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The geometric nightmares! I had those as a kid whenever I was very tired or had a fever, and kept having them until my late teens. Never seen them described and

The geometric nightmares! I had those as a kid whenever I was very tired or had a fever, and kept having them until my late teens. Never seen them described and didn't know it was a thing.

hermitcrab 22d ago
I also had something like this. Again as a kid, with fever. Very unsettling. But I don't remember having it as an adult. Strange.
guessmyname 22d ago
Same here. I also recall them when I had fevers in my childhood. I attribute them to the fact that, while trying to sleep with a fever, my eyes are half-open, and any sharp object becomes a visible geometric shape that my brain attempts to comprehend but almost fails to. I still experience them in adulthood. I’ve never had sleep paralysis, but whenever I think of people who have it, I imagine it feels as debilitating as these half-sleep experiences where you’re unable to move while your brain processes distressing memories. “Geometric Nightmares” is not a scientific name. It is simply the name given to this phenomenon in forums [1][2] where people discuss and share their experiences. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreams/comments/7ofu86/x/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreams/comments/7ofu86/x/ [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/geometricnightmares/ https://www.reddit.com/r/geometricnightmares/
Alex-Programs 22d ago
Interesting. I recently discovered that my sister and I have identical geometric nightmares, down to every detail, while everyone else I mention this to thinks it's insane. I wonder whether there's a genetic aspect?
chaps 22d ago
Last time I stopped smoking cannabis I got these for a couple days. They are intense. The most recent was kind of like taking a slow rollercoaster ride through three black hole sized perfect spheres orbiting nothing. Another one was less geometric but was basically me getting sucked into a black hole. Both had this almost lucid dreaming feel where my entire sense of self became condensed into a single point... but I was still there, aware of what was happening... it was incredibly memorable.
nurbl 22d ago
I had a recurring abstract nightmare as a small kid (don't think it was related to fever but I guess those were pretty common) which was basically about a line, gradually becoming messier and messier until it was all just a big jumble. I could never explain it to anyone else, but it terrified me for a time.
- embedding-shape 22d ago
  I'm wondering if "geometric nightmares" is a reoccurring dream I've had since I was a kid too, basically two cog-wheels linked with each other, but one is extremely huge and the other unbelievable tiny. I'd never describe this as a "geometric nightmares" though, but it does kind of sound similar. Maybe there is something about "contrasts" as they all seem to be vaguely related to "big difference" basically.
  - vesterde 22d ago
    I've heard these fever dreams referred to as big-small as well. I believe it's the same phenomenon. For me it was pillars from high up above, where they're all the same width, but one is also much bigger at the same time. Hard to explain... Just an odd feeling. And, anecdotally, I have gotten a similar feeling reaching deep enough meditation.
- wipash 22d ago
  Crazy, I used to have the exact same (well, as best as I could describe them they were the same) dreams. I can still vividly remember the feeling of them, of the perfection of the line, and the growing pressure of some external force trying to mess it up, until eventually it always did.
cri5ti 22d ago
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WA 22d ago
Had them as a kid. A canvas in beige that spanned my whole view and was the entire world. There was an invisible opponent and we played a game. You filled half of the seemingly infinite canvas with black or a dark blue. Then the other person until no beige remained. I always lost.
ycombinete 21d ago
I used to have something like this as an adolescent/teenager, but while I was awake. It’d feel like my whole body became enormous and numb, and if I closed my eyes I’d see cascading geometric shapes collapsing in on themselves, and it would feel like I was falling constantly. So I’d just slowly put my head on the desk and ride it out until I was returned to my body

The geometric nightmares! I had those as a kid whenever I was very tired or had a fever, and kept having them until my late teens. Never seen them described and didn't know it was a thing.

hermitcrab 22d ago

I also had something like this. Again as a kid, with fever. Very unsettling. But I don't remember having it as an adult. Strange.

guessmyname 22d ago

Same here. I also recall them when I had fevers in my childhood. I attribute them to the fact that, while trying to sleep with a fever, my eyes are half-open, and any sharp object becomes a visible geometric shape that my brain attempts to comprehend but almost fails to. I still experience them in adulthood. I’ve never had sleep paralysis, but whenever I think of people who have it, I imagine it feels as debilitating as these half-sleep experiences where you’re unable to move while your brain processes distressing memories. “Geometric Nightmares” is not a scientific name. It is simply the name given to this phenomenon in forums [1][2] where people discuss and share their experiences. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreams/comments/7ofu86/x/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreams/comments/7ofu86/x/ [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/geometricnightmares/ https://www.reddit.com/r/geometricnightmares/

Alex-Programs 22d ago

Interesting. I recently discovered that my sister and I have identical geometric nightmares, down to every detail, while everyone else I mention this to thinks it's insane. I wonder whether there's a genetic aspect?

chaps 22d ago

Last time I stopped smoking cannabis I got these for a couple days. They are intense. The most recent was kind of like taking a slow rollercoaster ride through three black hole sized perfect spheres orbiting nothing. Another one was less geometric but was basically me getting sucked into a black hole. Both had this almost lucid dreaming feel where my entire sense of self became condensed into a single point... but I was still there, aware of what was happening... it was incredibly memorable.

nurbl 22d ago

I had a recurring abstract nightmare as a small kid (don't think it was related to fever but I guess those were pretty common) which was basically about a line, gradually becoming messier and messier until it was all just a big jumble. I could never explain it to anyone else, but it terrified me for a time.

embedding-shape 22d ago
I'm wondering if "geometric nightmares" is a reoccurring dream I've had since I was a kid too, basically two cog-wheels linked with each other, but one is extremely huge and the other unbelievable tiny. I'd never describe this as a "geometric nightmares" though, but it does kind of sound similar. Maybe there is something about "contrasts" as they all seem to be vaguely related to "big difference" basically.
- vesterde 22d ago
  I've heard these fever dreams referred to as big-small as well. I believe it's the same phenomenon. For me it was pillars from high up above, where they're all the same width, but one is also much bigger at the same time. Hard to explain... Just an odd feeling. And, anecdotally, I have gotten a similar feeling reaching deep enough meditation.
wipash 22d ago
Crazy, I used to have the exact same (well, as best as I could describe them they were the same) dreams. I can still vividly remember the feeling of them, of the perfection of the line, and the growing pressure of some external force trying to mess it up, until eventually it always did.

cri5ti 22d ago

[dead]

WA 22d ago

Had them as a kid. A canvas in beige that spanned my whole view and was the entire world. There was an invisible opponent and we played a game. You filled half of the seemingly infinite canvas with black or a dark blue. Then the other person until no beige remained. I always lost.

ycombinete 21d ago

I used to have something like this as an adolescent/teenager, but while I was awake. It’d feel like my whole body became enormous and numb, and if I closed my eyes I’d see cascading geometric shapes collapsing in on themselves, and it would feel like I was falling constantly. So I’d just slowly put my head on the desk and ride it out until I was returned to my body