What are Dreams?

Dreams are experiences of imaginary images, sounds, voices, words, thoughts or sensations during sleep. They usually seem real while your dream is taking place. When you wake up, you either don’t remember it, or you realize it never happened.

Dreaming usually occurs during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep. Dreams can occur during other stages of sleep, but these are much less memorable and clear. They can sometimes last for a few minutes, or up to twenty minutes.

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Dreams It is during REM sleep that we have the most vivid

dreams. Did you know that dreams can be in black-and-white

or in full color? Some dreams seem very realistic. Other dreams are disorganized and seem less real. People seem to dream in “real time” Most of the dreams people have—particularly REM-

sleep dreams experienced early in the night—are extensions of the activities of the day.

Sleep and Dreams: Why Do We Dream?

Scientists are still trying to find out why we dream. There are many theories, but none have actually been scientifically proven.

Two main Theories Psychoanalytic theory: dreams are disguised

symbols of repressed desires and anxieties Biological theory: dreams are simple by-

products of random stimulation of brain cells

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Freudian View Have your ever heard the song “A Dream Is a Wish

Your Heart Makes” from the Disney film Cinderella? According to Freud, your dreams reveal what you

really want. He theorized that dreams reflect a person’s

unconscious wishes and urges. He also believed that people dream in symbols. These “symbolic” dreams give people a way to deal

with painful material than they cannot deal with consciously.

Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams Sigmund Freud believed that dreams expressed

wishes, often disguised. Manifest Content -

Conscious dream, in which content is remembered after awakening

Latent Content -

The unconscious, censored meaning of a dream

Kassin, Essentials of Psychology - ©2004 Prentice Hall Publishing

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Biological Theory Dreams result from the brain’s attempt to

make sense (story) of random neural signals that fire during sleep.

Biological theory is an explanation for why people tend to dream about events that took place earlier in the day.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for interpreting dreams

Costs and Benefits Dreams allow people

to process emotions and relieve stress

Studies done show how dreams may help organize or retain memories

Dreaming can also be looked at as a work of art that does not require any talent or special training

REM sleep or “dream” sleep can lead to an increase in blood pressure, increased breathing, and potentially disruptive sleep.

Some people experience harmful dreaming, because of a condition that does not shut down signals to the spinal cord. This can lead to severe injury or death.

Interpretation of Dreams

Dream interpretations date back to 3000-4000 B.C. People have always been fascinated by dreams and have always wanted to understand them completely.

In Ancient Egypt, priests were also thought to be dream interpreters. They recorded their dreams in hieroglyphics, and people who had significant and vivid dreams were considered special people.

In the ancient Greek and Roman times, dreams were thought of as messages from gods or the death. They looked to their dreams as warnings and advice on what they should do. Back then people believed that dreams told the future. Their belief in dreams was so strong that they even depended on their dreams to find out what actions the political and military leaders should make.

What do People Dream About? Three most common themes are:

falling, being chased or attacked, repeatedly trying but failing to perform a task

64% of dreams are associated with sadness, fear, or anger

aggressive acts outnumbered friendly acts by 2:1

18% of dreams were happy or exciting

Kassin, Essentials of Psychology - ©2004 Prentice Hall Publishing

Lucid Dreaming

In some dreams, the dreamer recognises that they are dreaming. This is called Lucid Dreaming. Dreamers say that this is a very satisfying type of dreaming. If the dream involves fear or negative things happening, the dreamer can reassure him/herself that it is only a dream and that he or she will soon awaken. It is believed that some people can cause themselves to wake up from a frightening dream.

Psychic Dreams Psychic dreams tell the future.

One theory to explain this is that our mind is able to piece together information and observation that we don’t take seriously. Basically, our unconscious mind knows what is coming before we consciously put together the same information.

Epic Dreams Epic dreams are dreams that are so

memorable and vivid, that we simply cannot ignore them. When you wake up from these dreams, you feel as if you have just discovered something amazing about yourself or about the world. This sometimes feels like a life-changing experience.

Recurring Dreams

Most dreams that contain messages we forget throughout the day. The message in recurring dreams may be so important that it just wont go away. The many repetitions of dreams will force you to pay attention and confront the message that the dream is trying to get to you. The dream is desperately trying to tell you something. They want you take notice and pay attention to them.

Tips on overcoming your Recurring Dreams 1. In understanding your recurring dream, you must

be willing to accept some change.

2. You must be willing to look within yourself and confront whatever you may find, no matter how difficult it may be. 

3. Many times dreams are covered by elements that are disturbing, stopping you from going any deeper. This is a  defence mechanism that your unconscious may be putting up.

4. Be patient. Do not get discouraged if these dreams still recur even after you thought you have come to understand them.