What is dreaming?
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The Big Black Dog Message Board & Chat Room (TBBD) :: Self Help :: Meditation, Relaxation, Dreams etc
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What is dreaming?
No one really knows for sure why we dream. Theories have been around for centuries about what our dreams mean and why we have them. What we do know is that dreams mostly occur during the REM period of sleep. REM stands for "rapid eye movement" and means quite literally a period where our eyes move around while we are sleeping. Quite often this is very visible to a person looking at someone in this stage of sleep. It was at one time thought that this was the only time we dream, but that has since been disproved. Dreams happen in any stage of sleep but the ones that occur during REM sleep tend to be more vivid and detailed.
Dreams often contain bits and pieces from our daily life. This is sometimes obvious to us but at other times things are tangled up in odd happenings and situations. We dream that we can fly. We go to far away places, see people from our past, and we dream about coworkers. We can fall in love, get lost, feel sorrow, and sometimes fight wars. Anything is possible in our nightly dreams.
Some dreams are frightful and are called nightmares. Parents often dream of bad things happening to their children. Many dream of being chased but find themselves unable to run away. Others dream of losing teeth or falling from a cliff. Nightmares can happen in times of high stress or when a person has had a troubling emotional situation in waking life. These nightmares may be a way of facing our fears or even realizing that we fear things we are not aware of in daily life.
One theory about dreaming is that our brain needs time to decompress and sort through the events of our day. It is possible our brains are filing away thoughts, feelings, and fears that we have encountered. Dreams may just be our brains way of sorting through these things and setting them to rest.
Another theory to consider is that our dreams may be our subconscious mind letting us in on our deepest fears and strongest desires. A married woman may dream of being in the arms of a man other than her husband. This may be something her conscious mind will not allow itself to contemplate, so it comes out in her dreams. This doesn't mean she wishes to cheat on her husband, it may just reflect that she fears she may do so, or that she is unhappy in her marriage.
What most people don't know is that we can have up to ten or more dreams a night. Most of these are never remembered upon awakening. If a person wakes up during REM sleep they are more likely to remember the dream in detail. Some dreams are recalled in bits and pieces that make no sense and some are long, vivid, and understandable. In some dreams we are the observer, seeing everything around us but not participating in the unfolding events. Other dreams put us center stage and we find ourselves doing things we never thought we'd do.
Dreams often contain bits and pieces from our daily life. This is sometimes obvious to us but at other times things are tangled up in odd happenings and situations. We dream that we can fly. We go to far away places, see people from our past, and we dream about coworkers. We can fall in love, get lost, feel sorrow, and sometimes fight wars. Anything is possible in our nightly dreams.
Some dreams are frightful and are called nightmares. Parents often dream of bad things happening to their children. Many dream of being chased but find themselves unable to run away. Others dream of losing teeth or falling from a cliff. Nightmares can happen in times of high stress or when a person has had a troubling emotional situation in waking life. These nightmares may be a way of facing our fears or even realizing that we fear things we are not aware of in daily life.
One theory about dreaming is that our brain needs time to decompress and sort through the events of our day. It is possible our brains are filing away thoughts, feelings, and fears that we have encountered. Dreams may just be our brains way of sorting through these things and setting them to rest.
Another theory to consider is that our dreams may be our subconscious mind letting us in on our deepest fears and strongest desires. A married woman may dream of being in the arms of a man other than her husband. This may be something her conscious mind will not allow itself to contemplate, so it comes out in her dreams. This doesn't mean she wishes to cheat on her husband, it may just reflect that she fears she may do so, or that she is unhappy in her marriage.
What most people don't know is that we can have up to ten or more dreams a night. Most of these are never remembered upon awakening. If a person wakes up during REM sleep they are more likely to remember the dream in detail. Some dreams are recalled in bits and pieces that make no sense and some are long, vivid, and understandable. In some dreams we are the observer, seeing everything around us but not participating in the unfolding events. Other dreams put us center stage and we find ourselves doing things we never thought we'd do.
roshaan- Number of posts : 5
Location : srilanka
Registration date : 2009-10-15
Re: What is dreaming?
That’s a very good explanation. But the best part is no science or person has been able to find the reason behind dreaming and what is the purpose...
dante- Number of posts : 1
Location : UK
Registration date : 2010-10-12
Re: What is dreaming?
Reading your post, reminded me of a poem my son wrote when he was seven.
One of the lines being:
'Not wanting to get up with a good dream in my head'
He is 23yrs young now.... xox still likes sleepin in!
(note to self) Must go and find a 'good' dream catcher
One of the lines being:
'Not wanting to get up with a good dream in my head'
He is 23yrs young now.... xox still likes sleepin in!
(note to self) Must go and find a 'good' dream catcher
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