I caught a documentary about the polio epidemic on TV last night, and it was a fascinating watch. What gripped me most about it was the footage of iron lungs, large, body-encompassing machines that exert pressure on their body, forcing the lungs to expand and contract. During the epidemic, they were used on those so paralyzed they could not breathe on their own, becoming one with the machine for support. The concept even worked its way into a dream I had that night.

I don’t interpret dreams as premonitions, as I do not partake in pseudoscience, but they’re interesting from a neurological standpoint. Sometimes, the brain’s interpretation of one’s garbled subconscious can come up with some pretty neat shit.

In my dream, the machine was wheeled into my home a large gray body bag of sorts and set up in the kitchen by a woman in white cutesy 1950s nurse garb. When unbagged, the core of the machine was black with bright red accents running across it; a metallic seat with a foot rest was mechanically attached to the bottom. I sat in the seat, clutching onto concave grips embedded in the seat that I was told to not let go of. Subconscious me was initially displeased with the machine being brought in, but I was told that it was a necessary experience entering it—a rite of passage, if you will. Also, a good amount of my extended family was also present in the house, presumably so they could be there to congratulate me once the procedure was complete, which could’ve contributed to my anxiety as well.

After being situated, the procedure began. My nurse counting down from three ended with her pressing one of the machine’s buttons, ejecting the seat portion into the core, leaving only the lower half of my body exposed. When inside, I was faced with a small screen playing a strange animated video of outer space that most closely resembled the experimental CD-ROM game Chop Suey. Small red lights on the left and right sides of the screen were the only other illumination source in the pitch black chamber. Much like an iron lung, the machine exerted pressure on my body, though the jolts of pressure here were minimal and I was more than capable of breathing on my own, forcing me to adjust my breathing pace with that of the machine. It was strange, but I ultimately enjoyed the experience. I was ejected from the machine twice: the first time because of the low pressure and the second time because a) there was no pressure given at all and b) the video screen suddenly glitched and froze up. I was waiting for my third try when I woke up.

Would I consider it a good dream? Yes. If this machine existed in real life, would I be down with giving it a go? If it wasn’t going to kill me, hard yes.