In the mid-20th century, people generally thought most of their dreams were black and white; no longer. The key appears to be different levels of group exposure to black and white media. Two key questions are:
(1.) Does black and white media exposure lead people to really dream in black and white or does it lead people to erroneously report that they do?Two recent studies (Schredl et al. 2008; Murzyn 2008) cast a bit more light on these questions. Both researchers asked general questions about people's dreams and also had people answer questions about their dreams in "dream diaries" immediately upon waking in the morning.
(2.) Do people who report dreaming in color really dream in color or are the colors of most of the objects in the dreamworld unspecified? (If you have trouble conceiving of the latter, think about novels, which leave the colors of most of their objects unspecified.)
First, both studies confirm that college-age respondents these days rarely report black-and-white dreams, either when asked about their dreams in general or when completing dream diaries. Murzyn finds that older respondents (aged about 55-75 years) more commonly report black and white dreams, but even in this group the rates of reported black and white dreams (22%) don't approach the levels of 50 or 60 years ago.
On issue 1: Both Schredl and Murzyn find that people with better overall dream recall report more colored and less black and white dreaming. Schredl also finds that people with better recall of color in (waking) visual displays report more color in dreams. On the face of it, this might suggest that reports of black and white dreams come from less credible reporters; but it could just be that the kind of people who dream in black and white are the kind of people who dream less often and less vividly and are less interested in color memory tasks; or black and white dreams may generally be less detailed. Also, it's possible that the experimenters' different measures corrupt each other: People who describe themselves as having frequent colored dreams may find themselves more motivated to report richly detailed colored dreams and to try harder on color recall tasks (as if to conform to their earlier self-portrayal) than do those reporting black and white dreaming.
On issue 2: Both studies find that respondents generally claim to dream in color or a mix of color and black and white, rather than claiming to dream neither in color nor in black and white. In Murzyn's questionnaire, only one of sixty respondents claimed to dream neither in color nor black and white (which matches my own findings in 2003). In their dream diaries, Murzyn's participants described only 2% of their dreams as neither colored nor black and white. In Shredl's dream diaries, participants listed objects central to their dreams and stated if those objects were colored. By this measure, 83% of dream objects were colored (vs. 3% black and white, 15% don't recall). Therefore, if it's true that most dream objects are neither colored nor black and white, respondents themselves must not realize this, even about their own immediately past dreams. This may seem unlikely, but given the apparent inaccuracy of introspection even about current conscious experience I consider it a definite possibility.
104 comments:
I think (introspecting) that when I dream I don't see colour unless I ask myself "what colour is that object" but if I do ask myself that question then I do see in colour.
This sort of thing is made clear when I do an experiment (I am aware I am in a dream) of looking at a wall really closely - I can see all sorts of texture and apparent contrast that I obviously could not see before - and it starts to change as I concentrate more on it (in predictable ways - eg I might be thinking of the wall in the context of a terrain in which case it might get some grass or something silly like that). I'm reasonably confident I can do the same with colour, and I am also pretty confident the walls did not have any defined texture before I looked at them.
Also dream colour may be slightly different from "real colour" (more hollow if you like). A bit like (although not as extreme) dream pain is different from real pain.
In that context saying I dream in colour or not might say something about my definition of "seeing a colour".
Nicely expressed, Genius. I'm inclined to agree with you, though I think it's still an open question. I definitely think that we should be cautious about what we infer from the fact that most people (these days) describe their dreams and most of the objects in their dreams as colored.
And what about those of us who generally don't dream in images? My dreams are 90% spatial positions, locations and feelings. For instance, I will usually be in a familiar location, and I will know that to my right is a person for whom I feel a certain way, If that feeling is applicable to several different people (such as my two step sons), I will not know who it is in the dream. And the only reason I can tell you details about the location later is because of the memory I have of it from waking hours.
It's worth noting that I have a very vivid sense of location when it comes to my otherwise rather shaky memory. I can enter an apartment I haven't been in since childhood and know its layout pretty much right away. I could probably find my way around my old neighborhood from when I was five, even though I've only visited it once, 24 years ago.
I am also more likely to identify people around a table by position than any other attribute when discussing events with someone later.
Oddly, I think I have a fairly strong visual imagination, used to work as a graphic designer and generally remember how to spell words from how they look.
Thanks, John! Very cool report. Murzyn had an option "neither" in her questionnaire (following my own 2003 questionnaire with that same option), for people who think they dream neither in color nor in black and white. In her questionnaire, as in mine, fewer than 3% of respondents chose this option.
I suspect the option tends to be overlooked; I suspect people too swiftly assume dreams must be either colored or black and white. So I appreciate your report!
I suppose that is a little like how blind people (complete from before age of 5) dream in sounds and other senses. Which makes a lot of sense.
I suppose blind and deaf people just get "dream touch" sort of dreams. I wonder of the dream touch is as hollow as it is in my dreams or if it is richer because it is the main source of information.
Genius: There's an early introspective psychology article on "taste dreams"! I think another possibility -- how would we examine this? -- is that some dreams have narrative structure but no sensory experience or sensory imagery at all.
Anon August 24: Thanks for the kind words, but your links seemed marginally spammish. Feel free to repost without the links.
Came across this why searching about black&white vs color dreams and saw that you're a Philosophy professor @ UCR.
Just wanted to give a shout out! I graduated from UCR in winter '10 and took a few phil classes with Graham and Nelson!
Good info, fun topic!
I dream in color, and i can deffinayely say that the colors that i see in my dreams are so bright and beautifull!!! Some of my dreams are like movies, sometimes even better!! So, how can u explain that ??
It would be nice to have some objective means of verifying statements like yours.
I rarely see colors in my dreams anymore.
i wanted to share about something maybe related to that .
I was given some laser light therapy when quitting smoking and was starting to get very bored with it as everything was flashes of white light.
On the second session I started to massage some point in the back of my head and suddenly it was a color light show. I asked the owner about it but did not get any answer of why that was happening.
Never tried again since
I dream very much in color - bright, beautiful color, much more intense than in waking life at times, particularly when dealing with certain things. While I never dream in black and white, there are certain things that really stand out in their color: make-up on other people's faces, natural landscapes, more chaotic, carnival-esque type scenes, certain ornate little objects. My brain finds it important to really crank up the saturation on these things, almost as though it is trying to make a point! Cities, on the other hand, particularly parking garages and under-the-bridge type scenes, which have been dream haunts of mine as of late, are much dimmer. Still in color, but dimmer; these dreams feel "darker" emotionally, and I am less emotionally involved. I suppose there is something to be said for that as well. I believe these things vary dramatically from person to person, depending on what they are exposed to in life and what kind of symbols and archetypes their subconscious minds gravitate towards.
