The Subject of Dreams

    The tentative topic that I would like to explore is dreams. Although everyone dreams, scientists have yet to know why. Some theories are that dreams show us our deeper desires, they act as a link between our conscious and unconscious minds. (Freud, S., 1949) Another theory is that dreams are a sort of practice run our mind foists upon us to help keep us sharp for situations that may arise when we're awake. Some researchers think there is no reason at all. (Revonsuo, A) The mystery of dreams runs even deeper than not knowing the reason for them. We don't recall most of the dreams we have; about 95% of them are forgotten by the time we wake up. What effect would remembering more of our dreams have on us? What about lucid dreaming? 

    There is also a supernatural aspect to dreams. In many cultures dreams are actually prophetic visions and entirely interpretable. Some people would even take certain substances to induce such visions. There are modern cases of people who dreamt of situations which ended up happening in real life. (Sedlak-Hevener) Even now, superstitions exist surrounding dreams, particularly recurring ones. Why are dreams so important to us and what do they mean? Why do we dream?


Citations
Revonsuo, A. (2000). "The reinterpretation of dreams: an evolutionary hypothesis of the function of                     dreaming". Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 23 (6): 877 - 901  
Sedlak-Hevener, A. (2020, August 20). 20 Crazy Stories About People Who Had Prophetic Dreams   
                That Came True. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://www.ranker.com/list/reddit 
                stories-dreams-that-came-true-premonitions/amandasedlakhevener 
Waud H. - Kracke. Cultural aspects of dreaming. Retrieved from                                                                              https://www.dreamresearch.ca/encyclopedia.php#c 
 

Comments

  1. Michael GoellerJanuary 25, 2021 at 12:34 PM

    I wonder if most people are so sleep-deprived today that they don't even remember their dreams.... I know I am. :-) You might consider the theories of Freud or Jung, both of whom wrote quite a lot on dreams. There are lots of different theories -- in fact, so many that you'd have to find some way to focus so that you don't get overwhelmed by all the angles. It might help you to focus on a particular angle -- such as different theories of interpreting dreams. If you are interested in dreams as "premonitions," this is a rather fascinating story of someone who tried to take premonitions seriously:
    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/04/the-psychiatrist-who-believed-people-could-tell-the-future

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael GoellerJanuary 25, 2021 at 12:36 PM

      But "dreams" is definitely a good topic. The challenge will be finding a focus within that potentially vast subject.

      Delete

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