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Dreams
July 5, 2012 - 12:13pm
Ok, I know science has no definitive answers to why we dream, but I've always been curious. Why do we dream our dreams, to what end? Is it simply our mind in free-play mode, or do we have something to learn. Can someone give examples of dream weirdness, or some insight discovered.
By the way what prompted this thread topic was a dream I had last night that involved Ian Tyson and a school bus. Lemme tell ya, if dreams have meanings I`ld like to understand just to figure that one out.
Oh and by the way, I'm NOT an Ian Tyson fan. Spooky.
We were required to keep a dream diary in our training in psychology. It's a neat exercise, but keep them locked up.
interesting question...maybe it's because the brain never sleeps and without any visual or other stimuli it starts improvising? maybe it uses all the things stored in your brain and just starts randomly playing with them?
i'd also wonder if it has an evolutionary thing behind it? either a development that helps us or a leftover from our ancestors or some jumble of things that makes it happen?
Yes, milo, of all the explanations I've come to know, the one contained in your first sentence pops up as the reigning reason why we dream.
The brain is merely free-forming, like a windows "ribbons" or "pipes" screensaver, random, but not chaotic. It's the abscence of chaos that causes us to assume a deeper meaning, like looking at a snowflake under a microscope might lead some of us to believe in an intelligent design.
Still though, I think dreams could be tools to deeper understanding as they can reflect our attitudes or views in the real world, albeit in an alice in wonderland way.
I think it's more then just free form chaos. I regularly remember my dreams and sometimes it's quite obvious what it relates too. I 'work out' things in my dreams. It's normal for me to have insights into problems and I sometimes have what I call stress dreams. As an example maybe there is someone bothering me at work and for various reasons I can't say what I really want to say. (like to a boss). I'll dream that I say it, sometimes even scream it and wake up feeling like I actually got to say it, smile and feel the stress fall away.
At times I've even used them as a tool. One time I was really struggling with a paper. Couldn't quite work out exactly how to proceed. Instead of sitting there banging my head I went and had a nap, hoping for some help. I dreamt my dream, woke and knew exactly where to go with it.
I also find that if I don't get good enough sleep or a waking environment to remember my dreams over a period of time I can feel it. Things just don't feel right. When I realize that's what going on I'll try to purposely block off time where I won't be disturbed. I'll dream like crazy. Dreams that go all over the place. Sometimes they're epic story dreams (love those the best) and I end up feeling more ordered when I wake. Actually grounded may be a better way to describe it.
edited to add. And then there are lucid dreams. Dreams where in the dream you realize you are dreaming. You can actually train yourself to do this. I've had some pretty fun times 'playing' when that happens "Hey I'm dreaming!! I think it's time to fly! Woo!"
Oh cmon elizaq, you are saying you have the power to control your own dreams but you never dreamed of killing stephen harper? I call fake.
You may want to be careful what you share here - you never know who's reading this stuff.
Yes, like Google, the all seeing all aggragating eye in the sky. One day many years in the future, humans will ask the Google a question and recieve an answer, and they will think it is good.
Indeed. Keep thoughts like that unexpressed. You have any idea how incredibly easy it would be to shut down this site?