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Dreams have always been a mystery. First off, it’s important to point out that dreaming is not just a human characteristic-- instead, it appears to be a mammalian characteristic. All mammals have Rapid Eye Movement (REM), a cycle of sleep that occurs usually in the first 90-minutes in which your eyes move rapidly in various directions, which is typically indicative of a dreaming state. Other animals, like selected reptiles and even some birds also dream, but it’s not universal-- for instance, no fish or insects are known to dream.
The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians believed that dreams were prophetic, so much so that dream interpretation was even an important occupation! Dreams weren’t taken up as a science until the late 1890s, when Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, developed Psychoanalysis, where dreams were interpreted as wish fulfillment. Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, believed dreams were much more than just wish fulfillment, and in fact were an expression of both the conscious and unconscious mind, with very complex meanings. With the advent of new technologies, new reasons for why we dream have been suggested. One interpretation is that dreams don’t mean anything, and are simply electrical impulses that randomly pull thoughts and images from our minds. This theory, called Activation-Synthesis, states that the only reason dreams have any meaning is because we force them to make sense to ourselves when the dream occurs close to us being awake. Another theory, Threat Simulation Theory, states that dreams exist to assist in the evolution of our species. It posits that animals that can dream are doing so to work out how to best respond to certain circumstances that might put them in danger in real, waking life. A recent theory to try and explain why dreams exist was developed by an Italian group, who based it on the analysis of the type of dream a person has had with the type of Brainwave that was most prominent in the brain at the time of the dream. That’s right-- brainwaves-- and there are four distinct types that we currently understand: Delta, Theta, Alpha, and Beta. Each represents a different Oscillation Speed (movement back and forth at a regular speed) in the brain. A group of subjects were awakened during the night as each of these waves were prominent on their scan, and it was found that the dreams that happened during theta waves were much more likely to be remembered by the subjects. Since theta waves are also correlated with memories, it is thought that sleep is a way to make memories more memorable and to ensure that important memories are more likely to be recalled when needed. Wanna get famous? You could probably do worse than developing a coherent and predictable theory for why we dream and what they ultimately mean. If you can do it, a Nobel prize likely awaits. |
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GLOSSARY
Activation-Synthesis Theory theory that dreams are formed in response to lower levels of the brain, responsible for biological processes, by higher level functions.
Brainwave (delta, theta, alpha, beta) repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system.
Carl Jung a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology.
Oscillation Speed the repetitive variation of some measure about a central value.
Psychoanalysis theories and therapeutic techniques related to the study of the unconscious mind.
Rapid Eye Movement a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds which usually accompanies vivid dreaming by the sleeper.
Sigmund Freud an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a method for treating psychopathology through dialogue.
Threat Simulation Theory theory that suggests we experience dreams as a leftover ancient biological defense mechanism, which prepares our waking selves by repeatedly simulating threatening events.
Brainwave (delta, theta, alpha, beta) repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system.
Carl Jung a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology.
Oscillation Speed the repetitive variation of some measure about a central value.
Psychoanalysis theories and therapeutic techniques related to the study of the unconscious mind.
Rapid Eye Movement a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds which usually accompanies vivid dreaming by the sleeper.
Sigmund Freud an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a method for treating psychopathology through dialogue.
Threat Simulation Theory theory that suggests we experience dreams as a leftover ancient biological defense mechanism, which prepares our waking selves by repeatedly simulating threatening events.
