Dreams in History: Albert Einstein

The famous E = MC (squared), is, yes, another product of a dream. It is the equation for the Theory of Relativity. This theory, among other things, suggests that time travel is possible when energy and mass are equivalent and transmutable. Einstein said that his theory was inspired by a dream where he was hurtling down a mountainside. He kept going faster and faster until he looked in the sky and the stars' appearances were altered as he approached the speed of light.

Dreams in History: Mary Shelley

The beginning of Frankenstein:

In 1816, teenager Mary Godwin and her husband-to-be Percy Shelley visited Lord Byron, the poet, in Switzerland. Lord Byron owned a villa on a lake, that sometimes experienced stormy weather, and his guests would have to take refuge inside his mansion. For entertainment, it was common for his guests to read ghost stories to one another, and Lord Byron gained much amusement from this. The day that Mary was forced stay at the villa, Lord Byron asked his guests to write their own horror stories for a change, and share them the next day.

This is what transpired. . .
 "When I placed my head upon my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think... I saw - with shut eyes, but acute mental vision - I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous Creator of the world.

...I opened mine in terror. The idea so possessed my mind that a thrill of fear ran through me, and I wished to exchange the ghastly image of my fancy for the realities around. ...I could not so easily get rid of my hideous phantom; still it haunted me. I must try to think of something else. I recurred to my ghost story - my tiresome, unlucky ghost story! Oh! If I could only contrive one which would frighten my reader as I myself had been frightened that night!

Swift as light and as cheering was the idea that broke upon me. 'I have found it! What terrified me will terrify others; and I need only describe the spectre which had haunted me my midnight pillow.' On the morrow I announced that I had thought of a story. I began that day with the words, 'It was on a dreary night of November', making only a transcript of the grim terrors of my waking dream."

This dream helped to create her masterpiece, "Frankenstein".

Dreams in History: Paul McCartney

    If you are familiar with recent pop culture in America, then you are most likely familiar with the hippie-era band,  The Beatles. Singer/songwriter of The Beatles, Paul McCartney, dreamt up one of the band's hit songs one night, while the band was staying in London filming Help!.  The song was later named "Yesterday", and according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it has the most cover versions of any song ever written. In a dream he heard a classical string ensemble playing, and, as McCartney tells it :

 "I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, 'That's great, I wonder what that is?' There was an upright piano next to me, to the right of the bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor 7th -- and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to E. It all leads forward logically. I liked the melody a lot, but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I'd written it. I thought, 'No, I've never written anything like this before.' But I had the tune, which was the most magic thing!"

pretty cool!

Recurring Dreams

Does this sound familiar : 

You're in a creepy place, or a place where you are very far from comfortable, and then suddenly someone is after you. They are coming for you and you need to start running. Fast. Frustratingly, and quite uneasing, you can only run in slow motion. It feels like there is an invisible force holding you back no matter how hard you push to move forward. Just when you can't push any longer your dream ends, or at least the thing chasing you has disappeared. 

This has been a recurring dream of mine for quite some time. I remember having these dreams when I was a little girl. It is never a pleasant dream, and I usually wake up feeling stressed or foggy-minded. 

I was reading an article by Dr. Michael Brues that discussed the meanings of recurring dreams. He said that recurring dreams fall into two main categories : stress related and full-on nightmares.  He had an explanation for my kind of recurring dream. Being chased and not being able to run may signify that a person is in REM sleep, when the body is paralyzed so they don't act out their dream. He also thinks that recurring dreams represent a question or a message, and that the recurring dream may even stop once the message is figured out.

SOMETHING INTERESTING -- Abe Lincoln was quoted talking to General Grant during a cabinet meeting. He told the general that there would be big news from the warfront, and when asked why he thought so he said, "I had a dream last night, and ever since this war began I have had the same dream just before every event of great national importance. It portends some important event that will happen very soon."

That evening, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. WHOA.

Chemicals in the Brain

A study done by the reasearchers at the Greater VA Healthcare System and UCLA revealed for the first time, the different roles of the three chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine, and histamine in regulating our sleep. The researchers studied dogs with a sleep disorder called narcolepsy. A strange phenomenon called cataplexy takes place, where the body goes completely limp (as if sleeping), but the mind stays completely alert. They found that during cataplexy, nuerons in the brain with histamine remained active, while nuerons with serotonin and norepinephrine fell silent. So that means. . . serotonin and norepinephrine control muscle tone, keeping the body still at night, while histamine controls wakefulness.

