Friday, 11 November 2011

DayDreams And Dreams!

A mix of all my hard work.

Daydreaming is classified as a level of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness.  Studies show that you have the tendency to daydream an average of 70-120 minutes a day. It occurs during  waking hours when you let your imagination carry you away. As your mind begins to wander and your level of awareness decreases, you lose yourself in your imagined scenario and fantasy.   Click here for a more in depth look at daydreams.        
False Awakening Dreams
Have you ever thought you have waken up and gone about your daily morning routine: getting up, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast and going to work, only to wake up "again" and realize that what just happened is just a dream. That sensation is referred to as a false awakening.   
Lucid dreams occur when you realize you are dreaming. "Wait a second. This is only a dream!" Most dreamers wake themselves up once they realize that they are dreaming. Other dreamers have cultivated the skill to remain in the lucid state of dreaming. They become an active participant in their own dreams, making decisions in their dreams and influencing the dream's outcome without awakening.   Click here for a more in depth look at lucid dreams.     
A nightmare is a disturbing dream that causes you to wake up feeling anxious and frightened. Nightmares may be a response to real life trauma and situations. These type of nightmares fall under a special category called Post-traumatic Stress Nightmare (PSN). Nightmares may also occur because you have ignored or refused to accept a particular life situation. Research shows that most people who have regular nightmares have a family history of psychiatric problems, are involved in a rocky relationship or have had bad drug experiences. These people may have also contemplated suicide.  Nightmares are an indication of a fear that needs to be acknowledged and confronted. It is a way for the subconscious to wake up and take notice. "Pay attention!"   Click here for a more in depth look at nightmares.  
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Recurring dreams repeat themselves with little variation in story or theme.  These dreams may be positive, but most often they are nightmarish in content.  Dreams may recur because a conflict depicted in the dream remains unresolved or  ignored. Once you find a resolution to the problem, your recurring dreams will cease.  Click here for a more in depth look of recurring dreams..   
Healing dreams serve as messages for the dreamer in regards to their health. The Ancient Greeks called these dreams "prodromic". Many dream experts believe that dreams can help in avoiding potential health problems and healing when you are ill or when you are grieving. Research shows that asthma and migraine sufferers have certain types of dreams before an attack. Your bodies are able to communicate to your mind through dreams. The dreams can "tell" you that something is not quite right with your bodies even before any physical symptoms show up. Dreams of this nature may be telling the dreamer that he or she needs to go to the dentist or doctor. If you can understand the language of dreams, your dreams will serve as an invaluable early warning system. They can help inform, advise and heal
Prophetic dreams, also referred to as precognitive or psychic dreams, are dreams that seemingly foretell the future.  One rational theory to explain this phenomenon is that your dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that you may normally overlook or that you do not seriously consider. In other words, your unconscious mind knows what is coming before you consciously piece together the same information.  Click here for a more in depth look at prophetic dreams.    
Signal dreams help you how to solve problems or make decisions in your waking life.   
Epic dreams (also referred to as Great Dreams, Cosmic Dreams or Numinous Dreams) are so huge, so compelling, and so vivid that you cannot ignore them. The details of such dreams remain with you for years, as if you just dreamt it last night. These dreams possess much beauty and contain many archetypal symbology.  When you wake up from such a dream, you feel that you have discovered something profound or amazing about yourself or about the world. It feels like a lie-changing experience.  Learn more on how to recognize an epic dream, by clicking here. 
Progressive dreams occur when you have a sequence of dreams that continue over a period of nights. The dream continues where you left off the previous night. Such dreams are problem-solving dreams and help to explore different options and various approaches to a problem, situation or relationship.  TOP  
Mutual dreams are described as such when two people have the same dream. Mutual dreams may be planned, meaning that two people actively work toward achieving one dream scenario or goal. It is a way to improve communication and build trust. Mutual dreams can also be spontaneous. You find out that a friend, a significant other, faraway relative, or someone has had the same dream on the same night as you. Not much study has gone into the phenomenon of mutual dreams, but there is a very strong bond that exist between these two people.  
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Athletic Running Dreams


"I'm Being Chased!"
Chase dreams are one of several common dream themes, stemming from feelings of anxiety in your waking life. Flee and flight is an instinctive response to a physical threat in the environment. In such dreams, the scenario often features you being pursued by an attacker, an animal, a monster or an unknown figure, who wants to hurt or possibly kill you. Consequently, you run, you hide or you try to outwit your pursuer. Your actions in the dream parallel how you would respond to pressure and cope with fears, stress or various situations in your waking life. Instead of confronting the situation, your dream indicates that you have a tendency to run away and avoid the issue. Ask yourself who is chasing you, so that you can gain a better understanding and insight on the source of your fears and anxieties.

