Almost everyone I know, dreams. We get strange dreams – some in everyday settings but with strange characters, others exotic and weird, and on waking we can make no sense of it. However, dreams are an integral part of the human race, as everyone dreams. People have always been curious about dreams and they have been interpreted for clues in the context of our present and future lives.
What exactly are dreams? On a simplistic level, they are images and emotions that occur when we sleep. The subconscious mind is more active when we sleep and that is when we waft into dream states. These dreams speak the language of the subconscious mind which is composed of images.
These dreams can be fascinating, romantic, exciting, disturbing, terrifying or just weird. About 95 per cent of our dreams are quickly forgotten on waking up. This is due to the neuro chemical conditions in the brain that occur during the REM sleep phase. REM is rapid eye movement, and is a stage of sleep when dreams usually occur. Dreams can also occur during the non-rem sleep phase as well, but studies show that brain activity is heightened during the REM sleep phase.
During REM sleep, the body is more or less paralysed and this ensures that one does not act out one’s dreams. An average dream lasts for about ten to fifteen minutes.
Everyone dreams whether we remember them or not. Research shows that people dream for about six years of their life on an average. Many people don’t believe in dreams, and so it has no meaning for them, while some dismiss them as the hallucinations of the sleeping mind.
There are bad dreams, what we know as nightmares which can create a feeling of terror and anxiety. These dreams are frightening and upsetting and can be caused by stress. Sadly enough, some people experience them throughout their lives.
Dreams can sometimes give us an insight about our future and provide us inspiration. They can also be an indication of past live events. There are some really astounding circumstances in which people have foreseen things in their dreams. These dreams have turned out to be surprisingly accurate as events have unfolded later.
Many of the 9/11 victims dreamed about the coming terror attack. Mark Twain dreamed about his brother’s death. Abraham Lincoln dreamed about his assassination. Nineteen people foresaw the sinking of the Titanic.
Dreams have also changed the course of history. History shows that many dreams have directly led to the ideas that have changed the world. It is a well-known fact that Larry Page came up with the idea of Google through one of his dreams. Dmitri Mendeleev came up with the periodic elements table in a dream. Elias Howe was inspired to invent the sewing machine. James Watson envisioned the DNA double helix. Telsa got the idea for an alternating current generator.
Experts on dreams say that some of them are good and act as messengers of good luck. They describe seeing a palace or an opulent building in your dreams as an indication that you will soon rise above your financial status. Dreaming of water indicates the coming up of a new family member. A peaceful and a calm ocean scene indicates a peaceful and a happy life. Dreaming of a horse or an elephant or gold or even death indicates a rich, happy and a prosperous life. Dreaming of flying in a plane indicates that some fast changes are approaching in your life.
Dreaming of a forest implies experience, vision and emotions. Seeing yourself dying in the dream is often interpreted as meaning that something in your life is coming to an end.
But there are dreams that bring bad luck, sadness and negativity. Seeing a baby in your dreams indicates a period of misfortune and sorrow in the offing. Earthquakes symbolise a great loss in life. Seeing an eclipse is one of the blackest dreams which indicates loss of pleasure and hope. Dreaming of ghosts is also a bad omen as it indicates that one will encounter a great failure. Getting lost in the darkness denotes feelings of insecurity and desperation.
There are many more interesting facts about dreams. I came across this strange fact: the reason that you can’t read in your dreams is because reading is a conscious activity and the subconscious mind is not equipped for this. Neither can you see yourself in the mirror in a dream. Then again, men and women dream differently and about different things. Women’s dreams are longer and involve more people in their dreams. People who interpret dreams say that dreams show that humans everywhere have a lot in common no matter where we are born or in which part of the globe we grew up in.
However, if I were you, I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on a dream. You can be aware of their interpretations and be conscious of them to some extent, but remember that the Vedas interpret the dream state as an illusion or a deception. So, it is really up to you to think what you want to trust in a dream.
Manjri Sharma, who lives with her family in Rishikesh, is a homemaker. She loves nature and everything about it. Travelling is her hobby.
Interesting article. Normally I forget my dreams or maybe just remember a scene or two. Don’t make much sense.
Nita Ji, our dreams seem to reflect our state of mind. Perhaps when we forget our dreams, it is a suggestion from within to move on.
That was a fascinating write up on dreams, Manjiri. I loved how you analyse different kinds of dreams. I dream a lot and remember my dreams too. Surely, dreams reflect our state of mind.
Wonderful article, Manjiri. I dream almost everyday and they leave me bewildered because most of the time, I remember them. Mostly they leave me worried about whatever happened during the day.
Sigmund Freud ,the founder of psychoanalysis has done a great research on the subject of dreams and his book – interpretation of dreams gives an accurate explanation and description of dreams and our subconscious . In the movie- Inception the subject of dream and subconscious is subtly dealt with.
Time in dreams run differently . All of us have woken up from a horror dream to realise the morning alarm ringing. But the time we spent in the dream due to the external surrounding ( alarm ) was definitely not a minute or two . A lot of research we into the making of the movie -Inception on subject of dreams.
There is only one thing in the article which I cannot agree to . I have dreams where I am reading a whole page from books. Sometimes even poems . May be because reading is my hobby.
I have dreams of travelling in strange places where trees grew upside down and trains travelling on a bridge over a river of lava…of mountains and Iceland …may be because I am a dreamer past comparison
Ok Seema if you can read in your dreams then you must be an exception but what is written in the article genaralizes the dream. There are so many things that can be good for some and bad for some.
This article reminded me of my poem ‘Nightmare of a Working Woman.’ https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/nightmare-of-a-working-woman/
Dreams are extensions of our realities and add an interesting dimension to our lives. Thanks for sharing this article.
Nice poem written by you Jasbeer.
Here is the link to my poem which deals with the same topic, dreams. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/nightmare-of-a-working-woman/