Have you ever wondered what an especially weird dream meant? The meaning of dreams is debatable, but the science behind dreams is more clearly defined.
William Shakespeare¿s Prospero knew that ¿we are such stuff as dreams are made on,¿ but scientists are still figuring out the meaning of dreams themselves. People have inferred the meaning of dreams since ancient times. In more recent years, Sigmund Freud believed that a dream provided a window to our unconscious thoughts, while Alfred Adler argued that a dream helps us solve real-life problems.
¿The purpose of dreams is still not known completely,¿ says Russell Rosenberg, PhD, director and founder of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and board member of the National Sleep Foundation. Yet recent advances in both the physiology and psychology of dreams offer some fascinating insights. Dream Stages and Research Dr. Rosenberg distinguishes between sleep during which rapid eye movement (REM) occurs and does not occur. ¿Dreaming does occur in both stages of REM sleep and non-REM sleep,¿ Rosenberg says. In non-REM sleep, people are likely to produce a thinking or meditative dream. Scientists know less about non-REM sleep than its more dynamic counterpart, REM sleep. ¿Most people¿s dreams during REM sleep have a story line, action ¿ that¿s where we get auditory, visual, and even tactile kinds of experiences,¿ he says. Researchers also believe that REM sleep is crucial to problem-solving and sorting out meaningful vs. inconsequential events during the day. REM is said to be important to the consolidation and organization of memory, which is probably why students should get a good night¿s rest before a big exam. Research into the uses and meaning of dreams is growing. In one recent study, the smell of roses was able to induce positive dreams, while a whiff of rotten eggs produced unpleasant dreams. While scientists still do not know the precise function of dreams, much contemporary research focuses on their connection to memory and deciphering problems. One study, for example, found that creative thinking was linked to dream-rich REM sleep, as distinct from resting quietly or sleep that did not involve REM. More than just improving memory, REM sleep reactivates nodes in our brains that have been previously stimulated, researchers suggest. What Is the Meaning of Dreams? The psychological meaning of dreams is difficult to interpret. ¿One thing to consider is that dreams are physiological events that involve not just the brain but, to a varying degree, the whole body, though generally not our voluntary muscles,¿ says Craig Webb, speaker, author, and executive director of the DREAMS Foundation, a non-profit organization in Montreal. ¿Once in a while, dreams have 'meaning' only or largely at the unconscious, physiological level in that they help rebalance body and brain chemistry, but without necessarily offering a lot of insights at an interpretive level. Some nightmares are a case in point, and certain medications and drugs especially can stimulate this physiological aspect of dreams,¿ he says. Rosenberg and Webb agree that the contents of a dream may have significance for an individual. They say that the meaning of dreams should be interpreted in the context of an individual¿s life, perhaps with the assistance of someone skilled in psychological analysis. People interested in learning more about their dreams are encouraged to keep a dream log. Techniques vary, but the main point is to keep a notebook near your bed to jot down the details of a dream as soon as possible after waking, no matter how disjointed or random the images seem. Whether certain dreams might have an objective, standard meaning is a topic of some disagreement. ¿I¿m not convinced dreams have some universal meaning,¿ says Rosenberg. ¿I think each person is his or her own director and producer in the way a movie is produced or directed.¿ Webb, on the other hand, says he is willing to allow for the possibility of dreams that speak to people on a mythic level: dreams that connect symbolically and emotionally with great events throughout history.
Unraveling the Meaning of Dreams
Have you ever wondered what an especially weird dream meant? The meaning of dreams is debatable, but the science behind dreams is more clearly defined.
William Shakespeare¿s Prospero knew that ¿we are such stuff as dreams are made on,¿ but scientists are still figuring out the meaning of dreams themselves. People have inferred the meaning of dreams since ancient times. In more recent years, Sigmund Freud believed that a dream provided a window to our unconscious thoughts, while Alfred Adler argued that a dream helps us solve real-life problems.
