Benefits Of Dream Study And Interpretation example essay topic

December 7, 1999 It Was Only a Dream She awakens in the night, the visions from her mind still vivid. The dream was amazingly realistic. A long hallway stretched before her. Several doors lined the hallway, each with a padlock. A ring full of keys weighed heavily in her hand. What did it all mean?

Did this hallway symbolize her life? The doors could have meant many things, possibly the choices she faces daily. As she drifts back to sleep, thoughts of the dream cloud her mind. She hopes to remember it in the morning and search for answers. The description of this woman could match any number of people. Years of research have produced findings that everyone dreams.

While not everyone may remember his or her dreams, sleep studies have shown that each person does dream as he or she progresses through the stages of sleep. Whether or not these dreams contain any significant meaning for the dreamer is a source of arguments today, as well as in years past. An in depth study of dream interpretation will reveal the benefits of exploring the meanings behind dreams. To begin this study, it is helpful to first understand the different aspects of sleep. In Atkinson's Introduction to Psychology book, she states that sleep contains five stages, including "four depths of sleep and a fifth stage, known as rapid eye movement (REM) " (193). In various sleep studies, most adults go through all stages during their normal sleeping hours.

While they drift from one stage of sleep to another, activity in the brain increases and decreases. However, this study is interested mostly in the fifth stage, REM sleep. Individuals incur a great amount of details during the course of any given day, including dates, places, times and people. "During REM sleep, the brain creates a story line that allows this large volume of events to be stored and remembered in a coherent form, albeit at an unconscious level" (Chopra 107).

REM occurs at different times throughout an individual's time asleep, and consumes from thirty minutes up to two hours of an individuals non-waking moments. Every individual is subject to REM sleep, and some suffer from REM Sleep Disorder. The disorder involves a severe attachment to a person's dreams. Dotto reports that while sufferers consist mostly of men over fifty years of age, it can affect anyone. She also states that research has discovered that 60% of the disorder is due to aging, while 40% can be blamed on neurological problems (119).

This disorder is no laughing matter. "One case in England resulted in a man shooting his new bride to death while he was dreaming of being pursued by gangsters" (Maas 161). The severity of this problem is treatable with medication; but sufferers are encouraged to sleep in protected surroundings, with no sharp objects in the room, and no open windows. With a better understanding of REM sleep, progression can be made toward the history of dreams and the study of their meanings. In Restful Sleep, Chopra relates that dreams were first believed to tell the future of entire communities (102). The Bible also gives evidence of the importance to dreams.

Joseph was told about Mary carrying the Christ child during a dream. "At the beginning of recorded history, and for the millennia thereafter, dreams were considered divine messages in virtually every religious culture" (Maguire 2). Thus, the importance of dreams to a vast array of cultures was made quite evident from a very early time. However, not everyone believes in the importance of dreams. "Some scientists today attach almost no importance to dreams.

They are only random thoughts drifting into our minds during sleep, no serious relationship to our waking life" (Kavey 33). While some of the arguments presented may have validity, the benefits of dream study and interpretation far outweigh the possible conflicts these studies uncover. For instance, the Journal of Mental Health Counseling published a study concerning ways dream interpretation could benefit individuals with mental health disturbances. "The elements of a dream should be examined in detail for two reasons. First, the dream is a symbolic depiction of something in the client's inner world. The second reason for exploration is that the dreamer often does not remember all of the dream's elements at its first telling" (Barrineau).

By delving into the contents and meanings of these dreams, the mental health professional may be able to better understand the patient's underlying problem, thus allowing more appropriate and effective treatment. Additionally, exploring children's dreams can be very beneficial when a child begins having problems in his or her daily life. "Children's dreams often hold clues to the same anxieties and insecurities that plague their parents" (MacGregor 69). Children can gain approval of dream sharing when encouraged to do so by the adults they live with. In The Everything Dreams Book, MacGregor states "If they live in households where dream sharing is simply a part of the family routine, they " ll be more apt to remember and relate their dreams" (69). Therefore, parental encouragement is key to helping unlock the mysteries contained in a child's dream.

