Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Lost Species of Feeling: Sleep under an Oscillating Fan
Don't know if you have felt this or not. But when I was young, very young, I recall Mom having us take a nap during hot summer afternoons on a pallet on the floor in front of an oscillating fan. I have fond memories of the hum, the waxing and waning, the wind on my hair and covering. Sometimes it was while visiting relatives and several of us are sleeping, that is, it was a family communal thing. I remember a feeling of well being. Dreams were pleasant. There was a feeling of special meaning and significance. I don't know why. I was too young to know the meaning of those words but felt them nonetheless. In retrospect the word liminal may describe it, the state of being on the threshold or between two different existential states. Has anyone else felt this?
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I loved this post and the feelings it provokes. I have found some of my favorite sensations occur in the gap between awake and asleep when vague images float about and at times I feel that I am myself floating. I only get this feeling when laying on my back and also most often during the daytime hours.
There is a lot of research out there about how our two brains work together and apart. In grossly oversimplified terms, my impression is that dreams are the product of our primitive (nonverbal) brain interfacing with our more sophisticated brain. This partially explains many of the dreamlike experiences we have.
For some of the most fascinating things you'll ever read about the brain, I recommend Rhawn Joseph. http://brainmind.com/publications.html
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