I have not done any research on this, I only experienced it, but I could make some observations related to the phenomenon. I think there are things that apply to many others, not only to me. I will share some of my conclusions:
During the “playback” of such a dream (other reality projection), in my case there is no time, there is no age. Because in a few cases I was intrigued by this, almost perceiving it as an anomaly (the other me, from the other reality), I even tried to make sense of that and the result was getting even deeper into strangeness. Story shortened – leaving my home from the city, driving to some relatives at the countryside, returning back home to the city and arriving earlier than departed. Stubbornly repeating the sequence, trying to make sense and getting out of such strangeness, still the same result every time.
Whenever I was in another reality, it was in fact not “me” there – it was only the feelings and perceptions of the other me projected to my dream, having no awareness of anything. Just as if some sequence of that “me” was recorded and then “played back” in my consciousness (during and through the dream). In most of the cases, I know with astonishing detail about everything in that world (how a certain bench is painted, what screw is missing, what bus numbers and routes there are, what is behind the corner of the street, where I live, where I go shopping, etc.), but this happens only in the dream, as I practically “re-live” some moments of the other me. When I wake up, I realize that in this reality I have absolutely no idea about any of those details, I know none of the places, they all seem incredibly real only for the character in the dream (the other me).
I also came to the conclusion (in fact certainty) that they are completely different realities, in each of them I have a completely different life and completely different situations (job, residence address, friends, neighbors, different residence city, etc.), yet, I know perfectly each and every single detail about my life, in each reality, but they never cross over, neither within the dream nor in this reality after I wake up. Just as if I watched different movies, with different plot and different characters, different action.
What really pisses me off, is that this reality seems to be the worst, it is a complete sh.. .. all the others (from dreams) are filled with a certain peace of mind and tranquility, there I have a much, much better life.
That’s really interesting! It almost sounds as if you’re some sort of omniscient being/version of yourself while experiencing these other realities. Is it totally random what nights you visit these other realities or have you noticed some kind of pattern?
I often feel like we’re in a pretty shitty reality as well. Though if we’re to believe that there are an infinite number of parallel universes there must be at least one out there that’s worse than this one right?
I don’t mean this to be presumptuous or dismissive at all, but maybe that feeling has more to do with the state of being that you’re in during these experiences as opposed to your alternate selves feeling that way? Just a thought though, obviously you’d have a better understanding of what you’re experiencing than I ever could.
I’m stuck between hoping that my other selves are out there doing better than me so I can have the comfort of knowing that maybe there’s a version of me out there that’s happy and successful, and being upset that I’m not that version and I got stuck with this reality.