"Red Dawn"

I just wanted to share with someone about the dream I had last night because it was so cool!! If you've ever seen the movie "Red Dawn", you will understand why my dream was such an adventure. Basically I was living in "Red Dawn" as a part of a rebel uprising that was fighting against the communists taking over America. PRETTY INTENSE. I remember a part of my dream when someone was saving me from this burning building that the communist soldiers had been lighting with flame throwers, and I was being pulled up the stairs to avoid getting shot. When I was almost to the top of the stairs, someone behind me got shot, and their brains and blood splattered all over the back of my head. I could even feel the blood. I guess you could say this dream was a nightmare, but it was fun and exciting to me. Although, it did wake me up in the middle of the night, and I couldn't get back to sleep.

...Nightmares...

Random or recurring, nightmares suck! They can disturb a whole night of peaceful resting and leave you tired in the morning. Not only that, but some nightmares can be traumatizing. By definition, a nightmare is "A nightmare is a bad dream that brings out strong feelings of fear, terror, distress, or anxiety." What causes nightmares? What do they mean? Often, people will have recurring nightmares about a horrifying or traumatic experience. Although most nightmares are spontaneous,  there are other causes for different kinds of nightmares in adults. Late-night snacks, for example, increase brain activity and can cause a nightmare afterward.Other things like medication, such as narcotics and antidepressants, can cause nightmares as well due to their reaction with chemicals in the brain. Some people are just unlucky and suffer from chronic nightmares and sleep disorders. If a person is having recurring or frequent nightmares, there will be ill psychological effects. Nightmares have been associated with suicide, although the relationship isn't fully understood. Less intense effects include heart disease, depression, and obesity. So people, I would really recommend getting a dream catcher!!!

A Dream Theory

The author of the book "Interpretations of Dreams", Sigmund Freud, has enveloped in this book, his own theory about the meaning of our dreams.His explanation for why and what people act upon serves as the basis explanation for our dreams as well. He says that our dreams are glimpses into our subconscious desires. He also gives an explanation to the symbolism behind our dreams and a process to understand them.  Freud believes that our dreams reveal our personalities. Dreams can show what stage we are at in our lives.  If you want to read more about it go to the website here:
http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtheory/freud3.htm

The Difference Between REM and NREM Sleep

Everyone needs sleep to restore our bodies and energy. Sleep is prompted by two natural cycles of activity in the brain that consist of two states, being rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. During sleep, the body cycles between these states, typically beginning with a period of NREM sleep followed by a shorter period of REM sleep.

NREM
 There are 4 stages within the NREM sleep period. Each stage can last from 5 to 15 minutes, and a completed cycle progresses through all the stages followed by an REM sleep period.

• stage 1 : sleep readings show a reduction in wakefulness during this stage. A person can be easily awakened from sleep, and feel as if they did not sleep at all. This stage can last from 5 to 10 minutes. It is common to have the sensation of falling during stage 1, which causes sudden muscle contractions.
• stage 2 : this stage is a period of light sleep, in which sleep readings show intermittent negative and positive waves. These waves show periods of muscle tone and muscle relaxation. The heart rate slows and body temperature decreases. The body is preparing to enter deep sleep. 
• stage 3 & 4 : these stages are known as slow-wave, or delta, sleep. They are the deep sleep stages, stage 4 being deeper than stage 3. If a person is awoken during these stages they will feel disoriented. 

          The body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle, and sometimes strengthens the                 

           immune system during deep NREM sleep. 

REM

REM sleep usually occurs 90 minutes after sleep on-set. The first period of REM sleep generally lasts 10 minutes, and each recurring REM stage lengthens, making the last stage up to an hour long at times. Sleep readings show that brainwaves during this stage are that of brainwaves during wakefulness. Heart rate and respiration speed up and become "erratic". As explained by the name, this sleep stage includes rapid eye movement, in different directions. REM sleep is sometimes called paradoxical sleep because it is a mixture of brain excitement (intense dreaming) and muscular immobility. The percentage of REM sleep decreases as we age, just as the amount of deep, NREM sleep decreases as we age as well.

Lucid Dreams

Just when dreaming couldn't get any cooler, the whole world of lucid dreaming exists. A world where we can manipulate the plot of our dreams and our experience in them. Everyone can do it, it just takes a little practice. Watch this how-to video and maybe you will want to start today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lYSX51xBkos

Ghosts of Boyfriends' Past

     This is just a personal blog post about a dream I had last night. The dream reminded me of how psychologically powerful dreams can be; this dream has been on my mind all day. The dream was about an ex-boyfriend of mine. Just when I was starting to be confident that I no longer had any feelings for him, my mind is filled with visions of us living happily together. No, I'm not sure what it means, but it has left me with a mixture of emotions. This time, versus searching the ever-handy internet, I have been interpreting the dream myself and extracting the different meanings.
   
My emotions:

• joy - naturally, I feel happy from what I saw: a near flawless relationship. But that lead to my. . . 
• disillusionment - that is not how our relationship was. Hence why it is O-V-E-R.
• strength - I felt somehow rejuvenated by this dream. It was almost like reinforcement of my past decisions. I felt better off without him.                                  

