By Sophia Röhr
Research questions: What do we dream about? Do dreams have meaning? What are the different types of dreams?
During
the day we get tired. In order to rest the body, we sleep. The only parts of
our body that work during sleep are our heart and mind. Of course our heart
goes on beating, but also our mind keeps on working in order to create dreams.
Dreaming is probably the time when our mind works the hardest. While dreaming
we are able to taste, hear, smell and feel pain. Dreaming is like living in
one’s own imaginary world, put together with what we thought of and saw during
the day and put into a dream. This paper will cover the common dreams, the five
different types of dreams, the stages of sleep, the meanings of colors and
symbols in a dream. Animal dreams, REM sleep, and finally, sleepwalking.
Humans
dream about lots of things. Sometimes two persons dream the same thing. Like
this we can determine what the dream was trying to tell us.
I. There are six common dreams.
One of them would
be an examination. If you dream about a test, having an exam, or someone
testing you; people might criticize you. If you have an exam and your time is
running out, you are late, or your pencil keeps on breaking; you might have a
lack of confidence. You are worried that you can’t keep up with others. If you
fear not being accepted, prepared, or good enough for the exam; you feel very
insecure and always think bad about yourself. You might feel unprepared for a
challenge. Dreaming about a test or an exam usually doesn’t tell you how the
next test or exam is going to be, but tell you the way you feel about yourself.
Usually they show you how helpless and frustrated you feel. Sometimes they also
tell you that people judge you or you have been neglected and need to pay
attention to.
Being chased shows you the
way you respond to woriedness and pressure in waking life. They represent your
way of dealing with fears, stress or various situations in your waking life.
Instead of trying to solve the problem you are running away from it. The person
who is attacking you can also be your feelings of anger, jealousy, fear, and
sometimes love. You can be chased by your self-destructive behaviour. For
example if you are drinking to much. Those chasing dreams might want you to pay
attention to those self-destructive actions.
Dreaming of
falling indicates your insecurity, instability, worriedness and other issues
concerning your pride. The act of falling shows you that you feel out of
control in some situation. They also very often reflect a failure in a
circumstance or situation.
Flying dreams fall under the
category that you are aware that you are dreaming, which makes it a lucid
dream. If you are flying on top of things, you look down and it seems very easy
to do so; you are on top of things and are prepared. But it can also mean that
you are looking at things in a different Perspective. It is your own personal
sense of power. “You have a sense of freedom”(https://members.tripod.com/~o45tu/common.htm)
But if it’s very difficult for you to fly, because of power lines, trees, or
mountains and you keep on flying into them, these difficulties symbolize a
person that is standing in your way in waking life. If you are afraid of flying
or think that you are flying to high, you are afraid of challenges or success.
A lot of people
experience themselves completely naked in their dreams. They express
your fear of being exposed in some embarrassing way. You might be hiding
something from others, but have the fear that people can see right through you.
Being naked at work or in school might signify that you are not prepared for a
project. Maybe you will dream that you are naked but people don’t notice, which
tells you that your fears are unnecessary. On the other hand it might represent
your desire to be noticed. Not being embarrassed that you are naked implies
your freedom, and your sense of honesty, openness, and carefree nature. Teeth
represent a lot of things. One of them would be that you care a lot about your
physical appearance and how others think about you. They might also represent
your fear of powerlessness. They also very often show your fear of being
embarrassed. It is usually an over exaggeration of your worries. Since we use
teeth to bite tear and gnaw, they symbolically represent power. Loosing teeth
might then represent a lack of power. It may also mean that you have
difficulties expressing yourself. “Your voice is not being heard” (https://members.tripod.com/~o45tu/common.htm)
II. There are five different types of dreams.
a. Ordinary
dreams: An Ordinary dream is based on what you have seen or thought
during the day. It can even be about a single thought that you totally forgot.
This thought is saved in the brain and while you are sleeping, this thought
gets “read” by dream symbols, which are “the language of gods”. This is an
ordinary dream that George Gillespie had: In an ordinary dream I was
explaining to some people about death. Our interest was not simply theoretical,
but related to real possibilities. I said, "You will see both darkness and
light at the same time," meaning they would pass out of darkness into
light. After a transition that I don’t remember, I was floating in darkness
wondering what was happening to me. I was going through some personal crisis I
did not understand. Though I was not particularly aware of my (dreamed) body, I
felt myself drift up. Suddenly I entered the light, which I happily recognized.
I knew then that I was again in the presence of God, and that this time I had
died. The light was brilliant and filled my vision. There was a point above the
level of my eyes from which the light appeared to radiate. I did not remember
waking life, nor did I know the circumstances of my death. I had some regrets
at first, but my joy was greater than any regrets. I was spontaneously
prayerful, calm and extremely happy. As I floated for some time in the light I
repeated over and over with great feeling, "Thank you, Father." I was
not thankful for dying, but for being in the presence of God and the light.
