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
dont remember it, or you realize it never
happened.
Dreaming usually occurs during the REM
(Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep,
which is when brain activity is high and
signalled by quick horizontal movements
of the eye. 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.
Dreams are a link to the inner core of the
human subconscious. They can be
normal and realistic, or even bizarre and
surreal.

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.
There are two main theories as to
why we dream, The Physiological
theory and The Psychological
Theory.
The Physiological Theory focuses
on how our body, mainly the brain,
function during the REM stage of
sleep. This theory believes that we
dream to exercise the pathways
between brain cells. It also
believes that during the first two
years in ones life,

The Sleep Cycle

One sleep cycle consists of four stages, each lasting 90-120

minutes. Some people believe that there are five stages. They think
the first 5-10 minutes while you are falling asleep, but this is more of
a transitional phase and the other stages of sleep repeat throughout
the night, this phase does not, so it is not considered as a stage of
sleep.
Dreams can occur in all stages but the most memorable dreams
occur in the last stage of sleep, when they are closest to waking up
(REM). The sleep cycle repeats itself on an average of 4 to 5 times
per night, but they may repeat as many as 7 times. This is how a
person dreams several times in one night. But just because u do not
recall those dreams, it doesnt mean that they never happened.
Some people swear that they do not dream, but in reality they just
dont remember.

The Sleep Cycle 2

Stage 1: When a person enters light sleep. This stage is characterized by
non-rapid eye movements (NREM). Muscles become relaxed, body
temperature lowers, and the body is getting prepared to fall into deep sleep.
Stage 2: Also characterized by NREM. There is a further drop in body
temperature and relaxation of muscles. The bodys immune system gets
working on repairing the days damage and the endocrine glands secrete
grown hormone. Blood is sent to the muscles to be reconditioned. By now,
you are completely asleep.
Stage 3: Even deeper sleep. Still in the NREM stage. Metabolic levels are
extremely slow now.
Stage 4: Now in the REM stage, or delta stage. Your eyes move back and
forth rapidly underneath the eyelids. You go into this stage 90-100 minutes
after you have fallen asleep. Blood pressure rises, breathing becomes
heavier, heart rate speeds up and brain activity increases. Your involuntary
muscles become paralyzed and your mind is being revitalised and your
emotions are being fine tuned. Majority of dreaming occurs in this stage.

The Sleep Cycle 3

About Dreaming

When you dream, your body faces some

changes. Your adrenaline rises, your blood
pressure increases, and your heart beats
faster. This is why a person with a weak
heart may die in their sleep. From the point
you fall asleep, it takes 30-90 minutes
before you fall asleep. We go through the
four stages of sleep and may enter the REM
phase 4-7 times in one night. REM sleep
takes place in the fourth stage of sleep, and
it takes up about 15-20% of our sleep time.
During REM our heart rate and blood
pressure increases. Our bodies are
completely immobile during this time, and
our muscles stay relaxed. We might move in
our bed throughout the night, but this
doesnt happen during REM. This is known
as REM Paralysis.

History 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 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 tell 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.
During the Hellenistic period, dreams were
believed to be able to heal. It was believed that
sick people who slept in special temples (called
Asclepieions) would be sent cures through their
dreams.
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.

The Importance of Dreaming

Research has shown that people who are for any

reason stopped from entering the dreaming phase
(REM), go through the symptoms of irritability and
anxiety.
In an experiment, volunteers were woken up before
entering the dreaming state. They were put back to
sleep and again woken up before entering the
dreaming state. They continued to do this during
the night. The volunteers slept the same amount as
they did usually, but the next day they seemed to
be depressed, disoriented, and crabby and quick
tempered. Some even ate more than usual. As this
study continued for several nights, results became
more noticeable. Deprivation of REM sleep causes
lack of concentration, over-sensitivity and memory
loss. This shows the importance of dreaming and
its roll in our health. Some people believe that
dreams help us fight stress. It recharges our mind
and revitalizes our body.

Daydreams and Fantasies

Everyone daydreams. We all like to think and

imagine what it would be like to have something
we want or to be someone else. We find
ourselves daydreaming all the time-in the
classroom, at home, walking down the street
etc.. This allows us to imagine what is possible.
They can help and motivate us to make new
and exciting things happen. But this can
distracting as they take our minds off what we
are doing in serious situations such as driving
and studying. Some people fantasize more than
others.
The content in our daydreams are helpful in
understanding your true feelings and help in
fulfilling your goals. Day dreaming occurs when
you are half awake, and it is the imagining or
remembering of images or experiences in the
past or future. You let your imagination run
away from you. When you daydream, you are
using the right side of your brain. This side is
the creative and more feminine side of your
personality.

Daydreams and Fantasies 2

The worrying of things can also be

called daydreaming, because when
you worry you are visualising the
negative and unwanted outcome of a
situation. If you keep on visualising
those negative images, you are more
likely to make it happen. Next time
you worry, think about the positive
outcomes. You can use this as a tool
to make positive things happen. You
can use daydreams as a technique
to imagine all the positive you want to
happen. It is believed that many
athletes, musicians and business
leaders use this technique to gain
success. Positive daydreaming is
healthy.

Lucid Dreaming

In some dreams, the dreamer

recognises the dream 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 lead themselves to
wake up from a frightening dream.

Nightmares

We have all had nightmares at some point of our lives. These

dreams are quite normal. Nightmares are a subcategory of dreams.
A nightmare is a dream including frightening and/or emotional
content. When having a nightmare, it is possible to wake up in fear.
You tend to remember nightmares and its details because of it being
frightening. Sometimes, the images from a nightmare might stay
with you throughout the day.

One reason for nightmares may be a way of our unconscious to get

our attention about a problem that you have been avoiding.
Nightmares serve an important purpose in showing you what is
troubling and causing you problems. Discussing, analyzing, and
understanding your nightmares can lead to a solution for some
problems.

Recurring Dreams

Most dreams that contain messages

that teach us something about
ourselves, but many times we forget
what we dream about 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. Some
dreams may be nightmares or
frightening to help 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. You must be able to look at the dream from an

objective point of view. Try to get past the
emotional and reactive elements of the dream
and get down to the images. 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.

5. Learn to accept yourself truly and fully.

Prophetic Dreams

Prophetic dreams, also known

as precognitive or psychic
dreams, are dreams that tell
the future. One theory to
explain this is that our mind is
able to piece together
information and observation
that we dont take seriously.
Basically, our unconscious
mind knows what is coming
before we consciously put
together the same information.

Epic Dreams

Epic dreams, also known as Great

Dreams or Cosmic Dreams, are
dreams that are so memorable and
vivid, that we simply cannot ignore
them. The details of these dreams
remain in your memory for years, as
if youve dreamt it last night. These
dreams contain much beauty and
archetypal symbology. 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.