Theories abound about what dreams are. Scientists only have a very basic grasp: they know that when humans dream, certain perceptual areas of the brain light up with electrical activity. This knowledge doesn’t really solve any mysteries for us.
I want to offer that what we experience as dreams are actually worlds similar to our waking world in some regards. How can that be? you might wonder. Our waking world is so firm and solid – there’s the ground beneath our feet, the hours that drag out through the day while we’re at work, our stable identities and our stable friends. Meanwhile, in dreams things shift and alter constantly.
Dreams Are Energy
It can be because our waking world, just like the worlds we experience in our dreams at night, is only energy interpreted by our minds and senses into a specific configuration that seems very stable. Both dreams and the waking world are just streams of energy. Though the energy of our waking world certainly appears quite stable compared to that of our dream worlds, it’s actually not rock solid. Far from it – everything we experience as matter is made up of tiny particles moving very rapidly through space.
And consider this: do you remember exactly what you ate for breakfast two mornings ago? And don’t your friends always recall stories about your exploits together rather differently than you do? And haven’t you often perceived things in a certain way that you later learned to be false or incomplete? I ask these questions only to point out that there’s many facets of our reality that are subject to shift. Memory is especially vulnerable, but even present-moment happenings can be experienced very differently by various subjects.
The Dream Body
Just as we have a physical body with physical senses, we also have a dreaming body with dream senses. The sense organs of the dreaming body correspond to the chakras, or energy centers, of the body. One of the reasons why the worlds we experience in our night-time dreams don’t seem as stable as our waking world is that our dreaming senses are not as highly developed as our physical senses. Many of us have undergone a very thorough education in navigating the physical world via our physical senses (remember your parents telling you to always “look out” for dangerous things and to always “listen” to them? they were drawing attention to and training your senses as they did that) and a very poor or nonexistent education in navigating the dream world via our dream senses (did your parents or teachers ever give you dreaming advice other than suggesting that you have “sweet dreams”?) In many other cultures in other times, the cultivation of the dream senses and the navigation of the dream world was considered just as important (if not more so) than the cultivation of the physical senses and the navigation of the waking world.
How could navigation of dream worlds possibly be more important than navigation of waking worlds? Don’t we need to know how to get around in the waking world in order to survive? Absolutely, yes. And in that sense the waking world has a fundamental importance. But our present society wrongly values the navigation of the waking world so much more highly than that of the dreaming world that we actually end up having a lopsided and less happy existence. “Man cannot live on bread alone” is an old proverb. It means that human beings are more-than-physical creatures who need more-than-physical nurturance. It’s not enough to just survive. We need to flourish at the level of soul, of spirit. And the dreaming experience is so crucial because that experience is actually where the soul can find its nourishment.
If the human physical form is nourished by food, water, and oxygen, the human soul is nourished by the symbols given to us in our dreams. Just like we have to gather food and water and oxygen in order to survive, we have to gather and assimilate our dream symbols in order to flourish. This is something that goes almost entirely neglected in our society because the prevailing paradigm doesn’t like to recognize that there’s a vast source of power beyond any worldly or material power. The capitalist system that we dwell in masterfully controls material resources and material power. It has, however, no such monopoly on immaterial power. The only way that capitalism can perpetuate itself is by having its institutions teach us to deny, ignore, minimize and otherwise neglect the vast power of insight and creation that comes to us each night through our dreams.
Revolutionary Dreaming
By choosing to meditate, keep a dream journal and practice dream interpretation, we begin to cultivate our dream body and our dream senses. We grow closer to integrating the energy streams of dreams with the energy stream of our waking world. As we achieve that integration, life within our waking world becomes more intuitive and more in harmony with our deep being. This occurs because most of us mistake who we are: we think we’re our waking egos, a little separate “I” with a personal history of grievances and desires, longings and fears. In a way, this is correct. We are our egos. But we are also much more. We are souls, and our waking ego is just one little part of the whole soul that we are. The work of being alive is to come to know ourselves as complete, integrated souls. As we do this work we shed our pettiness and selfishness and become aware of our connection to the larger forces at work in the universe.
As we become fully integrated (Keats liked to say “made”) souls, we are more and more capable of working for the good of everyone rather than just for the good of our individual egos. We’re of greater service to others; we generate less drama in our lives; we experience greater joy. We don’t need to look to the external world for validation through status, power, physical gratification and material wealth. In short, we become free of the snares of greed that tie us into capitalism. Instead, we become the sovereigns of our own selves, capable of answering directly to the source of everything that exists.
