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CassandraMulholland
Mr.Conrad
ExpositoryReadingandWriting,Period3
1May2016
Dreams:AnOutofThisWorldExperience
Haveyoueverwokenfromadreamwithyourheartracing,possiblytearsrollingdown
yourface?Haveyoueverfeltemotionallydistort?Dreamshavemoreeffectsonusthan
commonlybelieved.Unfortunatelytheyarenotstudiedasmuchastheyshouldbeinmyopinion.
Thisisnottosaytheyarenotstudiedatall.Dreamshavealwaysbeenaninterestingsubject
studiedinancienthistoriesandcultures.Manyseedreamsverydifferently.Themostcommon
definitionofadreamisthattheyarethoughts,images,sensations,andevenemotionsthatcome
togethertoformastoryduringsleep.Everyonedreamsdespitethefactthatmostdonot
rememberthenextmorning.Dreamshavebeenstudiedthroughouthistoryandhavemany
differentmeaningsinmanydifferentcultures.Despitetheoftenresearch,manymysteriesstilllie
inthethoughtsofsocietiestoday.Manyarecurioushowdreamshavebeeninterpretedinancient
cultures,thescienceofdreams,howdreamstrulyaffectus,whywehavenightmaresandlucid
dreams,andwhyweexperiencerecurringdreams.Scientistshaveresearchedthetruecauseand
meaningbehinddreamsyettherestillisnocorrectanswer.Althoughthereisnoscientific
consensusaboutthetruemeaningorpurposeofdreams,wecangaininsightfromtheway
ancientcultureshaveinterpretedthem.
Ancientculturesareknownforhavingendlesscuriosityabouttheirdreams.Theearliest
informationfoundondreamscomesfromMesopotamia.ThisisthelandbetweentheTigrisand

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EuphrateswhichisnowapartofIraq.Around5,000BC,Sumerians(thepeoplewholivedin
Mesopotamia)createdwhatisbelievedtobetheworldsfirstbookaboutdreams.Theybelieved
thatdreamsweresignsfromGod.OftentimesSumerianswouldhavetheirdreamstranslatedby
dreampriestswhoforetoldthedreamersfuture(Aserokin).
Egyptalsohasinterestingdreamhistory.Theegyptianstookmanyideasfromthe
SumerianssuchasbelievingthatdreamsweresignsfromtheGods.Theycreatedtheirown
dreambookwhichisnowlocatedattheBritish
museuminLondon.Specialdreaminterpreterslived
inEgypttohelppeoplecometoanideaaboutwhat
theirdreamsmeant.Egyptianscelebratednumerous
ritualsincludinggivingsacrifices,andrecitingprayers
inhopesofhavingtheirdreamsrevealthefuture.
Theyalsooftenusedthemessagesintheirdreamsin
ordertocureillnesses,makeimportantState
decisions,andevendecidewheretobuildatempleorwhentowageabattle(The).
Around335BCGreekphilosopherAristotlesaidthathumanbeingsarecapableof
achievingthepureformofwisdomonlyduringsleep,whenourmindsareliberated(Aserokin),
mostgreekcitizensthenfollowedinthisbelief.Greecewasthemostpowerfulcivilization
duringthistimeperiod.Dreamsplayedanimportantroleinmanyaspectsofthesociety.They
useddreamstomakemilitarydecisions,andfamilylife.Greekdreaminterpretationswerealso
usedtoensureeveryonessuccess.InancientGreekabookwaswrittenbyArtemidorusthatis

