You might get some insight from this dream work writeup I posted on my blog from earlier this year: Dream Works.
It is not long and there are a couple of points that directly relate to your query.
I too have One Particular Scenario. As I remember my dreams, I have some experience with thinking I am trapped in a sinking car and not at all thinking it is a dream.
At this point in my life...I just don't care, even during the dream. The experience of surviving hundreds of such dreamed car sinkings is with me even though I don't know it is a dream. It's not a proper nightmare any longer, it's boring rather than scary even as it happens.
I still have real nightmares sometimes, but they never seem to repeat.
A few days ago, I made a mistake and read about pe...
Hello LW,
There has been some interest around here about atypical mental phenomena such as synesthesia, blindsight, absence of mental images, and so on. There have also been sappy posts and requests for help. I'd like to discuss my personal quirks in the hopes that it is interesting and someone can help me.
I suffer from occasional hypnopompic sleep paralysis, which isn't uncommon. The unusual thing is that I remember my dreams every night, in extensive detail, usually several of them. Unfortunately, last night I vividly dreamt through what seemed like days' worth of having a severe hangover, all before I even woke up and had a real one, and it was a terrible experience. I'd like to be able to choose to drift into unconsciousness, as I occasionally do, to have a break from being mentally aware for such lengthy times spanning weeks.
Does anyone else have similar experiences? Has anyone read any scientific research on this subject? How do people not remember their dreams?