FACTS ABOUT DREAMS

Here are some interesting dream facts. These are all little sound bites which I use in my signiture on forums. I have placed them all in this page.

Incomprehensible : Dreams are so difficult to understand because they are formed by the unconscious mind and interpreted by the coinscious in a language that is totally alien to it. The unconscious mind seeks patterns. The unconscious sees mist as the same as emotional confusion because they both inhibit clear vision. In the same way a wolf is the same as a detective because they are both relentless hunters seeking out their prey.

Go to sleep on a problem : Dreams help us sort out our emotions. If you don’t believe me then think.... how many times have you gone to sleep with an emotional problem on your mind... and when you wake up that problem has gone entirely.

Defining Momments : Dreams concentrate on defining moments in our thoughts. That moment when we feel a friend who we previously trusted who now may not be seen as loyal. Our dream mind concentrates on such moments so try to look out for them. If you have a dream about that time its likely to be about that defining moment. That moment when we mastered a skill. Its that moment when we realised that the injurey to a leg is just not healing as fast as it should so maybe we should go to the doctor about it rather than just let it heal by itself. Such moments like that define changes in our thoughts.

Conceptual thought is at home only in the dream mind : The unconscious mind is the home of the dream mind. It is were all our conceptual thinking takes place. That is where we decide the bigger picture... its where we form our emotional, political, intellectual and ethical thoughts. If you detect changes in your higher thoughts expect these to come out in dreams.

Analyze your thoughts not your dream : Instead of analyzing your dream try looking at what you thought, what you saw, the arguments you had and the things you learnt the day before the dream. Your dream is very likely to be about one of those. So look for clues. If there was only one emotional issue on your mind and the dream seems about emotion then you are virtually home and dry. Then look for some, more clues to connect the two together. Its a simple and very effective method.

Imprinted memory - premonitions : A man has a car crash , breaking both legs. The first thing he sees is a child who, in the commotion has spilt her ice cream, and is now crying because of it. If the man had a premonition of this incident the dream would probably be about the childs ice cream. That is the thing that sticks in his mind - imprinted in his memory. The crash itself would probably be ignored.

Clear answers? : Many people see dreams as a clear path to what they should do. Dreams do show our deep thoughts on issues. But do not look for clear yes or no’s. The very fact that your dreaming about an issue shows that your emotions are unclear. The dream mind - like the waking mind can also be confused and undecided.

Internal and external dreams : There are two types of dreams - dreams that deal with general emotions and dreams which deal with our thoughts about specific people and events. The dreams about general emotions will take place in houses and rooms whilst the dreams about REAL LIFE EVENTS and REAL people will take place in cafes and anywhere else where you are eating or drinking.

General meaning and personal meaning : Dreams have two types of meanings. A general meaning where the message of the dream is told as a symbolic story. But dreams also have an individual meaning..which is specific to the dreamer. Only the dreamer will know that meaning. So you must compare the general message to your own emotions and circumstances.

Emotions of the dream : Consider the emotions you felt in the dream - then compare them to real life circumstances and relationships. Do the emotions seem the same. If you are confused in the dream it means you are confused about something in real life.

Snapshots : Premonitions are snapshots of feelings and emotions you felt in situations. That could be the sense of being crammed in like sardines in a lift; the urge to laugh when you see an extremely tall man next to a very short man; and anything else that is extremely odd and sticks in the mind.

Only you can interpret your dream properly: There is only one person who can really interpret a dream - YOU. Often symbolic meanings are quite specific. Dream dictionaries may interpret rats as vile and disgusting creatures...but you may have a pet rat. So your own symbolic meaning maybe completely different than what others expect. So try to work with an interpretor adding as many useful details as possible.

Homer Simpson : When your boss finds out you have fallen asleep at work.just tell him that sleep is the only time your neuronal gates open up. The brain crams all information about learning new tasks into sleep time - thats why when you wake up you are more competant with any task you have been learning. So sleep actually helps you work more productively.

