Sleep, Dreams, and Imagination in Szymon Kudranski’s “Something Epic”

Sometimes, right before I wake up, I hear sounds. The sound arrives in my mind, I wake up, and then the sound occurs in my ears. This all takes place in a split second, the recognition of the sound, a beat, then the actual sound. I’m not a neuroscientist, and I can’t explain it. However, I think they are Hypnopompic Hallucinations, events that register in my brain either as I’m falling asleep or waking up. I don’t experience these all of the time, but I do experience them occasionally.

The most memorable occurrence took place on September 11, 2001. My wife had left for class and I was slowly waking up. As I stirred, it sounded like the television was turned on to a news report, detailing some event. I couldn’t make out the words, but I heard voices. When I got up and turned on the news, I saw one of the towers burning before the second plane flew into the other tower. September 11 was the first time I remember experiencing something like this, and if it wasn’t on that day, I don’t think it would have stuck with me in the same way.

Along with these occurrences, I frequently experience déjà vu where I dream something, sometimes weeks or months before a conversation, then that conversation takes place. It never takes place in exactly the same manner, but it has enough similarity, specifically in…