what do dreams mean???? window to the unconscious vs. a simple biochemical reaction

What do Dreams Mean????

Window to the unconscious vs.

A simple biochemical reaction

Dream Lore• Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews, Muslims, &

Assyrians:• Saw dreams as messages from the supernatural beings or gods.

• Hindus• dreams are prophetic, and the timing of the dream will indicate how soon

the prophecy will come to pass

• Japanese• dreams are sought as visions to help answer questions that are plaguing the

waking self. Usually the answers come from ancestral spirits.

• Australian Aborigines• The spirits from underground rise and wander in the land of the living, and

when they pass through a mortal being, a "greater vision" is momentarily acquired… this would be what we call a dream

• North American Indians• Hidden wishes of the soul are addressed and fulfilled in dreams. Visions

can also be sought after in the hopes of answering a question or resolving a conflict.

DREAMINGDREAMING

• We dream about 4-5 times a night

• That is the same as 116,800 to 146,000 dreams by the time you are 80 years old!!!

DREAMS

• REM sleep = clear imagery and plots make sense (even though

may be unrealistic)• NREM

= plots vaguer & images more fleeting

Warm-up

• What is a dream that you vividly remember from your past?

• Pair Share & Discuss

Dream Basics

• We all dream, at least if we are healthy, though some never remember

• And even they can be taught• The amygdala (emotion) often active • REM can take place without dreaming

• We don’t need REM to dream, but such dreams are usually much more mundane

REM Dreams

• Often quite bizarre

• Full of visual imagery, sounds and intense emotion

• Prompted by brain structures associated with motivation, emotion, and reward and then spun through our potent visual association areas

• No access to reflective thought or reality

What, if anything, do they mean?

• Do they foretell the future?

• Do they reflect wishes unfulfilled?

• Can they diagnose illnesses?

• Do they have any adaptive value?

• Should we ever be ashamed of our dreams?

The Victorian Zeitgeist

• Strict moral standards

• Repressed sexuality• Extreme modesty in dress

• Verbal/written communication about emotion or sexual feeling not allowed (improper to even say “leg”)

1837-1901

Freud’s Methods

• Only worked with adults, usually middle and upper-class women

Tried to be a neutral, objective listener, a blank slate

Perspectives on dreaming

• Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams (1900)

• Struck by how often clients described them

• Viewed them as indispensable to understanding personality – “The royal road to the unconscious.”

Various theories about dreamsVarious theories about dreams

• Sigmund Freud-Sigmund Freud-o One of the most famous psychologists who believed that

dreams occur from repressed emotions that people cannot express in a normal society

o The unconscious mind acts out the unacceptable behaviors, ideas, and desires that, in the waking life, are stifled

o He believed that dreams were most often based on symbolism for sexual desires

• After many books were published about dreams and their meanings since the 1970’s, many popular theories arose about the reasons why we dream and how we can understand the hidden meanings within them

Dream Interpretation

• Manifest Content: what a person remembers and consciously considers

• Latent Content: underlying (symbolic) hidden meaning (believed to be a manifestation of the unconscious)

Dream Interpretation

• “Royal road to the unconscious”

• What is important in dreams is the infantile wish fulfillment represented in them

• Freud assumed every dream has a meaning that can be interpreted by decoding representations of the unconscious material

• Dream symbol = represents some person, thing, or activity involved in the unconscious process

Dream Interpretations(common symbols)

Knife, umbrella, snake

Box, oven, ship

Falling

Staircase, ladder

Water

Baldness, tooth removal

Left (direction)

Children playing

Fire

Robber

Room, table with food

Penis

Uterus

Anxiety

Sexual intercourse

Birth, mother

Castration

Crime, sexual deviation

Masturbation

Bedwetting

Father

Women

Various theories about dreamsVarious theories about dreams

• Carl Jung-o Carl Jung believed that dreams served as time to reflect on

one’s self in the “waking world”o Dreams could also help solve problems and are used to think

about particularly difficult issues

Various theories about dreamsVarious theories about dreams• Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley-

o In 1973, these two researchers proposed an entirely new theory about the origin and purpose of dreams

o When sleeping, the brain pulls experiences and imagery from the dreamer’s memory through “random electrical brain impulses” that form together as dreams

o The researchers also felt that the images pulled from one’s brain do not actually form a story, but the dreamer’s conscious mind creates a story in order to try and decipher what happened in the unconscious mind, and this theory is known as the activation-synthesis hypothesis

Various theories about dreamsVarious theories about dreams• Calvin S. Hall-

o Calvin believed that dreams are formed from certain elements in a dreamer’s personal life

o After studying over 50,000 dream journals to find various patterns and themes, Hall devised a system that categorized the content of a dream

o He believed that in order to understand a specific dream, there are certain aspects that are needed to do so: the actions of the dreamer, the various objects and people, the interaction between the characters, and how the dream transitions as well as where the setting is are all necessary when defining a dream