The pursuer or attacker who is chasing you in your dream may also represent an aspect of yourself. Your own feelings of anger, jealousy, fear, and possibly love, can manifest itself as the threatening figure. Or the shadowy figure can symbolize the rejected characteristics of your Self. You may be projecting these feelings onto the unknown chaser. Next time you have a dream of being chased, turn around and confront your pursuer. Ask them why they are chasing you. What are you trying to run from?

If you are the one doing the chasing, then the dream may highlight your drive and ambition to go after something you want. Or perhaps the dream suggests that you are falling behind and having to catch up with everyone else.

Consider the distance or gap between you and your pursuer. This indicates your closeness to the issue. If the pursuer is gaining on you, then it suggests that the problem is not going to go away. The problem will surround you, until you confront and address it. However, if you are able to widen the gap between your pursuer, then you are able to successfully distance yourself from the problem. In essence, the problem is fading away.

A more direct analysis of chase dreams is the fear of being attacked. Such dreams are more common among women than men, who may feel physically vulnerable in the urban environment. These dreams are often brought about by the media, who magnifies fears of violence and sexual assault.
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Lucid Dreaming; Flying Dreams


"I'm Flying"

Flying dreams fall under a category of dreams known as lucid dreams. Lucid dreams occur when you become aware that you are dreaming. Many dreamers describe the ability to fly in their dreams as an exhilarating, joyful, and liberating experience.If you are flying with ease and are enjoying the scene and landscape below, then it suggests that you are on top of a situation. You have risen above something. It may also mean that you have gained a new and different perspective on things. Flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power.Having difficulties staying in flight indicates a lack of power in controlling your own circumstances. You may be struggling to stay aloft or stay on set course. Things like power lines, trees, or mountains may be obstacles that you encounter in flight. These obstacles symbolize something or someone who is standing in your way in your waking life. You need to identify what or who is trying to prevent you from moving forward. Difficulty flying may also be an indication of a lack of confidence or some hesitation on your part. You need to believe in yourself and not be afraid.If you are feeling fear when you are flying or that you are flying too high, then it suggests that you are afraid of challenges and of success. Perhaps you are not ready to take the next step.In reality, we cannot really fly, of course. Thus, such dreams can be representative of things that are beyond your physical limitations. In your mind, you can be anybody and do anything. Another way of interpreting flying dreams is that these dreams symbolize your strong mind and will. You feel undefeatable and that nobody can tell you what you cannot do and accomplish. Such dreams are sure to leave you with a great sense of freedom.

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Causes Of Nightmares

Hurray! My tenth post. I'm gonna make this special.