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calledOneirocritica,ortheinterpretationofdreams.Thisbookbecamethebasisformany
moderndaycontemporarybooksaboutdreams.
RomepulledmanyoftheirbeliefsinvolvingdreamsfromtheGreeks.Augustus,whowas
thesuccessorofJuliusCaesar,wassointerestedindreamsandwhattheymeantthathecreateda
lawthatrequiredallcitizenstotalkabouteverydreamtheyhadabouttheempireonthemarket
intheirtown.TheimportanceofdreamsinRomewasdiscussedoften.Eventuallythescholars
cametothebeliefthatdreamsareinspiredbypassions,emotionsandexperiencesfromeveryday
lifeinsteadoffromtheGods.
Onceonecivilizationbecameinterestedindreams,othercivilizationpiggybackedon
theirideasuntiltheycameupwithnewones.Multipledifferentbookshavebeenwrittenonthe
differentidealsofwheredreamscomefromandwhywehavethem.Everyonehastheirown
opinionaboutdreams.Luckilyinthisdayandagethereissciencetobackuptheideals.
Scientistshaveresearcheddreamsandallowedustounderstandthemonadeeperlevel
thaninthepast.Humansleepisverycomplicatedandcomplex.Somuchsothatitissplitinto
fivedifferentstages.Thesefivestagesarelabeledstageone,stagetwo,stagethree,stagefour,
andREM(RapidEyeMovement).Stageoneislightsleepingwhenonedriftsinandoutofsleep
andiseasilyawakened.Stagetwoiswhentheeyemovementstopsandthebrainwavesbecome
slowerwithoccasionalburstsofrapidbrainactivity.Stagethreehasextremelyslowbrainwaves
calleddeltawaves.Thedeltawavesareinterruptedwithsmaller,fasterbrainwaves.Stagefouris
whenthebrainproducesonlydeltawaves.Stagesthreeandfourarecommonlyknownasdeep
sleepordeltasleep,anditisverydifficulttowakesomeonefromthem(Quick).Duringdelta

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sleepiswhensleepwalkingandnightterrorsoccur,thisisalsowhenchildrenexperience
bedwetting.
Thefirsthalfofthesleepstagesiscategorizedintoslowwavesleep(Quick).The
secondhalfiswhenREMoccurs.DuringREM,breathingbecomesirregularandshallow,the
amountofeyemovementincreases,bloodpressureandheartrateincreases,andlimbmovement
becomespermanentlyparalyzed.Within
theaveragepersonsnight,therearethree
tofiveREMintervals.AfterREM,people
experiencethedeltasleepsymptoms
mentionedabove.Theseoccurrencesare
onlyrememberediftheylastalongperiod
oftime.Mostshortawakeningsdisappear
withamnesiatherefore,theyarenot
rememberedinthemorning.Infantsspend
50%oftheirsleepexperiencingREM
whereasadultsspend50%oftheirsleep
experiencingstagetworepeatedly.

Therearemanyaspectsthatplayintotheroleofsciencewhiledreaming.Thebrainin
generalisaverycomplexpartofthehumanbody.Asfarasdreamsareconcernedtherearetwo
sectionsofthebrainthathavebeenstudiedthelimbicsystemandthedorsolateralprefrontal

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cortex.Thelimbicsystemishometothehippocampusandthefornix.Inotherwordsthe
wormytangleallupinthemiddleofyourbrain(Sandford)controlsmostemotionsandisvery
livelywhiledreaming.Thedorsolateralprefrontalcortexismainlyusedforlogicandrationale.
Whiledreamingthisisessentiallydormant.
DreamsareabletooccurduringbothREMandnonREM(NREM).Theaspectsofthe
dreamdependsonwhichstageitwasformedin.DreamsthatexistduringREMtendtohavefew
charactersinthem.Thesecharactersarepeoplethatthedreamerknowssuchasfriendsand
family.Interactionsbetweenthedreamerandtheothercharactershappenanumberoftimes.The
dreamstendtobemoresociallyaggressiveandhaveanegativedemeanor.NREMdreamstend
tobequitetheopposite,theyareknowntohaveafriendlypresencetothem.NREMdreams
consistofalotofcharactershowever,mostarestrangers.
Whywedreamcandependonanumberofreasons.Emotionsandfeelingsaretwothings
thatgohandinhandwithdreamsmoreoftenthannot.Themostcommonofthesewouldbepain,
affection,attraction,happiness,anger,andsadness.Therearemanystoriesofaperson
experiencingliteralpainthroughouttheirsleepthatiscausedbyadream.Nothesepeopleare
notcrazy,despitehowcrazytheysound.Testshavebeendoneanditisscientificallyproventhat
theassociationofpainwithdreamcontentmayimplicatebrainstemandlimbiccentersinthe
regulationofpainfulstimuli,duringREMsleep(Sommeil).Painduringdreamsismost
commonlyassociatedwithanger.
Dreamsaffectusinwayswedonotrealize.Haveyoueverexperiencedanegativemood
thedayafterabaddream?Youarenottheonlyone.Thetheoryofthemoodyouexperience
throughoutthedaycorrelatingwiththedreamdetailsofthepreviousnighthasbeenconfirmed.

