We have been trying to master the art of dream interpretation since the beginning of therapy and the study of the mid. In fact, Sigmund Freud paved the way in the world of psychology with his theory that dreams are reflections of the subconscious.
Since his time, science has worked hard on studying sleep cycles and figuring out not only why we dream but what our dreams mean. Many theories have come out of these studies ringing up questions such as: "are dreams glimpses into parallel universes?" Now a new study reveals that dreaming about this specific situation may be trying to tell us something.
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To understand our dreams, we need first to know why we dream. Dreams are often assumed to be jumbled-up projections of memories or events we've recently experienced with no particular meaning. However, psychologists and scientists would argue that dreams are like a portal into the subconscious that can help us understand our being, deepest desires and even access repressed memories as well as new nonphysical forms and worlds.
Freud, for example, argued that we dream when we have unresolved thoughts that need to be released and worked through. He created the free-association technique where patients could start making connections between the symbols of their dreams and what they represented.
One of the biggest questions surrounding dream interpretation is wondering at what point we draw a line between dreams as just dreams, and when to explore them to see how they affect reality. Some scientists say that they "actually don't exist at all."
However, more studies are coming out to say otherwise. The "activation-synthesis hypothesis," for example, states that "dreams are merely electrical brain impulses that pull random thoughts and imagery from our memories, and humans construct these impulses as dreams when we awake in an effort to make sense of the confusion."
So what do the smartest people dream of? Well, it turns out that they might all have one particular dream in common: work. Maybe it's their drive and ambition, or maybe it's their anxiety over the workload they've taken on. Either way a recent survey from the Dream Education group found that those with higher levels of education had more dreams about work-related situations than less educated people.
Since Dreams are used as an indicator of what is hidden behind the conscious mind and field of awareness, dreaming of work can be tied to larger sources of stress.
"We dream about what concerns us most," explains Dr. Angel Morgan, the head of the study: "When you look at education level, what concerns us most is going to be reflected and influenced in our dreams ... It just makes sense."
Lucid dreams are when you know that you're dreaming while you’re asleep. Lucid dreams feel vivid and real. However, some people can take it one step further and are able to control how the events in their dreams like they're directing a movie. Studies say that about half of people may have had at least one lucid dream, although not often. Usually no more than a handful of times in a year.
However, according to Dr. Patrick Bourke: "frequent lucid dreamers solve significantly more insight problems overall than non-lucid dreamers," He adds: "The more you can remember, the better you're able to solve or admit to problems in your waking state."
It turns out that the images and symbols we dream of can reveal a lot of our personality traits as well. Dream therapy and dictionaries can give a glimpse into the subconscious mind's thoughts that form our identity, preferences, behavior, and ultimately, our personality!
For example, researchers from Germany's Central Institute of Mental Health found that individuals who report dreams in which they committed a bad crime were more introverted yet also more aggressive, in real life.
There is no denying that human consciousness is strongly linked to our dream world. The mind never shuts off, and when we sleep, we are able to tap into deeper layers that may not necessarily live in our waking field of awareness.
However, the more we can bring the subconscious thoughts into consciousness, the more power we have over them and our being. That means we will also be more stable, emotionally intelligent, secure, and at peace.
"Dreams seem to help us process emotions by encoding and constructing memories of them. What we see and experience in our dreams might not necessarily be real, but the emotions attached to these experiences certainly are, " explains Dr. Sander van der Linden, a doctoral researcher in social experimental psychology.
Unfortunately, the reality that comes with awareness is letting go of blissful ignorance. The more we chose to bring what our mind has repressed in an attempt to protect us to the forefront, the more we have to confront painful memories and experiences. However, the more we repress, the more these memories fight their way through anyway in nightmares and maladaptive behavior.
Dreams allow us to recall memories of emotions without remembering the actual situation that first created them. That's why we can remember feelings of love and heartbreak without associating them with a specific person. The more in tune we are with ourselves, the more these emotions will creep into our dreams.
Are you interested in learning more about the secrets of your dreams? Tap into the 4,000-year-old science of Numerological Analysis with a FREE Numerology video report!
That's right, the numerology of your birth date, regardless of your Zodiac sign, can help you discover detailed information about who you truly are and what is hiding in your subconscious. You won't believe how accurate it is!
Click HERE to learn what Numerology says about your life using only your Birth Date.
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