Causes Of Nightmares
In general, stress, trauma, fears, insecurities, feelings of inadequacy, health problems, marital issues, etc may all be reasons for having nightmares:
Childhood and Family - Present nightmares can be rooted in past neglect and trauma from childhood. From lack of love, neglect, alcoholism, to severe abuse, family members can be the most destructive influence on a person's life. Nightmares may be a sign of such inner turmoil.
Life - The way your life is going and the larger society as a whole can contribute to nightmares. Your perception of the world, heath, natural disasters, criticism about politics, finances, crime in the streets and your inability to control such events may sometimes lead to nightmares. 
Relationships - Your intimate relationships and  your daily interactions with people can also be a source of your nightmares.  Marital difficulties or pregnancy are other possible causes. You may be paranoid about how your think others perceive you or fear that others do not understand and see who you really are. Isolation and unhappiness may appear in nightmares as abandonment and loneliness.
Stress - The way you handle and deal with stress can trigger nightmares. Nightmares are a normal response to unacceptable levels of fear and stress. People diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder frequently have nightmares about their traumatic event, like war, rape, death of a loved one, car accident, plane crash, terrorism, etc. 
Work - Since most of us spend the majority of our day at work, it is no surprise that work-related issues are a common source for your nightmares. Stress, job security (or there lack of), change in jobs, co-workers,  unresolved work problems, or general dissatisfaction with what you do can manifest into a nightmare. The nightmare may reflect feelings of frustration and an inability to control your work-related issues. People in high-stress level or high-risk jobs often report of having nightmares. Nightmares of this nature may appear as you being attacked, chased, or being out of control.
Having nightmares are normal, but a high frequency of nightmares is a sign of being overwhelmed and excessive stress. These things should be dealt with directly. Nightmares can be an important resource for self-knowledge and emotional discovery. They convey an important message and help clear up the conflict in your life. it is important to distance yourself and work pass the emotional content (fear, grief, anger, etc.) of your nightmare and analyze it from an objective perspective. The disturbing emotions may be a way for your unconscious to prevent you from digging deep into the meaning of your nightmares.  Sometimes rehearsing or reliving the nightmare while you are awake and then changing the nightmare's content or outcome helps to dismantle the nightmare, breaking it down. It also helps to write your nightmares down in a journal. Although it may be difficult at times, it pays to try and make sense of those darker dreams.
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Sexual Dreams


Even in this sexually ‘open’ age, people are often worried because they've had dreams with a sexual content. In particular, it can be very disturbing if, in a dream, you do something that would be totally shocking for you in real life! For instance, a woman who leads an extremely chaste and respectable life may be troubled by dreams in which she has rampaging sex with dozens of handsome males.
Similarly, a man who prides himself on being 'straight' and who actually dislikes homosexuals, may be quite shattered to find that he has dreams in which he is engaging in sexual fondling with some good-looking guy!
However, a lot of people are not disturbed by their sexual dreams and simply enjoy them for what they are. This is normally the best attitude to take.

Why do we have sexual dreams?

We dream because of the intense activity that is constantly going on in our subconscious minds. And since sex is one of the most powerful of all human drives, it's not surprising that so many dreams have a strong sexual content.
If we have deep urges to do certain things, they are highly likely to come out in our dreams – where our consciences cannot prevent them happening.

But isn't it true that our consciences 'censor' sexy dreams?

Yes. The mind has something called a 'dream censor', which tends to 'clean up' dreams.
So, if a person who has a very strict puritanical outlook starts to have a sexy dream, their dream censor may alter that dream so that very 'rude' things are replaced by symbols.
Thus, a man of strict sexual morals may have a deep, unconscious desire to have sex with beautiful women. Instead of dreaming about vaginas, he will keep dreaming about tunnels and subways. Instead of dreaming about breasts he will dream about pleasant hillocks and mounds - and so on.
Similarly, a woman whose sexual morality is very strict won't dream of penises. Instead, she'll dream of penile symbols, like:
  • church spires
  • rockets
  • cigars
  • tall chimneys.
However, in our experience, this kind of 'dream symbolism' seems to be less common than it used to be. People are less 'hung up' than they were a generation or so ago - which is why they tend to dream about explicit sex, rather than symbols.

Do people have orgasms in dreams?

Definitely! Women don't do this very often, but it does happen - especially at times when they're 'highly charged' sexually.
When we were writing our book The Big 'O' (Hodder: 1995), a sizeable number of women reported to us that their first ever orgasm was in a dream.
However, it's more common for women just to get very excited during a dream – and then to wake up on the brink of orgasm and 'finish themselves off' by self-stroking.

What about men?

Most males (though not all) have many erotic dreams in their teens, 20s and 30s. The frequency of these dreams tends to get less with age, but a lot of sexually-charged males continue to experience pleasant erotic dreams far into their 60s and 70s.
In men, erotic dreams are very commonly 'wet dreams' – in other words, ones in which the guy reaches orgasm and ejaculates.
This can be quite an embarrassment for a young man, especially if he keeps on staining the sheets. But there is nothing that can be done to stop wet dreams. If stains are a problem, it's not a bad idea to wear shorts in bed.
However, in the case of very young males who produce large quantities of semen, staining of the sheets is almost impossible to avoid. Sleeping on a really thick towel may be helpful.

