What do you think?
Rate this book
Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey
A fresh, revelatory foray into the new science of dreams—how they work, what they’re for, and how we can reap the benefits of our own nocturnal life
While on a research trip in Peru, science journalist Alice Robb became hooked on lucid dreaming—the uncanny phenomenon in which a sleeping person can realize that they’re dreaming and even control the dreamed experience. Finding these forays both puzzling and exhilarating, Robb dug deeper into the science of dreams at an extremely opportune just as researchers began to understand why dreams exist. They aren’t just random events; they have clear purposes. They help us learn and even overcome psychic trauma.
Robb draws on fresh and forgotten research, as well as her experience and that of other dream experts, to show why dreams are vital to our emotional and physical health. She explains how we can remember our dreams better—and why we should. She traces the intricate links between dreaming and creativity, and even offers advice on how we can relish the intense adventure of lucid dreaming for ourselves.
Why We Dream is a clear-eyed, cutting-edge examination of the meaning and purpose of our nightly visions and a guide to changing our dream lives—and making our waking lives richer, healthier, and happier.
While on a research trip in Peru, science journalist Alice Robb became hooked on lucid dreaming—the uncanny phenomenon in which a sleeping person can realize that they’re dreaming and even control the dreamed experience. Finding these forays both puzzling and exhilarating, Robb dug deeper into the science of dreams at an extremely opportune just as researchers began to understand why dreams exist. They aren’t just random events; they have clear purposes. They help us learn and even overcome psychic trauma.
Robb draws on fresh and forgotten research, as well as her experience and that of other dream experts, to show why dreams are vital to our emotional and physical health. She explains how we can remember our dreams better—and why we should. She traces the intricate links between dreaming and creativity, and even offers advice on how we can relish the intense adventure of lucid dreaming for ourselves.
Why We Dream is a clear-eyed, cutting-edge examination of the meaning and purpose of our nightly visions and a guide to changing our dream lives—and making our waking lives richer, healthier, and happier.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 20, 2018
367 people are currently reading
2837 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
April 9, 2020
I simply can't put into words how good/great this book is. I found it very informative and also I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of dreams.
July 4, 2022
*1.8/5
attempts at providing a balanced argument and succeeds in that area more often than not (75%)
but pretty boring
feel as though the relevant content of this book could be summed up in a few pages, the rest is littered with case studies that were not interesting enough to sustain my attention. after 30 or so pages of this book i wanted it to be over. <--- doesn't necessarily mean it's bad but just not gripping enough for me; a shame, considering i waited for this to come out in paperback so that i could read it (i don't like buying hardbacks)
attempts at providing a balanced argument and succeeds in that area more often than not (75%)
but pretty boring
feel as though the relevant content of this book could be summed up in a few pages, the rest is littered with case studies that were not interesting enough to sustain my attention. after 30 or so pages of this book i wanted it to be over. <--- doesn't necessarily mean it's bad but just not gripping enough for me; a shame, considering i waited for this to come out in paperback so that i could read it (i don't like buying hardbacks)
July 22, 2021
Disappointing. I had higher hopes for this than the book was able to deliver on. I think that I was anticipating (and the book seemed to be promising) something more scientific and factual than this turned out to be.
Robb tries to answer the question of why we dream. She either doesn't do this, or she does but it is a fairly self-evident answer (our brain processes run overnight, generating sensory input - there is no deep 'reason' for this, its just biology) and what is a relatively short book feels very flabby with unnecessary and irrelevant information as a consequence.
I understand that sleep is a biological need, and that dreams are a natural part of sleep. For all the discussion of experiments where REM sleep was interrupted and how this affects the health of the subject, I'm not sure there isn't some confusion of correlation and causation here.
The same theme of linking dreams and effects continues throughout the book, and frequently falls in to the trap of finding 'meaning' (as opposed to just association) in aspects of dreams and reality. It's a highly anecdotal book, and this began to irritate me profoundly - I don't give the tiniest shit about some author having written about a dream they had, or the number of predisposed folk who retrospectively assign great meaning to stuff they dreamed about.
