We live in two worlds…the conscious world that is all around us and the dream world which holds our fantasies..... Short Synopsis of Dreaming: We dream for one fifth of the time that were are asleep, to me that makes those dreams a very important part of life, of which very little is known! So I have provided a short explanation of dreaming for your curious minds! Sleepers progress through four stages of sleep though the night! The first fifteen minutes of sleep are spent in Stage One- the lightest sleep stage, after which the sleeper progresses through Stages Two and Three as their bodies further relax and brain activity decreases, until they reach the forth Stage- the deepest level of sleep. Approximately one hour is spent in Level Four sleep before the sleeper ascends back up to stage one again. At this point the sleeper is propelled onto the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase, in which most dreams occur. The cycle then continues descending and ascending approximately four to seven times a night with each REM period getting progressively longer. Dreams occurring in REM sleep are more visual in content then those that occur in other stages of sleep. Research has even indicated that the eye movements that take place in REM may be synchronized with the events within the dream -- which would suggest that the brain does not distinguish between the visual imagery within dreams and those of the waking world. This strongly suggests why outside stimuli (such as the sound of an alarm clock) are incorporated into your dream. No one answer has been found to the question of why we dream…though there has been much research in recent years. Countless theories have been suggested as well as tested but no particular one has been proven. I would like to present several of those theories to you. Sigmund Freud was one of the first well known medical men to begin research on the meaning and causes of dreaming. He suggested that we used dreams to forfil unrealistic or forbidden desires in a guiltless and emotionally unbound plane. These dreams then released aggression and destructive behaviors so that they were not manifested in waking life. Because of his theory, interpretation of those dreams became important as a way of finding their latent or hidden meanings and working through the causes behind them in therapy. Another theory provided by Christopher Evans, suggests that dreaming is a form of mental housekeeping in that we replay our actions/memories at night and discard that which is useless and store that which is needed. In essence, we dream to forget! Still yet another theory, by Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, suggests that the act of dreaming is nothing more that a physiological reaction to the firing of neutrons that control eye movement, balance and posture. The signals sent to the cortex are then synthesized into images that make sense of the action to the brain…for example neurons fired to the body’s balance center might cause images of falling! There are also those who suggest that dreams are prophetic visions into the future! Whatever the reason for dreaming…one thing we know for sure is that the REM portion of the sleep cycle is so important that without it irritability, fatigue, memory loss, and poor concentration occur quickly. Some researchers even suggest that prolonged REM deprivation can lead to mental confusion, insanity, and even death! Recent research has suggested as well as shown that some dreamers are able to control the events contained within the dream. Termed Lucid Dreaming, this event takes place when the dreamer is able to access the memories and/or thought functions of waking life and incorporate or inject them into the dream scene. Above all else, during Lucid Dreaming, the dreamer is aware that he/she is dreaming and may then take control of the events within the dream. Lucid dreaming can be taught/learned with the aide of an outside stimulus as technical as a pair of dream goggles (which are able to detect REM and then provide a flashing light or a sound to help the dreamer into awareness) or as simple as having a second person provide that stimulus. Once learned the outside stimulus is no longer need and imagine what fun you could have if you could control your greatest fantasies while dreaming! A Bit About Dream Interpretation: Dream interpretation has been, for years. A source of mystery and intrigue as well as entertainment. Sigmund Freud, known as the father of psychology, interpreted dreams as a science in the late 1900’s but was often criticized for his concentration on sexual overtones in a very repressed era! However, his research started the spark which lead to all of the theories and information that we have today! Most of the theories behind dream interpretation have been based on his research but the meanings have been refined through years of study to reflect a deeper picture. Dreams can as well as should be, interpreted on many levels. Entire dreams, events within the dream, or simple symbols can hold the key to their meaning. In order to begin to interpret them, you must first understand the levels of meaning within the dream…….. LEVEL1 - most superficial class - drawing primarily on material accessible to the mind upon command. Dream images at this level can be taken at face value. LEVEL2 - deals more with the material drawn from half-forgotten thoughts, repressed trauma and memories, and unacknowledged motives or urges. Dream images at this level use a symbolic language that is a bit harder to interpret. LEVEL3 - materials in these dreams are from the collective subconscious, using only symbols and archtyes that a very specific to the dreamer. These are the most difficult to interpret…must rely upon the dreamer to translate. In order to recognized the symbols and symbolic events within a dream, I suggest that the dreamer write down the memories of the dream immediately. The symbols of interpretation are usually the most vivid and easily remembered materials, but not always-this is why I encourage the dreamer to write out the dream immediately and in the most descriptive detail. This also maintains the purity of the dream as the mind will tend to rationalize images or events that seem disorganized or not to make sense. After you have identified the symbol, then comes the fun of looking them up in various interpretation books, I have a variety of books from the early 1930’s until now so that I may cross-reference meanings. Once you have written down the meanings of the various symbols then you must interpret the whole meaning using the pieces you have gather and WA-La you have the meaning of your dream! In closing I would like to leave you with a list of common symbols…………………………………………………………….. Water- signifies freedom and creativity Earth- fertility and realism Fire- sacrifice and the new opportunity that it brings Air- wisdom and clarity of thought Falling- insecurity and inambition Climbing- aspiration in personal of professional; aspects Flying- freedom and sense of immortality Dolls- represent the qualities of the opposite sex inside you Puppets- Manipulation and lack of freedom Violence toward Self- guilt and self-punishment Violence toward Others- struggle for self-assurance or fight against unwanted aspect of your life Mirror or other Reflective Surface- Identity Crisis or Questioning Look for updated symbols coming soon…And feel free to e-mail for interpretations! =) SWEET DREAMS!!!!

   
Last Updated: 7/8/99