Dreams and Their Nature
Dreams are abstract representations of our emotions and subconscious that appear as a series of ideas while we sleep. They are a puzzle because some people recall their dreams clearly and some have a blurred memory. Dreams are caused by sudden eye movement (REM), which happens when the brain and sensory nerves are cut off. The REM states mean that, despite the fact that the two are disconnected, the brain is constantly being changed even when it is coming through the eyes. Dreaming, according to Kahn, is an emergent operation. Emergence happens as new patterns and attributes are encountered, the future of which cannot be expected (1-5). The neural levels rise and fire and collectively connect to a coherent activity which is the dream. Dreams are spontaneous, and lack consistency as the neurons are uncoordinated. Dreams entail an integration of knowledge by a part of the brain that is always conscious even in our sleep.
Do People Always Dream?
The question as to whether people always dream has been raised from time immemorial. People are controversial on the issue as some researchers indicate that sound sleep results in no dreams. However, others claim that people always dream. Research shows that everybody dreams but the ability to remember makes the difference (Masson et al. 475). Total unconsciousness means that the brain is dead and thereby when asleep there is a part of the brain that remains conscious. Therefore, the soul does not leave the body as it would mean that one is dead. No matter how faint it may appear, there is a part of us that stays alerted to sounds, whispers, and discomfort. It is this part that processes dreams as a recollection of our train of thoughts and actions (Masson et al. 476).
Influence of Inner Thoughts and Experiences on Dreams
Our inner thoughts, experiences, and feeling play a role in our dreams. It could be argued that dreams are personal and subject to individual interpretation of events making them difficult to keep track and decipher. The human mind is constantly going through experiences in daily life in the past and the current time. They are taken into the subconscious that impacts dreams (Raizizun, 10). Our environment during sleep influences the nature of our dreams. Sounds influence people's dreams as it affects the cognitive part of the brain. Sleeping in an atmosphere of white noise improves sleep and provides one with ambient dreams compared to sleeping in a noisy environment (Gross, Huffington Post). Smell could lead to dreams of food as it is what the subconscious mind is registering.
Subjectivity of Dreams
Dreams are subjective as one has little choice as to what they will dream in a particular night. Some people argue that as the subconscious mind is alone, so do we dream of ourselves only. Thereby, when other people appear in our dreams, they are an illusion of ourselves in another state. We see ourselves as the mind symbolizes people in different events. Our dreams are a replay of our memories as we see ourselves in different situations. It is a way of bringing perspective into our lives (Springett 1). A dream on immoral actions by other people is because we are unconsciously separating ourselves from such acts. In instances where we are all action is because we can relate to the experiences in the dream.
Nightmares and Their Causes
Nightmares are disturbing and frightening dreams as they appear real and could shake one from a deep sleep. Nightmares occur when the brain is more active than usual due to a disorder resulting from the use of medication (Hasler and Germain 507-517). People that have gone through post-traumatic disorder have a prevalence of nightmares as they have the event memorized in their brains. They cause sleep disorientation and remembering the events of the nightmare is in a fragmented manner. The ability to record and monitor them is complicated and therefore hard to make a diagnosis and consequently treat the condition. Nightmares could also be related to inner conflict due to such things as paranoia that could heighten fear in dreams (Hasler and Germain 507-517).
The Mystery of Dreams
Dreams are mysterious given they are interpreted as memories stored in our minds. We see people and places we have not visited before. However, these are not new individuals and venues in our minds. Every day we read newspapers, watch television, walk on crowded streets and events are subconsciously recorded in our minds. When we fall asleep, the mind has the capability to retrieve this memory from our subconscious into dreams.
Conclusion
Dreams are a result of the subconscious mind picking on memories that we may be aware or unaware that they exist. Extensive studies have been done to understand dreams and how to interpret and understand them. However, dreams are a mystery that will always be hard to decipher. Though everybody dreams in the night, few people can remember their dreams vividly on waking up. People have little control of their dreams and could have scary dreams such as nightmares while good dreams characterize other nights. A noisy, smelly environment can influence what we dream. There is nothing impossible in dreams as long as the subconscious mind is willing to accommodate. It can create a world of fantasy that we never knew existed.
Work Cited
Gross, Jessica. “6 Things That Influence Your Dreams”. The Huffington Post. N.p., 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
Hasler, Brant P., and Anne Germain. “Correlates And Treatments Of Nightmares In Adults.” Sleep Medicine Clinics 4.4 (2009): 507-517. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.
Kahn, David. “The Dream as a Product of an Emergent Process.” Emergence: Complexity & Organization, vol. 18, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 1-5. EBSCOhost, doi:10.emerg/10.17357.4ed98b23bc15060eb4168864d9fec486.
Masson, David et al. “Macmillan’s Magazine, Volume 9”. Macmillan’s Magazine 2014: n. pag. Print.
Springett, Ben. Philosophy Of Dreaming. 1st ed. UK: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2001. Print.