It's human nature to dream about stuff that's on your mind, and it's neurology to also have slightly odd/random things appear in dreams. It's human nature too to try and seek meaning in things we experience (real and hallucinatory). This does not make it worth writing about that anorexics dream about food, or alcoholics about drinking, and that people worried about things may think about these when they sleep. This also does not make it meaningful if we dream about something and then wake and make a decision based on the dream that proves to be positive. That's confirmation bias. Likewise dreaming about seemingly unconnected themes does not confer hidden meaning - it's neurons firing for whatever reason.
I'm sorry if I sound cynical - maybe I'm irritated that the book failed to deliver on it's premise for me - but 200+ pages of anecdotes/literary allusions and slightly wooly psychology experiments (yes, I understand that psychology has to be like that compared to pure science) does not make for me a satisfying read. People will dream about stuff they have thought about plus stuff they haven't, some of this will be recalled and given credence because it feels relevant, the majority will not and will be forgotten about. This does not make dreams something magical.
Robb tries to answer the question of why we dream. She either doesn't do this, or she does but it is a fairly self-evident answer (our brain processes run overnight, generating sensory input - there is no deep 'reason' for this, its just biology) and what is a relatively short book feels very flabby with unnecessary and irrelevant information as a consequence.
I understand that sleep is a biological need, and that dreams are a natural part of sleep. For all the discussion of experiments where REM sleep was interrupted and how this affects the health of the subject, I'm not sure there isn't some confusion of correlation and causation here.
The same theme of linking dreams and effects continues throughout the book, and frequently falls in to the trap of finding 'meaning' (as opposed to just association) in aspects of dreams and reality. It's a highly anecdotal book, and this began to irritate me profoundly - I don't give the tiniest shit about some author having written about a dream they had, or the number of predisposed folk who retrospectively assign great meaning to stuff they dreamed about.
It's human nature to dream about stuff that's on your mind, and it's neurology to also have slightly odd/random things appear in dreams. It's human nature too to try and seek meaning in things we experience (real and hallucinatory). This does not make it worth writing about that anorexics dream about food, or alcoholics about drinking, and that people worried about things may think about these when they sleep. This also does not make it meaningful if we dream about something and then wake and make a decision based on the dream that proves to be positive. That's confirmation bias. Likewise dreaming about seemingly unconnected themes does not confer hidden meaning - it's neurons firing for whatever reason.
I'm sorry if I sound cynical - maybe I'm irritated that the book failed to deliver on it's premise for me - but 200+ pages of anecdotes/literary allusions and slightly wooly psychology experiments (yes, I understand that psychology has to be like that compared to pure science) does not make for me a satisfying read. People will dream about stuff they have thought about plus stuff they haven't, some of this will be recalled and given credence because it feels relevant, the majority will not and will be forgotten about. This does not make dreams something magical.
January 12, 2019
I am giving this 2 stars because I realize that this book was just not for me.
Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of our Nightly Journey did not explain to me why we dream, nor did it show much in the way of transformative power. It did, however, provide an exhaustive chronicle of dream philosophy sprinkled with anecdotes, and culminating in an attempt to persuade the world to practice lucid dreaming.
Theory after theory. Anecdote after anecdote, the tome lasted forever without going anywhere except to promote lucid dreaming.
I expected something a bit more relatable. I am fascinated with dreams and dreaming and am sorely disappointed.
Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of our Nightly Journey did not explain to me why we dream, nor did it show much in the way of transformative power. It did, however, provide an exhaustive chronicle of dream philosophy sprinkled with anecdotes, and culminating in an attempt to persuade the world to practice lucid dreaming.
Theory after theory. Anecdote after anecdote, the tome lasted forever without going anywhere except to promote lucid dreaming.
I expected something a bit more relatable. I am fascinated with dreams and dreaming and am sorely disappointed.
January 1, 2019
As someone who struggles to find sleep for whatever reason if I dream when I wake up tried or not I am excited. I am in late 30s OKOK I am going to turn 40 in January. I find it harder and hard not only to sleep but dream. I have been told dreams are a way for your mind to process the events of the day. It takes everything you see, heard, watch, talked about and more and tries to make since of it as you dream. I wish I had started a dream journal when I was younger.
