1. Dreams and dreaming

2. Dreams 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
While dreaming is highly associated with REM sleep, the two are not inseparable
REM can take place without dreaming
We don’t need REM to dream, but such dreams are usually much more mundane

3. 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

4. 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?

5. Common dreams They often relate to current concerns
They often involve things that could go wrong
Frequent themes:
falling
being chased
naked in public
sex

6. 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.”

7. More Freud Analyzed his own
Viewed them as symbolic, with two levels of meaning
Manifest content – their apparent meaning
Latent meaning – their hidden, real meaning
We censor our real desires
Carl Jung viewed as a progression

8. 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?
As for Carlos,…..

9. Dreams and creativity
Some believe that dreams can help us solve difficult problems
Focus on this puzzle before you fall asleep:
The letters o t t f f form the start of an infinite series. Find a simple rule for determining all successive letters. According to this rule what would the next two letters be?
Dr. William Dement

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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