| Why Do You Dream? |
The brain receives stimuli from many different sources all day long.
There are far too many stimuli for it to process. The mind prioritizes
the stimuli and makes you aware of those that need immediate
attention (the crying baby, the out-of-control car, your boss' request)
so that you may act accordingly. The stimuli that you are not
consciously aware of are nevertheless noted by the brain, but on a
subconscious level (the drip of the bathroom water faucet, the remark
by a coworker at the water cooler while you were on the telephone.)
Furthermore, you feel emotions all day. Some you acknowledge and
act on (you say thank you and smile when you are complimented.)
Some you repress or do not allow yourself to act on (you don't punch
your boss in the nose when he tells you the report you worked on for
a week is no longer needed.) Traumatic experiences occur that you
face (you call the police) or if it too painful, you deny them happening
and send them deep into your subconscious (repression.)
In addition to all these emotions and stimuli the brain must process
daily, it also keeps your body functioning; it remembers names and
faces; it allows you to talk and walk and chew gum (sometimes all at
the same time); and performs numerous other activities that you take
for granted.
You must admit -- that's a lot to do. At night, when your body must
rest, the mind continues working. When no longer called upon to type
letters and do the grocery shopping, the brain concentrates on
processing all of those subconscious stimuli and emotions (while still
maintaining body temperature and breathing, etc.)
This is why we dream. Only you are not awake to receive the signals at
a conscious level -- you can not hear or see or touch (at a conscious
level) while you are sleeping. The brain must resort to other means to
get the signals through to your conscious mind. This is why we dream
the way we do. The mind uses everything at its disposal (which is
everything its ever been exposed to) to get the message across
(purple mud pies, Uncle George and your grade school classroom, for
instance.) Simply put, dreaming is the minds way of processing all of
the stimuli and emotions it has received during the day or repressed
over time, so that you may act on them.
All in all, it's a pretty neat system. But unless you are remembering
and making sense of your dreams, you are missing out on countless
opportunities to learn about yourself and experience life to its fullest.
Next step --Why Interpret Your Dreams?
There are far too many stimuli for it to process. The mind prioritizes
the stimuli and makes you aware of those that need immediate
attention (the crying baby, the out-of-control car, your boss' request)
so that you may act accordingly. The stimuli that you are not
consciously aware of are nevertheless noted by the brain, but on a
subconscious level (the drip of the bathroom water faucet, the remark
by a coworker at the water cooler while you were on the telephone.)
Furthermore, you feel emotions all day. Some you acknowledge and
act on (you say thank you and smile when you are complimented.)
Some you repress or do not allow yourself to act on (you don't punch
your boss in the nose when he tells you the report you worked on for
a week is no longer needed.) Traumatic experiences occur that you
face (you call the police) or if it too painful, you deny them happening
and send them deep into your subconscious (repression.)
In addition to all these emotions and stimuli the brain must process
daily, it also keeps your body functioning; it remembers names and
faces; it allows you to talk and walk and chew gum (sometimes all at
the same time); and performs numerous other activities that you take
for granted.
You must admit -- that's a lot to do. At night, when your body must
rest, the mind continues working. When no longer called upon to type
letters and do the grocery shopping, the brain concentrates on
processing all of those subconscious stimuli and emotions (while still
maintaining body temperature and breathing, etc.)
This is why we dream. Only you are not awake to receive the signals at
a conscious level -- you can not hear or see or touch (at a conscious
level) while you are sleeping. The brain must resort to other means to
get the signals through to your conscious mind. This is why we dream
the way we do. The mind uses everything at its disposal (which is
everything its ever been exposed to) to get the message across
(purple mud pies, Uncle George and your grade school classroom, for
instance.) Simply put, dreaming is the minds way of processing all of
the stimuli and emotions it has received during the day or repressed
over time, so that you may act on them.
All in all, it's a pretty neat system. But unless you are remembering
and making sense of your dreams, you are missing out on countless
opportunities to learn about yourself and experience life to its fullest.
Next step --Why Interpret Your Dreams?
Disclaimer: I do not profess to be an expert on
dreams. I have no degree in Psychology or any
other science. I profess to be a dreamer -- in
every sense of the word, because I dream and
I have learned to interpret my own dreams. I
make no promises that I can interpret your
dreams. II merely hope to help you learn to
interpret your own dreams. You are welcome
to learn from my experiences.
dreams. I have no degree in Psychology or any
other science. I profess to be a dreamer -- in
every sense of the word, because I dream and
I have learned to interpret my own dreams. I
make no promises that I can interpret your
dreams. II merely hope to help you learn to
interpret your own dreams. You are welcome
to learn from my experiences.
| Happy Dreaming! |
| The music you hear is Schumann's: Traumerei (Dreaming) performed and © John Bell Young. It is used with permission. |
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