Dreams of the Forgotten

​WHAT IF WEDNESDAY:
What if reoccurring dreams are actually paranormal encounters our mind has suppressed?

Recently I was filming a new paranormal web series with a group of seasoned investigators, and as a group of people passionate about the unknown would do, we got to talking about personal experiences and scary stories.

I was telling a story about a dream that I've had over a dozen times, which started at a very young age (maybe age 13 or so). When I finished I had a thought. What if this reoccurring dream – a dream that always starts the same way and always ends at the same moment in the dream – is in fact an encounter I had at an age before I can remember?

There's a phenomenon called "Childhood Amnesia" and studies have shown that the majority of adults cannot remember anything about their life before the age of seven.* Personally, the first memory I have about my life is from when I was six years old. Everything before that is lost in the deepest parts of my brain. But what if I had an encounter with a spirit during those forgotten years. An event so traumatic that it invades my sleeping mind twenty, thirty or even forty years later. Before I go any further, here's the dream:

I'm climbing a set of steps covered in red carpet. I'm not walking up them, but crawling on my hands and knees. I peek over the top step and look down what seems like an endless hallway. From the decorations, wallpaper and furniture it looks like I'm in an old hotel or castle. Standing in the distance in the middle of the hallway is a tall shadowy figure. He's looking the other way, so he doesn't see me. I run from the steps into the hall and hide behind a table or desk that's against the wall on the right hand side of the hall. I'm scared. I lean forward and peek around the edge of the desk. The shadow man sees me. He starts to walk towards me. I duck back and curl into a ball. I'm terrified. I wait. I listen. He has to be close now. But then I wake up.

The dream always plays out just like that. Nothing has ever been added or taken away. This brings up the question: Is this dream actually a memory? Did I have an encounter with a shadow person at a very young age? Is my unconscious mind reminding me of this memory, and if so, why? 

Is it possible reoccurring dreams are memories from our early childhood? I ask in order to get a discussion started. Maybe you or someone you know has had a disturbing dream that has haunted them for years. Share your stories or thoughts in the comments. Maybe these thoughts and ideas will lead us to new discoveries or answers to the unknown. That is why I always ask the question "what if," even if the question seems to be completely insane. Answers to great mysteries don't come easy and they are never simple. The more outlandish and "insane" our thoughts are about the subject, the sooner we'll stumble on an idea leading to the answer.

Have a "WHAT IF?" you'd like to share? Send me an email. I'd love to hear it. Click on the Contact link to get in touch with me.


* Here's an article about Childhood Amnesia: LINK

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