Jan 07, 2006 02:04 AM
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(Updated Jan 07, 2006 02:04 AM)
DREAMS
Scientists have done many studies on dreams. They think your senses may have a lot to do with dreams. In dreams, you see and hear things. Dreaming is not like thinking about things. You have feelings during dreams. You may feel happy or angry. You feel fear if you have a nightmare.Your memories may have something to do with your dreams. Dreams are often like stories that stop before they are finished.
Some scientists think that dreams have no meaning. They think that dreams just come from nerve signals in your brain. Other scientists think that dreams are important for memory. They may help your brain sort out what to remember and what to forget.
People in ancient times looked for meaning in dreams. The ancient Egyptians believed dreams could tell the future. Some psychologists think that dreams show what people feel deep inside. They ask people to talk about their dreams.
A dream unifies the body, mind, and spirit. It provides you with insight into ourselves and a means for self-exploration. In understanding your dreams, you will have a better understanding and discovery of your true self. ! Your dreams are unique. No other individual can have your background, your emotions, or your experiences. Every dream is connected with your own ''reality''. Thus, in interpreting your dreams, it is important to draw from your personal life and experiences.
Here are some facts about dreaming:-
One third of our lives is spent sleeping.
In your lifetime, you would've spent about 6 years of it dreaming. That is more than 2,100 days spent in a different world.
Dreams have been here as long as mankind. Back in the Roman Era, striking and significant dreams were submitted to the Senate for analysis and interpretation.
Everybody dreams. EVERYBODY! Simply because you do not remember your dream does not mean that you did not dream.
Dreams are indispensable. A lack of dream activity can mean protein deficiency or a personality disorder.
We dream on average of one or two hours every night. And we often even have 4-7 dreams in one night.
Blind people do dream. Whether visual images will appear in their dream depends on whether they where blind at birth or became blind later in life. But vision is not the only sense that constitutes a dream. Sounds, tactility, and smell become hypersensitive for the blind and their dreams are based on these senses.
Five minutes after the end of the dream, half the content is forgotten. After ten minutes, 90% is lost.
The word dream stems from the Middle English word, dreme which means ''joy'' and ''music''.
Men tend to dream more about other men, while women dream equally about men and women.
Studies have shown that our brain waves are more active when we are dreaming than when we are awake.
Dreamers who are awakened right after REM sleep, are able to recall their dreams more vividly than those who slept through the night until morning.
Physiologically speaking, researchers found that during dreaming REM sleep, males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow - no matter what the content of the dream. In fact, ''wet dreams'' may not necessarily coincide with overtly sexual dream content.
People who are giving up smoking have longer and more intense dreams.
Toddlers do not dream about themselves. They do not appear in their own dreams until the age of 3 or 4.
If you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming.
Nightmares are common in children, typically beginning at around age 3 and occurring up to age 7-8.
In a poll, 67% of Americans have experienced Deja Vu in their dreams, occurring more often in females than males.
TYPES OF DREAMS
1.Daydream
Studies show that we all have the tendency to daydream an average of 70-120 minutes a day. Day dreaming is classified as a level of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. It occurs during our waking hours when we let our imagination carry us away. As our minds begin to wander and our level of awareness decreases, we lose ourselves in our imagined scenario and fantasy.
2.Lucid Dream
Lucid dreams occurs when you realize you are dreaming in the middle of your dream. ''Wait a second. This is only a dream!'' Most dreamers wake themselves up once they realize that they are only dreaming. Other dreamers have cultivated the skill to remain in the lucid state of dreaming. They become an active participant in their dream, make decisions in their dreams and influence the dream's outcome without awakening. T
3.Nightmare
A nightmare is a disturbing dream that causes the dreamer to wake up feeling anxious and frightened. Nightmares may be a response to real life trauma and situations. These type of nightmares fall under a special category called Post-traumatic stress nightmare (PSN). Nightmares may also occur because we have ignored or refused to accept a particular life situation. Research shows that most people who have regular nightmares have had a family history of psychiatric problems, bad drug experiences, people who have contemplated suicide, and/or rocky relationships. Nightmares are an indication of a fear that needs to be acknowledged and confronted. It is a way for our subconscious to make up take notice. ''Pay attention!''
4.Recurring Dreams
Recurring dreams repeat themselves with little variation in story or theme. These dreams may be positive, but most often they are nightmares. Dreams may recur because a conflict depicted in the dream remains unresolved and ignored. Once you have found a resolution to the problem, your recurring dreams may cease
5.Healing Dreams
Healing dreams serve as messages for the dreamer in regards to their health. Dreams of this nature may be telling the dreamer that he/she needs to go to the dentist or doctor.
6.Prophetic Dreams
Prophetic dreams, also referred to as precognitive dreams, are dreams that seemingly foretell the future. One rational theory to explain this phenomenon is that our dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that we normally overlook or that we do not seriously consider. In other words, our unconscious mind knows what is coming before we consciously piece together the same information.
7.Epic Dreams
Epic dreams are so huge, so compelling, and so vivid that you cannot ignore them. The details of such dreams remain with you for years, as if your dreamt it last night. These dreams possess much beauty and contain many archetypal symbology.
RECALLING YOUR DREAMS
Why should you bother remembering your dreams?
Your dreaming mind has access to information that is not readily available to you when you are awake. Your dreams may reveal your secret desires and subconscious feelings.
In remembering your dreams, you will have an increased knowledge about yourself, bring about self-awareness and self-healing. Dreams are an extension of how you perceive yourself. They can be a source of inspiration, wisdom, and joy.
Learning to recall your dreams may help you become a more assertive person. In remembering your dreams, you are expressing and confronting your feelings.
Remembering your dreams can help you come to terms with stressful aspects of your lives
