Hey Holly:
Can you tell me if blind people dream? And if they do, does that mean they can also have nightmares?
Sincerely, Dream Weaver
Dear Dream Weaver:
I have always had very vivid dreams both before and after sight loss. In fact, I would say my dreams have actually gotten more intense after I lost my sight in 2012 because it was such a traumatic experience. Nightmares for me often involve doctors, hospitals, and running. Think the movie Saw meets the Shining. Yes, that scary. There are many times I wake up in the morning physically sweating or out of breath. This is my own personal experience. In general, theories on this vary, but it’s generally thought that both people born blind (congenital blindness) and people who become blind later in life (acquired blindness) have less visual imagery in their dreams than people who aren’t blind. Research suggests blind people who lose their sight before the age of 5 usually don’t see images in their dreams. According to this train of thought, the later in life a person loses their sight, the more likely they are to continue having visual dreams. In addition, those who became blind later in life appeared to have more tactile (touch) sensations in their dreams.
Do you have a question about disabilities that you need answered? Email me at Holly@blindmotherhood.com