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Forexample,dreamsofaffectionorunpleasantdreamsleadtopositiveandnegativemoods.
Dreamingofsomeoneyouusedtoberomanticallyinvolvedwithcancauseyoutofeelattraction
towardsthemforthenextcoupledays!Thisisevenmorelikelyifyouhavenotinteractedwith
thepersoninawhile.Theintensityofthedreamdependsonhowoftenthispersonisonyour
mind.Anunpleasantdreamcauseunfavorableemotionsandmoodsthefollowingday.Themood
willlastuntilsomethinghappenstochangeit.
Letmesleeponit,atypicalanswertosituationsorquestionsthatpeopleareunsure
howtheyfeelabout.Smartdecisionbecauseyoudoinfactlearnwhiledreaming.Everymemory
youmakehastotransferthroughmanypartsofthebraininordertoberememberedinthefuture.
Thepathsthatmemoriestakeduringthistransferofinformationthroughthebrainarenearly
identicaltothepathsofbrainactivitywhileasleep.Itisproventhatthosewhochoosetosleepon
lessonstheylearnarelikelytoretaintheinformationlonger.InanarticlereviewedbyVarnada
KarriemNorwood,MD,itsaysthatifyougotobedwithatroublingthoughtyoumaywake
withasolution,oratleastfeelbetteraboutthesituation(Dreams).
Therearemanydifferenttheoriestowhywedream.Everyonehastheirownopinionand
thereisnocorrectansweratthispointintime.Somebelievedreamshavenopurposeor
meaningandarenonessentialactivityofthesleepingbrain(Dreams),whileotherschooseto
believedreamsareakeyingredienttoahealthylife.Sciencehasbackedupthesecondopinion
withmultiplestudiesprovingtheimportanceofdreamswhenreferringtoourhealthand
wellbeing.Duringonestudy,researcherswokesubjectsjustastheyweredriftingoffintoREM
sleepandthesesubjectsexperiencedincreasedtension,anxiety,depression,difficulty
concentrating,lackofcoordination,weightgain,andhallucination.Mostexpertsclaimdreams