Type of Dreams
According to Dream Moods.com
Daydreams
Daydreaming is classified as a level of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. Studies show that you have the tendency to daydream an average of 70-120 minutes a day. It occurs during waking hours when you let your imagination carry you away. As your mind begins to wander and your level of awareness decreases, you lose yourself in your imagined scenario and fantasy. Click here for a more in depth look at daydreams.
False Awakening Dreams
Have you ever thought you have waken up and gone about your daily morning routine: getting up, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast and going to work, only to wake up "again" and realize that what just happened is just a dream. That sensation is referred to as a false awakening. TOP
Lucid Dreams
Lucid dreams occur when you realize you are dreaming. "Wait a second. This is only a dream!" Most dreamers wake themselves up once they realize that they are dreaming. Other dreamers have cultivated the skill to remain in the lucid state of dreaming. They become an active participant in their own dreams, making decisions in their dreams and influencing the dream's outcome without awakening. Click here for a more in depth look at lucid dreams. TOP
Nightmares
A nightmare is a disturbing dream that causes you to wake up feeling anxious and frightened. Nightmares may be a response to real life trauma and situations. These type of nightmares fall under a special category called Post-traumatic Stress Nightmare (PSN). Nightmares may also occur because you have ignored or refused to accept a particular life situation. Research shows that most people who have regular nightmares have a family history of psychiatric problems, are involved in a rocky relationship or have had bad drug experiences. These people may have also contemplated suicide. Nightmares are an indication of a fear that needs to be acknowledged and confronted. It is a way for the subconscious to wake up and take notice. "Pay attention!" Click here for a more in depth look at nightmares.
TOP
Recurring Dreams
Recurring dreams repeat themselves with little variation in story or theme. These dreams may be positive, but most often they are nightmarish in content. Dreams may recur because a conflict depicted in the dream remains unresolved or ignored. Once you find a resolution to the problem, your recurring dreams will cease. Click here for a more in depth look of recurring dreams.. TOP
Healing Dreams
Healing dreams serve as messages for the dreamer in regards to their health. The Ancient Greeks called these dreams "prodromic". Many dream experts believe that dreams can help in avoiding potential health problems and healing when you are ill or when you are grieving. Research shows that asthma and migraine sufferers have certain types of dreams before an attack. Your bodies are able to communicate to your mind through dreams. The dreams can "tell" you that something is not quite right with your bodies even before any physical symptoms show up. Dreams of this nature may be telling the dreamer that he or she needs to go to the dentist or doctor. If you can understand the language of dreams, your dreams will serve as an invaluable early warning system. They can help inform, advise and heal. TOP
Prophetic Dreams
Prophetic dreams, also referred to as precognitive or psychic dreams, are dreams that seemingly foretell the future. One rational theory to explain this phenomenon is that your dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that you may normally overlook or that you do not seriously consider. In other words, your unconscious mind knows what is coming before you consciously piece together the same information. Click here for a more in depth look at prophetic dreams. TOP
Signal Dreams
Signal dreams help you how to solve problems or make decisions in your waking life. TOP
Epic Dreams
Epic dreams (also referred to as Great Dreams, Cosmic Dreams or Numinous Dreams) are so huge, so compelling, and so vivid that you cannot ignore them. The details of such dreams remain with you for years, as if you just dreamt it last night. These dreams possess much beauty and contain many archetypal symbology. When you wake up from such a dream, you feel that you have discovered something profound or amazing about yourself or about the world. It feels like a life-changing experience. Learn more on how to recognize an epic dream, by clicking here. TOP
Progressive Dreams
Progressive dreams occur when you have a sequence of dreams that continue over a period of nights. The dream continues where you left off the previous night. Such dreams are problem-solving dreams and help to explore different options and various approaches to a problem, situation or relationship. TOP
Mutual Dreams
Mutual dreams are described as such when two people have the same dream. Mutual dreams may be planned, meaning that two people actively work toward achieving one dream scenario or goal. It is a way to improve communication and build trust. Mutual dreams can also be spontaneous. You find out that a friend, a significant other, faraway relative, or someone has had the same dream on the same night as you. Not much study has gone into the phenomenon of mutual dreams, but there is a very strong bond that exist between these two people. TOP
For more in depth info please go to
http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtypes/
Dream Journals
original graphic by Kenzie
Keeping a Dream Journal
Keeping a dream journal is an important part of lucid dreaming. Fortunately, it's easy and fun - and ultimately improves your awareness of the dream state, making it easier to wake up in dreams.