¿The purpose of dreams is still not known completely,¿ says Russell Rosenberg, PhD, director and founder of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and board member of the National Sleep Foundation. Yet recent advances in both the physiology and psychology of dreams offer some fascinating insights. Dream Stages and Research Dr. Rosenberg distinguishes between sleep during which rapid eye movement (REM) occurs and does not occur. ¿Dreaming does occur in both stages of REM sleep and non-REM sleep,¿ Rosenberg says. In non-REM sleep, people are likely to produce a thinking or meditative dream. Scientists know less about non-REM sleep than its more dynamic counterpart, REM sleep. ¿Most people¿s dreams during REM sleep have a story line, action ¿ that¿s where we get auditory, visual, and even tactile kinds of experiences,¿ he says. Researchers also believe that REM sleep is crucial to problem-solving and sorting out meaningful vs. inconsequential events during the day. REM is said to be important to the consolidation and organization of memory, which is probably why students should get a good night¿s rest before a big exam. Research into the uses and meaning of dreams is growing. In one recent study, the smell of roses was able to induce positive dreams, while a whiff of rotten eggs produced unpleasant dreams. While scientists still do not know the precise function of dreams, much contemporary research focuses on their connection to memory and deciphering problems. One study, for example, found that creative thinking was linked to dream-rich REM sleep, as distinct from resting quietly or sleep that did not involve REM. More than just improving memory, REM sleep reactivates nodes in our brains that have been previously stimulated, researchers suggest. What Is the Meaning of Dreams? The psychological meaning of dreams is difficult to interpret. ¿One thing to consider is that dreams are physiological events that involve not just the brain but, to a varying degree, the whole body, though generally not our voluntary muscles,¿ says Craig Webb, speaker, author, and executive director of the DREAMS Foundation, a non-profit organization in Montreal. ¿Once in a while, dreams have 'meaning' only or largely at the unconscious, physiological level in that they help rebalance body and brain chemistry, but without necessarily offering a lot of insights at an interpretive level. Some nightmares are a case in point, and certain medications and drugs especially can stimulate this physiological aspect of dreams,¿ he says. Rosenberg and Webb agree that the contents of a dream may have significance for an individual. They say that the meaning of dreams should be interpreted in the context of an individual¿s life, perhaps with the assistance of someone skilled in psychological analysis. People interested in learning more about their dreams are encouraged to keep a dream log. Techniques vary, but the main point is to keep a notebook near your bed to jot down the details of a dream as soon as possible after waking, no matter how disjointed or random the images seem. Whether certain dreams might have an objective, standard meaning is a topic of some disagreement. ¿I¿m not convinced dreams have some universal meaning,¿ says Rosenberg. ¿I think each person is his or her own director and producer in the way a movie is produced or directed.¿ Webb, on the other hand, says he is willing to allow for the possibility of dreams that speak to people on a mythic level: dreams that connect symbolically and emotionally with great events throughout history.
REMDR is a form of biofeedback and is used specifically for traumatized patients. It is a specific method of removing painful situations UNpainfully from the psyche and is not a proven or, necessarily, successful form of therapy. I endured it after a major car accident in 2002, it did not work for me. Further, the insurance industry will not support it for these reasons. It may take some time and some further research as Chiropractic care underwent the same scrutiny not too long ago and now it's a booming industry. Unfortunately, when you're dealing with the brain and emotions, there's no right or wrong technique as each situation is different and we all resove personal issues uniquely.
Swirly, I am studying for my Masters in Nursing with an emphasis in Medical Ethics and Law. Thanks for your support. Exam is tonight and I'm feeling confident, so.......
REMDR is a form of biofeedback and is used specifically for traumatized patients. It is a specific method of removing painful situations UNpainfully from the psyche and is not a proven or, necessarily, successful form of therapy. I endured it after a major car accident in 2002, it did not work for me. Further, the insurance industry will not support it for these reasons. It may take some time and some further research as Chiropractic care underwent the same scrutiny not too long ago and now it's a booming industry. Unfortunately, when you're dealing with the brain and emotions, there's no right or wrong technique as each situation is different and we all resove personal issues uniquely.
Swirly, I am studying for my Masters in Nursing with an emphasis in Medical Ethics and Law. Thanks for your support. Exam is tonight and I'm feeling confident, so.......
Wow that would explain the many times I have the strangest dreams. I don't get "normal" dreams anymore since I don't technically sleep at night. I am such a severe insomniac that normal sleep rarely happens for me anymore.
Wow that would explain the many times I have the strangest dreams. I don't get "normal" dreams anymore since I don't technically sleep at night. I am such a severe insomniac that normal sleep rarely happens for me anymore.
