Appearances in shared dreams

Beyond Dreaming
1

I wonder, if someone were to have a shared dream, how would they appear to each other? Would they appear as they look like IRL, as they looked the last time they saw each other, or would they maybe look like they see themselves in a dream? For example, if I had a shared dream with an old person who is young in his/her own dream, would I see the old or young version? Or would it be like in a normal dream, where DCs representing people can take any form?

I have had one shared dream that I know of, but that was with a person I saw every day at that time, namely my brother. He looked like he usually do. But I were to have a shared dream with, for example, a dream team member, I would have no idea what the person was looking like now. Since I would be in that person’s dream in a way, I wonder if I would see his/her DC in the same way as he/she does in their own dreams. :cool:

2

How do you verify with someone that you had a “shared dream.” Unless you can both describe particular details of what happened in the dream to one another, it seems impossible to me… Even with the “shared descriptions of details” the power of suggestion when it comes to dreams can be deceptive.

3

Both my brother and I told the same dream to the same person the day after :cool:

4

What about the keyword method? haven’t you heard of it?

5

We hadn’t heard about that at that time. I haven’t had any confirmed shared dreams after that one, but I am wondering how the dreamers would appear to each other…

6

Well, assuming my network theory is correct, then you’d apear as each other would expect you to apear.

So, say you and your bro had a shared dream:

  • You’d know in detail what he looks like, so he’ll look like himself
  • He knows in detail what you look like, so you’d look like yourself.

However, if you and me were to have a shared dream:

  • I’ve seen some pictures of you, so you’d resemble yourself, but the image wouldn’t be exact.
  • You’ve never seen a picture of me, so I’d look like what you’d most expect me to look like at a subconcious level (my posts and avatar could affect it slightly).

Still asuming the network theory is correct, then this could be remidied quite simply by looking at yourself (after you’ve met). You know what you look like, so when I saw you, you’d look exactly right.
And I know what I look like in detail, so I’d look exactly right as well.

Of course, the network theory probably isn’t correct, cos I pulled it outta my arse…

EDIT:

Here’s my network theory:

DC’s (perhaps all, perhaps only some), both in LD’s and ND’s could well be real people in the state of non-lucidity.

Which may be why they are so stupid. Our (non lucid) dream actions could be based of the expectations of the other dreamers in it, creating an overall net effect, with each DC affecting the other in apearace, personality and actions.

This would certainly explain why we act so different in our dreams, and why we seem to have a multitude of personalitise and apearances that have nothing to do with our waking life.

(Note: I’m just throwing around ideas here, I have no proof leading to any sort conclusion)

I’ll use one of my own dreams as an example:

[i]Okay, so I’m not lucid (this is an ND) in which myself and others are all staying in a hotel. It’s the birthday of one of the girls there, so we plan to play a prank on her by scaring her witless.

My job is to hide in the room we’re going to ‘ambush’ her. I have a toy gun in my hands.

When the girl comes in though, she isn’t aware it’s only a joke and think’s it a real attack. She responds violently (she has an axe or a machete) and I see her kill two people (she actually cut one right in half at the waste! Man, that was gory to watch).

I stand up and point the gun at her. Because she expects this to be a real attack, the gun is no longer a toy and is the real thing. I take some shots at her (she expects me to be attacking her).

One of the other DC’s there though know it’s not a real gun. They expect the bullets to have no effect on the girl (they expect the bullets not to be real). As a result, the bullets do nothing.

I turn and flee.[/i]

The girl DC thought (and so expected) the joke to actually be a real attack, so it became one (with real guns). However, one of the DC’s who was in on the joke knew (and so expected) the gun not to be real, and so it didn’t harm her.