Dream Journal and Dream Theory by Surreal Photographer Kevin Wilson

Dream Journal Entry: 20th February 2010

Kevin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:13:06 +0000

I am driving in the snow around a corner when I stop suddenly. There is a fish at the side of the road. The fish is alive and doesnt seem to need water to survive. I do not move the car as I don’t want to run it over. A car stops behind me. The driver gets out the car and I recognise him as Mr Brown. He asks me aggressively what I am doing. I tell him I have stopped the car because there is a fish on the road. This just infuriates him and he kicks a banana across to the other side of the road. The fish flaps toward the banana and starts eating it. Mr Brown gets in his car and drives off.

I look over again at the fish. I watch as the fish finishes the banana and jumps over a wall onto the roof of a house. I get in my car and drive off.

A little later I am in the same car but this time in the back seat. I am joined by two others however there is no one in the drivers seat. We are waiting on a work collegue who I can see in the distance. He is talking to some people who I do not know. A girl in the car becomes impatient and from the back seat puts the car in reverse and someone manages to reverse the car.

Dreaming Location: Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Time Recorded: 8.00am

Dream Journal Entry: 30th January 2010

Kevin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:51:43 +0000

I find myself in a lecture hall. I look up at the wall and I can see a religious symbol which seems to change shape each time I look at it. I realise I am waiting on a religious speaker appearing on stage however I have the feeling that I am not going to agree with what will be said. I notice that I am wearing a vicars collar which I try and hide with my hand. I get up and move seats and sit in the middle of the lecture hall. As soon as I sit down a girl behind me starts nudging me from behind telling me that she cannot see. I look on the stage and it is still empty. I start to see the whole crowd as hostile toward me due to the fact I am wearing a vicars collar which seems to be in contrast to what is about to be said on stage. I move seats again.

I sit on the front row at the far right of the stage next to a television screen. I look up again at the symbol and it changes shape into something resembling an infinity symbol. A film starts to play on the television and the religious speaker finally appears on stage.

Dream Location: Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Time Recorded: 8.50am

Dreams and Depression

Kevin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:30:49 +0000

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.

Griffin suggests that a depressed person also enters dream sleep (REM sleep) more quickly and will spend a lot more time dreaming throughout the night. This therefore means that they will not spend as much time as they should in slow wave sleep (see http://www.insomnium.co.uk/dream-theory/dreams-and-stages-of-sleep/). Slow wave sleep is an important part of the sleep process as this is where the body recuperates. Due to this a depressed person will wake up exhausted as the brain’s energy levels have been reduced due to the lack of slow wave sleep and also they have exhausted their brains further through excessive dreaming. This is why a depressed person will feel drained, miserable and unable to motivate themselves in the morning. It is also likely that they would wake up early due to the excessive dreaming so that the brain isnt drained any further.

Griffin believes that the reason antidepressants work in some cases is that they normalise the patients dream sleep. In addition, some older antidepressants however eliminate the need for dreaming (REM sleep) altogether as they prevent the patient from becoming emotional aroused throughout the day.

Griffin, J. & Tyrrell, I. (2004) “Dreaming Reality: How dreaming keeps us sane, or can drive us mad.” UK, HG Publishing. ISBN 1-899398-36-8

Dream Journal Entry: 26th December 2009

Kevin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:35:53 +0000

I am walking home in an unfamilar street when a dog appears beside me. I notice that it does not have any legs but instead its legs have been replaced by wooden poles. The dog also seems to be on wheels and resembles a rocking horse. There is writing on the side of the dog and it appears to belong to Capability Scotland.

I look over to the distance and I can see the postman at my door. He appears to be posting an inflatable sex doll through the letterbox however he is unable to push it through. I seem embarrassed therefore I walk back up the hill with the dog. A car stops beside me. There is a woman in the car. The car is green and has the words “Capability Scotland” on the door. She gets out the car and picks up the dog. She drives off.

My mother appears with the inflatable doll over her shoulder. She tells me that the postman tried to deliver it earlier today.

Dreaming Location: Caerphilly,Wales
Time Recorded: 9am

Sexsomnia (Sleepsex)

Kevin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:07:51 +0000

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.

Shapiro, C.M., Trajanovic, N.N., & Fedoroff, J.P. (2003) Sexsomnia: A new parasomnia? Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(5), 311-317

Geomagnetic Activity and Dream Bizarreness

Kevin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:48:07 +0000

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.

Lipnicki, D (2009) An association between geomagnetic activity and dream bizarreness. Volume 73, Issue 1, Pages 115-117 (July 2009)

Dream Journal Entry: 20th December 2009

Kevin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:48:34 +0000

I find myself walking down a hill in a housing estate. It is late at night. As I get near the bottom of the hill I notice that a hedge is on fire. I run over and can see that it is in fact not the hedge that is on fire but a sun lounger near the hedge. I quickly run down to the swimming pool which is in the middle of the garden and start gathering water with my hands. I throw some water on the lounger which has no effect and only ignites the lounger next to it. I can see that the hedge is now also on fire. I shout down to the house for help where some people have gathered at the back door. A man and a woman run to the swimming pool and gather water in plastic containers and run toward me. They throw the water on the sun loungers and I wake up.

Dreaming Location: Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Time Recorded: 8.00am

Dream Journal Entry: 7th November 2009

Kevin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:24:55 +0000

I find myself stuck in a lift with a work colleague. I look down and I can see a lizard has attached itself to my leg. I remove the lizard to reveal a large green vein.

Dreaming Location: Stockbridge Edinburgh
Time Recorded: 7.00am

Dream Journal Entry: 31st October 2009

Kevin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:13:21 +0000

I find myself sitting on a pavement. I think to myself I would like to live in Manchester. I then realise that I am in fact in Manchester. I stop a man in the street and tell him that Manchester is a good place to live if you are a student.

I am on a beach looking through some dealing faxes for work. The faxes are on a table. A teacher appears and tells me I should go away and check the faxes before sending them. I walk forward along a promenade. I can see a large ship in the sea which has just caught a massive whale. I make a comment to someone closeby that we won’t run out of fish and chips for a while.

A little later I find myself in Africa. I am in someones house. I can see the person in front of me. He holds out his hands and shows me some random items. He asks if I wish to buy them. I walk toward the bathroom where I find a box full of soiled toilet rolls. I use a pillow and blanket to wipe the edges of the box.

Dreaming Location: Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Time Recorded: 7.45am

Dream Journal Entry: 30th October 2009

Kevin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:50:37 +0000

I watch myself skateboarding on TV or in a flash movie. I seem to be performing dangerous stunts and falling over however I never see myself injured. The image fades into another and I wake up.

Dreaming Location: Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Time Recorded: 7.00am