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UNDERSTANDING DREAM SYMBOLISM - NEURAL NETWORKS AND PATTERNS

Dreams use symbols and these are surely part of the whole process of neural networks which run the major logic centres inside the brain. How exactly could these work? Well the mind builds up patterns. As we experience life we group together certain experiences. For instance the following have lots in common.

1. A builder lies and cheats and scams customers.
2. A teenage boy takes advantage of a girl. Lying and cheating.
3. A male brought up in a conservative culture treats women badly.
4. A man rapes a woman.
5. A wild animal forces itself upon the females.
6. A husband disrespects his wife and casually dismisses her views.
7. A teacher criticises and dismisses your views leaving you feel rejected and humiliated.

These are all quite different situations yet all have a bit in common. They all link to the feelings and associations that we associate with rape and humiliation. Each event is different yet similar.

Dreams link to ideas and conceptual theroies so what would an appearance of any of these indicate. It may mean that the dream is pointing to something which is similar to that but also slightly different. Try to think what has been on your mind. What ideas involves a similar sense of powerlessness,humilation,sexual power,lying and disrespect. The dream may point to none of these. But think about conceptual feelings which seem relevant. For instance if you felt the day before that "I feel humilated by my boss. I felt such a sense of loyalty yet now my feelings have been swept aside. I was made to look stupid".

Neural networks

In understanding the dream mind we have to understand neural networks. When we learn we build up a series of neural patterns within the mind. If we get burnt and there is a fire then we associate the fire with burning skin. After a while we build up strong patterns. We reinforce some forms of behavior. We see strong links between fire and burnt skin.

Neural networks also link to emotions.these are highly skilled and complex brain activities. Emotions maybe crazy in real life but the finest computers in the world have not learned how to truly feel emotion. So the dream mind deals with these highly complex an difficult activities within the human experience.

In real life things do not fall into such easy patterns. We often face difficult issues which we have to decide upon. Here no strong neural patterns exist. We maybe encountering something new in which case any conclusions are based upon very weak neural patterns. Can we trust our eight year old son to walk to school on his own? Can we trust a boyfriend who has continually broken promises before? If a computer was asked to solve such questions it would generally come up with the answer INSUFFICIENT DATA. So our minds have to come to decisions on issues which require a yes or no answer.

Also we try to come to judgements of how people are reacting and behaving. We form judgements along scales. For instance if someone is behaving good OR bad? Are they laughing with me or they laughing at my expense? Am I feeling relatively old or relatively young right now?

Look at the conceptual judgments which have been occupying your mind and you will surely look your dreams meaning in the eye.You may not understand the crazy symbolism but you maybe able to guess the likely issue which has triggered the dream.

In my experience my own dreams seem to link to changes within my own mind. Moments when crucial changes took place. Many dreams are triggered by events from the day before. Here slight changes take place in our thinking. Moments when our neural patterns changed. When we changed from trusting someone to not trusting them. When we started to realise our own views were now changing. Hence dreams will probably link to changes within our own emotions and hence changes in our neural networks concerning certain issues.

LINKS TO RELATED WEBPAGES

Thetawaves : The importance of thetawaves. Many dreams will link to events from the day before as many important brain activities during sleep concentrate on the transfer of information from the short term memory blocks to long term memory blocks. CLICK HERE

How to understand dreams : Understand how dreams link to the conceptual mind. Guess the issues which have given rise to your dream by writing down quotes which Capture the essence of what you feel on a given topic. If dreams link to the generation of ideas and conceptual emotions its simple. Write them down. You may not understand the link between your dreams symbols but surely it will capture your feelings. CLICK HERE

How to understand dreams : Learn how to interpret and analyse dreams. See how conceptual feelings are translated into dream symbols.

Examples of real dreams: A collection of several dreams containing one dream symbol(in this case snakes). See how real dreams can link to reality.

An essay on DREAM SYMBOLISM : A huge study of dreams condensed into one page. Many snake dreams have been studied and felt to be understood properly. Each quote shows how a the snake dream relates to real life emotions. It could represent jealousy or a complaint made against you. Many different possible meanings are explored.

A study of nightmares: This article takes many dreams which have been researched and believed to be understood. Therefor by reducing a dream interpretation to a quote we can start to build up our knowledge of what triggers nightmares.

Frequently asked questions: An article exaplining some frequently asked questions. Answers some crucial questions linked to this websites approach to dreams.

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

NIGHTMARES
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

DREAM SYMBOLISM
DREAM SYMBOLISM :Neural patterns and their relevance to dream interpretation
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 :OBE's and psychic phenonoma
Premonitions :places deep into the future?
SCIENCE :Towards an understanding of premonitions
EXPERIMENTS :Premonition studies and false premonitions

DREAMS AND THE MIND
THETAWAVES :Hallucinations and dreams
NEURAL IMAGING:Attempts to prove or disprove the existence of ESP
ROBERT STICKGOLD:Robert Stickgolds studies of dreams and the game Tetris
DREAM DIARIES :What to look out for
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

OTHER ARTICLES

BIG BROTHER : A study of the Big Brother reality show
THE SPIRITUAL AAPROACH : By Always Dreaming
INSPIRATION : By Dorian Paul
FAITH AND DREAMS : By Weiss
MONTAGUE ULLMAN : Swedish researcher
DREAM FORUMS : Helpful advice
ETHICAL GUIDELINES : By Dorian Paul
FACTS ABOUT DREAMS : Some thoughts

OTHER DREAM INTERPRETORS

Aisling Ireland : Posts at www.bellaonline.com