I have noticed that when I dream during the night time they are coloured and when I pass that night time and sleep in and wake up late around 10 am then those dreams are darker like black and white. Maybe it has something to do with the day light that makes the dream black and white or devoid of colours?
What I have noticed is when I dream during night time they are coloured but sometimes when I sleep in and wake up late around 10 am then those dream are more like black and white and kind of gloomy or with dark backgrounds. I wonder if it has something to do with the day light?
I have dreamed only twice in color - don't remember the first time but the second was recently and I do not remember all the dream - only what was in color. It was a bunch of yellow tulips - the most beautiful of color - very bright
My dreams are always very heavily loaded with sensory stimuli - sounds, tastes, colours, smells and feelings. For a long time I wasn't aware that not everyone dreams in this way, not until I talked about it with some friends (since members of my family dream in similar way). The curious thing about my dreams is, as few people mentioned before, that the vivid, stimuli-loaded parts seem to be the focus of the dream.
Thanks for the study. I was searching on this because I never have dreamed in black and white. I am 42, and have vivid recollection of dreams every morning when I wake up.
My dreams are like a movie, and are vivid in color, sound, touch, and also taste. I don't recall smell being there, but the others are vivid.
I also have dreams where I speak other languages fluently, and when I wake I have used google translate on some of the words or phrases and they are correct in grammar and conjugation.
Most commonly I have had dreams in Spanish (which I did study in school), but also Czech and Sanskrit, which I have never been exposed to so I can't wrap my head around how I could pull out those words or phrases from my unconscious.
Anyway, the trouble with my dreams is that they will be so vivid that I often awaken tired from the dream. I am not always myself in the dream, and in fact usually the people in the dream are not people I know in real life.
Again, very vivid and movie like with a very detailed script. I usually remember multiple dreams every night.
oh, the person dreaming in vivid deep saturated color must have a nice TV.
Honestly I can say that my dreams are never vivid but not a completely black and white. Colors do seem bland and neutral though because I can't look back and think of seeing anything brightly colored. Even then I kind of wonder if my mind is filling in the gaps because I obviously know a persons hair is (typically) brown or blonde for example and that the sidewalk is gray, dirt is brown, grass I'd green and so on. But with optional colors with a rose for example... I guess my dreams always chose to have it a white rose, or beige wall with beige carpet.
Very questionable on my own half... I just know that my dreams seem to be uninteresting when it Comes to the color spectrum.
My dreams are very real. There is normal color, sound, taste, and smell. My sense of touch is slightly less detailed than real life. While in a dream I rely on logic errors and the lack of detail in my touch to determine that I am dreaming.
it's been reported that older people lose most or asll the color in their dreams but I'm over 60 & I still do dream in color & sometimes in LSD colors which i've been told is either impossible or
extremely rare, I own it up to my background in Medical Quantum physisics, anyway I can teach people over the internet most of you would have to pay to get the FACTS of what i know, anyway good luck to everyone in your own self testing.
As long as I remember myself, I dreamed in color. It was never a question for me, and one day I was amazed to hear that dreaming in color was a subject of "studies", or even a controversy. To this day I clearly remember my first "scary" dream. I was no older than 3, we did not have a TV in the house until I was 6 (and it was a B&W TV, I remember how my dad turned it on, and there was a hockey game on...) In that scary dreamI saw a large dark green toad, sitting in the bright sun, I ran to look for my mom, and I saw mom wearing a summer dress, we were somewhere in the city, on the steps of a large building with columns, like a museum, a library, or an Opera... Everything was in color. Interesting that I have remembered and could visualize that dream all my life!
Just as a shout out....what about the fact that there are "cones" in our eyes through which we see colors in our waking life, i.e., we create the colors in a rainbow---it is our eyes perception. Holding that true...then wouldn't ALL color in dreams (since I have a combo of b&w and color and sepia) be merely my mind construct?processing of the MENTAL images? What word on that approach?
BeHurd: Clearly the dreams are constructions, yes. It does seem odd that we would construct only in black and white and never in color, given our rods+cones visual experience.
I rarely dreamed in color until I began a program of hormone replacement (testosterone). Now I have dreams in which things are of indistinct color, sort of sepia toned, but often one thing is very vividly in color such as a green-green grass along an otherwise indistinct road.
I've dreamed so deep I didn't people dreamed black and white. Everything in my dream has color even the people are colored and animals and fish that's one of my fav things I'm greatful for. I've even written a full story with detail of one of my dreams years ago. I have repeat sceeneries but in different ways people items and such threw out years. And rarely have different sceens. My dream story is online under " quizilla " titled " spiritair "
I dream in color, I have vivid dreams and I dream every night (:
When I was a child and my family had a black and white TV, I was more likely to dream in black and white, or dreams had a green-grey tinge. It used to be said this indicated anxiety or jealousy and although that doesn't seem logical, the dreams I recall from that time were based on the resentment I felt about getting a baby brother! I bore people rigid with the retelling of my dreams; I do seem to recall more of them than most. I often dream that objects are simultaneously different eg a bird is also a kettle. It seems reasonable enough at the time, so maybe that's true of colours, absence of colour and other senses too? I used to struggle to read more than a line or two of anything in a dream. Since the arrival of Facebook, I find I can read more in my sleep - I should spend less time on there!
. I have also died in my dreams. Twice I was instantly 'reborn' as myself and the third time, when a dream about flying over the tip of a mountain was interrupted by a loud noise in reality, I went into the mountain and exploded. I awoke with sleep paralysis and thought I was about to have a heart attack, it was the most physically shocking thing I have ever encountered, awake or asleep, but I was young and healthy at the time. Don't know whether that is of any help with your research, but I hope it was interesting anyway. Sweet dreams!
Is it possible to dream in Dolby stereo?
Is it possible to dream in Dolby stereo?
Well ever since I was a kid (5) yrs old I've always dreamt in color leaves sometimes being green, orange, or reddish yellow.. Grass green; sky is either sky blue, dark blue, or grey.. With white clouds or grey clouds... My dreams are very vivid and detailed... And there's one more thing I can't die in my dreams no matter the situation hit by a train, a car, a truck, shot in the head 6 times by a gun, stabbed several times, I've even jump outta a 40 story building and hit the ground and was able to get up and walk away, I've even gone skydiving and my parachute didn't open so I fell towards the earth and wen I collided with the planet it hurt like hell but I didn't wake up nor did I die.. I got up dusted myself off and kept dreaming... But here's what's interesting when I finally woke up which ever part I landed on was sore in the morning... also what I'm starting to noticed tht certain ppl within my dreams know tht I can't die so they are testing my limitations, like bashing my head in with a bat, or even continuing to shoot me multiple times or even stab me.... My dreams are very weird I can count numbers, read a book, magazine, billboard, and or dream different versions on my self and they all have a single brainwave of myself but have different personalities of myself it's hella weird and last but not least I can talk to myself as in turn around and face myself and tell myself to wake up
I recently had a dream in black and white for the first time that I can recall, however I only realised it was in b & w when colour came flooding into my dream.