My sons tells me all the time if he is having a bad dream and can't wake up he takes control of his dream. I ask for him to write them down all the time.
Alice Robb help readers realize that dreams are not just dreams or even understanding of ones day but it is a guide of ones mental health. Why We Dream is a blend of psychology and dream analysis. Depending on your mind set this can change your life and make you a believer or you will talk away finding interesting topic but still sleep with or without dreams.
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy of Alice Robb Why We Dream.
My sons tells me all the time if he is having a bad dream and can't wake up he takes control of his dream. I ask for him to write them down all the time.
Alice Robb help readers realize that dreams are not just dreams or even understanding of ones day but it is a guide of ones mental health. Why We Dream is a blend of psychology and dream analysis. Depending on your mind set this can change your life and make you a believer or you will talk away finding interesting topic but still sleep with or without dreams.
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy of Alice Robb Why We Dream.
June 12, 2023
A very interesting overview on dreams! I will try and find my old dream journal and see what happens (but first I will cringe). I liked that it touched upon different aspects of dreams and that it touched upon lucid dreaming in particular. Was easy to finish.
July 16, 2019
I read mostly literature, having little patience for the writing style of most nonfiction authors, but I was amazed by this book. I’ve always been fascinated with dreams. Like my mother and grandmother, I often have quite colorful dreams along with some that are terrifying.
My dreams were healing after my parents’ deaths, so I looked forward to learning more about the psychology and health benefits of dreaming. Anything I’d read about dream interpretation before had seemed like unreliable conjecture. I didn’t realize that our knowledge of brain physiology and dreams has leaped forward since the 1990s thanks to EEGs, MRIs, and other new insights: e.g., using 3-D virtual goggles to help overcome phobias and recurrent nightmares. While I did believe that we continue to learn new tasks or material while we sleep, I didn’t know scientists can track what part of a maze a rat is “in” during REM sleep. Fascinating stuff.
My dreams were healing after my parents’ deaths, so I looked forward to learning more about the psychology and health benefits of dreaming. Anything I’d read about dream interpretation before had seemed like unreliable conjecture. I didn’t realize that our knowledge of brain physiology and dreams has leaped forward since the 1990s thanks to EEGs, MRIs, and other new insights: e.g., using 3-D virtual goggles to help overcome phobias and recurrent nightmares. While I did believe that we continue to learn new tasks or material while we sleep, I didn’t know scientists can track what part of a maze a rat is “in” during REM sleep. Fascinating stuff.
October 8, 2019
Fascinating
May 16, 2020
Very extensive and well researched, outlining multiple and proven reasons as to why we dream. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because it lacked a certain charisma that at times made it laborious to read.
May 25, 2020
The mind gives in to its natural tendency to make order out of disorder and fills up the gaps in the dream structure with shreds and patches, uniting the dream’s disparate elements into a story with some degree or coherence.
December 2, 2018
This book totally changed my outlook of what dreams can mean, and encouraged me to start my own dream journal. I previously thought that dreams were just the detritus from the day and could be ignored, but Robb outlined how important they are to mental health and our daily lives.
Want to read
January 16, 2019I don’t think I ever added a book recommended to me from Snapchat before to my TBR but there’s a first time for everything! The snap chat story this was shown on was so interesting, it was about lucid dreaming and now I want to know everything about it and dreams in general. 😂✨
January 1, 2022
Media type: physical book
Takeaways:
1) There is something to be said about working with your dreams in a group setting.
2) There was a ton of book references connected to sleep and dreams; more so than other dream books I have come across so far.
Takeaways:
1) There is something to be said about working with your dreams in a group setting.
2) There was a ton of book references connected to sleep and dreams; more so than other dream books I have come across so far.
