The ability that human beings have to conjure up different thoughts, feelings, and images while they sleep is perhaps one of the most perplexing concepts of all time. Dreams are incredibly fascinating, mostly because so much about them has yet to be uncovered. Scientists, physicians, and psychologists have all completed studies on the subject in attempts to further their knowledge on the act of dreaming; unfortunately, most experiments have only provided a limited amount of information.
The most commonly asked question when it comes to dreams is: What exactly causes them?
Dr. Jamie Goodwin, psychology professor at the University, explained that when it comes to the answer, there are a handful of various theories, all of which have yet to be disproved. However, there are so many theories that no one is quite sure which one is correct.
“Some people think they [dreams] are the brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural impulses. Others believe they serve as a sorting function, helping to process the day’s events into our memories, while another theory is that dreams are the brain’s way of working on problems that we were unable to solve during the day,” Goodwin explained.
She also discussed the ideas of Sigmund Freud, a renowned psychologist who focused mainly on human actions and dreams.
Goodwin explained that according to Freud, dreams are simply a person’s way of expressing unconscious, unacceptable wishes and impulses. Add this theory to the list of those previously mentioned and that still doesn’t cover half of the ideas presented by other men and women studying this particular subject.
“It may be the case that, at different times, many or all of these are true,” added Goodwin, further exemplifying the uncertainty of the initial cause of dreams.
Not only does that aspect of this phenomenon of the human mind continue to stump almost all those interested in the subject, but it also seems that the confusion doesn’t stop there.
As it turns out, most people have difficulty remembering their dreams after waking up in the morning.
Freshman Alison Goerke explained that on the days in which she remembered her dream from the night before, it was difficult for her to remember it in its entirety. “I always remember little pieces of them, not the full dream. I usually remember something random or something that confused me,” she said.
Goodwin explained that this is because “The chemicals of the brain do not operate the same way when we sleep as when we are awake. There may be something about sleeping-neurochemistry that prevents effective consolidation of memories.” The difficulty associated with recalling dreams is also due to the fact that while we are asleep, we are unable to consciously pay attention to what is happening in our subconscious thoughts.
If a person is, however, looking to remember more of what occurs in his or her dreams, Goodwin suggests keeping a journal or tape recorder by the bed so that every detail that can be recalled is recorded immediately upon waking up in the morning. This will help ensure that as many details as possible are put on record, which may help someone better understand their dream in the future.
Many people may also ask what sort of influence the outside world has on a person’s dreams and vice versa.
In terms of the real world affecting the dream world, Goerke spoke from her own personal experience. “I always have people from real life in my dreams, maybe someone I saw that day for the first time in a while, or a picture of someone,” said Goerke. “A lot of the times they’re inspired by pictures I see.” Many times, objects that someone sees throughout the day act as triggers later that night in their dreams.
Consequently, although there is no scientific proof that dreams have the ability to affect a person’s real life.
Brittany Hoops, a freshman, would beg to differ. “Most of my dreams will include some aspect of my life or what I did that day. Other times, I’ll have a dream and something from it will happen or remind me of the dream the next day. It’s a little freaky,” Hoops explained. There are plenty of other people like her; people who claim that they see things in their dreams.
But whether or not dreams really do have the ability to affect a person’s reality mostly depends on their way of looking at things.
Goodwin said, “Some choose to take dreams as guiding messages of how to live their lives while others discount them as meaningless.”
Even though dreaming is something that we all do, it continues to remain one of life’s biggest mysteries. There are thousands of scientists and psychologists trying to gain more insight on this incredible act of the human brain, but until they are able to provide us with substantial evidence of any of their findings, we’ll have to stick with what we know, even if it isn’t a whole lot.
IMAGE TAKEN from drozfans.org