I'm 50 now. I recall a dream when I was around 5-8 years old. I was falling into a black abyss and I could see the bottom getting closer. I rolled out of bed and hit the floor. Seems funny now. It scared the heck out of me to the point that I still recall it. I didn't die in the dream, I just woke up. The only color I recall from that dream is black.
I don't really remember my dreams well enough to know if they have been in color. Maybe I will think about when I wake the next time. I don't recall my dreams being in B&W or color.
I do find it interesting that color does not exist anywhere in the natural universe external to the mind of a being. Color does not exist in the objects we see or in the light waves "wavelengths" refracting from the objects. I figured that part out on my own after reading how the eye functions with regard to color and light. I have a technical background so I understand about light and radio waves, etcetera.
From what I have read color does not exist even after it passes through the rods and cones in the retina. Only "information" is present at that point that was "derived" from the various wavelengths (cycles) of light. 100% of color is not present anywhere until our minds "create" or perceive it.
I believe this information to be basically correct. Don't harp on my wording as we all perceive the wording little differently. Lol. I have found that people have trouble wrapping their head around this and many "uninformed" people disagree. Most think that color exist on objects in the external universe or in the light wavelengths refracting from an object. From what I know it is a fact that color only exist in the mind of a being, including black,white and shades of gray. These are also colors. Check your crayon box.
I am 15 and I dream in black and white almost always unless the object in question is meant to stand out...for example one time I dreamed that a mysterious force was decorating a Christmas tree and I saw everything in black and white except for the lights that mysteriously floated onto and wrapped themselves around the dream and on an unrelated note the lights the tree was being decorated in we're those old fashioned c7 lights which I've never used in my life. Our unconscious imagination can so whatever it wants and really shouldn't be over analyzed unless it has a direct connection with an issue in our waking lives.
I have always have very vivid and extensive dreams, including many that repeat themselves, but with slight changes. I have very clear recollection of a handful of dreams from childhood on. I also have control to change some of my dreams while I'm in them, and the ability when I'm woken (by kids wanting breakfast), in the middle of a dream that I would like to "finish", I can go back to sleep within 10 minutes and continue from where I left off.
As for color, my dreams are colored, but only occasionally are the colors bright and part of the focus of the dream. More often than not, they're just "there".
What led me to find this through google, was this morning my 5 year old son told me about his dream and in passing mentioned that his dreams never have color and that he was trying to put color in this dream but it wouldn't work. I was curious, but distracted by life. Then an hour later I saw a link on Facebook about a collection of historical B&W photos that had been colorized by artists. I showed them to my son and he said, "Yeah, my dreams look like that (pointing to B&W), not that (pointing to colorized)... but they're not about that guy! (giggle)".
That's when I started googling and came to this after a few studies and articles with similar conclusions. I am now more confused and fascinated by his dreams than ever, since it doesn't "fit" the science in progress. At 5 years old, he has seen maybe 2 or 3 B&W movies and a handful of tv episodes, so that doesn't account for his exclusively B&W dreams. Also, the fact that he brought it up without provocation, because it's something he has consciously observed, AND the fact that he has actively and unsuccessfully attempted to colorize his own dreams suggests that he doesn't fit into the categories of "lack of awareness" of the colors either.
He is a very interesting kid (and as smart as he is, he has some definite mental/behavioural quirks, due to nearly starving to death in utero and being taken out prematurely. I would REALLY love to crawl into his brain and see how it works!
There is one dream I had many years ago that I remember vividly. A friend brought me a beautiful peach colored dress, just the other day I found a blouse (and bought it) that was the exact same color as my dream. Often I will dream that I am a ballet dancer (can't dance to save my life) or an excellent swimmer (can't do that either). One of my favorite dreams is visiting a house that is beautifully decorated. The most recent one was decorated in a mauve color with gold accents. But I have had several with mixed black, white and color.
I definitely just dreamt in full color. I dreamt I was photographing my friends engagement pics and there was a definite color scheme of turquoise and blue. Then a little blonde haired kid came out of a back room and shot me with a yellow toy gun...
I remember the first time anyone told me that some people dream in black and white. It was shocking to me, even the idea. If I've ever had a dream without color, I don't remember it, and my dream recall is pretty good. Even when awakened mid-dream, I recall the colors. My old neurologist told me it might have something to do with my calcified pineal gland and sleep disorder, but I have no idea if that's even an issue. My 15 year old son says he normally dreams in color except in his more scattered, early stage dreams. Those are usually in black and white.
Fascinating stuff, I enjoyed reading.
Kris
So I have dreamt in black and white and I have also dreamt in color. I've even dreamt with elements of both. For instance, I was in a diner and everything was black and white except the counter at the bar area, which was red. And now, as of today, I've dreamt in animation. Never before have a dreamt I was a cartoon. If find this extremely odd. I'm wondering if I've reached a new level of crazy or perhaps it's simply exhaustion. Comments? Please email me at shesalwayswriting@yahoo.com with subject: Dreams or dreaming
Hi
I often dream in a crazy amounts of detail, even down to the smallest of objects, always in full colour, full conversations that come with a range of emotions and in a range of places and situations that I am not always familiar with. Waking from these dreams and nightmares is exhausting as I feel like I haven't slept. Any ideas why this happens? I remember it happening as a child a being very scared and confused by it. Thanks Michelle
Fascinating. I definitely dream in colors, which are usually intense. The colors are there to start with without any focus on my part trying to see them. I also feel warm/cold/wet/dry feeling and other touch-smell-taste sensations, but i think i do not hear sounds.
Seems like we all use different senses in our dreams- I am not sure it is related to the senses we use most in our real life, I am a dancer and studied music as well but still hear no sounds.
100% dreamt colours last night. Was being chased by police car and woke up remembering the flashing blue and red lights. Cant recall any other colours though
I also dream this way! I've never met anyone else that does!
I find it of great interest that you have the ability to "pick up where you left off" in dreaming, as I also am able to do this. I have never encountered anyone else that could.