How's it going, CD? Hope your studies are going well. In one of your blog comments you said you were studying for Gross Anatomy and Physiology! Just wanted you to know I'm sending prayers and thoughts your way. You are going to do GREAT on your test! We are rooting for you! Go CD!!! Rock that test!!!! Then come back and tell us about it. :)
How's it going, CD? Hope your studies are going well. In one of your blog comments you said you were studying for Gross Anatomy and Physiology! Just wanted you to know I'm sending prayers and thoughts your way. You are going to do GREAT on your test! We are rooting for you! Go CD!!! Rock that test!!!! Then come back and tell us about it. :)
Wow, Curious! Talk about an experience! I couldn't imagine having to wake up that many times! I guess your body was like, "Hmm, we'll fix you for making us wake up so you can write in your journal." :) Good thing, you knew how to retrain your body to stay asleep! :) You know, speaking of weird and comical dreams, I had to stop sleeping with the TV on, because I'd have STRANGE dreams all night long. Like you, I kept a journal and noticed my dreams were more and more strange. Then it dawned on me that I had been falling asleep with the TV on, because I was lonely at the time, and my kids had all moved out of the house. I had to train myself to sleep with the TV off and lights out, and my dreams haven't bee more PLEASANT since I made the change. Girl, I don't know why the REMDR is not made public. I wondered the same thing. It is so powerful and helpful. I was able to remember some traumatic experiences, but re-process them...put them into perspective as I "relived" them. I could actually "see" the event as if I were standing outside of myself. I was NOT hypnotized either! Literally, I could feel the negative emotion and through eye-movement, unlock it and carry it out of my body! Girl, I also researched it and found that others testified about how powerful and therapeuatically helpful it was. My therapist told me that her agency would NOT pay for the training. She would have to pay herself because her agency saw no value in it!!!! What the heck? My therapist said she KNEW there was value, but its not billable! Plus, you know medication brings in big bucks, vs therapuetic techniques that people can do at home. Ooops, did I say that outloud? LOL
Quoting Curious2078
Courtney: Very interesting article. What most interested me--delighted me, really--was to learn that dreaming isn't limited to REM sleep. I've always thought, that given richness and quantity of my own dreams, it would be impossible for them to happen only during REM. Not enough time, even when you accept the premise that dreams run through our mind in super "fast-forward" motion. Which, of course, made me think maybe there's something a little "off" about me [NO SARCASTIC COMMENTS, PLEASE]. Now I know I'm "normal." [AGAIN, NO SARCASM NEEDED HERE, THANK YOU PLEASE]. In my mid-twenties I did the put-a-notebook-by-your-bed-and-train yourself-to-wake-up-whenever-you-dream-to-write-it-down-before-you-forget-it thing. The experience proved very interesting--and became very comical. After a few weeks, I was waking up 8, 9, 10 times a night with stranger and stranger and stranger dreams. I finally had to re-train myself not to wake up whenever I dreamed so that I could get back to getting a full night's sleep!!! I still have the notebook from that time. I read it every once in a while for the heck of it. And talk about having flashbacks--WOW. Very strange, indeed, and always interesting. Swirly Girl: This REMDR sounds fascinating. I wonder why we--the general public--hasn't heard more about it.
Quoting Curious2078
Courtney: Very interesting article. What most interested me--delighted me, really--was to learn that dreaming isn't limited to REM sleep. I've always thought, that given richness and quantity of my own dreams, it would be impossible for them to happen only during REM. Not enough time, even when you accept the premise that dreams run through our mind in super "fast-forward" motion. Which, of course, made me think maybe there's something a little "off" about me [NO SARCASTIC COMMENTS, PLEASE]. Now I know I'm "normal." [AGAIN, NO SARCASM NEEDED HERE, THANK YOU PLEASE]. In my mid-twenties I did the put-a-notebook-by-your-bed-and-train yourself-to-wake-up-whenever-you-dream-to-write-it-down-before-you-forget-it thing. The experience proved very interesting--and became very comical. After a few weeks, I was waking up 8, 9, 10 times a night with stranger and stranger and stranger dreams. I finally had to re-train myself not to wake up whenever I dreamed so that I could get back to getting a full night's sleep!!! I still have the notebook from that time. I read it every once in a while for the heck of it. And talk about having flashbacks--WOW. Very strange, indeed, and always interesting. Swirly Girl: This REMDR sounds fascinating. I wonder why we--the general public--hasn't heard more about it.
