DreamsToo much pizza or meaning?

The Basics

• Dreams are most vivid during REM.– Vivid, clear imagery– Plots that make sense (even if

unrealistic)

• Dreams that are disorganized or made of fleeting images occur during NREM

• Sounds and sensations while dreaming usually become incorporated into our dreams

The Basics

• 50/50 – dreams in b/w vs. color

• 70% of dreams about people we know– Reflect our lives (friends, fam., work,

etc.)– Common to dream about worries, fears,

feelings

• Often forget b/c we have difficulty moving info from states of consciousness

Types of dreams

• Daydream– 70-120 minutes per day– Between sleep and wakefulness– Imaginations carry us away– “wandering mind” – awareness

decreases– Imagined scenarios and fantasy

Types of Dreams

• Lucid Dream– Realization that you are dreaming

within the dream– Most awaken when they realize they

are dreaming– Some can learn to keep dreaming,

enabling them to control the direction of the dream

Types of Dreams

• Nightmares– Disturbing– Dreamer awakens anxious/scared– May be based on reality (PTSN)– Most who have regular nightmares

have a family history of psychiatric probs

– May indicate an underlying prob that needs to be addressed

Types of Dreams

• Recurring Dreams– Repeating dreams w/ little variation– Can be positive, usually nightmares– Often circle around an unresolved

problem in your life

Types of Dreams

• Healing Dreams– May indicate a health prob– Can actually tell the dreamer what is

ailing them

Types of Dreams

• Prophetic Dreams– AKA precognitive dreams– Appear to foretell the future– May be that the unconscious pieces

together information like a mystery before we do so consciously

Types of Dreams

• Epic Dreams– Huge, compelling, vivid dreams– Impossible to ignore– Remember for years like it was

yesterday

Dream Theories

• Freudian (Psychodynamic):– Dreams reflect a person’s unconscious

wishes and urges– Most of these wishes are

unacceptable or painful– Symbolic dreams allow people to fantasize or deal with pain unconsciously

Dream Theories

• Cognitive:– Dreams are connected to reality – no

hidden content– Dreams express CURRENT wishes,

desires, issues with which a person is dealing

Dream Theories

• Biopsychological:– Dreams are biological, not

psychological activity– Sleep neurons fire in parts of brain

that control movement and vision– Neuron bursts are random – brain

tries to make sense of them by creating a story (dream)

Top Ten Dreams

• Kissing– Self = youthful energy of love– Others = you know too much about

them

• Water– Usually reflects emotion – (what is happening in/around water)– May reflect feeling of renewal, new life, refreshment

Top Ten Dreams

• Nudity– Shows you feel vulnerable

• Money– How you value money– Controlled by the desire for it, lack of

it, or the inability to control themselves w/ it

Top Ten Dreams

• Losing a valuable object/person– Extension of our self awareness– Object – afraid of losing something

new– Person – questions about commitment

• Flying– Dreams transcend circumstances –

safer perspective– Avoid danger or see it as unimportant

Top Ten Dreams

• Colors– Different colors mean different things– Only significant if they really stand

out

• Running– Pressure in life – Usually running from something

Top Ten Dreams

• Sex– Inappropriate – something forbidden is

exciting to you– Own sexual frustrations– Someone has violated our boundaries

• Teeth– Embarrassment or potentially

embarrassing situations– May be physical (sensitive or grinding)

Analyzing a Dream

• Write it down immediately– 50% gone after 5 minutes– 90% gone after 10 minutes

• Determine Dream Theme or Concept– What is the main theme– What is the big picture– Take away details, names, things,

places and leave only the action

Analyzing a Dream

• Match the theme or concept to a specific area of your life– 90% of dreams are about you– What area of my life is this dream

about?– Think about emotions– Relate this to theme

Analyzing a Dream

• Look at the details to help you finish the picture– The symbols in the dream have

meaning– Use a dream dictionary to give the

most common definition of the item

• Take a closer look at the personal symbols– Look at all the symbols and decide

which are most meaningful to you

Analyzing a Dream

• Decoding the Symbols– Associating:

•Look at something and take note of the first thing that it reminds you of

•Do this until you reach an “Ah-hah”

– Amplification:•List what each symbol means to you

Tips to remember dreams

• Get plenty of rest• Remind yourself before bed that you

want to remember your dreams• Have a notebook and pen beside the

bed• Make your 1st thought when you

awaken “What did I dream?”– Don’t move– Replay dream – may need to work back

Tips to remember a dream

• Record the dream as you recall it– If you can, write it during the night– At least write key points, themes,

plots– Write out any dialogue

• Alarm clock– REM about every 90 minutes– Set alarm for morning based on this