While lucid dreaming recently, I've noticed 3 different instances where a color shows up in my dreams. A woman in a bright, red dress sitting in a bright red chair, a neon blue object, and a random plain of yellow. One of those times, I was in control enough to observe what was around the colored object. I wasn't really sure if I would call it black & white, (it was hard to tell) but I would definitely decribe it as void of color.
I would guess that most of my dreams are void of color.
I dreamed exclusively in black & white until my late teens, I seem to recall being blown away by my first dream in color, not long after I bought my parents their first ever color TV. I often wondered if the change was connected to the change in TV viewing or just growing up and leaving home... I don't recall having a specifically black & white dream since then.
Wow Just found the this site while looking up black and white dreams.
I while watching a black and white show will sometimes if it is a very good show will in my mind fill in the color. I don't even think about it when I dream. It is just in color. I remember the dream in color anyway. I love how you refer to the splintered mind. Its self explanatory almost. Our minds are pretty twisted. Who can know it?
This is very interesting to me, particularly your mention of people who dream neither in black and white nor in color.
Is it possible to dream in mid-color or even in fluid color or non-color?
I am asking this because, I actually don't know if I dream in color,
I rarely if ever remember things having color in dreams, BUT, I definitely DO NOT remember ever having dreamed in black and white. I am pretty sure that I would remember if I did because a black and white view would be really unusual to have.
I am thinking that I may dream with a sort of 'tepia', neutral color, very rarely ranging into a real color experience, but sometimes getting color.
ehartsay: It seems to me like the possibilities are broader than we usually take them to be -- so maybe!
Hello,
Very interesting post and discussion.
I am wondering why this is such a point of discussion for so long. Why is color or blank/white dreaming considered to be in question (though I think Mr. Schwitzgebel, you are not saying here that it is) any more than the fact that I saw people in my dreams, didn't just hear voices and fill in the faces/bodies via 'false memory'?
when I dreamed I was listening to maybe the best, richly layered recorded song I had ever heard (by myself of course, hehe), woke up and hummed the basic melody into my phone... did I false memory create that too? I know I heard it.
my feeling is that color is seldom 'the subject' or 'important' in my dream, so why would my sleeping brain bother much with it. to me, this coincides with sepia, grayed out, indeterminate colors reported. Whatever the source(s) of dream content are, I would assume they don't have teams of editors enforcing standard reality rules... it (source or sources) can do whatever it wants, how it wants, in a dream.
I use to try to make myself lucid dream when I was around 10 (worked once but didn't try again...long story), my question now is how can you be sure you aren't dreaming that you are lucid dreaming?
Could it be that at least some people (in studies I mean, not here - I'm in no way discounting that black and white dreams occur, though I don't recall any in particular myself)... that some people who report dreaming in black and white (I would imagine especially reporting ALWAYS dreaming in "black and white") are actually seeing/dreaming/remembering indeterminate, vague, absent, or otherwise unusual to them, colors, expecting either 'color' or 'black and white'?
So interesting, can't stop.
Genius,
I think pain is a superb case to look at. I don't think I've ever had serious, actual pain in a dream (though I can attest to apparently true terror existing in dreams, and after waking remains in my young years... now the fear in the now extremely rare 'bad dream' pretty much ends as I awake and becomes only interesting to the mind even if the pulse still races). I've had many dreams with events where I might have had occasion for dream pain (e.g. self defense or say stumbling on a step), but I suspect in those cases and if I remember to observe that in the future, that it will pretty much be 'insert pain sensation HERE' as more of a mental image or footnote in the dream process.
John Eje Thelin,
I think I always dream in objects/locations/events, but I'm sure what you say is true. Now I wonder, has no congenitally blind person ever reported dreaming of any kind of objects, sights? I expect maybe not, but i have to admit being a little surprised if that's the case.
Eric,
(1st I promise I'm done after this!)
I think the 'neither' option needed to be followed up with more questions...my rough draft would be,
"so now specify 1) Do you mean there are no objects/locations, or... 2) is everything 'see through' 3) or you think it might be too unimportant in your dream for you to remember..."
They fade so fast!
I've forgotten my closing remarks now too 8p...so goodnight.
chris: Thanks for those thoughtful, interesting comments! On your first comment, I think *sometimes* we might judge ourselves to be experiencing detail without actually experiencing the detail. See this post on hallucinations:
http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2013/05/two-types-of-hallucination.html
On your point about neither color nor black & white -- that's probably my favorite option (though I'm not committed to it). See section v of my 2011 book, ch. 1, draft available for free here:
http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~eschwitz/SchwitzPapers/Perplexities-Ch1-Dreams-091105.htm
Chris -- somehow I didn't see your comment from the 7th until just now. It seems like "neither" could be even more possibilities than that. In the papers I mentioned above, I suggest that it might be that the color of objects in dreams might often be unspecified in the way the color of objects in novels is often unspecified.
This is an interesting topic. I find that my dreams are many times solely centered around color. I once dreamed of a beautiful intricately colored calipers spinning before me with music. I gazed in wonder at the colors which were so vivid. Then the caliope slowly stopped and spun in reverse. Many times my dreams contain music. This morning I awoke with the music of my dream still in my head with lyrics. It was not a song I've ever heard before which is typical for me. It was reminiscent of Big Log with different instruments and tempo and with the voice of Paul McCartney who I don't like. I prefer John Lennon but his voice would have been lousy with that particular music. I even remembered 3 lines of the lyrics and contemplating them. I've forgotten the specifics but I took them to be a figurative description of personal struggles. I then went back to sleep for a couple more hours. I've always been a lucid dreamer naturally. It is interesting to note that my sociopath ex in ten years stated to me on numerous occasions that he never dreamed.
I wish I could dream in colour instead I just ' know ' what colour things are. .
have the dreamers in colour always dreamt this way? Has anyone managed to find a way to influence there dreams so they start to dream in colour?
This is called parasomnia! When your brain wakes before the rest of you! It can be terrifying o know! But the more it happens your brain works out I'm not totally awake yet and that fact can gst you through this terrifying experience x
it is linked usually to other sleep disorders too! So if your have this regularly along with any other sysymptoms of sleep issues ask to be referee to a sleep clinic they may be able to help x
But you are then thinking that we dream using our eyes to visually see? But would it not make more sense that we dream using our minds rather than the same visual channels we use when awake?
This is a fascinating subject! How we are all different even in such a common thing as dreaming we still all creatively do this in different ways!
I would love to learn to dream in colour is this eBen possible?
Hypersomnia girl: One possibility is that in dreaming we use parts of our brains that are normally stimulated by visual input, only stimulated internally instead.
