recurring dreams of places I've never been (not dream deja vu)

I have done a little research here and on other sites but havent found anything exactly like what I have experienced. Nor have any of the dream dictionaries been helpful about the physical types of locations.

SO anyways, for a while now I have had a series of recurring dreams in locations I have never been. These do not end up being places I end up going like a dream deja vu. The odd thing is that I have dreams in these same places over and over. I have normal dreams in random places like any other dream but these are very different. I return to these places every once in a while (and sometimes every few nights). Nothing in these dream areas change, and to my knowledge they dont seem like anything that really exists. One common one was almost like a Tim Burton style older town, complete with all stone houses and buildings. It is very similar to a larger version of the village in Big Fish for those who have seen it. Generally there are few or no people there. Another one is like a series of buildings that are all connected with various bars and shops inside these like mini malls. They are not modern either more like something you would see in a very rural area, all wood and very rustic. In these dreams I am completely lucid and it is like I know where to go for everything. Ive had other ones that are familiar locations but only in name, such as my grandmothers old house. But outside knowing it their house or whatever nothing is like the actual building. Once again these are the same every time I return

Is there something to this or is my brain just creating random "stock scenes" in my dreams?

well this is weird this thread is blank.

reply to post by amraks


Sorry, finger slipped on the enter key and I had to go back and edit it after it was posted.

reply to post by onfire49


I have 4 or 5 five set locations I return to in dreams, and also other random places.

But those locations seem to be reoccuring.

One common one was almost like a Tim Burton style older town, complete with all stone houses and buildings. It is very similar to a larger version of the village in Big Fish for those who have seen it. Generally there are few or no people there. Another one is like a series of buildings that are all connected with various bars and shops inside these like mini malls.

I can relate to this and have seen other people mention these kind of places before, here on ATS I think.

Weird stuff.

I know the market like city place with the connected segments.

Another place I seem to return to is a Tombraider lost city/ M.C. Escher kindoff of surroundings with a non directly threatening, monkey like, wall scaling creature.....

I know.....

But I'm serious.

I have a reoccurring dream about 3 or 4 times a year.....

I am somewhere surrounded by walls of ice, I am onboard a large container ship travelling the rough seas, I am dressed in a large overcoat and black woolly hat, it is bitterly cold....

When I am my dream I know that I have been onboard the ship before, I even know in my dream that I have dreamed it before....

Where I am going I do not know, but I aim every night to try and carry on the journey, I just don't know whether it will ever end.........

Well I find your post very interesting as I've had the same or similar experience. I have recurring dreams of places I've visited in the dream world. I am always familiar with these places although they are not places I've visited in real life.

The part you said about a shopping mall type place even sounds similar to shopping mall dreams I've had but they seem to be set in the 1980's time, and not rural. I have had dreams of my own home (I am usually incredulous to realize it's my home when in-dream because something in my head knows it is not my house, it's usually a mansion :lol

I don't understand why a recurring dream of a "fictional" place would happen unless memory wires are being crossed during sleep. It's amazing the detail and feeling of "knowing" the place.

Recently I had a strange experience of dreaming I was locked in a bout of sleep paralysis although I have only experienced mild sleep paralysis maybe once in my life. I guess I am puzzled by the familiarity of places that I'm certain I have never visited. I do not believe in reincarnation. That usually tends to play big in explanations.

Thank you for filling in the blank, so to speak. I do have experiences similar to yours in that I seem to experience "memories" that involve things I personally have never seen. What I found especially interesting about what you describe is that they are primarily structures of different sorts. Do they have a residual effect on your body after you wake or while in the dream ?

Wow, I have had the same kind of recurring dreams myself, including the connected buildings/mall type places. Always the same places that don't exist in the real world. Very strange. And the people there know me, like I have always existed there.

reply to post by pennylemon


Yes they are all based on physical, man made structures. I dont have any of the sort like the ice thing. The odd thing is that they are exactly the same like my brain stored the blue prints so to speak. Just like if you went home after work, you are going to see any change in your house in those few hours. I cant say that I have any physical left overs, just wake up maybe a little more refreshed than normal maybe. Seems that I remember much more of these dreams than normal and they seem to last longer.

reply to post by Night Star


In my most recent dream I dont feel as if the guy at the bar knew me, but immediately he gave me the like "come her for some friendly advice nod" and said something about the guys that frequent the establishment being sort of rough. Otherwise normally not too many people in the dreams.

