How many of you saw that great PBS NOVA on dreams last week? WOW! Dreams have always fascinated me and this program covered the most important new research into why we dream.
They asked questions like why do we go into a paralyzed state each night, and activate our mind so it can show us nonsensical pictures? How is that adaptive for us as a species? Are dreams essential for making sense of our lives? What happens if we really can’t dream?
As we all know, dreams are constantly changing our world. Why just this morning I heard Stephanie Myer tell how she came up with her idea for her first book “Twilight.” It all came to her in a dream! Dreams are also responsible for a number of Nobel prize ideas, many inventions, novels and films. They are a creative goldmine and help us think outside the box.
Serious research into dreams began in the early 1950’s, when they first started recording brain waves during sleep. That was when scientists discovered the different levels of sleep and dreaming. The machines could record physiological changes in the dreamer, but the only way to know what they were dreaming was to wake them up.
They discovered there are five different stages of sleep, the most important being non-REM and REM. During non-REM sleep the dreamer is generally relaxed while processing memories from the past day in order to learn how to do some things better. This stage of sleep reflects an increased self-concept and positive feelings.
During REM sleep this all changes. The amygdula becomes involved and REM dreams are characterized by intense fear, anger and aggression. These dreams are longer and do not replay memories of the past. They move into the future and test new possibilities and potential. Our dreams, especially bad ones, force us to confront our greatest fears in a kind of practice run, a rehearsal in our struggle to survive, preparing us for similar events in real life.
What if our dreams stopped? For those with severe strokes which damage the parietal lobe, there is no longer any way to remember what happened the previous day. These unfortunate individuals experience a lower quality of sleep and continually wake up during REM sleep.
Do dreams MEAN anything? Most of us intuitively know that dreams have an important role in our lives. Most believe they are essential for psychological well-being, reflecting emotional concerns and providing tools for learning, creativity and a window into our secret selves. They prepare us for our next day, they help us identify what events were significant in our past, and if we are open and look carefully, where we wish to go in our future.