I don't know about influencing yourself to experience color in sleep. There have been a couple studies involving people wearing tinted glasses before sleep, if I recall, to see if that influences color dreaming, but I think the results were indecisive.
I have always dreamed in color just like everyday life
I have aways dreamed in color all my life just like when you're awake
From what I remember of life and growing up, my dreams started uncomplicated, black and white, and no sound. As I got older, I dreamed in color with no sound, and then I started dreaming with sound. I remember when I was really young I had a dream with rolling credits at the end. The colors in my dream basically matched the color in life. (To the point where I can't tell the difference between the dream and life.) I don't remember any time in the last 20 years where I dreamed in anything other then color. (I spent a lot of time watching TV, and playing video games, and believed at the time that that was why my dream ended in credits. It did play more like a movie.)
Well i don't think that when people dream the colors are black and white , the new born babies and animals that are new born will see the world as black and white until they complete 7 to 8 months but when people do dream i don't specify that people dream in black and white colors when we dream it is usually with color
I also dream in color, almost always as far as I remember. Some of them were worth remembering forever, splendid colors of the rainbow in an ordered fashion. Imagine you're in a hall under a huge glass dome with sunlight from outside diffracting through it giving rise to all the colored light inside, birds and butterflies in all colors tjirping and flying around under it.
I wonder how our mind can generate such a thing with such accuracy in geometry and physics. Sometimes waking up I just don't want to to keep the memory of it alive. I can also read texts and newspapers in my dreams. Though they barely compose a real story that makes any sense. But the words themselves and short sentences are OK. I once was not sure anymore in my dream if I was dreaming or not. Therefore I walked to a newspaper stand and tried to read a newspaper. Before I could read it I woke up suddenly :-)
Still as a scientist myself I'm amazed of the precision by which the mind generates such realistic dreamscapes, in color and geometry. Not only static but also dynamically. As if math is natural to the mind or like your dream is a dynamic holographic image of a "real" world in which you're moving.
There is a lot more to discover for centuries about what we really are!
Just woke from a vivid dream and I noticed that things I saw in the dream that were of great interest to me were in natural color while all other objects I have no recall of their color,only that I remember they were there. I also heard voices naturally. Good nite!
personally I don't dream in color but once I had nightmare which had black white aspect then a sudden appearance of red which I then I woke up of how vivid the nightmare was explanations anyone
I have dreamed detailed dreams in both black and white and in color, as well as black and white with color accents, usually a singular color accent - usually vivid, blood red. Those dreams tend to be done in old black and white cinema style and always about vampires. Hence the appearance of the blood red color accent. I remember many of these varied dreams and their color - or lack thereof - and have been having them since I was a child. I don't have any particular "style" of dream.
I'm 66 years old, born in 1949. I have no recollection of ever having a dream in black and white. My dreams have always been in brilliant color like everyday life. I cannot believe that being raised watching black and white TV vs color TV has any bearing on whether a person dreams in black and white or color. I would have to firmly say it has everything to do with the make up of a persons brain and or mind. My husband dreams very rarely, and only in black and white. In fact, I had never heard of such a thing until he happened to mention it early in our marriage. To me the idea of black and white dreams is inconceivable and actually very sad. I think that everyday life is in color, so why wouldn't dreams mimic that? But, that is my own interpretation.
I dream quite vividly, and I have to say my dreams are always in colour. When I was a little girl my mother used the expression "You're dreaming in colour". I didn't get it, I thought "well naturally". Recently I have been having vivid dreams nightly (due to pregnancy). A dream that sticks out was one that I had about a month ago now. I was in Vietnam visiting a German family. The daughter of the family and I were in the basement when we heard a noise. We ran upstairs to find her family members laying around all dried out. Suddenly a giant HOT PINK worm smashed through the house. They were attacking people for the water in their bodies because there was no fresh water left on earth. I woke up before they could get me. (Thank god!)
I also seem to dream with most of my senses. I've dreamt a couple times that I was in a bakery and I could eat whatever I wanted! As I was lucid dreaming I thought "All right I can stuff my face without gaining any weight". I could taste the flavours and the sweetness of each cupcake I ate. I'm assuming the taste I experienced was from memory of what cupcakes taste like.
Very interesting study. It's nice to know that I may actually be dreaming in colour rather then imagining it.
I do this is as well. And like the op, if I don't like a dream I change it because I am always aware I'm dreaming. I'll also have the same dream repeatedly and different outcomes each time (usually it's a nightmare and I change the ending. I had a childhood dream where there was a monster in our minivan. The first night he scared me, the next night I helped him find his family. Same beginning, different endings). I've always been a lucid dreamer as far back as I can remember, just didn't know what it was until i was much older.
I believe that these experiences that leave you exhausted and have you speaking other languages are Astral traveling. Very cool and completely fascinating. Hope I don't get boo'ed off the forum!
I read some comments that ask the question when dreaming in colors if we only imagine that we're dreaming in colors? I think this is very interesting for how on earth would one think of finding out whether one only 'imagines' seeing color in a dream or if it is 'real' color or is dreaming about? Explain the difference between dreaming and imagining :-) I guess they are one and the same thing.
If awake I can imagine a green apple, so why not would I be able to dream of a green apple? We know from reality how green looks like. Isn't that the reason why we can imagine green: because we know how it is to experience green? How do colorblind people dream? Do they experience less colors then full-color people? Just thinking a bit..
In my experience I only dream of things that I know about or have been experiencing. Though not always, there are a few exceptions. I really like a colorful world and regularly I dream of screaming colors like a girl wearing a flashing pink dress or something. Maybe the psychological state of an individual is also of influence.
I've started thinking about this topic after I've heard your interview the "Philosophy Book Review" or something.
The thing that struck me most is not whether one dreams in color or black and white, but that you mentioned that in the earlier times people compared their dreams to "tapestries'.
This was what gripped me the most. It showed me that dreams don't have to be moving pictures, like my contemporary culture is telling me, but it can be a big painting (or a tapestry), and I'm just watching just parts of it. The issue of color seems irrelevant in comparison.
Nowadays, when I examine my dreams I tend to be more reflective and consider them as a series of photographs (still colored) rather a moving picture.
The only time I had a black and white dream was 7 years ago when I had a bad fever (due to a stomach virus). I believe that was the main cause of the B&W dream - When you're unwell and very sick.
When you're sick or have a depression, your brain just can't create colour. You either dream of dull meaningless things (inanimate objects, face figures, etc) or you see the world in a grey, dark colour.
I think its a matter of what brain wave you are in when you "see" your dream. I have been experimenting,so to speak,with my own brain wave activity. I have found that info,perception,and conclusions are surprisingly different. This comment might be for a different topic,but I think it has bearing on results.
