How Blind People Experience Dreaming: Sensory and Emotional Dimensions
Blind people experience dreaming in ways that can be vastly different from those of sighted individuals. These experiences are heavily influenced by the time of life when they lost their sight and their sensory perceptions.
Individuals Born Blind
Those who are blind from birth typically do not visualize images in their dreams as sighted individuals do. Their dreams are rich in other sensory experiences, including sounds, smells, textures, and other tactile sensations. Emotions and situations in dreams are conveyed through these non-visual sensory inputs.
One blind individual, for example, describes dreaming about hearing the rustling of leaves and the scent of flowers, emphasizing the vividness of these experiences. Another mentions dreaming of feeling the roughness of tree bark and the softness of fabrics, underscoring the profound sensory richness of dreams for the blind.
Individuals Who Became Blind Later in Life
People who lost their sight after having experienced vision can still visualize in their dreams. Their dreams may include images and scenes based on their memories of sight. They often retain the ability to visualize due to the brain's plasticity and the storage of visual memories from their past.
A good cook, for instance, can imagine what adding an ingredient will taste like, and a famous composer like Mozart could imagine the change in the sound of an orchestra if the clarinet played the oboe part. These examples illustrate how thinking and dreaming are not totally visual and can involve all the senses.
Common Elements in Dreams
Regardless of when they lost their sight, dreams for blind individuals can include elements such as feelings, thoughts, and interactions with others. The emotional content of dreams remains significant, and many blind individuals report dreams that reflect their daily experiences, concerns, and desires.
Throughout their lives, regardless of their visual acuity, the ability to see in dreams remains a powerful tool for emotional and sensory exploration. For example, one individual who went from normal vision with glasses to legally blind, with dreams matching their waking vision, shared her experiences. During a period of blurred vision, she had dreams where she could see shapes, and even in complete darkness, her dreams were vivid and clear.
Many blind individuals have dreams where they suddenly get their sight back, reflecting a deep emotional and psychological yearning to see. However, these dreams can also be peaceful and joyous, showing a contentment with their current state, regardless of their waking vision.
Conclusion
The nature of dreaming for blind individuals is a complex interplay of sensory perceptions, memories, and emotions. These experiences are as rich and diverse as those of sighted individuals, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of the human mind.