Dr. Robert Stickgold's Analysis

Why do we dream? What do our dreams mean? Dreams are a sequence of images, ideas, and feelings that involuntarily occur most commonly during the REM stage of sleep. They come in a wide variety of types, from the peculiar to the downright terrifying; the dreamer has no control over what they experience in their dreams. Though neurologists have been studying the human brain for decades, we still don’t fully know why we dream or what their significance is. Some psychologists theorize that dreams are closely linked to our subconscious mind, expressing our deepest fears or desires, allowing us to be what we cannot be. Others believe that dreams serve no function at all and are simply our imaginations running wild. In the words of Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, “The dream is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the fetters of matter.” (The Interpretation of Dreams)

Everyone in the world has had at least one dream in their lifetime. Most people do not think much about the dreams that they have, unless they are recurring. Dreaming is “a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during REM sleep.” Most people today wake up from a dream or nightmare saying, “thank god that was a dream,” or “too bad that was just a dream.” Many times these dreams or nightmares have more meaning than we may think. If people took more time to consider the meaning behind the dreams they have, then dream interpretation could be used as a means to help resolve issues in our awaken lives, including helping to

Analysis: Dreamings can teach us that in living the good life, it is important that we learn from the past. It also shows us the importance of art and how it can teach us about life's journeys (Ann Bzoch).

Dreams, one of the many dimensions in our mind, gives a lot of different information then we are use to having in the day. The subconscious mind that takes control when we sleep, takes care of our passive memories and holds the key to our lives. Dreams are what lead us to this key which unlocks the door to another type of wisdom. The farther we get

Dreaming is defined by the Barron AP Psychology Book as “the series of storylike images we experience as we sleep (McEntarffer, 2016, p. 113).” Dreams come in all shapes and sizes; some seem random and others may seem to hold more meaning. There are a wide array of dream theories including Freudian theory, information-processing theory, and activation-synthesis theory as described in the aforementioned book. Freud’s perspective emphasizes the unconscious mind and how dreams can reveal repressed memories. Similar to Freud’s theory, the information-processing theory attributes dream content to daily stress as the brain uses dreams to process a day’s events.

Oprah Winfrey once said, “The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.” But, what actually is a dream and what do dreams really have to do with one’s everyday life? In essence, a dream is a series of mental images and emotions occurring during slumber. Dreams can also deal with one’s personal aspirations, goals, ambitions, and even one’s emotions, such as love and hardship. However, dreams can also give rise to uneasy and terrible emotions; these dreams are essentially known as nightmares. In today’s society, the concept

There are numerous theories regarding the function of our dreams, they are mainly based on speculation more than research. This enchanted place of consciousness is what got me interested about dreams. Dreams are based on the individual in that we usually dream of ourselves. I feel that greater understanding of our dreams will have a major influence for individuals to understand themselves better.

The question of whether dreams actually have a psychological, biological or emotional function is yet to be determined but that didn't stop researchers and scientists from developing crazy theories about this topic. Let me share some mind-blowing theories with you. Firstly, it was believed that dreams helped you connect with a different world which led to believe that souls exist. It was also believed that dreams are glimpses from our last life. Another theory states that states that dreams don't really serve any function at all. Some people also think that dreams are just random and meaningless thoughts that the brain produces when we are asleep. There are so many more theories but if I keep going on, the list might never end!

The humankind throughout history has tried to learn and figure out the meaning of dreaming. The interpretations and true meanings of dreams has expanded and has varied over centuries and cultures. Many of the earlier studies were based on culture’s and the interpretation of dreams, but also used as a form of prophecy, inspiration, and guidance. Many people still believe this such, people today beliefs and theories have opened up to a more vast interpretation, they are made up of; dreams are rare brain activity, dreams allow people to reflect on themselves, or that dreams are too massive to be correctly interpret. Although, not a single theory has been proven to this day, science as of why dreams occur is still a mystery.

To many people, dreams are the thoughts that occur while sleeping, having almost mystic qualities. For millennia the significance of dreams has escaped even the brightest of philosophers and intellectuals. Many people have speculated about why people dream and what meanings the dreams have but in recent times two theories have gained credibility in answering those questions. The first theory is Sigmund Freuds and the other is known as the cognitive theory of dreams also known as biological determinism.

“Most of us have had (or, inevitably, will have) at least one dream in our lives that stops us in our tracks. Such dreams tell us we’re not who we think we are.” (pg.70) Marc Ian Barasch writes in his essay “What is a Healing Dream?” Barasch explains Healing Dreams, lead us to embrace the contradictions between flesh and spirit, self and other, shadow and light in the name of wholeness. In Hebrew the word “Dream” comes from the verb meaning “to be made healthy and strong.” Healing Dreams reveal dimensions beyond the everyday. Dreams which, if we need them, can guide us toward a greater attitude towards ourselves and others. Barasch approach about Healing Dreams makes you think about what the dream wants from us. The dreams can lead us to reconsider our careers, to find a new loved one, to heal our bodies,

Dreams open up new possibilities while dreaming our mind is in a subconscious state when we sleep, our mind makes sense of our memories by ordering them and converting some into representative

Dreams have been around since the beginning of time. There is often controversy over whether or not dreams are important or meaningless. Although many people believe that dreams are pointless and have no meanings to them, research and experimentation show that there can be many different interpretations of dreams.

Thematic Claim: Dreams, in both the subconscious and physical world, are essential for one’s destiny and their character in the future.

Since the beginning of time, dreams have been a mysterious wonder amongst humans. Everyone has dreams, and people who say they do not in fact do, but just don’t remember their dreams or recall the information that was in them. A person spends somewhere around six years of their life dreaming, which is about 2,100 days in a dream world (dreamfacts). A lot of people often have weird and unexplained dreams that they usually just overlook, or don’t remember, but research is showing that there is meaning behind dreams. In the Ancient time, the Greeks and Romans would visit dream temples to search their dreams as messages from the Gods (Gackenbach and Bosveld, 1989). Nowadays, through studies and research,