What nice dreams you've all had. It's interesting to hear of such dreams. There's really no question for myself. I dream in color, and never really thought of dreams differently. I've had quite a few memorable ones. Such great adventures. The best one I can recall was one in which my older brother as well as myself died freezing in the snow while to take my younger brother to a certain (untold) location. It sounds morbid, and there were parts that were sad, but overall it was actually very serene. W traveled through woods with no leaves on the trees. The sky was glowing dark blue, well lit from the moon and stars that were shining brightly. Once I had died, I tread the woods alone for a bit, dead trees around me, with plenty of space in between to see the sky still. I looked up and saw the moon gleaming amongst the many stars. As I gazed into the moon I ascended and got that breathless feeling one feels while flying in most dreams. I ascended slowly at first raising above the tree, then quickly into the atmosphere. Space was purple, and I saw galaxies. Despite traveling at what normally would have been at the speed of light or faster (as I traveled through galaxies while ascending) I could still see that which I was passing. Stars, solar systems, galaxies, all spiraling and moving within my sight I approached the end of the universe (or so I presume) and saw a bright light, as I drew near I found myself back on Earth, hovering over my parents and now only living brother, who were a bit sad, but seemed at peace about my death. I ascended once or twice more with the same views and feelings. For most people This could only be imagined, but I got to live through a dream in which I soared through the universe, and it felt like the most amazing thing you could think of. It was nice.
I feel that dreaming in color and dreaming in black and white, and not to mention remembering certain visuals in a dream over others has a lot to do what part of the brain dominates at the moment... The left or the rright hemisphere. Whether you're artistic side dominates over the analytical side or vice versa, this could have a major influence on how you dream, what colors you see and recognize in that dream, and what you tend to remember the most in that dream.
Exactly. When I first saw someone dreaming on TV I asked "why the hell are the dream scenes all in black and white? Who the hell dreams in black and white?" Now it turns out that actually there are people who dream in b&w.
Now I'm also thinking about the colors of my dreams... They're not very clear, unless I focus on the object in the dreamworld, its color is not well defined, but it sure isn't in b&w.
I will try dreaming tonight and notice clearly the colors of some objects, then I'll wake up and note them down. Yeah, it's that easy to me, but I have no total control on mt dreams: I THINK I'm in control, but actually I'm just role playing with my brain, wich got a ready script. I may improvise a bit, but there is always a limit, and it takes some effort to decisively lucid dream.
But... Does TV media got that power on our brains? To make us dream b&w... Or make us think that we dreamt in b&w... TV is even more powerful than I thought.
Is there any research from some decade when there were no TVs at all?
I defiantly dream in colour, it is nearly impossible for me to imagine dreaming in black and white, but it's not 'exactly' like real colour though, more like the kind of colour from a computer or somthing...
I dream in colour, and I can't imagine dreaming in black and white, it seems impossible to me, but it's not really like real colour, it's more like colour from a computer but not really 'bright', it's hard to explain.
P.S. love your name ;)
(also I previously posted this comment, but it wasn't showing up for me, sorry if I just missed it and posted this comment twice)
Hi. I just logged onto your site, I merely wanted to google a question," Why is it I dream in black and white and all my friends say they dream in color"? I was shocked while at work my co-workers were discussing their dreams and my friend said " ya, the dress she had on was the prettiest color"! I stopped her. "You dream in color?" Everyone joined in the conversation,all were dreaming in color.I was totally shocked,as I rarely ever spoke about my dreams, and shocked to see everyone was having colored dreams? I went home thinking am I the only one? Am I different? What is wrong with me? I had all kinds of questions? Reading the responses here on this site I can only say, I rarely and maybe never dream in color? Honestly, I will take note of it from now on, but I don't remember ever having a colored dream? My dream this morning was about a sleigh ride in the snow. White snow and gray sled. There was water running from a sink as the dream turned to another location. The water was running over the edge of sink, yet I couldn't hear it running. But I could see the basin full and the ripples in the water and flow from the faucet. Then dream was about a bicycle and it was black/gray. I was moving it to make room for the golf cart,I was trying to move out of the garage/storage space. Everything in the dream was black/gray or white and no sound from horse,wagon/sleigh or the running water. I have studied my dreams for years, and I have also noted that many of my dreams come true. Like I can tell you what my sister bought at the store last week and even describe the color of the jacket. She called to talk and I described the color of the jacket in full detail it was a red plaid jacket. She asked how I knew? Many things come true for me and those dreams are vivid in color and always happen as I dreamed they would. I have no idea why they are in color and my everyday dreams are not? I live in the Adirondack mts. in upstate N.Y. We have lots of beautiful colors in the fall and year round. You would think my dreams would be full of color? I am 61 yrs. old and grew up in the age of baby boomers. We didn't have color t.v. Our phone was a black,desk phone, our floors were simple tile of usually black and white. Our t.v. was black and white no movies were in color at that time until later in my youth. So my age period was mostly black and white. Yet the out doors where I spent most of my time and still do was/is full of beautiful rich color? So I still ask the question why? Why are most of my friends seeing in color is it because of the time period we live in? I imagine there will be many studies in the field of dreams and I imagine many unanswered questions will remain? I am also interested in the dreams of animals, as I know my dog dreams often during the daytime as well as night. He even has his legs and body moving while he sleeps. Thank you for your time, just wanted to share a bit. Sandy
I always dream in more or less vivid colour.
Sometimes it's 'normal', more or less like waking reality.
Sometimes its twilight: that's purple-black-grey. All dark tones.
Sometimes its vivid anigraphic: like very well rendered animation.
So goes my quatum telepathic entanglement with the multiverse.
Go figure.
I dream in black and white . I think it'd because I don't focus when I'm awake on every thing in a way to which I will remember everything about it. I was very shy when I was young and had an abusive father. So I tend not to look up much but tend to look away or past someone.The reason I wrote this is because for the,first time in 59 years I dreamed one thing in color last night. My wife's face. Don't know why it just happened.
could it be more the fact that when we dream of familiar places/objects, we expect to see it in colour and so our brains automatically fill the colour in? We may not even reliase we are seeing it in black and white because we already know what the colour is so automaticaly we see it in that colour.
