Do We Know What Dreams Mean?
Do we know what dreams mean? Science has few definite answers. They may be a way to exercise the brain and keep it functioning well. Scientists say that dreaming might be a way to categorize and “file away” things that weren t sufficiently dealt with during the day. That would explain why daily events are often a part of dreams that night.
It does appear that dreaming is necessary. When researchers prevent people from dreaming by waking them up whenever they start dreaming (as evidenced by their REM or “rapid eye movement,” which accompanies dreaming), it causes mental distress, although this was often shown in nothing more than increased attempts to dream. People who are woken an equal number of times, but randomly, didn t seem to suffer as much.
Bottom line? We may need to dream, but we don t know why. Also, we could argue endlessly about the meaning of the content of our dreams. But despite no certain knowledge about what dreams mean, we do know that there are ways we can use our dreams.
What Dreams Can Mean: Entertainment
Perhaps you occasionally have a dream that is better than most movies you ve seen. You may not even want to wake up from some dreams, because they are so enjoyable. Would you like to have more dreams like these?
Perhaps you can, by waking up IN the dream, and taking control of it. Fly over that lake or join that party. Do what you want, because you can direct your dream if you know that you re in a dream. This is the idea behind lucid dreaming.
Does lucid dreaming work? Many people say they regularly are conscious and in control during their dreams. I know that I ve had more than one dream where I argued with someone that we were in a dream - and of course I proved it by waking up. We could argue about what consciousness is, but it is still easy to see how much fun you could have with such “controlled dreams.”
To induce lucid dreams, some use a “trigger” that reminds them they are dreaming. This can be a common object you re likely to see in a dream - a clock, for example. Every time you see a clock, you say “I am dreaming right now and can do what I want.” Make this a habit, and you are likely to say it when you see a clock in a dream, thus “waking yourself up” to the fact that you re in a dream. At this point you can take control and have some fun with your dream.
What Dreams Can Mean: A Chance To Solve Problems
I ve had many good ideas come to me in dreams. In fact many of my web site pages started out as dreams. For creative ideas or to solve problems in your dreams, try some of the following.
1. First do some mental work in the area you want ideas or a solution. Think about it for a while, write some notes down, and consider some solutions. This preliminary work signals the brain that the topic or problem is important, so it will continue to work on it below consciousness.
2. Turn off your alarm clock. When you wake up naturally, you are more likely to remember what happened in your dream.
3. Have a recording device or a pen and paper next to your bed. Make a note on any ideas you have if you wake up in the night, and especially when you first wake up in the morning.
4. When you first wake up, lay still and review your dreams for a moment. This “sets” them in your mind, so you won t forget them as easily as we normally do. Then you can think back on them later, to search for any useful ideas that showed up.
Most of these techniques are not scientifically “proven.” But having had lucid dreams, I can tell you that they are at least entertaining, and having used numerous techniques to get good ideas from dreams - and always with more success than when I do nothing - I am convinced that there is some value in this playing with our dreams, whether or not we ever completely understand what dreams mean.
Copyright Steve Gillman. For more on How To Increase Brain Power, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com
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