Dream study can also give the counselor or parent a handle on what type of dreams the child is experiencing. For example, nightmares make up one element of dreams. A person suffering from a nightmare may wake up scared, experiencing heavy breathing and a racing heart. Chopra states this person will recall the dream in its entirety with a lot of detail. He also writes that themes are frequent in nightmares (109). Often, nightmare sufferers experience the feeling of pursuit, of falling, or of dying.

Perhaps a person exposed to frequent nightmares will find a study in dream interpretation especially helpful as a start toward a smoother nights sleep. A person tormented with repeated nightmares may wish to end them because "nightmares can influence how you feel and how you behave the following day" (103). Thus, putting an end to the torment would be essential to that individual's well being, both personally and professionally. Nightmare sufferers could benefit from the knowledge of how to begin exploring those dreams.

The first step to dream interpretation is vital. It concerns actually remembering the dream. "Many people say they don't remember dreaming when, in fact, they forget them" (Dotto 36). When the dreamer first awakens, the dream may be vivid and fresh in his or her mind. However, these impressions fade quickly, seemingly in seconds.

An article in USA Today reveals the following tips to remembering dreams: . Write down the details as soon as possible... Sort out the elements of the dream... Define these elements... Consider the significance of the symbols... Match the elements with a meaning (Your Life).

Because of the difficulty recalling ones dreams, it is vital to begin a form of journalizing if one wants to remember and interpret his or her dreams. By starting with a simple notepad and pen next to the bed, the dreamer has the first tools needed to begin the process of dream recall. Upon waking, the dreamer should write down notes immediately. "The dream you remember is not the dream itself.

By the time you are fully awake, you have forgotten 90%, if not more" (Moss 64). Jotting down details is important, but extra wording is not necessary. The main points of the dream, or specific aspects, are of greatest importance when beginning this process. After the dreamer gets in the habit of recording his or her dreams, the analysis begins. "Most people find even casual analysis of their dreams helpful in understanding themselves and solving problems of everyday life" (Kavey 33). Because dreams seem to mimic the events of daily living, with strange twisted details, it seems only natural to want to discover the hidden meanings of the dreams.

People should analyze their dreams to "gain personal insight and identify conflicts" (Your Life). After reviewing notes of several dreams, the dreamer may begin to see patterns in the dream content. These patterns begin to take on the aspects of a theme in the dreamer's life. The first step to analyzing a dream is to identify the theme. USA Today states "dreams mirror the themes in our lives" (Your Life). Thus, when writing down the details of a dream, it is helpful to note a theme, if possible.

The majority of what one dreams pertains to oneself. The typical dreamer is "selfish" and, while arriving at a theme is not the interpretation entirely, it does head the analyzer in the appropriate direction. Creating themes can be easy and doing so requires reasonable thought processes. During the process, it helps to match a theme to the emotions the dream represented. Noting the dreamers "emotional state" while dreaming is extremely helpful. Additionally, basic theme identity can "set the tone" for theme (Dream Basics).

"The feeling you have about it, rather than the memory of an incident, may suggest the focus of the message your unconscious is sending you" (Parker 39). Essentially, the dreamer must be open to what the dream is trying to say. He or she should not force personal desire into the dream, but rather see the theme for what it really is, or presents itself to be. The next step involves the intricate process of interpretation.

"Dreaming is a highly subjective phenomenon that has been interpreted in contradictory ways during different historical periods, in different societies, and by different individuals" (Chopra 102). Therefore, it stands to reason that a variety of methods are available to those just beginning to search for answers. The Business Journal reports a CD-Rom is now available to help the amateur interpreter. This CD encourages and instructs the user to make entries in a dream journal and categorize those entries. It assists the dreamer with dream identification, as well as individual discovery.

This tool provides an excellent starting point for those just beginning (Johansen). However, those not interested in the CD-Rom are likely to find assistance through a variety of other means. Simply writing down the symbols from a dream can be an excellent starting point. Symbols signify the "elements that make up details" (Dream Basics). However, they do not always represent the same thing to different people.

