I experienced extreme claustrophobia in a dream despite never thinking I was claustrophobic
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I had a dream where the space around me suddenly started collapsing.
The walls kept moving closer and closer until there was barely any room left. I remember desperately trying to breathe, but the space felt so compressed that I genuinely felt like I was suffocating. 😨 What makes it strange is that I don't consider myself claustrophobic.
I've never had a particularly bad experience being trapped somewhere, and as far as I know I've never had a fear of confined spaces while awake.
So I'm wondering Can a dream create a fear response to something you don't consciously fear? Or could this actually mean I have some degree of claustrophobia that I've simply never encountered or noticed while awake?
Has anyone experienced a completely unfamiliar fear for the first time in a dream? 🧐