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dreamwalkers2011-01-12 11:15 pm
sakurablossom) wrote in dreamwalkers2011-01-12 11:15 pm
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How often do you dream?
How Often Do You Dream?
Sleep experts tell us that we all have several dreams each night. So you might ask, "Why can't I remember a single one?" Alcohol consumption, certain antibiotics, fever, lack of sleep, and unconscious fears about the content of your dreams all affect dream recall, and perhaps dream content. Scientist Francis Crick, who pioneered research on the structure of DNA, takes the position that maybe we're supposed to forget our dreams - that dreams are a way of cleansing the brain of extraneous information. Perhaps you remember only the dreams that are really scary or upsetting or, if you're lucky, fantastically wonderful. Could it be that you're the type of person who thinks you don't dream much, but when you recall it, you always seem to have the same dream? You know, the one in which you appear naked, except for your bedroom slippers, in your third grade play, Pocohontas?
Because of the science of sleep, we tend to dream more toward the end of our sleep period. We're also more likely to remember those dreams we had closest to awakening, or at least remember those dreams most easily. Makes sense, don't it? With a little effort, you can boost dream recall, and we'll show you how to do it too.
In the Old Testament, Pharaoh freed Joseph, sans coat, from his prison dungeon to interpret two of Pharaoh's dreams. In the first, seven cows, gaunt and lean, ate seven sleek and fat cows. In the second dream, seven ripe ears of corn swallowed up seven shriveled ears of corn. Joseph divined God's plan of seven years of blight and famine for Egypt. Pharaoh shrewdly stocked up on the ancient version of canned goods.
In Black and White or in Living Color?
We spend about one third of our lives sleeping (so if you're lucky enough to live to be 90, that's 30 years!), yet most of us don't spend much time wondering about our dreaming night life (or dreaming day life if you work at night). Frankly, we're too busy with the tasks of waking life to regard sleep as much more than a much-needed rest for the mind and body.
But since you're reading this, you're beginning to believe there may be something more to dreaming: a whole world that you create each night when you close your eyes. Paying attention to that unconscious dream life can ultimately be enriching to your hectic waking life.
Now let's talk about the way you dream. Aside from the fact that you must be asleep in order to dream, there are lots of dream variations. For instance, do you dream in black and white? In color? Popular beliefs tell us that most people dream in color, some in black and white. No one is sure why this occurs, just as no one is sure why a certain percentage of the population is left-handed. In our experience, we've found that most people report dreaming in color except when they are very depressed. Then they tend to recall fewer dreams, and those dreams have little color (except for nightmares, which can be vividly colorful). Some people report dreaming exclusively in black and white when they first begin paying attention to their dreams, either in therapy or in individual dreamwork. As they continue to concentrate on remembering dreams, many often report that they begin to dream in color.
As you begin to take note of your dreams, start to think about some other over-arching components of your nightly adventures. Do you tend to dream about people you know, about strangers, or about famous people? Do you talk in your sleep or wake up laughing? Do you often watch the action from the sidelines or are you a main participant in your dreams? You may find that as you think more about your dreams and their basic themes, the ways your dreams make you feel and your questions about them will multiply rapidly. You've just entered a dream world - a world your mind creates anew each night when you fall asleep.
According to Robert L. Van de Castle, Ph.D., a prominent dream expert, scientists have suggested that we'll each have 100,000 dreams over the course of our lives. Then average life span in America is about 75 years. That's about 1,300 dreams per year, or three and a half dreams every night.
Sleep experts tell us that we all have several dreams each night. So you might ask, "Why can't I remember a single one?" Alcohol consumption, certain antibiotics, fever, lack of sleep, and unconscious fears about the content of your dreams all affect dream recall, and perhaps dream content. Scientist Francis Crick, who pioneered research on the structure of DNA, takes the position that maybe we're supposed to forget our dreams - that dreams are a way of cleansing the brain of extraneous information. Perhaps you remember only the dreams that are really scary or upsetting or, if you're lucky, fantastically wonderful. Could it be that you're the type of person who thinks you don't dream much, but when you recall it, you always seem to have the same dream? You know, the one in which you appear naked, except for your bedroom slippers, in your third grade play, Pocohontas?
Because of the science of sleep, we tend to dream more toward the end of our sleep period. We're also more likely to remember those dreams we had closest to awakening, or at least remember those dreams most easily. Makes sense, don't it? With a little effort, you can boost dream recall, and we'll show you how to do it too.
In the Old Testament, Pharaoh freed Joseph, sans coat, from his prison dungeon to interpret two of Pharaoh's dreams. In the first, seven cows, gaunt and lean, ate seven sleek and fat cows. In the second dream, seven ripe ears of corn swallowed up seven shriveled ears of corn. Joseph divined God's plan of seven years of blight and famine for Egypt. Pharaoh shrewdly stocked up on the ancient version of canned goods.
In Black and White or in Living Color?
We spend about one third of our lives sleeping (so if you're lucky enough to live to be 90, that's 30 years!), yet most of us don't spend much time wondering about our dreaming night life (or dreaming day life if you work at night). Frankly, we're too busy with the tasks of waking life to regard sleep as much more than a much-needed rest for the mind and body.
But since you're reading this, you're beginning to believe there may be something more to dreaming: a whole world that you create each night when you close your eyes. Paying attention to that unconscious dream life can ultimately be enriching to your hectic waking life.
Now let's talk about the way you dream. Aside from the fact that you must be asleep in order to dream, there are lots of dream variations. For instance, do you dream in black and white? In color? Popular beliefs tell us that most people dream in color, some in black and white. No one is sure why this occurs, just as no one is sure why a certain percentage of the population is left-handed. In our experience, we've found that most people report dreaming in color except when they are very depressed. Then they tend to recall fewer dreams, and those dreams have little color (except for nightmares, which can be vividly colorful). Some people report dreaming exclusively in black and white when they first begin paying attention to their dreams, either in therapy or in individual dreamwork. As they continue to concentrate on remembering dreams, many often report that they begin to dream in color.
As you begin to take note of your dreams, start to think about some other over-arching components of your nightly adventures. Do you tend to dream about people you know, about strangers, or about famous people? Do you talk in your sleep or wake up laughing? Do you often watch the action from the sidelines or are you a main participant in your dreams? You may find that as you think more about your dreams and their basic themes, the ways your dreams make you feel and your questions about them will multiply rapidly. You've just entered a dream world - a world your mind creates anew each night when you fall asleep.
According to Robert L. Van de Castle, Ph.D., a prominent dream expert, scientists have suggested that we'll each have 100,000 dreams over the course of our lives. Then average life span in America is about 75 years. That's about 1,300 dreams per year, or three and a half dreams every night.
no subject
no subject
The way I figure it, we spend a third of our lifetime unconscious. We ought to maximize this time, as well. To the introvert especially, what is the difference between a memory (reconstructive) and a dream? Both experiences are equally unchangeable, equally personal, equally subjective, and therefore, equally unreal.
If they are equally unreal then it only serves to say that they are equally real. Toward the end of our lives our time spent here in objectivity will be nothing more than memory, which is to say that our lives now are the dreamtime.