Are wet dreams harmful?

A lot of young men who are of Asian extraction believe that they are. They have been told – often by friends – that loss of semen weakens the body or shortens one’s life. But this is quite untrue. Wet dreams are just the body's natural response to its hormones – much as periods occur in women.

What should you do about disturbing sex dreams?

Most sex dreams are fun, and should just be enjoyed. Sometimes they involve activities that you may feel you'd never get up to in real life – like lesbianism or homosexuality. But this doesn't matter.
However, some people do get very distressing sex dreams – about such disturbing subjects as incest, violence or rape. If this keeps on happening to you, then there must be some psychological reason behind it.
If you are upset by these dreams, and you want to find out the reason for them, then it would be best to consult a therapist. Traditionally, those therapists with analytic backgrounds have been more in tune with – and experienced in – people's dream worlds. But some hypnotherapists are adept at helping a person gain control of their dreams by 're-designing' them during hypnosis so that they end differently and are therefore less disturbing.
There are two articles on this site that will help if you want to find a suitable therapist.

Dreams of love

Sometimes people have dreams where they are being taken care of, or loved very deeply, or cuddled – dreams that are not overtly sexual but which leave the dreamer feeling very drawn to the person in the dream who was being so affectionate.
These dreams can leave an individual feeling very shaken up and confused because often the 'love interest' in the dream is not a regular partner.
In our experience, these dreams can tell us a great deal. We believe that they are often there as some manifestation that all is not entirely well with our current situation. They often express a hankering for a loving experience that is absent from a marriage or long-term relationship.
If you have this kind of dream and feel disturbed by it, you may want to see a relationship therapist to explore why you are having these dreams.
Of course we all have dreams in which incongruous things happen with people we are not attached to in real life, but when these dreams haunt our waking moments through the next day and beyond, it is wise to take note of the possible message behind them.
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Why Do We Dream?


Did you know that by age 60 you will sleep 175,200 hours, dream 87,000 hours with 197,100 dreams? There are a significant number of people who remember their dreams but a very small percentage who are aware of what their dreams mean. Our vision here at the School of Metaphysics is to educate people about their dreams through columns such as this one, books, the annual National Dream Hotline®, and through our classes. 
There are several questions that people tend to ask about dreams. For instance, why do we dream and where do dreams come from? Your dreams tell you about your present state of awareness, this is why we dream. Dreams come from an inner place we call the subconscious mind and are presented to you in images which, when interpreted in the Universal Language of Mind, become personally relevant to you and your life. The meaning of these nighttime messages can literally change your life.
When studying dreams and learning to interpret them, you need to know the two universal principles which apply to everyone, everywhere, at all times. The first of these principles is that every dream is about the dreamer. The second principle is that every person, place and thing in the dream is the dreamer. We as human beings are very multi-faceted. A great majority of us are only aware of a small part of who we are. You can learn to expand your awareness of yourself by learning to interpret your dreams.
People in your dreams represent aspects of yourself. An aspect can be defined as a certain way in which you think and express. When you are dreaming of someone of the same sex [for example a woman is dreaming of another woman] this person symbolizes an aspect of your conscious mind. These are the ways in which you express yourself while awake. A person of the opposite sex symbolizes an aspect of your inner Self. The way to identify these aspects is to imagine yourself describing them to someone else. Here is an example: You are dreaming about a co-worker of the same sex. In your daily life you perceive this acquaintance as being compassionate, generous, and strong. These are the qualities of self (your Self) which are being addressed in the dream. You might not use these qualities to describe yourself, yet they are being brought out in your dream because your subconscious mind wants you to see that they are a part of your character. This is one way dreams expand our awareness -- we learn that we possess qualities we may not have known we had. 
A question often asked is, “Why do we dream?” Some theories state that dreams are a way in which we release stress. If this were true, then more people (especially those who are stressed-out) would remember their dreams. Remember that dreams come from the inner you, more specifically they are communications from your subconscious mind. All day long we are busy moving through our waking lives, taking in sensations from all around ourselves. During our nighttime slumber our conscious mind is stilled, providing us with the opportunity to receive communication from our subconscious mind.
You might ask, “Why is it so important that we receive information from our subconscious mind?” Our subconscious mind holds all of our understandings which we have gained either through this lifetime or other lifetimes. It has messages to share with the outer self that are rich with knowledge and wisdom. Our inner mind is our best friend, revealing to us the truth of our present state of thinking and expression. 
Others have asked, “Do we dream every night, because I rarely remember my dreams?” Yes, we do dream every night. Actually we dream several times in one night, as you might have figured out from the statistics given at the beginning of this column. We dream in ninety minute cycles. Most people do not know how to release their attention from their day’s activities when they go to sleep. They find themselves restless, tossing and turning throughout the night. If continued this restlessness forces the person to remain in a shallow level of sleep. Dreams occur in the deeper stages of sleep which means that one needs to learn how to relax and remove attention from the worries and concerns of the day in order to receive from the subconscious mind.
If you are one of those individuals who suffers from insomnia, or if you wake up feeling more tired than you did before you went to bed, there is a solution. Practice each day in every moment releasing your attention from your past situations and people in your life. Practice saying to yourself, “I am here right now and will give my full attention to what I am doing.” It will also help to practice relaxation exercises such as deep breathing exercises. To do this you take in a deep breath, filling your lungs full with air, hold the breath for a count of six, then release the breath slowly through your mouth. Attempt to remain breathless for a count of six. Repeat these steps for ten minutes each night before going to bed.
When you wake up in the morning record your dreams. If you don’t remember a dream, record the first thoughts you had as you were waking up. This will stimulate you to capture those precious messages from your best friend, your soul.
Sweet Dreams.•
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Dream related questions

All of my fans have been asking, i should post dream related questions. Since i have nothing to do,i shall go with you.

It is not at all unusual for a person to have more than one dream per night. In fact, it is perfectly normal! The trick is remembering all your dreams. Some people have trouble remembering one single dream, let alone multiple dreams. 
No, a person does not spend the entire night dreaming. A person spends about two hours in the dream state per night. A person moves through the four stages of the sleep cycle throughout the night. The final stage of the sleep cycle (referred to as REM sleep) is where dreaming occurs. Each cycle of sleep lasts anywhere from 60-90 minutes and then repeats itself throughout the night.
Everybody dreams! This is a scientifically proven fact. Research has shown that all human beings in a study exhibit brain activity during their sleep. Just because you cannot remember your dreams does not mean that you do not dream. So why is it that some people don't remember their dream? This may be attributed to alcohol consumption, certain antibiotics, fever, lack of sleep or too much sleep, high levels of stress, and/or unconscious fears about the content of your dreams. Some researchers believe that certain people have a genetic disposition to forget their dreams as they come out of their sleep. 
Dreams often reflect our experiences and life concerns. For this reason, children's dreams are different then the dreams of adults. The dreams of young children (3-5 year olds) usually have no real story line or any strong emotional content. Children around this age also frequently experience nightmares relating to their fears (strangers, monsters, loud noises, etc.) By the time children reaches their teen years, their dream patterns are matched closer to that of adults.
There is no scientific proof that dreams can predict and foretell the future. Yes, many people have had dreams that eventually came true afterwards. This can be explained in how we unconsciously gather little information here and there and when you have a dream, it puts together all this unconscious information before you are consciously able to do so. In short, you unconsciously already know what was going to happen and it only appears as if the dream had predicted the future. Another explanation is that such dream are mere coincidences or is the faulty memory of the dreamer.
This is still an unresolved topic amongst researchers as to the reason we have dreams. One theory suggests that dreams serve as a means for cleansing and release. During the day, we may hold back our feelings and repress our anger. Thus dreams serve as a safe outlet for us to release our negative emotions. Another theory says that dreams is a biologically necessary aspect of sleep. Research has shown that people who were prevented from entering the dream state and woken up before they can dream were more easily irritated, jittery, and performed far below average.  I believe these are two theories summarize why we dream.

Yes, dreams have a significance. The images in our dreams always contain hidden meaning which goes far beyond the outer appearance. The language of dreams is symbolic and not to be taken literally. The significance of dreams is personal and dependent on your own personal experiences. However, there are many universal symbols.
Dreaming about the same person over and over again could just mean that you are thinking about that person a lot in real life. It is thus natural that they also appear in your dream life. Your dream is telling you that it is time to let this person know how you feel, especially if you are dreaming of him or her in a good way. Only good things can happen from you telling him or her. Even if he or she is not interested, at least you can move on from the crush.
Dreams that recur (or repeat themselves) is a clear indication that some issue is not being confronted or that it has not yet been resolved.  Your anxieties about a certain situation that you are struggling with may also cause you to have recurring dreams.
Most people do dream in color, but some may not notice or remember colors in their dreams. Because color is such a natural part of our visual experience, we sometimes overlook it in our dreams. Another reason is poor memory recall and how our dreams fade so quickly from our minds that we may only be able to recall the dream in shades of gray. Dreams that are in black and white are an indication of a depressed or saddened mood.
I have never heard that the more senses you experience in your dream is correlated with your intelligence. The way we process our senses varies from individual to individual and does not necessarily have to do with intelligence. However, it is correct to say that most people recall the visual and auditory aspects of their dreams. Touch, smell, and taste tend to be secondary unless it happens to be a central component of the dream, or unless the person is visually impaired. In this case, sense of touch and/or smell will dominate. 
Similar to humans, all other mammals exhibit the same brain activity during sleep.  But the extent and nature of their dreams is another question. For obvious reasons, we cannot ask an animal the content of their dream.
Yes, the REM stage of sleep is where you achieve your deepest sleep. It is also the final stage in the sleep cycle. REM which stands for Rapid Eye Movement is so called because in this stage of sleep, your eyes move rapidly back and forth under your eyelids. It is also in REM sleep that you experience all your vivid, and sometimes bizarre dreams.
Whenever you suppress your feelings throughout the day, it has a very good chance of showing up in your dream. For example, if you wanted to express your anger toward someone and then refrain from doing so, then your suppressed anger may show up in your dream in some symbolic form. Traumatic experiences also have a way to affect the content of your dreams.
If, by dream patterns, you mean brain wave activity while in the dream state, then the answer is no. There are no differences between male and female dream patterns. However, if your are referring to the content of the dream, then the answer is yes. Studies have shown that men tend to dream more about men, while women dream about both men and women equally. This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Dreams are often seen as aspect of yourselves. For a man to dream about a woman, indicates that he is acknowledging some feminine aspect of his own self, which may be difficult for men to admit that they have a softer feminine side to begin with.
It is not a question of whether or not it is normal to remember only your nightmares, but why you remember your nightmares as opposed to your other dreams. Nightmares are much easier to remember for several reasons. First nightmares are vivid, frightening, and often jolt you awake. Whenever you are awakened in the REM stage of sleep, you are much more likely to recall the events of your nightmare. Secondly, nightmares tend to occur in the early morning hours, when you are about to wake up. Remembering your dreams can take some effort on your part and not a question of normality.

Having a dream within a dream may be safer and more acceptable way to express material from your unconscious. The dream within a dream protects you, the dreamer from waking up. Such dreams often reflect a hidden but crucial issue which you need to acknowledge and confront.
Yes, it is possible to experience death in your dreams. Dreams of death often occur as a result of great stress caused by relationships, school, career changes, depression or by the approach of death itself.  Death in dreams may also be viewed as a metaphor - as a new beginning or a time of renewal. Judging from your question, I am assuming you never have had a dream about dying.
On a symbolic level, yes it is possible to connect and interact with people through dreams. The dreaming mind serves as a "rehearsal" for what you want to say to this person in real life. In this regard, your dreams definitely help you to better connect with the person. Your dreams can offer a way to help you and show you how to talk to certain people.

As for whether two people can actually to talk to each other through their dreams, that still remains to be research. This phenomenon is described as dream telepathy, a form of psychic or paranormal dreams.  There are stories of people who are extremely close, i.e. twins or mother/child, being able to communicate via their dreams.  
There is actually a term to describe what you are experiencing in your dream. It is called myclonic jerks. Many who dream that they are falling sometimes jerk or twitch their legs/arms and end up waking themselves up. There is no concrete reason as to why this happens. One theory is that it is our instinctive response for what the brain perceives as a potentially dangerous situation. Sometimes dreams are so real that the brain believes that you are really falling or in some sort of danger. And hence the brain sends signals to the body to start "fleeing".
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