Dream dictionaries : Many people dismiss dream dictionaries...but dream symbols must mean something. OK dictionaries often disagree...but ordinary dictionaries also have multiple meanings for words. Use a dream dictionary but do not let it dominate your thoughts. It is only a guide.

Left and right minds: The mind has two perfect brains but they work in an entirely different way. The unconscious sees the bigger picture...it spots patterns. The conscious mind is more logical and systematic specialising in maths and logic. Dreams help us to take information from both sides. They balance the two sets of information.

Why dream?: Dreams are the only time certain brain activities take place. We need to dream - that is why sleep deprivation is so dangerous. Dreams and the resulting theta waves they create sort out our memories, help us form new opinions, learn new tasks and update our emotional outlook. These activities only take place during sleep allowing all neuronal gates to open up.

What is on your mind!: Dreams are about whats on your mind. So think... what is on your mind? Your dream is probably about that! Look to the thoughts which dominated your mind the day before the dream.
Highest thoughts : Dreams come from our unconscious minds. They represent us thinking about current and often mundane little day to day issues. Yet they are difficult to decipher because they are made in a language akin to sign language. The unconscious only understands symbols.... but yet all the dragons, underground caves and other symbols from our dreams are the building blocks of our brains highest thoughts. Grand concepts are made here - along with all our emotional thoughts.

Thoughts which need a bit of work on: Dreams are about the complexities of our thoughts. They do not say do we like Pizza or do we not like pizza. Instead they are about in what circumstances we like pizza and what type of pizzas we like. They can also show just how much we like pizza. They are therefore not about black and white issues but issues which are in several shades of grey. Dreams therefor are about issues which we are unsure about. So if we are sure we like pizza then why would we dream about it? There is no point. We dream about things which need a bit of work on... which we need to think about,

Its not likely to be about what its about?: If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. The unconscious mind tries to compare your dream to something else which is similar. Its like writing a poem and saying that a group of ants were like machines that never stop. But you would never compare something to itself....eg "That beautiful sunset was like a beautiful sunset". So whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.

Nightmares help us make sense : Dreams about deceased loved ones are often your minds way of sorting out thoughts in your head. A dream shows that your mind is confronting the issue. You are dealing with it. But often nightmares show that your mind has failed to make sense of an issue. But if your young child has died how do you ever make sense of it? And how do you ever make sense of the holocaust and major terrorist incidents. People who have experienced extreme torment continue to dream... they just cannot make sense of such incidents.

Dreams are just thoughts on issues in our lives : actually dreams are just thoughts like other thoughts... its just that they are written in this strange language of association that the dreammind uses.... anything you think about gets an airing here... especially conceptual thinking and emotional thinking. Dreams are the movies of the brain... some are simple movies which deal wth your thoughts about yesterday... others are learning movies which deal with new ideas and concepts... others deal with telepathy and premonitions... dreams deal with every level of consciousness within your brain...

Dreams are not vague messages : Many people think a dreams are messages about how you are "going to meet a tall dark stranger". But actually dreams are more likely to have a message like "I said this to her and she said something about my boyfriend and I did not like that as she was being disrespectful and anyway she does not even know him properly"

Weave the symbols together : Dream symbols are just clues. For instance a secret agent in a dream means the dream will feature some idea involving that... secrets within you... or secrecy within others... The dream may also feature a bathroom - a symbol of frustrations. So then you have to weave these various themes together. Perhaps you are frustrated because of secrecy in others... or because of your own secrecy... or others are secretly frustrated at you .....a dream will give clues to the themes of the dream but it up to you to weave and weld these together into a coherent message... that leaves plenty of room for error

The same dream twice : Often you will get the same dream twice in the same night but with a different outcome. This is because dreams are about difficult subjects in your life. They are about subjects which one minute you may decide one course of action and the next minute a completely different way. Such dreams are weighing up the big issues in your lives. They are about issues of trust. Do you trust someone? Or don’t you trust them? Think of issues like that... dreams are where such debates are played out.