Dream dictionaries can be found in local libraries, bookstores, or on-line; but it should be noted that a single symbol will have as many different meanings as there are dictionaries that list it. Beginners can write down the details from a dream and then look up the possible meanings to those symbols. They must keep in mind, thought, that these dictionaries give the common meanings. Different meanings apply to different symbols, causing even the experienced interpreter to stumble when delving into the meaning of a dream. "Like the moon reflecting the sun, our dreams reflect our daylight life, but they also have an independent existence" (Maguire 1).

A person's dreams can reveal as little or as much as he or she would like, depending on how open that person is to exploring the subject matter contained in his or her dreams. Dream journals are an excellent beginning, even if detailed dream interpretation is not the desired goal. Participants of will be amazed at the themes and topics discovered after several nights. Learning what dreams mean is a daunting task, but well worth the effort for those interested in finding answers to questions raised by such dreams.

Bibliography

Atkinson, Rita et al. Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996.
Barrineau, Phil. "A Re-examination of the Role of Dreams". Journal of Mental Health Counseling. 18 Oct 1999.
web Deepak. M.D. Restful Sleep. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1994".
Dream Basics". 15 Oct 1999.
web Dotto, Lydia. Losing Sleep. New York: William Morrow & Company, 1990.
Johansen, Erin. "CD-Rom Helps People Interpret Their Own Dreams". Business Journal (Phoenix). 24 April 1998.
web Neil B.M.D. 50 Ways to Sleep Better. Lincolnwood: Publications International, Ltd., 1995.
Maas, Dr. James B. Power Sleep. New York: Villard Books, 1998.
MacGregor, Trish and Rob MacGregor. The Everything Dreams Book. Holbrook: Adams Media Corporation, 1998.
Maguire, Jack. Night and Day. New York: Roundtable Press, 1989.
Moss, Robert. Conscious Dreaming. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1996.
Parker, Julia and Derek Parker. Complete Book of Dreams. New York: Dorling Kindersly Publishing, 1995.
Your Life. "Are Dreams Trying To Tell Us Something?" USA Today Magazine. 18 Oct 1999.
web Annotated Bibliography Atkinson, Rita et al. The twelfth edition of a book originated by Ernest Hilgard, this text covers a multitude of topics on a preliminary level with a purpose to scratch the surface of several psychological issues. Barrineau, Phil. 18 Oct 1999.
web Phil Barrineau explores the benefits of dream interpretation for use in the mental health field. Chopra, Deepak. M.D. Restful Sleep. In this book, Dr. Deepak details a new program created to help readers get a good night's sleep. Dotto, Lydia. Losing Sleep. Lydia Dotto describes the various benefits of sleep, as well as the problems that can occur with sleep deprivation. Johansen, Erin. 24 April 1998.
web This site offers information about a CD-Rom available to anyone interested in trying to interpret his or her own dreams. Kavey, Neil B.M.D. 50 Ways to Sleep Better. Dr. Kavey outlines multiple tips on how to prevent sleep problems. He further explains how to cope with problems, should they arise. In his book, Dr. Maas shares various ways to gain a sufficient amount of sleep. MacGregor, Trish and Rob. Trish and Rob MacGregor present a comprehensive guide on how to incubate, recall and interpret dreams. Additionally, this book provides a glossary of symbols and common dream topics and themes. Maguire, Jack. Night and Day. Author Jack Maguire Presents a complete program concerning how to use dreams to reach designated goals and results. Moss, Robert. Conscious Dreaming. The author reveals a nine-step plan to understanding dreams, including ways to shape the dreamer's future. He also details the use of a dream journal to tap into unknown resources. Parker, Julia. Derek. Complete Book of Dreams. As the title describes, this book covers a broad spectrum of dream themes, including sample dreams. It also contains a dictionary of common dream symbols and their meanings. Your Life. 18 Oct 1999.