Then slowly I became aware that I was in bed. I woke up tingling and very much
surprised to find that I had not died.
b.
During a Lucid dream you know that you are sleeping, therefore you
control it. You are able to decide what you dream about. You know that each
character and object around you is a creation of your mind.
c.
Telepathic dreams are also called “The Language of the Angels”. In a
Telepathic dream you are able to communicate with a dead in a dreamland. But
this can also occur between two living people. We receive thoughts of others as
a mental vision in a dream. Extended telepathy would be between the night time
world of the soul and the daytime world.
d.
A premonitory dream tells you the future or what might happen in the future. .
We also call them warning dreams. Lets say you dream that you are driving in
the car and suddenly your breaks don’t work. This could mean that you are
having trouble and should slow down a little bit. But just to be sure you
should also check the brakes on your car. Premonitory dreams don’t always have
to be about you, or to warn you; they could also tell you t look after someone
else. Here is one example of this: "I had a dream where my father had
blood pouring out of an eye from an accident involving the machine he
was working with, and I knew he had lost his eye. Upon awakening, I immediately
phoned my parents and asked my father what he was planning that day. He said he
was going to work in his workshop with his drill and circular saw. Hearing
this, I strongly urged him and eventually got him to promise to wear safety
goggles while he was working. Then I spoke to my mother, told her the dream,
and convinced her to keep a close eye on Dad. That night, Dad phoned in
disbelief to tell me that a piece of wood had flown off the saw right at his
eye and shattered the safety glasses. He was very grateful and admitted to me
that it was truly a miracle that his eye was untouched." (S.B. Montreal,
Qc)And here is an example for the slowing down, by Stanford University
pioneer sleep researcher Dr.William Dement: "Some years ago I was a
heavy cigarette smoker, up to two packs a day. Then one night I had an
exceptionally vivid and realistic dream in which I had inoperable cancer of the
lung. I remember as though it were yesterday looking at the ominous shadow in
my chest X-ray and realizing that the entire right lung was infiltrated. I
experienced the incredible anguish of knowing my life was soon to end, that I
would never see my children grow up, and that none of this would ever have
happened if I had quit cigarettes when I first learned of their carcinogenic
potential. I will never forget the surprise, joy, and exquisite relief of
waking up. I felt I was reborn. Needless to say, the experience was sufficient
to induce the immediate cessation of my cigarette habit."
e. A
lot of Nightmares are about an early experience in childhood. Nightmares
can also warn you from a bad event that might happen to you or a loved one.
When you hear the word Nightmare most people would think about a scary dream.
Nightmares don’t always have to be scary.
Some
Nightmares are based on an unsolved problem from the past. They can also be
about stressful things that happened during the day. Most people get nightmares
from scary movies. If someone watched a scary movie before he/she went to bed,
the brain saved those scary scenes and forms them into Nightmares.
IV: There are four different stages of sleep.
During the first stage you are half a sleep half
a wake, you are just about to sleep. During the second and the third stage you
gt deeper and deeper into sleeping and dreaming. The fourth stage is when you
are in deep sleep and in the middle of your dream. After that comes REM sleep.
From REM it goes backwards from stage three to stage one. After stage one you
wake up. ( in stage one you are most likely to wake up.)
V: Meanings of Objects and colors in dreams.
In a dream
objects and different colours have a meaning. Most of the time
even each different colour has many different meanings. Here is a list of the
different colours, and symbols and their definition:
COLOURS:
“Red – I feel
concentrated, I feel transformed, I feel forceful, I feel creative, I want to
live life to its fullest, I want to win, I have strong sexual urges, I desire
something, I need something to make me feel alive again, I need to be more
forceful, I need to go out and enjoy myself.
Orange – I want to
expand my field of activity, I want a wider sphere of influence, I want more contact
with others, I want to shake off the shackles of self-doubt, I feel restless
Yellow – I am seeking a
solution that will open up new and better possibilities and allow my hopes to
be fulfilled; I feel the new direction I am taking will bring happiness out
there in my future, I am hopeful, I need to find a way out of this circumstance
or relationship, I need relief, I need a change, I may be compensating for
something, I am acting compulsively,
Green – I need to
establish myself, my self-esteem, my independence, I want recognition, I need
to increase the certainty of my own value through acknowledgment by others of
my achievements or my possession's, Hard work and drive will gain me
recognition and self esteem, My opinion must prevail, I must hold onto this
idealized view of self in order to maintain my self-esteem, I want what I am
due, Things must not change, I need to increase my sense of security, I need
more money to feel secure, I want healing or better health, I must maintain
control of the events, Detail and logic are important here.
