People have been fascinated with dreams and what they mean almost as long as there have been people. From the earliest civilizations to the world of today, dreams have been imbued with great significance, and people have looked to these nighttime excursions for insights and clues into their waking existence.
While dreams are not magical keys to the waking world, they can provide valuable clues and insights into the mental and even physical state of he dreamer. Dreams can tell you a lot, like whether you feel in charge or out of control, whether you feel secure or anxious, and whether you feel ready to take on the day or set adrift.
Dream analysis ranges from writing down and analyzing your own dreams for fun to therapists, psychologists and others who analyze the dreams of others as part of their careers. When studying dreams, there are a number of basic symbols whose meaning has been interpreted through many studies of dreams.
As with all aspects of dreaming, however, these symbols are highly personal. Each dream is as unique as the individual who dreamed it, and no dream symbol is truly universal. All dream symbols will have shades of meaning, and the meaning is often dependent upon the context of the object within the dream.
Airplane
Dreaming about taking a trip on an airplane can mean you are ready to overcome your obstacles by rising above them. Dreaming about flaying a plane can indicate you are feeling in control and confident.
Alcohol
Dreams about alcohol can mean many things, depending on the dreamerfs relationship to and experience with alcohol. For instance, a recovering alcoholic may express fear of relapse through dreams of alcohol, while a devout Catholic may dream of wine as a symbol of the blood of Christ.
Angels
Angels are seen to symbolize purity and goodness. Dreaming of angels bearing messages can mean there is something the dreamer needs to hear and pay attention to.
Beheading
Dreams about a beheading can mean that past poor judgment or bad decision are being recalled. Loss of ones head can also indicate a lessening or loss of intellectual capacity.
Cancer
Dreaming about cancer or other wasting conditions can be indications that the dreamer feels he or she is wasting his or her life and losing hope.
Couch
Dreaming about a couch can symbolize love and longing.
Doctor
Dreaming about a doctor can indicate anxiety about health. In some cases, the doctor can be used to represent another authority figure, such as a clergyman or teacher.
Drowning
Dreaming about drowning can indicate you feel overwhelmed or out of control.
Earth
Dreaming of earth, or of working the earth, often represents that your life has a firm structure.
Exam
Dreaming about failing an exam is very common. Dreams about an exam can represent anxieties in either work or school.
Father
Dreams about onefs father have meanings that vary along with the relationship between father and child. Dreaming of an absent or estranged father can be manifestations of yearning for a lost childhood.
Fire
Dreams about fire can also have various meanings. Fire can symbolize destruction, but it can also symbolize passion.
Food
Dreaming of food can mean a desire for spiritual or mental nourishment, or a need to be taken care of.
Giants
Dreaming about giants can indicate that you fear obstacles in your life and see certain problems as insurmountable.
Globe
Dreams about a still globe can mean the dreamerfs life is in control, while seeing a spinning globe can indicate that the dreamerfs life is spinning out of control.
Gun
Dreaming about guns can indicate a desire for protection, or a fear of crime.
Hell
Dreams of hell can indicate a fear of being punished, or a manifestation of past guilt.
Joke
Telling a joke in a dream can mean you take life lightly and not too seriously.
Knife
Seeing a knife in your dream could indicate you fear being betrayed by a friend or family member.
Magic
Dreaming about magic, or performing a magic trick, can symbolize creativity and power.
Money
The meaning of dreams about money depends on the context. Dreams about wealth can indicate that the dreamer is powerful and in control, while dreaming about lack of money can be manifestations of low self worth.
Monster
Monsters in a dream can represent parts of the dreamerfs mind of which he or she is ashamed.
Office
Dreaming of being at an office can indicate the dreamer is preoccupied with work and making money.
When attempting to analyze and interpret your dreams, it is important to know that every human being, of every age, and from every part of the world, dreams anywhere from four to seven times each and every night. There is even evidence that babies experience dream sleep while still in their mother's womb. What they dream about, of course, is a mystery. What animals dream about is a mystery as well, but most mammals dream as well.
The sleep cycle is divided into four distinct stages, and every person cycles through all four stages each and every night. Every cycle contains a stage of dream sleep, and every person experiences a number of distinct dream stages, and a number of distinct dreams every night.
Typically the only dreams that are recalled, if any are recalled at all, are those dreams that take place closest to waking. The closest the dream occurs to waking, the more likely it is to be remembered. If a dreamer is woken in the middle of dream sleep, he or she will remember his or her dream perfectly and vividly in even the tiniest detail. We know this from years of studies of dreams.
You may be surprised to know that science is still unsure of the exact function of dream sleep. We do know, however, that dreams are absolutely essential to our psychological and physical health. Research volunteers given drugs to disrupt dream sleep experienced all manner of psychological problems, including problems concentrating, irritability and even waking hallucinations.
Let's explore the four stages of sleep, including dream sleep, in greater detail.
Stage 1:
The first stage of sleep is a very light one, and it is very easy to be awoken or disturbed during this stage. Stage one of sleep usually lasts for only a few minutes, and the sleeper quickly moves on to stage two.
Stage 2:
Stage two is a much deeper level of sleep than stage one. It is in stage two of sleep that dreams begin to form. At this point in the dream cycle, there are usually no clear images. Dreams at this stage mostly consist of vague ideas and thoughts drifting through the dreamer's mind. The sleeper will continue and enter stage three.
Stage 3:
Stage three is a still deeper sleep. In stage three of the sleep cycle the sleeper's muscles have all relaxed, and his or her heart rate and respiration have both slowed down. The sleeper's blood pressure also falls during this stage of sleep, and the breathing is even and steady. During this deep stage of sleep, the sleeper would be very difficult to awaken. Typically the sleeper can only be awakened by a very loud noise or the shout of his or her name. After a time, the sleeper will enter the final stage of sleep.
Stage 4:
Stage four of sleep, also known as REM, or rapid eye movement sleep, is the deepest stage of sleep, and the one in which the most dreams occur. During this stage of sleep it is very difficult indeed to wake the sleeper. During REM sleep, the blood pressure and heart rate will fluctuate, and the sleeper's brain will light up. Studies of dreaming patients have shown that more brain activity occurs when we are dreaming than when we are awake.
It is the rapid movements of the eyes under their closed lids that give REM sleep its name, and these eye movements are the distinguishing characteristic of dream sleep, and proof that dreams are occurring. Most REM sleep lasts only for about 10 minutes. After that time, the sleeper returns to the deep sleep that characterizes stage four of the sleep cycle. The sleeper will return after a time to a period of REM sleep, then cycle back into stage four. This process is usually repeated from four to seven times a night.
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