Laura Flanigan

I dream very vividly and often. I am a lucid dreamer and dream in first person. I don’t have control over the dream but I always know that I am dreaming so they don’t scare me or bother me at all. When I wake up I can remember what happened but of course, can’t visualize it afterwards. The dreams feel almost as real as life since they are in the first person, much like life. I’ve always found life has a dream-like quality as a result.

I lack visual, smell and taste visualization completely, but I have sound and feel. I can hear my voice as if I’m reading to myself, as well as play music in my mind. I can imagine physical feelings, such at the feel of an orange peel. The interesting thing is that I associate colours with a physical “feeling”. Not an emotional feeling, but a physical feeling not dissimilar to thinking of the feel of an object. I also associate people I know well with the feeling of certain colours (again not an emotional connection, but a physical “feeling”), and I feel pain in a range of blue to red. Not sure if everyone associates "physical feelings" this way, but that’s how it is for me!

I lack a mind’s ear, tongue, or nose as well. The idea of touch in my mind is totally alien. I am very good with maps and directions but I don’t make a mind map. The concept of “landmark” based directions has always been difficult for me and I really need exit numbers or routes or street names to know where I am going. Once I’ve been to somewhere once I can usually get back there.