Read
July 13, 2020Sample copy so can't quote. But here is the link for my Sunday Time's Book Bite: https://bit.ly/2AQW40W
February 2, 2022
This book occupies a kind of twilight, liminal space that made it pretty dissatisfying. It is neither wholly woo-woo (although it dang sure dabbles) nor scientific enough to satiate one's curiosity about the physiological and neurological aspects of dreaming. Sure, there are scores of studies cited, but never does Robb give enough info to evaluate the significance of the finding. They're just tossed off like eternal verities, even if further investigation reveals the measurable effect to be miniscule. In fact, there are a lot of head-scratching pronouncements in here: apparently merely dreaming about food may indicate an eating disorder? Uh-huh.
On the flip side, Robb gives a lot of space to the woolier end of the spectrum, and often lends them credence by lumping them in with respected scientists. She seems hesitant to call out new age nonsense, so the reader is left to do the hard work of filtering the signal from the noise. The last chapter of the book deals with her visit to a lucid dream retreat in Hawaii, and in addition to an unwelcome credulousness, it's also written in a different style of the rest of the book. It reads like a magazine piece absolutely larded with "color": every person she meets gets reduced to a couple quirks to fill a paragraph, even if they add nothing to the account. If I had to guess, that piece got written for her day job and recycled for this project.
Despite these failings, Robb is an engaging guide, and I appreciated her enthusiasm. Her own lucid dreaming story creates a good narrative hook. She's got a curious spirit, and that goes a long way in a science book. I just wish this were more science-y, ya know? Not terrible but too lightweight and unfocused to meet my needs. Maybe others will like it more. Call it a 2.5/5.
On the flip side, Robb gives a lot of space to the woolier end of the spectrum, and often lends them credence by lumping them in with respected scientists. She seems hesitant to call out new age nonsense, so the reader is left to do the hard work of filtering the signal from the noise. The last chapter of the book deals with her visit to a lucid dream retreat in Hawaii, and in addition to an unwelcome credulousness, it's also written in a different style of the rest of the book. It reads like a magazine piece absolutely larded with "color": every person she meets gets reduced to a couple quirks to fill a paragraph, even if they add nothing to the account. If I had to guess, that piece got written for her day job and recycled for this project.
Despite these failings, Robb is an engaging guide, and I appreciated her enthusiasm. Her own lucid dreaming story creates a good narrative hook. She's got a curious spirit, and that goes a long way in a science book. I just wish this were more science-y, ya know? Not terrible but too lightweight and unfocused to meet my needs. Maybe others will like it more. Call it a 2.5/5.
January 23, 2025
____________________________
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
____________________________
Why We Dream is a clearly written, well researched book about dreams that combines science, history and current research, with an anecdotal narrative that isn't overwhelming in terms of the book topic. The author explores connections between dreams and health, problem-solving, creativity and other interesting topics, such as lucid dreaming. Robb has written an accessible book about dreaming that would nicely complement any general book about sleep or that would provide a great introduction for those interested in dreaming.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
____________________________
Why We Dream is a clearly written, well researched book about dreams that combines science, history and current research, with an anecdotal narrative that isn't overwhelming in terms of the book topic. The author explores connections between dreams and health, problem-solving, creativity and other interesting topics, such as lucid dreaming. Robb has written an accessible book about dreaming that would nicely complement any general book about sleep or that would provide a great introduction for those interested in dreaming.
January 4, 2022
I never really considered dreams to be anything more than nonsense that occurs in your subconscious that is out of your control.
Reading this book not only helped me to discover the wonderful world of dreams, but it articulated it in a way that was so enjoyable, informative and endearing to read.
I am now keeping my own dream journal as a result and has definitely prompted me to do more research as to what my dreams can teach me about myself, life and also what they could mean to others.
Reading this book not only helped me to discover the wonderful world of dreams, but it articulated it in a way that was so enjoyable, informative and endearing to read.
I am now keeping my own dream journal as a result and has definitely prompted me to do more research as to what my dreams can teach me about myself, life and also what they could mean to others.
October 19, 2021
More accurate rating: 6.5/10.
This book would've benefited from less personal anecdotes, and more science - or at least more science reporting. Basically I would've enjoyed more depth and analysis, but overall I suppose this book serves as a decent introduction to the subject of dream science. 😉
This book would've benefited from less personal anecdotes, and more science - or at least more science reporting. Basically I would've enjoyed more depth and analysis, but overall I suppose this book serves as a decent introduction to the subject of dream science. 😉
January 28, 2019
Dreams and psychology. With no new age spiritual guff. Just straight up insight into the brain and why we dream.
