#for ref idk relevance but i deal w fibromyalgia which we know now is your brain sending unnecessary pain signals as a stress response

[roboticutie]

I never understood the "just pinch yourself!" method of figuring out if it's a dream or not because I feel pain in my dreams. Like, as if it was real life. Sometimes, the pain I feel is so real that it lingers for a few moments after I wake up. And it doesn't have to be anything horrific or nightmarish! It can be that somebody slugged me in the arm too enthusiastically, or I pulled on an arm hair or bug stuck on me and there was a sharp little pinch, etc. Letalone the distressing things. It feels real, so I've never, ever understood the idea that you can tell you're dreaming if it doesn't hurt. Because my brain just. Gives me the pain signal anyways.