Our dreams have been considered to have significance for us since long before written records began. We have always been fascinated by trying to understand our dreams, and different cultures have different beliefs and customs associated with dreaming and the interpretation of dreams. The ancient Babylonians for example divided dreams according to whether they were good (inspired by benign spirits) or bad (aroused by demons).
It was the ancient Assyrians who first connected dreams to divine prophecy. They believed that during our sleep we have the ability to transcend the boundaries of mortal life and enter the spiritual realm. The Egyptians believed that the gods revealed their intentions only through dreams. They built shrines where those who were blessed with an ability to bridge the temporal realm could go to sleep and await divine enlightenment.
In our dreams we enter a world where we transcend the limits of time and space. There are some who maintain that they don't dream - we all dream it's just that we don't always remember our dreams. Some people can recall their dreams in vivid details however the majority of us tend to recall only vague parts of our dreams if anything.
The Native American Indians placed great importance upon their dreams, believing them to reveal the hidden desires of the soul. Dreamtime is at the heart of Aboriginal mythology, being a time when sleeping spirits arose to create the world.
Many people endeavour to interpret their dreams and there are countless books on dream interpretation and the meanings of various objects, creatures, situations and symbols found in dreams. Whilst these may have a common thread our dreams are very personal and if two people have the same dream it would have a different meaning for each. The meaning of a dream depends very much on what is going on in your life at the time of the dream and also on your emotional, mental and physical wellbeing at the time.
Nightmares are common among children and adults. Because nightmares can be so vivid and frightening people can feel compelled to try and work out their meaning. Sometimes a nightmare can be so terrifying it can hold the dreamers attention for days and even weeks afterward. Common nightmares include being trapped, teeth falling out, being chased by a perpetrator, being in a falling lift and so on. Nightmares tend to frequently occur when the subconscious mind tries repeatedly to relate a dream message but the message is ignored. This can happen if you are unable to recall your dreams or if you do not endeavour to recognise the messages they are giving you. The subconscious mind is literally going to extreme measures in order to get your attention, thus shocking you into remembering the dream. By ascertaining the meaning of the dream and the message it is conveying to you can then apply any necessary changes to your life/lifestyle and consequently the nightmare should not recur. As your self awareness increases and you become more adept at recalling and understanding the content of your dreams, you will find that you will be less likely to experience nightmares.
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| Lucid dreaming is when during the course of a dream we become aware that we are actually dreaming. With this awareness we are then able to direct the dream merely by thinking and imagining what we would like to happen next. Lucid dreams can also appear more real although the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming. Thus any emotions felt at the dreamt situation can be less disturbing because the dreamer knows it is not a real life situation so therefore does not always feel the relevant emotions. Being more aware of your dreams and of what they mean for you increases your self awareness to the extent that you may be more likely to realise that you are dreaming and thus become lucid throughout the dream situation. Developing dream recall is therefore first step towards experiencing lucid dreams. In fact you may well have had lucid dreams before but simply don’t remember them. Lucid dreaming requires that you have sufficient knowledge about your dreams to be able to recognise that you are dreaming in the first place. For example you may have a repetitive dream where the situation is always the same but the actual sequence of events varies, thus you can quickly recognise that you are dreaming. Another sign that you are dreaming may be the appearance of a person, place or object that you would not normally encounter in your waking life. Getting an adequate quota of sleep of a night is imperative if you are to be able to recall your dreams. Having a sufficient period of sleep means you will wake up easier and thus will be able to record your dreams on waking. Periods of REM are more profound in the latter stages of sleep therefore sleeping for longer will afford more REM sleep and consequently more opportunity to record dreams. |