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helpsolveproblemsinourlives,incorporatememories,andprocessouremotions.Sigmund
Freudtrustedtheideathatdreamsareaviewofoursubconscious,thatdreamsreveal
unconsciousdesires,thoughtsandmotivations.Hebelieveddreamswereawayforapersonto
findsatisfactionfortheirsociallyunacceptableurgesanddesires.Manyhavetheirideas,beliefs
andexplanationsyetresearchersarestillunsureandlookingforaclearanswer.
Onethingresearchersdoknowisthatdreamsareconnectedtoemotions.Thisincludes
nightmares.Althoughnightmarescanoccurduetomanydifferentreasons,stress,conflict,fear,
andemotionalissuesareleadingcauses.Ifapersonexperiencesrecurrentnightmares,itmay
becausetheirselfconsciousistryingtosendamessage.Thispersonshouldseekhelpfroma
mentalhealthproviderandseewhatiscausingtheirnightmares.Eachcaseisdifferent,typically
nightmaresoccurduenegativeemotions.Peoplewhosufferfromnightmaresshouldalwayskeep
inmindthatjustbecausetheydreamtsomethingdoesnotmeanitwillhappen,stressingover
themwillcausemoretocome.
Luciddreamingisareallyinterestingtopic.Aluciddreamiswhenapersonexperiences
adreaminadream.Duringluciddreaming,thebrainactivityincreasesinareasofthebrainthat
areordinarilydormantduringsleep.Thesedreamsareexperiencedinastageofsleepthatisafter
REMbutbeforeawakening.Someareabletocontroltheirdreamswhileinthisstate
unfortunately,expertssayitishealthiertoallowyourdreamstocontrolthemselves.Thisis
becauseonceonestartscontrollingtheirdreamsitconflictswiththebodysattempttoheal,
learn,orrelax.Onecanalsoenterluciddreamingbydoingalistofstepsthataretokeeptheir
bodyawakeforanextendedperiodoftime.Thisisevenmoredangerousbecausetheirhavebeen

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reportedincidentswhenthepersonwhoforcesluciddreamsuponthemselvesendupincomas
becausetheycannotwake.
Recurringdreamsareveryimportantdespitehowannoyingtheymaybe.Typically,
dreamsoccuroverandoveragainuntilyoureceiveandinterpretthesignsyoursubconsciousis
tryingtotellyou.Oneauthorsaysitisimportanttorememberthat
dreamsspeaktouswith
signsandsymbols(OKeefe).
Thiscanbedangerousbecausemoreoftenthannot,recurring
dreamsescalatetonightmares.Ifyouexperiencerecurringdreams,youshouldtrytolookdeeper
intowhatishappeninginthem.
Manyquestionshavebeenansweredinmultipledifferentways.Thisisbecausenomatter
what,peoplewillalwaysinterpretdreamsdifferentlyduetothemanydifferentopinions.The
interpretationsofdreamsthroughouthistoryisconstantlychanging.Scientistmayhavelooked
extensivelyintodreamsbutthisdoesnotmeantheresearchshouldend.Dreamsshouldbe
scientificallyresearchedmoreuntileveryonecanagreeonananswertoallthedifferent
questionsincludingwhywedream,howdreamsaffectus,whatnightmaresare,whatlucid
dreamingisandwhysomedreamsarerecurring.Ihopeonedayitwontmatterwhoyouask
aboutdreamsbecausetherewillbescientificevidencetobackupcorrectanswertoallofthe
abovequestionsandmore.

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WorksCited
Aserokin."TheHistoryandMeaningofDreamsinAncientCultures."
TheSleepBlog
.N.p.,13
Jan.2011.Web.27Apr.2016.
"Dreams:WhyWeDream,LucidDreaming,Nightmares,CommonDreams,andMore."
WebMD
.Ed.VernadaKarriemNorwood.WebMD,25Sept.2014.Web.27Apr.2016.
"TheEgyptianDreamBookRevealsAncientPredictionsOfTheFuture|MessageToEagle.com."
MessageToEaglecom
.MessageToEagle.com,28July2014.Web.27Apr.2016.
O'KeefeKanavos,Kathleene."DefineYourDreams:7CategoriesofDreamsandTheir
Meanings."
Patheos
.N.p.,19Sept.2012.Web.27Apr.2016.
"QuickLinks."
StagesofSleep
.N.p.,n.d.Web.27Apr.2016.

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Radwan,M.Farouk."HowYourDreamsAffectYourMood|2KnowMySelf."
HowYour
DreamsAffectYourMood|2KnowMySelf
.N.p.,n.d.Web.27Apr.2016.
Sandford,MaggieRyan."5ActualFactsAbouttheScienceofDreams."
MentalFloss
.N.p.,17
June2013.Web.27Apr.2016.
Sommeil,LaboratoireDu."PaininDreams."
PubMed
.N.p.,16Aug.1993.Web.27Apr.2016.