 The best thing of all that I think I gained from this dream was pure appreciation for where I am standing in my life right now. I am happy to be who I am and where I am. This dream has set my whole day off to be a successful one. So, why did I have this dream? My guess is that my ex was on the back of my mind because I was trying to ignore it. I sort of needed closure, and that is exactly what this dream gave me.  Dreams are undoubtedly part of our lives. This one has healed my mind a little bit. I also think dreams are a bit like being drunk. Everything you try to ignore or hide can come out through a dream. We all knbow, "A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts."

Interpretations of Sexual Dreams

A few nights ago,  I woke up from a sexual dream that involved one of my best friends-- someone that I would never sleep with. Because of the strange nature of the dream (the location, the people around me), I was really wierded out when I woke up. I felt a little bit disgusted and a little bit confused. So I looked on the web to see what I could find about dream interpretations. One interpretation of sexual dreams, written by Ami Angelowiz, that I found and liked said that the people in your dreams represent a part of you. So it wasn't like I had a secret crush on my friend, he was just there to give meaning to something about me. It was amazing to see what dreams can reveal. I then started to think about past sexual dreams that have stuck in my memory. One frightening one involved incestuous sex. . . with my mother. I felt REPULSED after waking up from that dream. Let me tell you, I definitely avoided my mom that day. But Ami also had an explanation for this dream as well. Sex with a parent can mean that you a person is experiencing some transformation into adulthood. The dream can also be about forgiveness, acceptance, and desire to heal a part of the relationship. When I began to think about it, it made perfect sense. To me it is logical that our perhaps most intimate thoughts can be reflected in our dreams through something so intimate as sex. If you want to read her article click below! It's worth your time.

 http://www.howaboutwe.com/date-report/10-common-sex-dreams-and-what-they-mean/

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION

I took a philosophy class this summer, and the instructor showed us a movie called "The Waking Life". This movie rocked my world, and would recommend it to anyone and everyone!!! The film's focus is on the world of dreams, consciousness, and existentialism. The nameless main character is a young man who shuffles through a continuous series of dreams, which eventually leads him to an existential crisis. There is SO much hidden symbolism throughout the movie, as the main character drifts through scenes, listening to theories from different philosophers, intellectuals, and "crackpots". Watching the movie several times is a great idea to absorb all that the movie offers. It will never get old. . . . So please, do yourself a favor and check it out. LINK HERE -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2DeTet98o

A 6th Sense?

   
     Sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. Humans share all of these senses, but is there an additional sense we have that is, perhaps, most powerful? People have talked to lost loved-ones in their dreams, they have predicted the future in their dreams, and some have woken up from dreams with revelations about life. All of these in themselves could be considered 6th senses, in my opinion. In order for these things to happen, the mind has to connect to another level that is also connected to reality. Pretty confusing. . . I'm not sure of a name to even call this sense. This sense, though, is having premonitions, or a "feeling" about events that are going to happen. Here are a few catastrophes that people have had dream premonitions about:
               - a 1966 British coal waste landslide
               - the Twin Towers tragedy
               - the sinking of the Titanic
In the 1966 landslide, in Aberfan, Great Britain, a school was crushed in the destructive path of the coal mine waste and boulders. 144 people were killed, 116 of them being children. But one 10-year-old girl, Eryl Mai Jones, saw the tragedy coming. A couple days before the tragedy, she told her mother that she wasn't scared of death, and also that she "would be with Peter and June". Then on the morning of the landslide, she asked her mom if she wanted to hear about her dream. She told her mother that she "went to school and there was no school there. Something black had come down all over it." That day, Eryl was killed alongside her friends Peter and June. They were buried side-by-side in a mass grave. WOW. I would never want to be in her mother's shoes. This account of a premonition was enough to convince me. There is a power the mind has, and I am eager to find out how to reach it in my own head.

Unanswered Questions

So where do we begin in our exploration of the dream realm? Everyone dreams, but how much are we really clear on. . . ? This article from the NY Times takes a look at some possible answers to our unanswered questions: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/12/opinion/l-dream-study-supports-freud-unanswered-questions-038180.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

The writer, Paul Mosher, talks about the debate about whether or not we have the ability to solve problems while we dream. They don't have a clear answer to the question, but I think part of the beauty of dreams is that we may never know what they mean. I like being connected to something that has endless possibilities. Defending the claim that we can problem solve in our slumber are scientists Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman. They have described the "image-rich", "metaphoric" thought processes that took place during their most "original scientific discoveries". This same imagery occurs when we dream. Looking within our own mind, we can decide for ourselves if there is deeper meaning to the images we see. . .