“Some dreams tell us what we wish to believe. Some dreams tell us what we fear. Some dreams are of what we know though we may not know we know it. The rarest dream is the dream that tells us what we have not known.”
Ursula K. Le Guin

I started every chapter of the Historical Novel Standing Tall with a pertinent quotation. Since many of the readers really enjoyed those pearls, I decided that each month we could explore the topics involved in those chapters, starting with “Dreams”.

According to the American Sleep Association, “A dream can be explained as a succession of sensations, emotions, ideas, and images that occur involuntarily in a person’s mind during certain stages of sleep. It is not completely understood what the purpose and content of dreams are, but for centuries, they have certainly been the subject of religious and philosophical interest, a topic of scientific speculation for centuries.

There is no definitive evidence about what dreams consist of, but it is generally accepted that dreams represent a collection of thoughts, struggles, emotions, events, people, places and symbols that are relevant to the dreamer in some way.

Dreams are essentially stories we play out in our head overnight; they can follow a linear narrative or be abstract. Scientists estimate that we have roughly 3-6 dreams in one night and around 95% of these dreams are forgotten the following morning.

Dreams have fascinated people since the beginning of recorded history. Different cultures have described the meaning and the importance of dreams, though there is little scientific evidence that dreams have particular meanings attached to them. In ancient Egypt, for example, people with vivid dreams were considered to be blessed with special insights, with many of their dreams recorded on papyrus.

There are many theories of the function of dreams. They appear to assist in memory formation, integration, problem solving and consolidation of ideas both about ourselves and the world. Dreams also help with information processing, cognitive process and mood regulation. Dreams can help us store important memories and things we have learned, get rid of unimportant memories, and sort through complicated thoughts and feelings. Dreaming is a highly emotional thinking process but while scientists know a great deal about what happens physiologically when people dream, there is still much to be studied about what happens psychologically.

Dreams are a bizarre phenomenon. Nine times out of ten they consist of complete nonsense. However, inspiration can spark in the most unexpected places and sometimes a dream might give us a great idea. Several inventions, music, artworks and writings have been originated or inspired by dreams.

One neurobiological theory of dreaming is the Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis. Proposed by Harvard University psychiatrists, John Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, the theory states that dreams do not mean anything. Instead, they are merely electrical brain impulses that pull random thoughts and imagery from our memories. The theory suggests that humans construct dream stories after they wake up, as a natural attempt to make sense of it all.

However, renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud thought otherwise. He believed that dreams revealed unconsciously repressed conflicts or wishes. According to Freud, dreams are imagery of a wish or impulse that has since been repressed. related to the unconscious mind. According to Freud, dreams reveal our repressed wishes.

Another theory is the Threat Simulation Theory, which describes dreams as a defense mechanism our brains put in place to prepare us for scary events. This allows us to face our fears in a safe simulation. If this theory is to be believed, it could be assumed that we dream more often when in a state of fear or anxiety.

While dreams may not tell the future, allow us to commune with the supernatural, or give us special insight into the depths of our unconscious, one thing seems to be a universal consensus: dream tell us something about our emotions. According to psychologist David Feldman, “because most of us occasionally get out of touch with how we’re feeling, this is a useful insight.” In his words, “if you are experiencing a stream of bad dreams, it might be worth checking in with yourself about how you’ve been feeling, and perhaps consider whether there is some action you could take to help improve your mood.”

Wishing us all, Big, Good, Delightful Dreams. And may (most of) them come true!!!

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?'”
– George Bernard Shaw

References:

Why Your Brain Needs to Dream | Greater Good (berkeley.edu)
Dreams: Why We Dream & How They Affect Sleep | Sleep Foundation
Dreams: Why We Dream, Nightmares, and Lucid Dreams (webmd.com)
Activation Synthesis Model of Dreaming (verywellmind.com)

Standing Tall