Dreams have been a part of a human’s life from the time that they are in the womb. What do dreams mean? Since ancient times people have tried to discern a meaning from their dreams. Most dreaming is done during the REM stage of sleep and the dreams that are most vivid in memory occur during REM sleep. Dreaming is a normal and healthy part of sleeping. Usually dreams consist of images, stories, and feelings. Studies have shown that dreams can reflect a person’s day to day activities and almost serve as a therapist while you are sleeping. Oftentimes people wonder if their dreams have a deeper meaning and many times they do. People may dream about prevalent things that are happening in their lives and it can be a way for them to cope and process what they are dealing with whether it be positive or negative.
Dream analysis has become more widely researched but it is a time consuming process. There are a lot of questions that regard dreaming but not a lot of answers. Dreams have been researched for many years by various scientists but there is not a clear answer as to why we dream. There are many different theories regarding dreams. One of which is that during REM sleep there is a lot of neuronal activity that occurs and therefore dreaming might just be a meaningless side effect of brain activity. There is another theory by researcher Rosalind Cartwright, PhD, who believes that dreams are a mechanism in which the brain deals with emotions, memories, and problem solving. She further affirms that dreams are essential to maintain good mental health.
Dream analysis has become an important part for some peoples daily life. It can help people who are suffering from mental health issues. Therapists will ask their patients to remember their scary dreams in effort to target a problem that a patient may be dealing with. By doing dream analysis it allows for any specific issues that someone may be dealing with to be looked at in a new perspective and try to change the outlook that the dream may reflect.
In recent times scientists have created algorithms to analyze dreams. Luca Maria Aiello a scientist who has been a vital part of the algorithm that has been created to learn about dreams. Aiello and his colleagues have developed an algorithm which analyzed 24,000 dreams which were collected in a digital dream bank. The dream bank is a public database system in which it can break down and group together dreams based on many different categories. This system could help therapists target specific dreams which may be indicators of mental health issues, or something that may be causing stress to the patient. It is a way to target issues which may have not been possible without dream analysis.
Dreams can vary in people in different ways. Based on gender, age, and the emotional/mental state of someone. The research being conducted takes all of these aspects into account to try to gauge the meaning that dreams could hold for every person. Dreams can be a way for someone to understand themselves better.
Dreaming is something all humans do whether we remember them or not. They can be indicators of something to focus on and take into account or sometimes they simply make for a pleasant sleep. Dreaming is vast and perplexing but at the same time provides a certain peace and comfort. Dreams can be mystifying and perhaps be a nocturnal therapist. Humans spend a third of their lives sleeping and in turn dreaming. There is always research being done to find conclusive evidence regarding the meaning of dreams but until then make sure to get enough rest and dream a little dream.
Purnima Chopra
References
Hartley, Charlotte. “This New Algorithm Can Find the Hidden Patterns in Your Dreams.” Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2020, www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/new-algorithm-can-find-hidden-patterns-your-dreams.
Fogli, Alessandro, et al. “Our Dreams, Our Selves: Automatic Analysis of Dream Reports.” Royal Society Open Science, vol. 7, no. 8, 2020, p. 192080. Crossref, doi:10.1098/rsos.192080.
The National Sleep Foundation. “Dreams: Why Do We Dream.” Sleep Foundation, 28 July 2020, www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/your-dreams.
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