Confuse memories and dreams

[Columbus]

So for the longest time I have had issues distinguishing the reality of my memories and dreams. And it isn't just my childhood memories that are slowly fading, I actually cant remember most of my childhood memories cause of my abuse that I blocked out which could be the cause of this. But yeah I will have dreams that I will confuse to be reality of what actually happened of not just my abuse but even every day things that happen recently. And all of my memories just feel like there all fading and they feel very fogy like there all just dreams, and I get confused of what actually happened. For instance just two years ago a friend of mind committed suicide and slowly he is just fading away, and I feel like in 5 or 10 years from now I will forget about that actually happen or I will mistake that for a dream. Which you would think I wouldn't forget that since that was a traumatic and emotional moment for me but I fell like I slowly will just like my abuse as a kid but I guess thats different. I really dont know I just feel very detached from reality now. Is there a way to control this somehow if I can. I dont drink alcohol, or do drugs, and im not on medication. What do I do its been really scaring me lately.

[ksdnfkfr]

I actually prefer to think of bad memories as dreams. Some bad memory will surface and I will just say to myself, "that was just a dream" so I don't have to be bothered by it. I think as long as you are not losing muscle memory of info you need, like your street address and reading, writing, arithmetic, names of people close to you and all that, you are okay. Sometimes I will rack my brain trying to remember when a certain thing happened or if it happened, and wish I kept a journal. He who writes things down forgets nothing. I don't think any of this is unusual. I describe myself as scatterbrained.

[Katiya]

I can speak from experience. I have a very similar thing due to a head injury. I will have memory's and dreams that fade and lose their orientation, so I can't remember if I drempt it or lived it. So I have to think logically about the memory and what went on and then determine if it was reality or not. If I discover a purple hippo on there I know its a dream, if I find a new landscape or name I know its a dream, and so on.

Its difficult because the memory is not a properly functioning one, faded and hard to bring up in my mind for more than a brief moment, then I lose it again.
These thoughts have been saved in the wrong brain file so to speak. So thats why they are confusing. Like a dream was saved in the memory folder, so the first inclination is that it is real, but you can't remember so you know something's wrong with it.

I know what a struggle and how fruatraiting memory problems can be. But it is possible to work around them and lead a normal life or recover.


Also, this could be a form of disassociation. Try talking with someone professional, the right person might be able to help. I would suspect this less you have been hit hard on the head some time around when this started.

[DiamondsGirl]

I have that too (note that I never had head injury) and it doesn't bother me. I mean... if it's a bad memory anyways, then why is it not alright for our brain to make it hazy and dream-like? If it's a good dream anyways, then why is it not OK for our brain to make it vivid and real?

In case you're scared because you feel different from others, you're not. In fact I did hear that our brain is designed to manipulate memories to suit our needs (for example people who witnessed a mass shooting would only remember it as a sepia-toned image) so no you're not "detached from reality" at all. If you do, you won't be here right now. Because THIS is reality. Is it not?

What's most important is the 'now'. Make the most of it.

[Columbus]

I have that too (note that I never had head injury) and it doesn't bother me. I mean... if it's a bad memory anyways, then why is it not alright for our brain to make it hazy and dream-like? If it's a good dream anyways, then why is it not OK for our brain to make it vivid and real?

In case you're scared because you feel different from others, you're not. In fact I did hear that our brain is designed to manipulate memories to suit our needs (for example people who witnessed a mass shooting would only remember it as a sepia-toned image) so no you're not "detached from reality" at all. If you do, you won't be here right now. Because THIS is reality. Is it not?

What's most important is the 'now'. Make the most of it.

Thanks yeah I guess ill just have to work around it.

[Katiya]

I have that too (note that I never had head injury) and it doesn't bother me. I mean... if it's a bad memory anyways, then why is it not alright for our brain to make it hazy and dream-like? If it's a good dream anyways, then why is it not OK for our brain to make it vivid and real?

In case you're scared because you feel different from others, you're not. In fact I did hear that our brain is designed to manipulate memories to suit our needs (for example people who witnessed a mass shooting would only remember it as a sepia-toned image) so no you're not "detached from reality" at all. If you do, you won't be here right now. Because THIS is reality. Is it not?

What's most important is the 'now'. Make the most of it.

I don't think they mean detatched. However it could be disassociation. Which would be like what you described with a mass shooting or other traumatic event. Those are all forms of disassociation. It is actually a natural reaction. It only matters if something bothers the personabout iit.

There are things I am diasasociated from. But they do not bother me anymore. My mind has naturally coped by forgetting them or rather ignoring them. I just don't think of the stuff much.

This can be very different person to person of course :)