Various theories about dreamsVarious theories about dreams• Calvin S. Hall-

o It is called cognitive theory of dreams and is based on the thought that ideas of one’s self, family, friends, and environment are expressed through dreams

o Through his many years of research, Calvin discovered that dreams of people from all across the world are generally more similar than they are different

o With sleep journals that spanned through generations, he concluded that dreams remain pretty consistent, although the changes corresponded with the changes in waking life

Various theories about dreamsVarious theories about dreams• G. William Domhoff-

o A colleague of Calvin Hall who studied at the University of Miamio Through extensive research, Domhoff theorized that dreams were manifested based on the

concerns, thoughts, and emotions that a dreamer dealt with when his brain was consciouso He believed that dreams served as a great “psychological portrait” of an individual

o “Give us 1000 dreams over a couple of decades and we can give you a profile of the person's mind that is almost as individualized and accurate as her or his fingerprints.” –G. William Domhoff (the “Purpose” of Dreams)

Carlos castenada

• 70’s sensation

• A shaman’s apprentice?

• His best selling books focused attention on the conscious manipulation of the dream state, done to gain personal power

• Better known as lucid dreaming

• Fact or fiction?

Dream Terminology • Dream censorship-

• the issues of a dream are omitted to hide the true meaning • Symbolism-

• the manifestation of an object, idea, or feeling, in some "concrete" form that is in the dream.

• Condensation- • taking large issues, or more than one issue, and representing

it is a dream with only one image• i.e. fearing your new girlfriend, missing your mother and

personality fixations revolving around an oral fixation may be represented in a dream with just a baby with a pacifier

• Displacement- • replacement of issues (conflicts) by something remote or

nothing • i.e. a big issue is only a small element of a dream, while a

small issue seems to get all the attention

Freud’s Dream Levels• #1 Manifest

• The left over remnants of the day that the mind uses as a stage to hide the deeper issues of a dream

• #2 Latent (hidden)• The unconscious

conflicts that the dreamer is experiencing

Freud’s Dream Interpretation

• Do not trouble yourself over the manifest's meaning

• Free associate • Hidden thoughts will appear

on their own, we can not rush them along

Freud’s Dream Levels

Freud’s Dream “Generalities”• a house = the human form

if the house is flat (no balconies or things coming off the house)- it is a man if the house has balconies, awnings, etc., then it is usually a women

• Kings/Queens, Emperors/Empresses = parents

• little animals/vermin = siblings • water = birth • journeys/travel = dying

Freud’s Dream “Generalities”• the #3, umbrellas, sticks, poles, trees, (things that

penetrate) knives, daggers, lances, sabers, guns, pistols, revolvers, (things form which water flow) taps, water cans, springs (objects that get longer) balloons, slide rulers, (things that defy gravity) airplanes, and snakes, etc.

• Represents: the male sex organs • pits, hallows, caves (things that hold things) jars, bottles,

boxes, chests, coffers, pockets, cupboards, stoves, rooms, (things that hold other things) mouths, doors, gates, (things that represent breasts) apples, peaches fruits, and (others) woods, shrubs, bushes, etc.

• Represents: female sex organs • dancing, riding, climbing, or experiencing some violent act• Represents: Intercourse

Freud’s Dream “Generalities”

• What would Freud say about the symbolism in your dream?

• Pair Share

Dream Recall Techniques

• You have to want to remember

• Reread over past dreams

• Be patient and do not force a memory

• Keep a journal

Activation- synthesis theory

• Dreams arise when the pons sends random signals to the cerebral cortex during REM sleep

• The cerebral cortex than tries to tie these together into some sort of a coherent tale by comparing these neuronal firings with stored memories

What do dreams REALLY mean?

Neurocognitive theory

• Dreams are a type of thinking that happens under special conditions

• Three factors:

cortical activity

little sensory stimulation

loss of control over thinking

• This combination leads to a situation where emotions and imagination run wild

Neurocog ii

• Systematic studies reveal that people usually dream about things they are concerned about

• Cognitive maturity facilitates dreaming

• Finally, this theory claims that dreams lack any adaptive value, they are just a curious by-product of our cognitive capabilities

Dream diaries

• To best remember dreams: Every night tell yourself that you will

remember your dreams Keep your diary right by your bed Write them down immediately Tell someone else Keep track of life events Record your interpretations

A dream before dying

• Many have noted the profound dreams people often experience shortly before death

• Rev. Patricia Bulkey, a chaplain for a hospice, has collected a number of these

• Her work has noted common themes:

going on journeys

reunions with deceased loved ones

Before dying ii

• Strangely, although the dreams often point to the inevitability and finality of death, they usually soothe

• Part of family lore

• Sometimes they warn of unfinished business

• Lincoln, Yung

Why study dreams?Why study dreams?