My dreams are exactly like real life. Full of color, sound, touch, taste, pain, feelings and spacial location.I do not recall paying attention to smell, but probably it is there, because many times when I wake up It´s really difficult to me to separate dream from reality. Specially when dreaming things like friends calling me or me talking with someone. Fortunately for me I tend to dream fantasy stuff in my dreams or with houses and places I´ve never been in my like. Besides that, what I can know if I concentrate, is the history, name, or details of the past of the people and places that appears on my dream, just as if I´m omniscient on my dream. What is really weird on my dreams is that I do not always have a body. Sometimes I´m more like a focus from where I observe the world. And only once I´ve dreamed with cartoons, and being inside a cartoon. A friend once told me that you can´t read in dreams, but last night I had a dream where I was reading a sign that said house of and a name I do not recall right now but I´ve written it down to search. By the way, that name didn´t appear in google search, which is quite rare, because it really sounds like an Italian surname.Another thing I´ve heard about dreams is you cannot died there because you wake up. But I´ve dreamed twice I´ve been murderer. In both cases my spirit continued on with the dream. One, in which I was decapitated, it was like my floating head continued on.
Another thing: Some times external stimuli got into the dream, like music or pain. Both external influences got into the dream and become part of it.
If the brain was reflecting on events within a black and white television show, I would not be surprised if the corresponding dream was black and white. If someone spent a large part of their day watching black and white TV I feel that a black and white dream would be very likely.
@Betiel:
Nice to read there are people able to do things that have been denied to be possible by many.
You talk about a focus upon which your dream reality is unfolding. It's not uncommon, I have it too. Mostly my focus in dreams is somewhere behind the back of my head, sometimes it's just a blob in space without any body at all. In dreams it then seems so natural you can see yourself moving. Many funny things happen in dreams, I also sometimes when waking up remember sentences "heard" or texts read (sometimes I can read whole sentences, not that they always make any sense in my dream, I feel like I am able to think a very little bit in my dream once in a while so that a sentence can be analysed real-time. A few times I remember explaining to someone in my dream a whole lot of math which perfectly followed common sense and logic). Looking up the texts or sentences on Google few times even lead to some real-life places like once kind of an airforce centre for testing new planes. The building on the picture looked exactly like that in my dream.. it's logo equal to what I had been reading. Other times I remember sentences from proza I've never heard. I tend to write them down when I wake up and later on reading them again they turn out to be proza indeed, not to be found on the internet.
When I go to sleep and am half way or drowsing I also can remember many of my dreams, many froma long time ago. They just emerge and "morph" to parts of other dreams in a seemingly logic order. Never been in a cartoon though, must be very funny .. :-))
Depending on whether you believe our mainstream psychology answers (rather fixated to materialistic explanations in terms of chemistry in our brain) or are open to reality in all its splendour as being investigated by modern physics, which is far ahead of materialism, the implications of our dream abilities are extremely interesting. To me it seems that what you dream depends largely on how one faces reality (whatever that word means) and how "open" one is to experience whatever there is.
Last couple of years I often run in my dreams like a predator, using four legs. It feels so natural in those dreams that I don't even think about standing upright. Am not chasing some prey though.. hehe.
I think it's important to mention how the results of this study may be skewed by social pressure of simply asking the question, "Did you dream in color, or b/w ?" I tend to think of an acceptable answer before answering and as an example, some of those people might confuse "my dream Should be in color" with "It Was in color." That may just be me over-thinking it.
I
I HAVE NEVER DREAM IN BLACK AND WHITE, NEVER. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I WENT TO SCHOOL THAT I
LEARNED THAT SOME PEOPLE DREAM IN ONLY BLACK AND WHITE. I WISH THAT I HAD ASKED MY PARENTS WHEN THEY WERE STILL ALIVE. MY DREAMS AND VERY VIVID AND WITH SOUND.
Only Black and White for me. Wish I could join the fun and dream in color. I came here to see if anyone dreamed in color I thought Black and White was the normal. I guess not. I am amazed at some of the descriptions . That would be so cool. Oh well believe it or not.
I just woke up from a dream a few moments ago in which I lacked complete control. Everything (as per normal) was in shades of black/grey except for a few things that were bright blue. Interestingly, my favorite color. I realize now what I was feeling, though distorted, that the lack of control I felt in the dream was how I was subconsciously feeling in a real life situation. But my thought/question is why do all my dreams appear to be grayish but for perhaps one thing that is brilliantly colored? Most all of my dreams are positive ones. And I recollect easily. I am able to control some aspect of the dream in most cases. For example today the dream got so stressful I told myself "it's time to wake up. This is too much!" And I did. I dream a lot of family or very bizarre non-sensical things. I am also very active physically and verbally while sleeping. Oftentimes waking myself up laughing like mad. I've also had conversations with others who were also sleeping. Both of us waking up thinking what the heck happened. Is it normal? Do I just have a very active mind? Or do i suppress a lot in life?
Though lacking some real answers:
I think for most people dreaming in whatever state you happen to be is perfectly normal.
Whether it's color or b/w or other things happen that defy your common sense, it has nothing
to do with any psychological or physical disorder. In my opinion you should be very happy to dream and to experience the fun of it in any extend. It's healthy. Some people claim they never dream, to me sounds like a nightmare. Maybe they just don't remember them.
Maybe the brightness of a dream-scene (which in itself might result in a b/w dream) is decoupled from the hue (which could lead to dream colors). Also sounds reasonable that dreaming colors takes more than dreaming b/w. But since dreams morph and are dynamic, a location in your dream-scene has nothing to do with a certain part of your brain. Maybe your subconsciousness is filling in the details of your scene and for some reason (esthetics ? :-) paints one part in blue?
One should indeed write down all things/ways people dream, it's a record of experimental results which theories have to be able to explain later on.
