High Functioning Autism and Having Dreams in REM sleep

[UberScout]

UberScout is just four years old. He has only been alive for just four years and doesn't understand the mind yet, or even know that Autism or Asperger's Syndrome even exists. Lots of things are still confusing to him, however simple they may be.

It's nine at night, and he's sitting there playing his cousin's copy of Kirby Super Star on his SNES, which he borrowed from her. His SEGA Genesis sits in the shelf underneath the TV, and the SNES is right next to the TV set. He's mashing buttons to make Kirby repeatedly slide-kick a wall while a Sir Kibble helping him is figuring out what to do with itself. He's been playing for many hours and is really sleepy. After a few more minutes, his little body can't take anymore, and he falls over, nodding off.

He opens his eyes to a world he does not recognize at all. The grass is alive, there are clouds shaped like auroras, and there is a small, dome-shaped house ahead of him with a tree next to it, behind a forest. A pink, round and bulbous creature is peeking out of the window.
UberScout realizes he can hear his own thoughts.

"What's Kirby doing inside? Shouldn't he be looking for candy and stuff?"

The second he finishes thinking, something falls behind him, and the peek creature is no longer in the window. He looks behind him to see various sweets and food items in a pile, and the same creature is now collecting them.

"They're my favorites!" a squeaky voice chirps.

A flash of white. UberScout is back in bed, with no memory of what just happened, except for the images that were in his mind. He just had his first dream.

How well do dreams and Autism mix for you guys? It's been second nature for me, but there are still a few occasions that are pretty spooky. Do not get me started on sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming combined. Blip outta here with that blip.

 

[tlc]

My dreams are in vivid color, and I've been able to put together many of the buildings and roads I've visited in dreamland. I still remember many from when I was a kid.

 

[UberScout]

Honorable highlights:

"Mountain King"

UberScout is climbing a mountain with an old man who claims he is two hundred years old. The man is climbing up the mountain effortlessly, while UberScout is struggling with equipment. The man is nice enough, he doesn't mind waiting for Uber when he falls behind at all. Finally, the top. The old man reveals who and what he is; he says he is the reincarnation of an emperor who died fighting the last stand of a war between two countries, one that was in a food crisis, the other having a birthrate low enough to be considered a mere village. He refers to this war as "The Quarrel Beneath God's Eyes". Throughout the lecture, the old man's expression gradually changes to one of predator-like attribute, starting out as a friendly smile, then a calm smirk, before shifting to wolf-like teeth baring and finally a retina-shrunken, open-mouth smile at the end of the conversation. Suddenly...UberScout is unable to move. Then, the old man taps Scout on the forehead....and UberScout can feel himself sleeping?! He is now aware that he is having a dream, but it doesn't end yet; he can feel his body as if it was awake, but he can't move any part of it at all, yet he can freely move in his dreamscape, or rather, nightmare denizen. The old man makes a declaration:
"My boy, it is time I revealed the truth about myself. You are a nice young man and all, but that does not mean your soul is clean. I am not here to cleanse your soul, though..."

The old man reaches for his chin, clenches his fingers over his skin, and pulls it over his head. It is now his true form; a red and black, furred and spiky-haired humanoid demon, eyes beaming with white light, and the inside of its mouth a white tunnel of light, golden fangs and all. Its voice is scratchy and unruly.

"...I am simply here to see what I can do with it!! HAHAHA, it's gonna be a lotta fun messing around with your body! Oh man, the things I'll do, and your frequency levels, just the right amount for my aura! Have fun with this one, kid!"

The demon bites Scout's shoulder, and he snaps awake, sweaty and cold, and vibrating.

"Teeth Do Not Kill, Unless You Are Starved"

UberScout is walking along a beach at a strange form of nighttime; the sky is twilight, and stars are making oddly specific shapes, shaped like zodiac signs. Ahead of Scout in the distance is a campfire. As he sits by the campfire, he stares into its flames, contemplating. He sees many forms of energy in its light, PSI balls, auras and PK sparks seem to gesture to him. He hears light footsteps approaching behind him, but they don't sound human; and he hears more than two alternating. The source of the footsteps also appears to be making a sniffing sound. A blunt, but friendly voice speaks up.

"You should know what I am, and why I am here. I want you to turn around, but do not brace for combat or run; I am not your enemy. I only wish to speak with you for a moment's time. If you would be so kind...Tyler."

UberScout slowly turns around and his eyes widen to see an ethereal wolf, with indigo-bluish fur and a purple aura. Its eyes are glowing turquoise, but they are friendly.

Scout is a little alarmed. "Who are you? No, what are you?"

The wolf speaks up. "I am your spirit animal. I don't have an actual name, but if you like, you can concentrate, and speak the first phoneme that comes to mind. Don't be afraid, just try."

Scout clenches his eyes, and points thoughts towards the mind of the beast in front of him. He thinks of all possible languages, even those not of this world. Any sort of phrase or term that might have some meaning. And finally, it comes to him. He utters the word.

"Kolu. I want to call you Kolu. I don't know why."

"Are you sure that is the first thing that came to mind?"

"Yeah, it just popped up."

"You chose wisely. There is a world far from Earth where 'Kolu' is a title given to new warriors that gain their status by defeating their oldest family member in a battle to the death. On this world, 'Kolu' means "greater blood of eldest blood"."

That's all I remember from that one.

 

[SusanLR]

Always had vivid, lucid, colourful dreams.
Sometimes I've found the places I was in the dreams and stood in RL to see the same as the dream.
Great feeling.
Rarely had nightmares.
Some dreams I know were symbolic and coming out of the subconscious with a message from the brain clutter if I can put the symbolism together.
Love my dreamtime.

 

[George Newman]

Fascinating! Truly fascinating. I haven’t had a post-sleep cognitive dream in at least 20 years. I’ve always thought that dreams were simply the mind organizing or replaying inputs. I also thought reoccuring dreams could be a product of high-stress situations. Is this correct or is dreaming more complex?

 

[Mr Allen]

Given some of the dreams I've had over the years they should probably call me Joseph and put me in a fancy coat

 

[SusanLR]

Fascinating! Truly fascinating. I haven’t had a post-sleep cognitive dream in at least 20 years. I’ve always thought that dreams were simply the mind organizing or replaying inputs. I also thought reoccuring dreams could be a product of high-stress situations. Is this correct or is dreaming more complex?

I think there are many types of dreams.
Processing dreams like the brain dumping the trash and trying to make sense of it.
Things in your life that the brain puts into symbolic meanings, if you can figure out what it means.
Something may trigger a dream of someone or what's happening in your life.
Then there are those that seem to have lucidity and even what is called Astral projection.
The majority of my dreams usually do not contain anyone I know and I'm just out and about in
the world like I would be when awake, but, usually somewhere I'm not familiar with.
I don't dream about the everyday places in life.
Something odd there. Rarely dream of anyone I know and don't dream of being in places
in my life. There's a pattern there, if I only knew why.
Maybe because I find everyday life boring or common place? Don't know.
Science can't really explain how that mass of neurons with chemicals and energy clicking through them
creates dreams.
Even our very thoughts are amazing when you think about it.

Your post got me to thinking of an oddity of my own though, regarding dreaming.
I'm one of those that have a very vivid memory of life going back even to infancy,
and yet for all that ability to remember, I can't remember dreaming before around age 10.
Then suddenly it was like my brain broke lose and wow, what a life of dreams since.
Now I know no one would not have had dream state for the first ten years of life, but,
it does seem odd how I don't remember any.