DREAMING

Whether we are aware of it or not,we all dream.Many people do not remember their dreams,while others of us remember little pieces of dreams or vague impressions.Others remember their dreams vividly.Throughout history great significance has been placed on dreams.In ancient cultures they were considered messages from the gods.

Whether we pay any attention to them or not,dreams contain important information about what is happening in our lives,also our stresses,our fears and desires.

A renowned psychiatrist,Carl Jung saw dreams as a way for the unconscious mind to communicate with the conscious mind,in order to bring something to our attention and restore our equilibrium.

No single theory can do justice to the significance of dreams.The simplest explanation may be,they merely represent the events of your day or week or important events with all the emotions that surrounded them.There are books devoted to the symbolism of dreams and there are dream dictionaries with lists of meanings for every conceivable kind of dream.Take them with a pinch of salt.There is no gospel for the interpretation of dreams.

An REM sleep phenomenon known as sleep paralysis is an interesting sidebar to the dreams topic.People who encounter this situation often swear they are wide awake.Nevertheless,sleep lab experiments prove that they are in REM sleep.They may be hovering on the edge of consciousness,but their brain wave patterns prove beyond doubt that the images perceived are created by the dreaming mind.In seventy percent of cases,individuals imagine some sort of evil presence is drawing closer,accompanied by terror.It is thought that sleep paralysis is responsible for a substantial number of ghost sightings.Many people report ghostly apparitions in the bedroom,even seeing a ghost sitting on the bed.

However,one thing they all share is the inability to move during an episode of sleep paralysis.The harder they struugle to free themselves from it's grip,the more terrified they become.It is because the condition occurs during REM sleep that the lack of muscle power is present.

It is thought by sleep researchers that the incapacity to move during REM sleep is a defense mechanism that keeps us from acting out our dreams.We are just not usually aware of it during our dreams.Without it,the streets at night,would be alive with people attempting to make love,running from monsters,fighting battles with unseen enemies,attempting to fly from rooftops.Imagine the chaos...

It is possible to reason with yourself during a bad dream or an episode of sleep paralysis.Just keep telling yourself it's a dream.Say,"I remember reading about it on the internet."It's quite possible to exert some control over dreams with a little practice.Just knowing it is a dream,will allow you to relax and ignore any imagery that may be disturbing.

Sleep paralysis may go hand in hand with another sleep condition;lucid dreams.

During lucid dreams an individual can be in a state of complete awareness and yet still be in a dreaming REM sleep.Some people believe that a lucid dream possibly constitutes another level of reality.I believe it's a kind of crossing over of the conscious mind into the unconscious mind and regard it as a opportunity to have some dream fun.Think of the possibilities of being in a dream world where you have complete control and are no longer the hapless victim.I have had such dreams,as I am sure many have and I have read that with practice,one can produce these dreams at will.I will certainly keep trying.To be given the privilege of exploring the amazing dream world inside my head is an opportunity I won't pass up.I've always wanted to go skydiving..hmmm...Sweet dreams.

I borrowed the idea for a post about dreaming from our

friend Keyser,at 'Keyser Soze's Lair'...Thankyou