Wow, Curious! Talk about an experience! I couldn't imagine having to wake up that many times! I guess your body was like, "Hmm, we'll fix you for making us wake up so you can write in your journal." :) Good thing, you knew how to retrain your body to stay asleep! :) You know, speaking of weird and comical dreams, I had to stop sleeping with the TV on, because I'd have STRANGE dreams all night long. Like you, I kept a journal and noticed my dreams were more and more strange. Then it dawned on me that I had been falling asleep with the TV on, because I was lonely at the time, and my kids had all moved out of the house. I had to train myself to sleep with the TV off and lights out, and my dreams haven't bee more PLEASANT since I made the change. Girl, I don't know why the REMDR is not made public. I wondered the same thing. It is so powerful and helpful. I was able to remember some traumatic experiences, but re-process them...put them into perspective as I "relived" them. I could actually "see" the event as if I were standing outside of myself. I was NOT hypnotized either! Literally, I could feel the negative emotion and through eye-movement, unlock it and carry it out of my body! Girl, I also researched it and found that others testified about how powerful and therapeuatically helpful it was. My therapist told me that her agency would NOT pay for the training. She would have to pay herself because her agency saw no value in it!!!! What the heck? My therapist said she KNEW there was value, but its not billable! Plus, you know medication brings in big bucks, vs therapuetic techniques that people can do at home. Ooops, did I say that outloud? LOL
Courtney: Very interesting article. What most interested me--delighted me, really--was to learn that dreaming isn't limited to REM sleep. I've always thought, that given richness and quantity of my own dreams, it would be impossible for them to happen only during REM. Not enough time, even when you accept the premise that dreams run through our mind in super "fast-forward" motion. Which, of course, made me think maybe there's something a little "off" about me [NO SARCASTIC COMMENTS, PLEASE]. Now I know I'm "normal." [AGAIN, NO SARCASM NEEDED HERE, THANK YOU PLEASE]. In my mid-twenties I did the put-a-notebook-by-your-bed-and-train yourself-to-wake-up-whenever-you-dream-to-write-it-down-before-you-forget-it thing. The experience proved very interesting--and became very comical. After a few weeks, I was waking up 8, 9, 10 times a night with stranger and stranger and stranger dreams. I finally had to re-train myself not to wake up whenever I dreamed so that I could get back to getting a full night's sleep!!! I still have the notebook from that time. I read it every once in a while for the heck of it. And talk about having flashbacks--WOW. Very strange, indeed, and always interesting. Swirly Girl: This REMDR sounds fascinating. I wonder why we--the general public--hasn't heard more about it.
Courtney: Very interesting article. What most interested me--delighted me, really--was to learn that dreaming isn't limited to REM sleep. I've always thought, that given richness and quantity of my own dreams, it would be impossible for them to happen only during REM. Not enough time, even when you accept the premise that dreams run through our mind in super "fast-forward" motion. Which, of course, made me think maybe there's something a little "off" about me [NO SARCASTIC COMMENTS, PLEASE]. Now I know I'm "normal." [AGAIN, NO SARCASM NEEDED HERE, THANK YOU PLEASE]. In my mid-twenties I did the put-a-notebook-by-your-bed-and-train yourself-to-wake-up-whenever-you-dream-to-write-it-down-before-you-forget-it thing. The experience proved very interesting--and became very comical. After a few weeks, I was waking up 8, 9, 10 times a night with stranger and stranger and stranger dreams. I finally had to re-train myself not to wake up whenever I dreamed so that I could get back to getting a full night's sleep!!! I still have the notebook from that time. I read it every once in a while for the heck of it. And talk about having flashbacks--WOW. Very strange, indeed, and always interesting. Swirly Girl: This REMDR sounds fascinating. I wonder why we--the general public--hasn't heard more about it.
Speaking of REM, Addler and Freud...hee hee...have you heard of REMDR Therapy? Rapid Eye Movement Desensitation Reprocession Technique involves eye movement which allows the person to focus on trauma locked which has been locked into the nervous system and moves it out of the body, all while properly processing the emotion and event. It is EXTREMELYpowerful and helpful for victims of trauma, extreme pain, severe depression and even chronic fatigue!!!! A Life Coach/Therapist educated me about it because of my experience PTSD and it did wonders for me! In fact, I went back and educated my therapist and psychiatrist and prompted them to get training, because they saw incredible improvement in me!!! Awesome!!! Thanks for the articl sis. I believe that for me, dreams help me subconsciously resolve isses. At times, they also serve as "prophesy" if you will, regarding what is to come in my life and what I am to do! I love it. I think ppl can be so busy that God and/or our subconscious helps us or reveals to us what we need to do or allows us to "see" what is troubling us throughout our day and needs our attention. :)
Speaking of REM, Addler and Freud...hee hee...have you heard of REMDR Therapy? Rapid Eye Movement Desensitation Reprocession Technique involves eye movement which allows the person to focus on trauma locked which has been locked into the nervous system and moves it out of the body, all while properly processing the emotion and event. It is EXTREMELYpowerful and helpful for victims of trauma, extreme pain, severe depression and even chronic fatigue!!!! A Life Coach/Therapist educated me about it because of my experience PTSD and it did wonders for me! In fact, I went back and educated my therapist and psychiatrist and prompted them to get training, because they saw incredible improvement in me!!! Awesome!!! Thanks for the articl sis. I believe that for me, dreams help me subconsciously resolve isses. At times, they also serve as "prophesy" if you will, regarding what is to come in my life and what I am to do! I love it. I think ppl can be so busy that God and/or our subconscious helps us or reveals to us what we need to do or allows us to "see" what is troubling us throughout our day and needs our attention. :)