Do hit me up anytime if you are interested in talking about dreams. I find them super interesting.
Do hit me up anytime if you are interested in talking about dreams. I find them super interesting.
December 29, 2019
Sleep: One of the better books I've read on the topic. It doesn't try to misquote studies with faulty stats. Instead, it just presents what's possible and what's been done. Finally. Rating high to offset the bad books that have better ratings.
p.24 - The reason we forget most of our dreams according to activation-synthesis theory, is not that they're too taboo to contemplate - it's that the chemicals necessary for memory formation are missing.
p.14 - Asclepius is the Greek god of dreams. (Not the greatest name though, I think)
P 36-46This book has great work on the early days of dreamwork with Laberge teaching people to dream in a basement. It was not taken seriously.
later in the book, there are studies about sex and dreaming. Others are attempting to test with schizophrenics so they can tell better waking and dreaming life. There are also tests related to being able to recognize the afterlife via understanding dreams in this life. A bit morbid and weird.
P. 52 describes the International Association for the Study of Dreams.
p. 54 - In 2000, a pair of psychologists compared the effects of sleep deprivation and alcohol intoxication and showed that going without sleep for 17 -19 hours led to the same level of impairment in hand-eye coordination, memory, and logical reasoning as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05.
p. 55 - Talks about what happens during sleep as relates to health
Glymphatic system - the most important phase of the body's cellular repair cycle, flushes toxic cellular waste. Heart behavior benefits. HGH is produced. Cortisol goes close to zero. It helps the mind process difficult memories.
p. 56 - They did a study of a guy who stayed up for 200 hours. At 100 he started to decline thinking there were spiders on the floor. 1965, they repeated the test, but this guy tried to go longer. He ended up hospitalized. In 1989, the Guinness book of world records removed this category fearing people were hurting themselves.
P. 57 When people miss REM, they go into REM rebound. Animals deprived of REM act as if they haven't slept at all. Some become hypersexual???
p. 61 they did studies that suggest that your brain continues to solve problems during sleep. (free association)
p.97 - this group of new Cambodian immigrants showed a lack of sleep and died b/c of heart arrhythmia. There is a fable about this creature in their history of stories.
p.24 - The reason we forget most of our dreams according to activation-synthesis theory, is not that they're too taboo to contemplate - it's that the chemicals necessary for memory formation are missing.
p.14 - Asclepius is the Greek god of dreams. (Not the greatest name though, I think)
P 36-46This book has great work on the early days of dreamwork with Laberge teaching people to dream in a basement. It was not taken seriously.
later in the book, there are studies about sex and dreaming. Others are attempting to test with schizophrenics so they can tell better waking and dreaming life. There are also tests related to being able to recognize the afterlife via understanding dreams in this life. A bit morbid and weird.
P. 52 describes the International Association for the Study of Dreams.
p. 54 - In 2000, a pair of psychologists compared the effects of sleep deprivation and alcohol intoxication and showed that going without sleep for 17 -19 hours led to the same level of impairment in hand-eye coordination, memory, and logical reasoning as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05.
p. 55 - Talks about what happens during sleep as relates to health
Glymphatic system - the most important phase of the body's cellular repair cycle, flushes toxic cellular waste. Heart behavior benefits. HGH is produced. Cortisol goes close to zero. It helps the mind process difficult memories.
p. 56 - They did a study of a guy who stayed up for 200 hours. At 100 he started to decline thinking there were spiders on the floor. 1965, they repeated the test, but this guy tried to go longer. He ended up hospitalized. In 1989, the Guinness book of world records removed this category fearing people were hurting themselves.
P. 57 When people miss REM, they go into REM rebound. Animals deprived of REM act as if they haven't slept at all. Some become hypersexual???
p. 61 they did studies that suggest that your brain continues to solve problems during sleep. (free association)
p.97 - this group of new Cambodian immigrants showed a lack of sleep and died b/c of heart arrhythmia. There is a fable about this creature in their history of stories.