Also odd that I snapped write into the connected village from another wholly unrelated dream, like someone was flipping the channel.

Originally posted by onfire49
I have done a little research here and on other sites but havent found anything exactly like what I have experienced. Nor have any of the dream dictionaries been helpful about the physical types of locations.

SO anyways, for a while now I have had a series of recurring dreams in locations I have never been. These do not end up being places I end up going like a dream deja vu. The odd thing is that I have dreams in these same places over and over. I have normal dreams in random places like any other dream but these are very different. I return to these places every once in a while (and sometimes every few nights). Nothing in these dream areas change, and to my knowledge they dont seem like anything that really exists. One common one was almost like a Tim Burton style older town, complete with all stone houses and buildings. It is very similar to a larger version of the village in Big Fish for those who have seen it. Generally there are few or no people there. Another one is like a series of buildings that are all connected with various bars and shops inside these like mini malls. They are not modern either more like something you would see in a very rural area, all wood and very rustic. In these dreams I am completely lucid and it is like I know where to go for everything. Ive had other ones that are familiar locations but only in name, such as my grandmothers old house. But outside knowing it their house or whatever nothing is like the actual building. Once again these are the same every time I return

Is there something to this or is my brain just creating random "stock scenes" in my dreams?

edit on 5-10-2012 by onfire49 because: (no reason given)

I return to these places every once in a while (and sometimes every few nights). Nothing in these dream areas change

Thats the other you on mars,

One common one was almost like a Tim Burton style older town, complete with all stone houses and buildings.

i believe thats saturn.

Textsuch as my grandmothers old house. But outside knowing it their house or whatever nothing is like the actual building. Once again these are the same every time I return

this is mars,

IT seems that the other you only has 2 to 3 of you...lucky you.
Next time you have one of theses events,just ask...'Can i stay'


www.abovetopsecret.com...

Here are some of the other threads that mention these kind of places, malls and such.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Weird.

I've had dreams of a mall forever. I also meet people in dreams who I only know from other dreams. Thanks for the list of threads.

reply to post by onfire49

Remote viewing, you are tied to someone else in mental frequency and seeing what they see. Interpretation of these viewings can be distorted by our perception though. Not all dreams are remote viewing either, some are just dreams. I can't tell which ones are real or unreal myself but notice I sometimes find things happened that I have dreamed happened.

reply to post by rickymouse


Im a very skeptical person but I did think of something akin to remote viewing would come up. My only question is that the one area (the stone town) is not something that really likely existed. I dont feel as tho I am looking back in time with this area, unless the worlds of things lord of the rings were real at one point haha. It has a very movie quality to it.... almost like something we imagine a time period in history to be like, before we learn the true story. As i said before it just has this almost like commercial/ movie quality too it. Movies like big fish or something tim burton would create, or even oddly enough like maybe a north pole/santa claus type thing in the more modern imagination. However no elves or jolly atmosphere haha

reply to post by onfire49


Still, you get the feeling as if these locations are pre-rendered constructs.

reply to post by StraightBananas


Yes I have on occasion been able to lucidly dream and there was nothing odd to the dream in terms of location. One such dream happened at my parents house and was perfect down to the most minor detail, like looking at a photo. Only odd thing was being able to perform whatever actions I wanted. Flying and the like. But the environments of these other dreams (the ones from this thread) are not of my creation.

I dont know if this makes any difference but I find Edgar Cayce very interesting and so on occasion to de-stress I have tried the Cayce method of meditation and even though the A.R.E person who wrote the article about the method felt it would take a long time to get a response, I was able to, I believe, tap in within like 2 sessions. Very spooky

Originally posted by onfire49
reply to post by Night Star

 

In my most recent dream I dont feel as if the guy at the bar knew me, but immediately he gave me the like "come her for some friendly advice nod" and said something about the guys that frequent the establishment being sort of rough. Otherwise normally not too many people in the dreams.

Also odd that I snapped write into the connected village from another wholly unrelated dream, like someone was flipping the channel.

Does the establishment have a balcony or an upper balustrade you can reach with stairs?

reply to post by StraightBananas


Nope just a one flat type of thing....I cant remember at this moment but they may have a few stairs on either side to reach the main level but nothing above those.

reply to post by onfire49


In my adult life, I have had a real lucid dream once. I realized I was dreaming, pinched myself in my dream, woke up in my dream, realized I could fly. took off, landed in a weird town, different from the usual dreams, and could interact with people as if they were real, somewhat real at least.