

not everyone is totally blind, and for those ppl who are totally blind im pretty sure that they cannot dream because u need to see things to dream. I think it would be merely impossible for a totally blind person to dream. And if they could dream what would they dream about? black space?

Originally Posted by peanut_butter

not everyone is totally blind, and for those ppl who are totally blind im pretty sure that they cannot dream because u need to see things to dream. I think it would be merely impossible for a totally blind person to dream. And if they could dream what would they dream about? black space?

I don't think you are thinking about it enough. Dreams aren't always just visual. People can smell, taste, feel, and hear things too. People who are blind live their lives like that. It would be normal for them. They would explore and do things in their dreams just like they do in reality, just as we do with sight, but for them without it.

There are plenty of reports of people who are blind from birth having dreams, just without sight. And also reports of people who lost sight later in life, being able to see in dreams. It doesn't take long at all to search it on google, I just did. But it's interesting to see peoples responses and to discuss it, so I'm not saying this shouldn't have posted.

Well, for a person who was blind from birth, it would be impossible for them to have visuals in dreams. They wouldn't have the concept of colour, or even light or dark. They wouldn't be able to create shapes or objects. Atleast I don't think they could. Maybe some of you are right and they would just have very abstract sight.

However, on a Discovery Channel show, called Superhumans, this one man was blind from birth. Despite this disability, he was able to paint. He was able to percieve shapes. The only thing that still astounds me is how he was able to figure out colour.

I've also heard that people who are colour blind dream black and white dreams.

Originally Posted by S4ndm4n

I think for people that have been blind since birth could have dreams about what they might imagine things to look like. I really have no idea but thats what I think. The only way to be able to tell is to ask someone who is blind what their dreams are like I guess.

How can someone who was born blind describe their dreams ?
Even if they really see some abstract visualizations of their dreams, they're not able to describe it.

Originally Posted by peanut_butter

not everyone is totally blind, and for those ppl who are totally blind im pretty sure that they cannot dream because u need to see things to dream. I think it would be merely impossible for a totally blind person to dream. And if they could dream what would they dream about? black space?

This post just reminded me...it's not only about visual perception, it's the same with people who were born deaf, they can only imagine how it sounds like to listen to music...or people who don't have the sense of pain... it's the same for all senses, but everyone has their own dreams, even the deafblind people...

Originally Posted by Nerte

Well... maybe. But on the other hand, it should be also obvious sign for us seeing alien or dog who can talk or something, and we don't get it anway. You know what I mean?

Yes, believe me, I do know what you mean... oh, yes I do...

Oh, and "Yay", I know that Google is my friend I've found some things, but I wanted to discuss it here, it's always good to hear what people think