March 29, 2022
The study of dreams has often been the province of Freudians and flakes. And it's true that it could use a dose of Head and Shoulders. But there is substance there, too.
Dreaming seems to be important for health. Test subjects who get adequate sleep but are denied the opportunity to dream do more poorly in performing tasks, memorization, etc. It may also be helpful in problem-solving. When I haven't been able to figure something out, I've sometimes been advised to "sleep on it." Turns out, that's good advice. (For me, it would have been helpful to add, "but not during class.") Creators such as writers, artists, and composers often credit dreams for inspiration or for specific elements of their work. There is also evidence that the dreaming brain does sometimes produce solutions to more mundane challenges.
Most dreams are not nightmares, but usually, they aren't pleasant.* The book suggests that this may be the brain's way of preparing us for the worst. In a risk-free environment, we can experience something we fear, become more comfortable with it, maybe even develop some coping mechanism.
Freud tried to shoehorn dreams into his psychological theories, but he was right that there is potential for better self-understanding through dream interpretation. Besides therapy, the book explores dream groups, who meet more or less formally to try to understand the members' dreams. As a social mechanism, dream groups sound like they are very effective. I'm not sold on the interpretations themselves.
The book concludes with an exploration of lucid dreaming, where the person is aware of being asleep and dreaming. In some cases, the person can steer the dream. I have experienced lucid dreaming, and it is very cool.
A lot of the book is back-to-back descriptions of experiments and results. Many of these are problematical to me, because (1) they're almost all self-reported, and (2) it's difficult to tease out cause and effect--did I become calmer because my nightmares stopped, or did my nightmares stop because I became calmer? But I did find myself convinced that if I wanted to, I could improve my recollection of dreams and increase the probability of lucid dreaming.
*My recurring dreams are about being in school and not knowing where my locker is, what the combination is, or where and when my classes are. I learned from this book that this is so common as to be a cliche'. Hey, I don't read books to be insulted.
Dreaming seems to be important for health. Test subjects who get adequate sleep but are denied the opportunity to dream do more poorly in performing tasks, memorization, etc. It may also be helpful in problem-solving. When I haven't been able to figure something out, I've sometimes been advised to "sleep on it." Turns out, that's good advice. (For me, it would have been helpful to add, "but not during class.") Creators such as writers, artists, and composers often credit dreams for inspiration or for specific elements of their work. There is also evidence that the dreaming brain does sometimes produce solutions to more mundane challenges.
Most dreams are not nightmares, but usually, they aren't pleasant.* The book suggests that this may be the brain's way of preparing us for the worst. In a risk-free environment, we can experience something we fear, become more comfortable with it, maybe even develop some coping mechanism.
Freud tried to shoehorn dreams into his psychological theories, but he was right that there is potential for better self-understanding through dream interpretation. Besides therapy, the book explores dream groups, who meet more or less formally to try to understand the members' dreams. As a social mechanism, dream groups sound like they are very effective. I'm not sold on the interpretations themselves.
The book concludes with an exploration of lucid dreaming, where the person is aware of being asleep and dreaming. In some cases, the person can steer the dream. I have experienced lucid dreaming, and it is very cool.
A lot of the book is back-to-back descriptions of experiments and results. Many of these are problematical to me, because (1) they're almost all self-reported, and (2) it's difficult to tease out cause and effect--did I become calmer because my nightmares stopped, or did my nightmares stop because I became calmer? But I did find myself convinced that if I wanted to, I could improve my recollection of dreams and increase the probability of lucid dreaming.
*My recurring dreams are about being in school and not knowing where my locker is, what the combination is, or where and when my classes are. I learned from this book that this is so common as to be a cliche'. Hey, I don't read books to be insulted.
