Dreams and dreaming

Dreams
basics
We all dream, at least if we are healthy,
though some never remember
And even they can be taught
The amygdala (emotion) often active
REM can take place without dreaming
We dont need REM to dream, but such
dreams are usually much more mundane

Rem dreams
Often quite bizarre
Full of visual imagery, sounds and intense
emotion
Prompted by brain structures associated
with motivation, emotion, and reward and
then spun through our potent visual
association areas
No access to reflective thought or reality

What, if anything, do they mean?

Do they foretell the future?

Do they reflect wishes unfulfilled?
Can they diagnose illnesses?
Do they have any adaptive value?
Should we ever be ashamed of our dreams?

Common dreams
They often relate to current concerns
They often involve things that could go
wrong
Frequent themes:
falling
being chased
naked in public
sex

Perspectives on dreaming
Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of
Dreams (1900)
Struck by how often clients described them
Viewed them as indispensable to
understanding personality The royal road
to the unconscious.

More Freud
Analyzed his own
Viewed them as symbolic, with two levels of
meaning
Manifest content their apparent meaning
Latent meaning their hidden, real meaning
We censor our real desires
Carl Jung viewed as a progression

Carlos castenada
70s sensation
A shamans apprentice?
His best selling books focused attention on
the conscious manipulation of the dream
state, done to gain personal power
Better known as lucid dreaming
Fact or fiction?
As for Carlos,..

Dreams and creativity

Some believe that dreams can help us solve
difficult problems
Focus on this puzzle before you fall asleep:
The letters o t t f f form the start of an infinite
series. Find a simple rule for determining all
successive letters. According to this rule what
would the next two letters be?

Activation- synthesis theory

Dreams arise when the pons sends random
signals to the cerebral cortex during REM
sleep
The cerebral cortex than tries to tie these
together into some sort of a coherent tale by
comparing these neuronal firings with stored
memories

Neurocognitive theory
Dreams are a type of thinking that happens
under special conditions
Three factors:
cortical activity
little sensory stimulation
loss of control over thinking
This combination leads to a situation where
emotions and imagination run wild

Neurocog ii
Systematic studies reveal that people
usually dream about things they are
concerned about
Cognitive maturity facilitates dreaming
Finally, this theory claims that dreams lack
any adaptive value, they are just a curious
by-product of our cognitive capabilities

Dream diaries
To best remember dreams:
Every night tell yourself that you will
remember your dreams
Keep your diary right by your bed
Write them down immediately
Tell someone else
Keep track of life events
Record your interpretations

A dream before dying

Many have noted the profound dreams
people often experience shortly before
death
Rev. Patricia Bulkey, a chaplain for a
hospice, has collected a number of these
Her work has noted common themes:
going on journeys
reunions with deceased loved ones

Before dying ii
Strangely, although the dreams often point
to the inevitability and finality of death, they
usually soothe
Part of family lore
Sometimes they warn of unfinished
business
Lincoln, Yung