17

I feel rather bad asking this here, as I am fairly certain there is no extant word in the English language to describe this; however, since we borrow words freely from other languages, may I inquire as to possible choices?

I have looked on these sorts of lists but have not found anything as specific as I'd like. The closest I have come across thus far is saudade. But it is, I think, not quite the same thing.

EDIT Following Tushar Raj's first attempt: This is a feeling of being transposed, almost; the persistent memory of the dream-that-was seems to keep one in the powerful feeling of the dream even once one is fully awake. My personal experience is that it can go on for a full day, or until one's next sleep. Usually, it's only for an hour or two after waking. For me at least, there is often a sense of melancholy or "out-of-placeness" associated with it. It is often not a pleasant sensation, even a little disturbing. But there certainly can be pleasant instances. I imagine it depends on the psyche.

P.S. I'm looking for a noun.

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  • 4
    The dream continues to linger in daylight.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jan 20, 2017 at 12:28
  • +1 I can soooo relate. Maybe [Oneirism](www.dictionary.com/browse/oneirism) but not sure. What's wrong with 'saudade'? I was thrilled to see the existence of that word :)
    – Nikki
    Jan 20, 2017 at 14:53
  • Is this the almost eerie feeling you sometimes get after waking that there was some reality to the dream you just had that continues to persist, even though you have awakened and realize it was (just?) a dream?
    – Michael
    Jan 20, 2017 at 17:47
  • I think I know the feeling you're describing. (Though I too would love to know the word for it) Would you describe it as a very intense nostalgia? A kind of longing for the place of the dream that pulls at you and distracts you? Jan 20, 2017 at 21:16
  • @ThunderGuppy Longing is often a part of it, yes. Nostalgia is certainly related. As if perhaps you belonged more there, than you do here. Though of course that is only how you feel.
    – Engineer
    Jan 21, 2017 at 3:31

5 Answers 5

11

Try euneirophrenia

peace of mind after a pleasant dream

(Dictionary.com)


EDIT: Added after the OP's suggestion:

malneirophrenia

In a state of depression following a nightmare:

Glenda's bad dream was so real that she wandered around the next day in a state of malneiophrenia because she was feeling unsettled and emotionally disturbed.

(Wordinfo.com)

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    + 1 but did you really know that term before?
    – user66974
    Jan 20, 2017 at 11:55
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    Hmm, appreciate the answer. However, this is not after a pleasant dream, nor is it usually characterized by peace of mind (though it can be). It is, if anything a kind of melancholy or a feeling like you are still there, somehow transposed.
    – Engineer
    Jan 20, 2017 at 11:56
  • 2
    @Josh Not exactly. But I remembered encountering something like this before and tried a reverse search.
    – Tushar Raj
    Jan 20, 2017 at 11:57
  • I cannot access the link - suggest quoting it. I think you should supply two answers; I disagree with the first, but the second may be what I seek.
    – Engineer
    Jan 20, 2017 at 12:08
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    @ArcaneEngineer: I was about to do that, but didn't want to seem like a rep whore :) I'll do that now.
    – Tushar Raj
    Jan 20, 2017 at 12:10
13

Are you looking for "a reverie"?

"I found myself lost in a reverie of what I had dreamed the night before."

  • "the state of being lost in thought especially about pleasant things" MW

examples:

  • "I was lost in reverie and didn't realize my flight was boarding until it was almost too late."
  • "I felt caught up in a reverie of years long past"
7

Since my first answer was "off-the-mark" for your specific use-case, I have a second suggestion now that you've expanded your post:

This is probably not a standard word, but if it's "melancholy" you're after, you can try:

afterdream

There's a passage from Gothic Transgressions which demonstrates its use.

enter image description here

Here's another instance of the word, in a poem by Bruce Beaver:

enter image description here

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  • Ah. Now I see the passage, and it is not this. (Sorry for your trouble.) Here, afterdream is referring to the sort of bitter emptiness that an addict feels after coming out of the halcyon hours of addictive fulfillment. No, if it could be related at all (since no substances are involved in what I'm describing!), this is quite the opposite; the deep feelings of the dream persist even after the "trip" that is sleep, has gone by. The addict surely longs for such an occurrence!
    – Engineer
    Jan 20, 2017 at 12:17
  • Well, afterdream, if it's indeed a word, could have been used slightly figuratively in the first passage I quoted. Substance-abuse need not be a prerequisite to merit its use. However, you're the judge.
    – Tushar Raj
    Jan 20, 2017 at 12:31
5

Maybe hypnopompia or hypnagogia could work.

Hypnopompia is a word that refers to the state of semi-consciousness which occurs when one is emerging from sleep into wakefulness. During this transition, there may be a sense of strangeness or unreality, and the visual impact of dreams may carry over into the waking world, sometimes even in the form of hallucinations. The state is often associated with narcolepsy, but has been found to be common in people who do not suffer from narcolepsy as well.

Hypnagogia is a similar term which usually refers to the transitional state one experiences just before falling asleep, which can include a sense of unreality and strangeness, and possibly hallucinations or altered perceptions. Such a state can occur during the day, in which case it may also be called a waking dream. While it's usually used to refer to the state leading from wakefulness to sleep, it can also be used to refer to the transition from sleep to wakefulness, and there are differing opinions in the field of sleep research about the correct terminology.

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  • +1 This is the most accurate response I've had. You have grokked what I'm asking.
    – Engineer
    Jan 21, 2017 at 3:27
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    I have never had it last all day, but I have experienced a strange state of mind after waking from a vivid dream which lasted at least an hour or more. I have had a similar feeling after having spent a long time in a movie theater when the movie was very visually engrossing. Walking out of the theater feels strange, the real world seems somehow unreal, and it can be disorienting. It's not really the same, but it's how I have explained it to others.
    – barbecue
    Jan 21, 2017 at 3:31
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    @ArcaneEng Isn't Hypnagogia used when in reality you are asleep and are struggling to get up due to 'sleep paralysis'. I thought the OP asks for a term when he is 'walking and talking in the reality but the mind is stuck in the memory of the dream and thus he feels 'out-of-place'. Right?
    – Nikki
    Jan 21, 2017 at 4:20
  • @Nikki I am the OP :) And I like hypnopompia, not hypnogogia, for this.
    – Engineer
    Jan 21, 2017 at 7:47
1

Desiderium perhaps. That is the closest word I could find to describe the feeling I carry with me through the days when I think or find myself transported back to my dreams.

1
  • You should include a dictionary definition for your chosen word. Jul 28, 2022 at 4:20

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