March 18, 2019
This focus on dreams gave a fast but somewhat detailed history of the studies of dreams, and focused mainly on lucid dreaming, for which it claimed many benefits. The study of dreams is not always an accepted field, and Alice Robb creates a strong argument for the benefits of recognizing and practicing the study. Most interesting were the ways she described of becoming a lucid dreamer. It included the practice of asking oneself during the day whether one is actually awake or dreaming. This may sound silly to some, but when I concentrated and really challenged myself during "awake" activities, it often brought back "acid flashbacks". These were the good flashbacks of periods of extreme clarity, not the "faces coming out of the wall" kinds of flashbacks. This book started me keeping a dream journal, which I have done in the past and found rewarding. That practice does require a lot of discipline, writing as soon as one awakes. Robb's detailed research and interviews of a variety of current practitioners of dream study created a fascinating book. I am happy it also has a good index, as it is the kind of book that one will want to refer back to.
November 2, 2019
This is a well-researched book of science writing. It presents a strong argument for taking our dreams more seriously. Within the first few chapters, I was motivated enough to start a dream journal.
It took me a long time to finish reading this book though because at times it felt like I was reading a literature review. The author includes so much research, referencing hundreds of studies. Though sometimes will spend significant amounts of text describing the particular study and its methodology, which can at times make for dryer reading. I appreciate that perhaps due to the sometimes small nature of the study sizes the author felt it was important to include details of the studies themselves.
It took me a long time to finish reading this book though because at times it felt like I was reading a literature review. The author includes so much research, referencing hundreds of studies. Though sometimes will spend significant amounts of text describing the particular study and its methodology, which can at times make for dryer reading. I appreciate that perhaps due to the sometimes small nature of the study sizes the author felt it was important to include details of the studies themselves.
March 1, 2020
Sleep is important. We've all heard this. We mostly know how sleep helps us physically. But what are dreams? Where do they come from? What purpose do they serve? For all the scientific advances in medicine, we have no idea.
But there's no question sleep serves us emotionally as well as physically (for example, by helping us deal with trauma and process painful memories--people forced to look at upsetting images are less disturbed by a second viewing if they've slept in between).
This is a pretty interesting breakdown of what we know about dreams, their functions, and how the recent fad of lucid dreaming helps us understand dreams in general.
But there's no question sleep serves us emotionally as well as physically (for example, by helping us deal with trauma and process painful memories--people forced to look at upsetting images are less disturbed by a second viewing if they've slept in between).
This is a pretty interesting breakdown of what we know about dreams, their functions, and how the recent fad of lucid dreaming helps us understand dreams in general.
November 15, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley, Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Alice Robb for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.
Why We Dream is a highly interesting and informative read. I learned a lot about the history of dream research and sleep, lucid dreaming, the psychology of sleep, dream interpretation, the influence of culture on dreams, and much more. There’s a whole culture of people who focus on dream interpretation that I didn’t know about. It’s fascinating. I found myself relating the information I learned, to people in my life.
However, some aspects of dream culture are a little too out there for me, and probably most of mainstream culture.
Overall, a great read that blends the psychology of sleep with dream analysis.
Why We Dream is a highly interesting and informative read. I learned a lot about the history of dream research and sleep, lucid dreaming, the psychology of sleep, dream interpretation, the influence of culture on dreams, and much more. There’s a whole culture of people who focus on dream interpretation that I didn’t know about. It’s fascinating. I found myself relating the information I learned, to people in my life.
However, some aspects of dream culture are a little too out there for me, and probably most of mainstream culture.
Overall, a great read that blends the psychology of sleep with dream analysis.
June 27, 2024
I enjoyed this book and thought it offered interesting context and information about dreaming and sleep.
I did wish that it provided more context on the author’s lucid dreaming journey, given how passionate she was about it.
I did wish that it provided more context on the author’s lucid dreaming journey, given how passionate she was about it.
December 9, 2022
Sort of self help book dressed up as science. Not for me.
June 1, 2021
I really wanted to like this book. It has some interesting research and it mostly remains balanced, without mythicizing dreams too much. But it's so boring! It feels like the author had an assigned number of words and was trying very hard to reach it. Or it could be just her writing style, but I had to put it down every 10 minutes.
August 15, 2023
Jednej nocy miałam siedem snów, ale niestety nie jest to forma książki jakaś zazwyczaj czytam.
May 4, 2021
Non fiction. Updates on latest dream research plus history of dreaming through the ages. Nicely researched and quite interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews