What does my dream mean in reality?
Source: Meaning of Dreams People have been trying to understand the meaning of dreams since ancient times. The question “What does my dream mean?” has been asked by people in cultures all over the world, from Native Americans taking part in dream sharing ceremonies to western neuroscientists studying how dreams are created by electrochemical impulses in the brain. Studies of the meaning of dreams can be religious or spiritual. Some may think of dreams as messages from God or from angels – or even the Devil. Others may believe that animals in dreams are spirit guides. There are those who take a more psychoanalytical approach, for whom the question, “What does my dream mean?” is really a question about childhood experiences, fears and taboos. The study of the meaning of dreams can be scientific. Since all mammals experience REM sleep, and our dogs and cats seem to dream just as we do, it is reasonable to think that dreams have a basis in evolution, and evolutionary biologists want to understand why this is so. Neuroscientists want to know what happens in our brains to create the nighttime hallucinations known as dreams.
Regardless of why we have dreams or what our dreams mean, all who study dreams agree that some dream symbols appear frequently, across many cultures. For example, dreams about flying and dreams of being chased are very common.
Why we share these dream themes is a matter of debate. Is there really a Jungian collective unconscious that impresses the same symbols onto all of our minds and onto our mythology, art and literature? If so, what is its function? Is evolution involved? Does the meaning of a dream about being chased have to do with teaching you how to escape a charging wild animal? On the other hand, could the dream be telling you that you are running from the Devil’s temptation? Does the answer to the question, “What does my flying dream mean?” involve a need to break away from restrictions imposed by authoritarian parents, or is a flying dream a consequence of the loss of sense of gravity when sleeping? You can increase your knowledge of the meaning of dreams is to look at situations when dreaming does not follow its normal course. One example is lucid dreaming – when the dreamer remains aware that they are dreaming. Why do lucid dreamers remain lucid while others sleep blissfully into their dream worlds, forgetting the cares of the day? What about sleep paralysis? Why does the paralysis of dream sleep sometimes cross over into wakefulness? Is this merely a slight malfunction of the brain, or is it an opportunity to relax into an out of body experience where you find yourself in a higher spiritual realm? Regardless of the path you take to understand the meaning of dreams, learning what your dreams mean will help you to gain more insight into which you are and help you cope with life in the waking world.
Resources Author has been writing about the meaning of dreams since 2005 and is a member of the International Association of the Study of Dreams. She is interested in studying dreams from scientific and cultural perspectives. She belongs to the Association of British Science Writer, and she has written for a number of different science websites. Her writing often touches on how evolution and neuroscience affect our dreams. In addition, she has been a student of literature, sociology and philosophy, and she understands how dreams and culture interact. When responding to the question, “What does my dream mean?” she examines how a dream can be influenced by experience, culture and belief.
Meaning of Dreams