Hello, very nice website, I have written articles about lucid dreams in particular from their origins in Plato's Hyperuranium, which develops through the Sephirot (tree of life), are quite complex articles, and I understand that someone may find it difficult to read them, but if you are interested i give you the link: http://hokmaph-iperuranio.blogspot.it/2017/05/articles-iperuranio-world-of-ideas.html
I enjoyed all the different aspects of dreams and how and who dream in color vs. black and white ??? I myself have always wanted my dreams analysedm because of how and what I dream about?? I will give a few examples And if they’re any takers please respond???? I am able to completely control my dreams I can control what I dream about control the ppl I want to dream about and what I am doing.. if I no longer want to dream of that particular dream such as sometimes it gets away from me I feel as if I am no longer controlling it I end that dream by saying ok I’m moving on I no longer want this dream and begin a new. I have even dreamt I was dreaming of sleeping and dreamt with in that dream four times into a dream like that movie ?? With Leonardo decapreo in that dream state I can dream I am on a couch within a dram, then within that dream, and so on upto within four dreams and as I awake I awake within each dream chronologically??? Yes, this one is weird to me, but I beleive it’s due to controlling my dreams... when I dream In color and it changes to black and white I see it changing as I take a step my actual foot, as I am taking a step changes to black and white, imagine just a step as you walk that step it is turning black and white as I take thT step first my foot, then my leg, then my leg, hip and so on until my step changes the entire scene where I am now black and white?. I remember my dreams in depth almost like a never ending book, for each dream but I am able to fall back to sleep and continue from there like picking the book back up?? I have been completely awake and experienced a vivid vision, this was only once, but that is another story In itself. I am not on any drugs nor was I on any medication/ drugs during any of this, nor do I suffer from any mental disorders so rule that one out :). What it all mean? Does it mean anything at all??? Are there many ppl out there that are the same as me?. It must be? And have you had it analyzed? Bc my husband can’t even remember his dreams let along on a color or attempt to control his? Plus, I think he doesn’t believe I am able to do what I do what I do... oh and I dream out of my time period, very vividly as if I am in a entire different person and time period I wanna as very young when that started. I remember being maybe no older then 8-9 when that began and the first one was in a time of castles I can discribe items vividly but I don’t k ow the time period maybe sixteenth century, for that one. ??? My question??? What does it all mean ?. Not too origianal huh?? The age ol question what does it mean and are you also able to do this ???
I have enjoyed all the post, and should like to ask if there are any of u out there that can do or can analyze how I dream?..I have since I can remember control my dreams I can dream in both black and white and color, although it is mostly in color and when I do change my scene from color to black white it occurs like a flow of black and white as I take a step it is occurring first my shoe hen my leg, and so on u til the entire scene is black bf white.. I can dream that I am dreaming and with in the dream I fall asleep and dream u til I am in four dreams and as I awake it stays in order I awake in chronological order.?? And remember the dreams and where I fell asleep at with in my dream?? Hope this was understandable? I am able to control what I dream about, who I dream of and if my dream gets away from me, like if I feel I am no longer in control I end this dream and move on... I was a bout 8-9 yrs old when I began to dream out of my time period I believe the first one was maybe sixteenth century ?? According to what I was wearing where and what I lived in?? And growing up I didn’t watch the tell much?? And as I got older and would ask my mother about specifics bc I didn’t know what some objects were or what they were for she would ask where did you see that item they don’t make them anymore ??? Strange I thought.. I have dreamt I was a boy, a older women and mid age women, mostly women all this when I was still a young girl.. now I mostly control my dreams and I haven’t dreamt out of century for a long who.e but I am still able to control my dreams... are there more ppl out there like me?..
Hello again, I just read some more comments and I would like to explain how I do what I do in my dreams, I am able to control , my dreams and have always been able to do so for as long as I can remember, how I do this is simple... I simply tell myself ok now I am going to dream this... or I want to change this dream because I don’t like what’s happening in it, or okay I think I’m getting tired I’m gonna lie down and dream and I fall asleep with in that dream... I have always believed that we all have the ability to contro, our dreams I have just always believed this I didn’t know tha others were not able to do so until I began asking friends, and that is when I realized not everybody can do this, but I beleive we can will ourselves to to it bc it’s what I do? Just think it beleive you are in control and you will be... it may not always happen or may take you a while to do it but I beleive you/ we all have the ability to condition ourselves to do so.. I can go on about dreaming in both black and white and in color all with I. The same dream, and dreaming out of my time zone, being another person, and so on but they are all stories within themselves as I have long book like dreams and can even go back to sleeep that nite and continue that dream, I remember as a child I would love to go to sleep tha ni5e to continue my dreams I felt like they were stories or mini series that I couldn’t wait to continue watching... by morning time even up until I got married I awaken to tell whom ever is nearby all about the nite and my story.. as I have grown my husband isn’t interested to hear them as he can’t even remember a dream??? Hope that helps those who ask the. Question how do you change the color or dream ?? I just tell myself I’m gonna do it and it happens :). Enjoy your dreams all !!!!
Hello my name is BonniePotts.
I had seen where you had a discussion about dreams, I was curious if you could help me out. I’m called a lucid dreamer/ intense dreamer I guess? I can see color, I feel in my dream as in pain love wet cold and heat. I’m able to recall every single detail of my dreams especially my bad dreams I’m able to wake myself up (I say it’s time to get up Bonnie walk away) I have out of body experiences like I watch myself as I dream I even cry in my dreams and when I wake up I have tears in my eyes and rolling down my face. Why do I dream like this? Is their a name for dreaming like this?
Hello my name is BonniePotts.
I had seen where you had a discussion about dreams, I was curious if you could help me out. I’m called a lucid dreamer/ intense dreamer I guess? I can see color, I feel in my dream as in pain love wet cold and heat. I’m able to recall every single detail of my dreams especially my bad dreams I’m able to wake myself up (I say it’s time to get up Bonnie walk away) I have out of body experiences like I watch myself as I dream I even cry in my dreams and when I wake up I have tears in my eyes and rolling down my face. Why do I dream like this? Is their a name for dreaming like this?
I've been back and forth on the subject of dreams with a friend. He always dreams in color, he said. And then I asked if he was sure. He wrote back and replied, "Good question!, now I'm not sure." Because the ordinary waking state is in color, it's natural to assume our dreams are also in color. And they might be. Or it just may also be an assumption. I've been keeping a dream journal for a long time. When there are black and white dreams I always note it down. I have never described other colors in my dreams. Why? Are colors so obvious and every day that they aren't worth noting them in my journal? Do colors take a back seat as a dream's plot acts out in the forefront of attention? Does it matter whether dreams are in color or black and white? And what are dream colors made of anyway? The essence of a dream is thought/imagination. Are dream colors also thought/imagination? A comment to Bonnie Potts: While your dreams are more intense than usual in my experience (or reading about), you obviously have the ability (natural?) to be more lucid (conscious) in your dreams than most people. Do you know you're dreaming at the time (lucid), and are you able to consciously manipulate or change the dreams? If so, I consider that a great gift or ability, (along with your ability to recall every single detail afterward).
what about people who dream like me??? I have yet to find anyone so I am starting to think I am on my own....I dream in both black and white and color. usually it's 95% black and white but also includes one to three colors.... like for a few days what ever is supposed to be blue is blue but everything else is black and white.... then a few days it may be black and white with everything that is supposed to be yellow and orange or yellow and orange and the rest is black and white... and so on and so forth. also usually nothing odd or magical... stuff like went to work for the day or drove to my mom's house or something mundane..
I've always dreamed in color I've had a dream where I was at a beach it was a strange beach very steep remember seeing shades of green blue water and of course yellow sand with clear blue sky
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