What are dreams, why do you dream,
and where do dreams come from? By day, you consciously process tons of
information and experiences. They impact your decisions, life path, and
ultimately your identity. By night, your subconscious mind springs into action,
accessing that data on a deeper level and offering insight into the parts of
yourself that are elusive to your waking mind. You could call it a link between
your two states of mind that channels relevant messages through mysterious
images — or you can call it dreaming.
Understanding dream symbolism can heighten your awareness of your spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical states of being. If you’re struggling to figure out the meanings of your dreams, you can try adopting some meditative practices and rituals to better connect with your inner self, or you might consider looping in a dream analysis expert.
As you prepare to delve into the
world of dreaming, check out the answers to 10 common questions about dreams.
The answer to this question depends
on who you ask. There are several theories that attempt to explain why people
dream, but when dealing with such an ethereal subject, it’s unlikely that there
will ever be 100 percent certainty. However, there are hypotheses out there, some
with more empirical support than others.
Some researchers believe dreams are
meant to help process intense emotions that the conscious mind refuses to
confront. Others claim that dreams consolidate people’s emotional memories into
data that is easier to understand. Another theory is that dreams offer
hallucinatory fulfillment of libidinal desires. Meanwhile, at the opposite end
of that spectrum is the idea that dreams simulate daytime threats so they can
be more effectively avoided.
Still, others feel that dreams are
meant to protect people’s feelings and help them cope with trauma. And, of
course, there is a school of thought that insists there is absolutely no reason
why people dream — they just do.
Yes, everyone dreams. This includes
mammals and birds who experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. When someone
says they don’t dream, what they are really saying is that they don’t remember
their dreams. Remembering a dream is more likely if you wake up in the middle
of it or almost immediately afterward. That’s why light sleepers who wake up
frequently during REM sleep generally have better dream recall than people who
snooze more soundly.
Perhaps your dream recall is better
on the weekends or while on vacation because you don’t use an alarm clock. That
jolt can be enough to abruptly disconnect you from your fantasy land,
immediately erasing your dream and dropping you directly into the real world.
Whether you’re falling from a cliff, being chased, or flying, there are universal, timeless dreams, containing themes that occur across cultural or geographical boundaries. People often have similar dreams that relate to the anxieties all humans share. Have you ever had a dream where you’re taking a test you’re not ready for? Where you’re naked in public or your teeth fall out? These dreams can indicate your hidden fears — humiliation, loss of beauty, undesirability, or failure, to name a few.
According to the experts, intense,
frightening dreams are both common and normal — as long as you don’t have them
every night. However, uncomfortable dreams that recur are typically linked to unaddressed
anxiety. For example, let’s say you had a recurring dream about being gagged,
and in real life, you are dealing with a change in your home life, such as a
family member coming to live with you. This recurring dream could mean that you’re
anxious about this change in your living situation but aren’t able to express
that feeling. Addressing the root of your concern is usually the key to fixing
this, whether that requires doing some internal reflection or speaking to a
therapist or spiritual guide such as a dream analysis psychic.
A true nightmare is usually brought
on by a real-life event. It can be something as simple as a move, or it can be
something more serious. One common cause of nightmares is trauma that someone
has undergone, such as being the victim of a crime. However, nightmares, though
disturbing, can be illuminating and instructive too. Use them to access any emotions
that you need to deal with.
Children are more prone to
nightmares than adults, as they have not yet developed the skills to deal with
their emotions while awake. Their nightmares about animals and monsters can be
a sign of all the big things in life that they don’t understand yet.
The answer is part biology and part
personal experience. The prefrontal cortex of the brain, responsible for logic
and reasoning, is inactive during sleep. While it’s off duty, the other parts
of the brain allow all sorts of crazy imagery to run amok. As your subconscious
mind grabs bits and pieces of your experiences to link old memories to new
ones, it becomes an associative conglomeration rather than a logical, linear
storyline.
However, when you discuss dream
meanings with someone else — perhaps a friend or a dream analysis expert —
you may find that what at first seems like a haphazard array of images can
actually be a group of symbols that all connect to the same theme. Though, some
dreams really are just crazy dreams with absolutely no significance.
Maybe. Although it’s not a good idea to assume that every dream is a glimpse into your future, there may be times when something you dream comes to fruition. One famous example of dreams predicting the future is the account of President Abraham Lincoln telling his wife that he dreamed of his own assassination — days before it actually happened. Was this just a coincidence?
REM sleep, the sleep pattern associated
with dreaming, can last up to 45 minutes at a time, though it’s impossible to
tell whether you’re dreaming the entire time. Some dream experts suggest that a
dreamer’s memory of the dream is proportional to its actual length. This
supports the theory that dreams can indeed last longer than a mere flash of an
instant, as earlier theorists supposed.
Lucid dreams are dreams in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer may have control over the environment, characters, and narrative of the dream. Some prefrontal neural networks exhibit higher activation levels during lucid dreams than during ordinary dreams.
Start a dream diary and keep it next to your bed. This will make it easier for you to record your dreams as soon as you wake up. Another great thing about keeping a dream journal is that you can have it to refer to during a reading with a dream analysis psychic, should you choose to seek one.
There’s more to your dreams than you think! That’s why a Dream Analysis Reading can get to the bottom of your dreams and discover what they have to say about your past, present, and future. Our Dream Analysis Psychics know that no two dreams are alike. Aren’t you curious about your dreams? Learn more about our psychics from real testimonials and read through our Dream Analysis Blog. Find a Dream Analysis Psychic or learn more about Dream Analysis Readings today.
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