The average person has five sleep cycles per night. At the end of each cycle, there is a period of REM sleep. Most people dream for 100 minutes each night. The closer it is to morning, the longer your REM sleep becomes.
So you are more likely to remember dreams as you wake up in the morning - the best time to write in your dream diary...
How to keep a dream journal may seem obvious. But there are a few things worth remembering. So here we go...
Step One
Find a notebook or journal specifically to record your dreams in. Keep it within arm's reach of the bed. Dreams fade quickly on awakening so you need to write them down as soon as you wake.
If you get up, walk around and start talking about other things, it will cause motor neurons to fire in your brain. This is what "overwrites" the memory of the dream. So be ready to jot down a few details first thing.
Step Two
Note down the date of your dream. Then write down everything you can remember. Write everything in the present tense (eg "I am walking down the street when a frog jumps out of the bushes"). This helps with remembering dreams by putting you in the moment.
Step Three
Identify dream themes. Think about the location, characters, sensations, sounds, objects and emotions of the dream. Underline key themes that may help with interpreting dreams (eg, "the frog is sad because he knows a drought is coming").
You may want to analyze the themes and fully interpret your dream. Otherwise, continue to write down all the memorable details in your dream journal.
Anything that you can associate with established neural patterns is also important (eg, you feel protective over a puppy). This may be a dream symbol or concept that represents a real life issue.
Step Four
Don't worry about spelling, punctuation and grammar. As long as you can read it back later and it still makes sense, you are fine.
Step Five
Sketch any strong images from the dream. It doesn't matter if you're not an artist. A sketch is just to help you visualize the dream later on.
Step Six
When you have finished, jot down any major life issues that are going on right now. For instance, you may be suffering from a broken heart. Over time, you will be able to link your subconscious dream symbols with real life issues.
Step Seven
Give the dream an appropriate title. Nothing flashy, just something to remember it by. If you became lucid at any point in the dream, write "L" for lucid in a circle by the title. Identify what caused you to become lucid (unless it was a WILD).
Dream Journal: FAQ
How often should I write in my dream journal?
Write down your dreams whenever you get the urge. It doesn't have to be every day - a few times a week is usually enough. (But obviously, the more you remember, the better.) Sometimes you won't feel bothered because real life just seems more important. A wise choice! In fact, I would be worried if you did put your dreams before real life.
How can I improve my awareness of dreams?
If you have difficulty remembering dreams, your journal may look a little bare. Don't worry. Start by writing down little snippets - anything at all - and watch your dream recall improve over time. Try listening to self hypnosis recordings which remind you to remember your dreams. It may help to sleep in for an extra half hour on weekends. Just before you wake up, you are flirting on the border of consciousness and REM sleep. This is the best time for remembering dreams... and having lucid dreams!
How can dream themes help me become lucid?
Finding common themes and symbols will also help you create lucid dream triggers. Over time, see if you can find any recurring themes, such as running away from something. Remind yourself to become lucid every time this happens. The next time you are running away from something in a dream, you may be pleasantly surprised by a conscious realization!
Online Dream Journals
You may have seen some websites offering online dream journals. Beware - these could be red herrings. There are three reasons why I don't use them:
First, you have to get out of bed and log on to your computer before you can record your dreams. This isn't me being lazy. Remember what I said earlier about neurons firing away in the brain? That neuron activity will increase when you get side-tracked checking your emails too. By the time you get down to writing, key elements of the dream will be lost forever.
Second, if you don't regularly save a back up, you risk losing your entire dream history. All computers give up the ghost eventually. But your dream journal is meant to last for years. Don't risk losing it! Make sure your journals are all hard copy - books and notepads are cheap and reliable.
"Dreams digest the meals that are our days"
Astrid Alauda
Third, I checked out a few public dream journals before writing this - and you know what? There is nothing quite as tedious as reading about other people's dreams! (Of course, lucid dreams are another matter.) But as for your average dream from your average Joe - it is really not worth your precious time. Focus on your own dreams. Those are the most important dreams of all.
