Dreaming Blind

Most of the time, I don't remember my dreams. But when I do remember my dreams, they're mostly of when I'm dying and wake up or I'm with loved ones that no longer are here. This lead me to wonder what people who don't see anything at all dream about. They have feelings and sensations but how do they visualize something that they've never seen before.

I found out that those blind from birth, congenitally blind, do indeed cannot see in their dreams. They mainly dream in sound, touch, taste, and smell. For example, someone would dream of making coffee by feeling the cup, smelling the coffee beans, and tasting the bitter coffee. It is impossible for a person to dream of something that they've never known about.

Although the congenitally blind cannot see in their dreams, those whom weren't born blind but instead became blind after a year old or so can sometimes see in their dreams. A little girl reported that when she became blind at the age of 6, she could never visualize how her mother looked like after the age of 36. This was heartbreaking for me to read about. I've always taken being able to see my mom every day for granted. I love my mother and will remember this comment as I grow older with her. Those whom have been able to see for a longer period of time have reported being able to see more dreams than those whom have only been able to see for a short period of time, as expected. 

Research shows that 86% of the blind remember hearing in their dreams while only 64% of normal people remember hearing. 18% of blind people compared to 7% of regular people remember tasting in dreams. While 28% of blind report smelling, 15% of the average person remembers in their dreams. With a huge number of 70% blind remembering touch in dreaming, people with sight has only 45% who remember. This experiment included those whom are congenitally blind, became blind after 1 year old, and a control group. This shows the difference in how we perceive our senses while in our sleep compared to those missing their sense of sight. 

Everyone still experience similar feelings in our dreams. Whether it be fear, sadness, anger, or happiness, all individuals understand what it's like to experience these different feelings. What exactly triggers a specific emotion differs from person to person, but we all feel the same things. Emotions play a big roll in our dreams and affects everybody.

This is my last blog post on this topic. I hope you enjoyed reading my articles and have learned some new and interesting details concerning both sleep and dreams. Until I decide on any future blogs, I'll see you later. Peace.

Pandika, Melissa. "Do You Ever Wonder What the Blind Dream About?"OZY. OZY, 25 Nov. 2015. Web. 21 May 2016. <http://www.ozy.com/acumen/what-is-it-like-for-blind-people-to-dream/31902>.