Blue – I feel
tranquil, peaceful and quietly content,
I feel a sense of harmony with things, I feel a meditative awareness or
unity, I feel a sense of belonging, I need rest, peace or a chance to
recuperate, I need a relationship free from contention where I can trust and be
trusted, I need to feel I belong.
Brown – I seek a
secure state where I can be physically comfortable and relax or recover, I
desire physical comfort, I want to satisfy the physical senses (food, luxury,
sex), I have a physical problem, illness or injury [particularly if dirty
brown], I am concerned about matters of family, home, or my "roots",
I am concerned with a son or daughter, I am searching for my true self or
natural state of being.
(Hoss,B.(2000).The dream
FoundationWorking with coloursin dreams.Dreamgate.)
SYMBOLS:
Alligator – Big fears,
unsolved problem, someone is chasing you and wants to harm you
Fish – freedom-if you
catch a fish, you have a lot of money
Spinning Wheel – in the end of
your life you will achieve goals
Rain – More money less
love
Tears – Happiness
Old Man – Wisdom
Path of Life – It represents
your whole life the end and everything you pass between
Police, Army Men
-
Authority
Running – Escaping from
something
Stairs – The rise and
fall in life
Bees – Activity, your
social life, happiness in life, success in love
Building
something – hard roots, steady life
Heart – Love
Rainbow – You are trying to
connect more with your mystic powers
Magic – Someone is
helping you
Magnet – You are going to
earn a lot of money
Letter – Telepathic
powers
Tunnel – passing between
words
Door – You want to start
new and if the door is closed, you want to break free.
Home – Protection and
childhood
You can’t move – You have to
solve your problems
Island – Isolation
Judgement – getting punished
for something that you did
Jumping – Big ego
Kill – You want to leave
behind your old memories, habits, relationships, thoughts and hates
Money – Low self esteem.
If you have a lot of money, you are sure about what you are doing, poor
Flying – Freedom and power
Monster – your fears and
your dark side
Birds – successful life,
freedom, you have a strong mind
Flies – someone is
annoying you
Arm – strength
Blood – Disappointment,
bad luck
Brain – smart person,
strong mind, knowledge, studies, creativity
Ear – not hearing
something means that you are unaware of something. If you shout and no one
hears you, you are hopeless
Ants – Hard work, the
ant represents you and the way you work
Bear – fighting your
enemies and achieving big fame, glory and victory
Eye – prophetic and
vision dream
Teeth – fear that you are
going to lose something
Time – You want to do
something but you don’t have much time
Alien – You aren’t sure
about the place you are living in, or your life
Airplane – rising to a new
level
Accident – You fear that
something bad is going to happen
Angels – someone is
sending you a message
Awakening – discovering new
ideas and things
Birth – start a new life
Death – you want to
forget your past, lose things and want to start a new life
Turtle – Secrets and
enemies, health.
Disease – you don’t have
anymore hope and don’t know what to do next.
Lake – lose of money,-Quiet
lake – earning a lot of money
Air – Prophetic dream
Treasure – Jealousy
Light – success
Art – you are very
spiritual
Test – You are afraid of
tests and failure
Toilet/Bathroom –
your
health condition and the way you take care of yourself
Falling – you failed
something in your life, everything that you did is blown in your face, you need
to rise again
Flight – Achieving a goal
in any way
Clams – honest person and
you live a comfortable life
Fire – Anger and
destruction
Tiger – you control the
world and enjoy your power in beauty
Chase – You are running
away from something, or you want to achieve something in anyway.
Snake – bad luck, evil,
dark side, someone wants you to suffer and hurt you. Killing a snake means
victory over enemies.
Climbing – your path to
fame, glory, fortune, victory and health
Clouds – they represent
your mood. Nice clouds: good mood, grey cloud and storm- bad mood
Mud – Lot’s of problems,
there is some dirt in your life that you have to get rid of
Hell – Represents fear
that you are being punished because you have committed a crime
Dead Body – frightened by bad
actions
Ice – your deepest fear
Garden – A very artistic
an talented person
Angel – protection
Barrel – if full:
Prosperity, if empty: tightness of money
Bear – a friend will
help you if you are nice to him/her
Boat – a fortunate
journey
Book – sought-after
wisdom is within reach
Bread – material well
being
Bridge – if crossed, you
will find a happy solution to a problem
Calendar – loss due to your
forgetting of the dates
Chair – a change in
employment
Cheese – gain, profit
Desk – if you are
working on a desk, you should go out more. If the desk is empty, you are going
to have a change in your job
Eggs – abundance
Flag – change, success
Fruit – abundance
Gambling – good if you lose,
bad if you win.
