Superpower Dreaming

I don't understand what's happening.

I didn't know until a few years ago that not everyone dreams. And out of the people who do, not everyone dreams in colors, or has sound to their dreams.

My dreams have always been super vivid, colorful, rememberable, and like I am watching a movie. I have experienced traveling, sharing the same dreams (or very similar), reoccuring dreams, dreams that seem to come true, sleep paralysis, sleep walking (only once when I was a kid - that I know of) and more. But something I have never experienced is what Ezra and Ellie do.

Both of them typically end up sleeping in my bed, which I don't typically mind because I have a king sized bed and it's just me. Ezra has always had some intense bouts of insomnia and for the first two years of his life he was up between 2 and 10 times a night, so having him sleep anywhere other than my bed was an insane idea. Ellie had something happen a couple years ago that started her in a night terror ring and instead of shrill screaming that I would have to run to, it was easier to have her close by to console before she startled awake.

Now the two of them together have an incredible bond. They protect each other, scold each other, parent each other and are best friends. Ellie has helped Ezra grow so much and I think Ezra has done the same for her. Their connection isn't divided by sleep. They seem to have figured out how to dream together. One of them will start talking about something in the dream world and the other will join in. One night they were apparently both running through a field and just little chuckles were erupting from both of them.

One night, Ezra was sleeping with me and I had a nightmare about being kidnapped and I woke up to him kicking me and screaming "NO! MOM! DON'T GO! EZRA COME WITH YOU!" I was rattled. I was in shock. I woke him up gently, with my heart still going a million beats per minute. I kissed his sweaty forehead and told him that we were safe, we were together and he asked if the bad man didn't get mom. I don't understand how it happens, but it happens.

I am convinced more and more every day that autism is a superpower. I also would like to hope that eventually, they can learn to stay in their own dreamscapes. I definitely don't want him to experience my level of nightmares.