According to Griffin (2004) dreaming and depression are connected. People who are depressed seem to dream more than “healthy” people and they also have more intense dreams. The reason for this is that a depressed person spends a lot of their time worrying and reflecting internally on the negative. According to Griffin’s expectation fulfilment theory only “unexpressed emotionally arousing concerns” from the previous day will appear in dreams (see http://www.insomnium.co.uk/dream-theory/how-to-interpret-dreams/) therefore all this negative introspection and worry that a depressed person engages in is never acted upon and will be emotionally arousing. This will therefore become the subject of their dreams and due to the amount of negative intropection they will dream excessively and their dreams will be more intense as the mind attempts to act out and deactivate the unexpressed emotions. Continue >>

Using 11 case studies as a basis for their research, Shapiro, Trajanovic & Fedoroff (2003) use the term sexsomnia to describe a sleep disorder where people have been found to inititate sexual acts (masturbation, intercourse with partners or even sexual assault) while asleep. This complex behaviour appears to originate for most in nonrapid eye movement sleep but can occur at any time during sleep and can last for more than 30 minutes. Sexsomnia is different from sleepwalking in the sense that arousal is automatic, the person’s  motor activities are more specific and restricted and a form of “dream thinking” is also likely to be present. Continue >>

Lipnicki (2009) reported an association between local geomagnetic activity (GMA) and the bizarreness of dreams.  Lipnicki analysed the dreams of a young adult male which were recorded over a period of 6 1/2 years.  Dreams were self-rated for bizarreness on a 1–5 scale. At the lower end of the scale (1), dreams would be normal and representative of what would happen in reality. Dreams that were rated 3 could possibly happen but were unlikely.  Dreams rated 5 and considered bizarre would be dreams that had no connection with reality and could never happen.

Lipnicki found that on days of low geomagnetic activity dreams were found to be significantly more bizarre than the dreams that were recorded on days of high activity. Continue >>

Schneider & Domhoff take a statistical and objective approach to the study of dreams. Individual dream reports are collected in sleep laboratories, college classrooms or from individuals who are keeping a dream journal for personal reasons. The dreams are not interpreted but are analysed using a content analysis system that was originally developed by Calvin Hall in order to find consistencies. Domhoff advises that 100-120 dream reports in each sample are necessary for findings to be reliable. Continue >>

In June 2009 I recorded a total of 22 dreams. The most dreams I recorded in one day was four on 14th June. The longest dream report recorded was 749 words on 13th June, the shortest was 47 words on the 19th June. The average length of a dream report was 316 words. Continue >>

I have been recording my dreams in a journal for a number of years now. The main reason in doing so has always been for ideas and inspiration for my photography, however recently this has changed. I have never really felt the need to find out the actual meaning of my dreams and every time I attempted to interpret one I would never get very far (especially if I took the Freudian approach). For a time I also believed all dreams to be meaningless or at least random flashes of memory or thought all jumbled together. At least with this belief it meant that I did not have to make any effort to ever interpret them. However, after reading the book ‘Dreaming Reality’ by Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrrell things started to make sense. Continue >>

Initially when we close our eyes we lightly drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily by external noise. Muscle activity slows down. The eyes move slowly and occasionally we see flashes of images which may be visual thoughts. There is also the possibility that we may be awakened suddenly by a sensation that we are falling or something similar. This is called stage 1 sleep. Continue >>

This theory of dreaming was first proposed in 1977 by Hobson and McCarley. At the onset of REM sleep, random signals (known as PGO spikes) arise from the Pons (a structure located on the brain stem) and travel up the mid brain to the cortex. This stimulates the cortex and the brain tries to make sense of these signals or “noise”. There is no external stimuli so the brain creates dream imagery from this noise (internal stimuli). Therefore the theory originally suggested that dreams were in fact meaningless. (Hobson later revised his theory to acknowledge the possibility that dreams may have meaning).

Jung proposed that the average dream is similar in structure to a drama, comprising of four distinct stages:

(1) ‘Exposition’ – The opening scene which introduces place, characters and the situation that the dreamer will face (an issue or problem expressed metaphorically).
(2) ‘Development’ – The emergence of the plot.
(3) ‘Culmination’ – Something significant happens, the main character responds.
(4) ‘Lysis’ – The conclusion of the dream. The ending of the dream is regarded as the most important stage. It signifies how the dreamer might deal with the problem or issue that was expressed in the first stage (exposition). In essence, the dream-work creates a solution or result for the dreamer. Continue >>

Our true nature is always hidden. In order to protect our inner self we each present an image or personality in public which meets the expectations of others. This ‘mask’ also determines how we see ourselves. However, there are parts to our personality which we do not recognise, parts which are unconscious. These could be raw desires and emotions or thoughts and experiences which we are too ashamed to admit to. These will likely be dark aspects of our character which have been rejected or repressed due to our upbringing, or a disapproving society. Jung described this side of the personality as the shadow. Continue >>

Freud maintained the notion that the dream fundamentally acts as the guardian of sleep. When we go to bed, the curtains are drawn, the lights are turned off and in effect we are attempting to disconnect from our reality by extinguishing all external stimuli. During the night, the mind protects the sleeper from being disturbed by reacting to further external stimuli (noise, temperature, light, the need to urinate, numb arm/leg, pain, etc) as well as all internal stimuli (emotions, fears, dissatisfaction, desires, previous day’s activity) by manufacturing dreams. Continue >>

The simplest technique for inducing lucid dreams I have found is to look for your hands while you are in the dream state. This is based on a technique described in the book “Journey To Ixtlan” by Carlos Castaneda. Every night while sitting or lying in my bed I clear my mind completely and place my hands out in front of me. I concentrate on my hands and repeat the affirmation “Later, when I am dreaming, I will look at my hands and realise that I am dreaming.” Continue >>