Glass – if it’s broken, success,
if it’s empty, distress
Goat – inconstancy in
relationship or job
Grasshopper – loss
Guitar – declaration of
love
Gun – deceptive gain
Kiss – unfaithfulness or
self unfaithfulness
Lamp – be careful
Monkey – someone near
shouldn’t be trusted
Mushrooms – long life,
protection
Palace – sadness caused by
pride
Pen – a new offer or
proposal
Prison – if you enter it:
tyranny, if leaving or escaping,: recovery from depression
Rabbit – If white or grey:
friendship, success, if black: lies and reverses
Ring - settlement
Scissors – quarrels
Stapler – becoming attached
to someone by questionable integrity
Telephone – bad news are
waiting, bad luck
Trees – I there is a path
through the forest, you will soon find your purpose in life. drowned trees,
success. If the trees bear of leaves, a new beginning. If full trees, danger
from satisfaction.
Umbrella – security or a
lasting friendship
Vinegar – jealousy
Volcano – adventure,
passion.
Water – if the water is
flowing, increased romance. If the water is dark, one is unsure of one’s own
feelings.
Wine – a happy old age
Worms – you put small
worries aside.
Using these
colours and signs you might be able to interpret your dream. For more
information, go to: https://members.tripod.com/~o45tu/symbols.htm, or
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/hoss/
VI. What is REM sleep?
Maybe if you ever
watched a person sleeping, you saw their eyes moving from left to right and
right to left and up and down. This is what we call Rapid eye movement sleep
(REM sleep). “It represents a laborious scan of the action scene in the dream.”
(www.epub.org.br/cm/In02/monte/rem_i.htm) The
movement of his eyes shows what the dreamer is looking or following with
his/her eyes. REM sleep occurs about every 90 min. in humans and once in every
25 min. in cats. Cats sleep up to 16 hours per day. Horses about 5 hours and 22
hours standing. Dolphins shut down one side of their brain but never stop
moving. But we do not know jet what animals dream. They might dream of food or
reproduction.
VII. Do animals dream?
Did you ever
watch a dog sleep? If so, you probably noticed that they sometimes make sudden
movements. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 307 mammals such as rats,
cats, monkeys, opossums, elephants and also birds have REM sleep. But since
they didn’t find REM sleep in snakes or other reptiles, scientists suggested
that REM sleep only takes place in warm-blooded animals.
IX. Does sleepwalking have anything to do with dreaming?
Sleepwalking
occurs between the 3 or the4 stage, when you are in the middle of your dream.
It is very difficult to wake up a person who is sleepwalking, since they, as
soon as you touch them, react very rebellious. The people who sleepwalk usually
act out their dream. And if there is a sofa in the way, the brain inserts this
object and puts it into a dream image that is standing in your way and they
walk around it. People who sleepwalk are able to open locks, doors, drive cars
and swim. Therefore it is very dangerous. It happened some years ago that a
girl drowned while she was sleepwalking. When the sleepwalkers wake up, they
usually don’t remember what had happened.
REM sleep
explains now why people move their eyes while they are sleeping. Maybe this
also refers to my dog, since sometimes when he sleeps he has his eyes half
open. Sometimes he even makes those weird noises and suddenly moves his foot.
Now I know that this depends on the dream that he has at that moment. Now I
wonder if animals ever sleepwalk. I found out that sleepwalking could be very
dangerous. Once I watched this movie about events that really happened and
there was this man who always went sleepwalking to his fridge. He opened the
fridge and ate everything that was in there. But the problem was that he didn’t
just eat the normal food, no, he ate fir example plants with jam or Inc of a
pen with sausages. And in the morning when he woke up, the fridge was empty.
But this was really dangerous, not only because he ate too much and got fat; he
might also choke on something and die or eat something poisonous. Then he
bought a lock and locked the fridge, but that didn’t really help since he knew
where the lock was and always found it, opened the fridge and kept on eating
his “midnight snack”. So he went to a dream doctor who gave him medicine and
over the years it got better and better.
In
conclusion, dreams are made of several types. In addition, in a dream each
colour and symbol has a different meaning, which will make each dream
different. Dreams tell us a lot and help us solve problems since they can tell
us the future or give us a hint, of how to solve a specific problem. By knowing
this, maybe we should pay more attention to our dreams. Dreams can be very
important for people who have a lot of problems. A lot of mothers probably know
what’s it’s like to try and get a child to bed. But mothers also know how
interested kids are in learning new things. Maybe this will help you getting
your child to sleep ;) . So good night and sweet dreams.
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