Spotting the issues that you will dream about : Dreams use a symbolic langauge a bit like sign langauge If your dream is about being a bit tired then that is very easy to put into symbols However, if your dream is about you wondering if you are tired because of relationship problems or because of stress you have been put under at work then the dream symbols needed are likely to be very strange and complex But still you may get some clues But many dreams are about such issues Look for them in your life They surely will appear in your dreams Dream interpretation is as much about spotting the likely issues that will come up

Left and right mind : Your mind is made up of both the left and right brains The left brain takes a rational and logical approach whilst the right brain takes an intuitive approach Often dreams with cats are associated with your own freedom to use an intuitive approach based on a sixth sense 'feeling' about something

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DREAMS AND THE MIND
DREAM THEORY :Towards a theory of dreams
THETAWAVES :Hallucinations and dreams
DREAM SYMBOLISM :Neural patterns and their relevance to dream interpretation
ROBERT STICKGOLD:Robert Stickgolds studies of dreams and the game Tetris

NIGHTMARES
DYING MAN'S NIGHTMARE: Making sense of a medical condition by dreams.
DISTURBING DREAMS : Nightmares.
NIGHTMARES : Childrens Nightmares.
WORLD WAR ONE NIGHTMARES : Dreaming of the front line.
NIGHTMARES : A practical study of nightmares showing what individual nightmares meant
CONFRONTING FEAR IN NIGHTMARES : By Dorian Paul

SLEEP PHENONOMA
HYPNOPOMPIC AND HYPNOGOGIC IMAGERY :Hallucinations and dreams
HYPNOGOGIC IMAGERY :Example dreams
SLEEPWALKING :Dreams and sleepwalking
SLEEP DEPRIVATION :The TV reality show "shattered"
CIRCADIAN RYTHMS :Dreams and melatonin
LUCID DREAMS

DREAM SYMBOLISM
ANIMALS IN DREAMS :By Dorian Paul
ANIMALS IN DREAMS : Animals in dreams
COLOURS IN DREAMS : By Urban
COLOURS IN DREAMS : By Kafka
Archetypes and myths : Jungs archetypes by Dorian Paul
INDIVIDUATION : understanding the Jungian approach
ARCHETYPES : Jungian archetypes
EVIL ARCHETYPES : By Dorian Paul
Heros and archetypes : by Dorian Paul
DREAMS AND MUSIC : by Dorian Paul
CRUSH DREAMS : The archetype
DREAM DICTIONARY? : Are we influenced by the dream dictionary we use by "Comrade Bart"

PREMONITIONS AND TELEPATHY
PREMONITION STUDY - A personal study showing how dreams can link to the future
HEART TRANSPLANTS - Does the heart have a memory
DAVID MANDELL :Psychic paintings?
OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCES :OBEs and psychic phenonoma
Premonitions :places deep into the future?
NEURAL IMAGING:Attempts to prove or disprove the existence of ESP
SCIENCE :Towards an understanding of premonitions
EXPERIMENTS :Premonition studies and false premonitions

OTHER ARTICLES
EMOTIONAL DREAMS : Using dreams as a way of expressing your emotions by Dianne Porter
BIG BROTHER : A study of the Big Brother reality show
THE SPIRITUAL APPROACH : By Always Dreaming
INSPIRATION : By Dorian Paul
THE FUNCTION OF DREAMS Why do we dream
COMMUNICATION SKILLS : Dorian Paul on left and right brain issues?
MEDITATION :Using meditation to expand your mind

FAITH AND DREAMS : By Weiss
DREAM JOURNAL : dream diaries
MONTAGUE ULLMAN : Swedish researcher
DREAM FORUMS : Helpful advice
ETHICAL GUIDELINES : By Dorian Paul
FACTS ABOUT DREAMS : Some thoughts
FAQS : Some frequently asked questions

LINKS
Links page :Reciprocal links

HOW TO HELP THIS WEBSITE: Google rates pages posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites very highly. So if you have found this site useful please post it using the buttons below.