• Although many people believe that studying dreams is pointless because dreams “don’t mean anything”, by carefully observing someone’s dreams, a lot about the individual person as well as the brain as a whole becomes clear

• Freud believed that studying dreams can allow us to possibly understand neurotic disorders more, and by using dreams, we open the door into the mystery of the unconscious mind. o If many dreams from one person are

analyzed, we can use them to understand what is causing abnormal behavior as well as what is altering the person’s behavior

o “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious” –Sigmund Freud

• Some people believe that if someone experiences a recurring dream, then the unconscious mind is trying to warn the dreamer that he is continually making the same mistake in his life

• Overall, by understanding dreams, people can learn the mysterious signals that their bodies and minds are sending to them about their wishes, desires, and emotions

Top 10 common dreams

• The Association for the Study of Dreams has done extensive research finding dreams that many people of all ages and around the world have shared, and has studied the meaning and the feelings behind the creation of those common dreams.

10. A car driving off a cliff or crashing

• People of all ages can have this dream, not just people who can drive

• This common dream includes the dreamer either being the passenger of the car or the driver

• A few different scenarios could be involved in this dream: while driving, your breaks may fail, you lose control of the steering, or you head over a cliff

• Interpretation: The dreamer is feeling completely powerless over some situation in his life

9. Faulty machinery

• In dreams, many types of technology can show up, including telephones that don’t dial, lose connection, or call the wrong number, lost internet connection, or general broken machinery that does not function as it should

• Interpretation: The dreamer is losing touch with reality or part of his body is not properly functioning. Alternatively, the dream could mean that he is worried about connecting with certain people in real life

10 top dreams continued…10 top dreams continued…

8. Lost or trapped

• When a dreamer is lost, he is most commonly lost in a forest, a large city, or a building that feels and looks like a maze

• Being trapped in a dream usually creates terror when you are unable to move, you are buried alive, caught in a web, or trapped in some sort of scary situation

• Interpretation: When the lost dream occurs, the feelings of trying to make a decision or react in a situation are usually prominent within the dreamer, and when the trapped dream occurs, the person may actually feel “trapped” in some way when they’re awake, or they can’t seem to make the right choice

7. Missing public transportation

• A common dream is running to catch some form of public transportation such as a train, bus, or plane, but it leaves right before the dreamer reaches it

• Another variation of this type of dream is when an event is occurring, and the person has to participate in it but he comes late and the event has already begun without him

• Interpretation: In real life, a missed opportunity or an emotionally taxing decision can cause this dream to manifest

Top 10 dreams Top 10 dreams continued…continued…

6. Failing a test

o This type of dream is most common in people who have been out of school for a long period of time

o A test is failed in this type of dream when the person is late to the test, he becomes lost while trying to find the testing place, he did not prepare for the material, or he does not have the proper equipment

o Interpretation: A dreamer could feel that he is being tested in some way in his life, or he is unprepared or is not playing the proper and correct part in his life

5. Ill or dying

• This is a dream that includes seeing a loved one become ill or die, or experiencing it yourself

• Interpretation: The person has been emotionally hurt recently or he is afraid something will hurt him

o If someone else is dying or is hurt in the dream, the dreamer is representing a part of himself in that other person, and therefore he is watching a part of himself die or a part that he fears losing

4. Being chased

• The chaser in these dreams are monsters, a particularly frightening person, or an animal

• This has been considered the most common nightmare theme experienced in people

• Interpretation: Something in the dreamer’s life, whether it is a person or even an emotion, makes the dreamer feel threatened

Top 10 dreams continued…Top 10 dreams continued…

3. Missing or unhealthy teeth

• In this dream, when the dreamer opens his mouth, his teeth will be decayed and unhealthy or they will begin to drop out of his mouth

• Interpretation: In a basic sense, dreaming about missing teeth can represent fear of becoming unattractive or being found as ugly, but in a deeper sense, this dream could be manifested from embarrassment or when the dreamer loses power

2. Dream nudity

• Despite what this type of dream is called, the dreamer is not always completed naked in them; instead he can find himself partially undressed or wearing clothes that are inappropriate for his surroundings, such as wearing a bathing suit to school

• The most common feelings described with this dream are embarrassment or a sense freedom

• Interpretation: The person feels extremely vulnerable or awkward in his life, and he stays in a shell instead of revealing who he is

1. Falling or sinking

• This is the most common type of dream that almost everyone has at some point in their life

• The scenario is usually falling through the air, but it can also be seen as drowning in water

• Interpretation: The person is insecure and does not receive the support he needs, or the dreamer feels overwhelmed and almost wants to give up

Differences between men and women Differences between men and women

• Research about the different types of dreams that people have has led to the discovery of how men and women dream differently

• Men-o In one study, men were seen to

have more aggression occurring in their dreams

o Men appear in a man’s dream twice as much as women do

o Men are more likely to dream about sex (85% of a male study claim to dream about sex occasionally)

o The dreams are more frequently located in an outside setting

• Women-o William Donhoff concluded that women’s

dreams feature more details and characters than men’s, and they usually last longer

o Women seem to dream about both men and and women equally

o Seem to have more nightmares than men, which can be broken down into three categories: being chased, losing a loved one, or confusion

o 83% of women dream about being chased

o More likely to have a family member as a character