...His evidence consisted of studies where patient’s eye movement of REM sleep were matching to the dreamer’s direction of sight (Fenwick). The subjects were told to carry out patterns and then tracked in a machine called a polygraph, during REM sleep that proved that they have been in lucid dream state. A study done by this famous psychologist named Gackenbach showed Lucid dreamers tend to be less stressed out and interact more with the outside world (Schredl). People who experience lucid dreams are also are able to control ones situations in the outside world than people who haven’t. The results overall show that styles of dreaming can improve a person’s daily life resulting in a happier self (Ferguson) It’s also proven that not getting plenty of sleep in other terms dreaming has resulted in depression...
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... Lucid Dreaming Holzinger (2009), suggests that dreams have been a major importance to cultures throughout the ages. Native Americans viewed dreams as portals to the spirit world, paths to prophecy and quests. A common phenomenon states, there is an experience in which one is aware that one is dreaming and is able to control what happens in the dream. This experience is known as lucid dreaming. Aristotle may have been the first to write about lucid dreaming, although he did not have a term for it (Holzinger B. , 2009). And some Tibetan Buddhists have been practicing something like lucid dreaming for a long time. In Tibetan Buddhism, it was practiced as a form of yoga, called dream yoga, from the eighth century. The goal of dream yoga is to examine your consciousness and bring you to a constant state of awareness. A big part of the belief system of Buddhism is recognizing the world for what it is, free from deception. A lucid dreamer recognizes the dream world for what it is, a dream (Holzinger B. , 2009). A Dutch psychiatrist named Frederik van Eeden came up with the term for lucid dreams in 1913. He claimed that there are nine well-defined types of dreams in all, including ordinary, symbolic and vivid dreams. He recorded several of his own lucid dreams, and his thoughts during them and upon awakening. He remarked that they often involved flying (Holzinger B. , 2009). Lucid dreaming is normally a rare experience. Though most people report having had a lucid dream at...
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...Title: Sweet Dreams Topic: Dreams General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: By the end of my speech, my audience will have a greater understanding of dreams. Introduction I. Attention-getting device: Did you know that we spend an average of six years of our lives dreaming? (Dream Moods, Inc., 2010) II. Relevance to the audience: Even though some of us may not remember our dreams, everyone dreams! III. Ethos: I personally am one of those people who rarely remember their dreams, but the study of dreams is something that has always intrigued me. IV. Central idea: Dreams are an important topic because everyone dreams. V. Preview of main points: Today I would like to share some information with you about the history, types, and interpretations of dreams. Transition: First of all I am going to briefly define dreams and tell you a bit about their history. Body I. A dream can be defined many different ways, but according to Webster’s dictionary a dream is a series of thoughts, images or emotions occurring during sleep. (Merriam-Webster, 2011) a. The first recorded dream dates back to seventh century BC and was also the first recorded story: The Chronicle of Gilgamesh. A story about “the hero’s journey,” which was recorded on clay tablets in Assyria. b. In the era of the Old Testament God spoke to humans by way of dreams. For example, Daniel ‘s dream interpretation saved him for death in the lion’s den. c. In ancient Greece the study of dreams becomes more complex and...
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...Hardman 11/8/2012 Psych 111 Dreaming A dream is a succession of images, sounds, ideas and emotions that we experience involuntarily while sleeping. Everyone has dreamed at least once in their life, even if they don’t remember it. As a matter of fact everyone experiences six to eight dreams per night, and out of the eight hours of sleep we’re supposed to get each night, two of them are spent dreaming. People aren’t the only animals that can dream. Actually, every mammal is known to have dreams at night, and even some birds. Dreams usually occur during the “rapid eye movement” stage of our sleep, when brain function is high, almost as high as when we’re awake. We most likely remember the dreams that we have during the REM stage because the brain is functioning at such a high rate, but we also dream during other stages of sleep. Those dreams are just harder to remember because the brain is not functioning at the level that it would be during the REM stage. As we all know, dreams can range from exciting and pleasurable, to scary and terrifying. I know that I personally have woken up terrified from a dream, and didn’t want to go back to sleep because I didn’t want to encounter what I was dreaming about again. Usually, we can’t control what we dream about. However, it is a proven fact that a person can induce lucid dreaming if they work at it. Lucid dreaming is when the person who is dreaming is aware of the fact that they are dreaming, and can therefor control their...
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...for our first Psychology project. After a weighing the pros and cons of our options, we decided to research dreams and dreaming. We were hoping to learn some information over the vague topic of dreams such as the biology, the causes of dreams, and possibly some of the meanings behind certain dreams. Not only that, but we were interested in the different varieties of dreams people had and why they had them. From the beginning, we had hoped to answer some seemingly basic questions such as “What is a dream?” “What are some different types of dreams people experience?” and “Why would someone experience a certain type of dream?” After many hours and much research, we feel that we were rather successful in answering these and many more questions regarding the topic. So what IS a dream? Well, according to Sigmund Freud, dreams are the, “royal road to the unconscious.” Coming into this project with little to no experience on the topic, it was more than difficult to comprehend why it was that important. “They’re only dreams,” we would say, but after extensive research and reading, it is much easier to follow where Freud was coming from. You see, dreams are not simple; you have to admire the intricacy of a dream interweaving thoughts, ideas, and experiences a person has had in his/her lifetime. The process of dreaming itself connects different parts of the mind that may not be able to find each other or work together had it not been for that dreaming process. Dreaming connects those...
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...three types of dreams Introduction Attention Getter: The world of imagination available to us in our sleep is probably taken for granted by many. However, no one can disagree to the mysteriousness of dreams. Roadmap: In this speech, I will describe four dreams and sleep walking. I will take you through the nightmare, the recurring dream, the flase awakning lucid dream and finally sleep walking body Main Point: First looking at nightmares, we all recognize that their mystery is first and foremost coupled with horror. The International Association for the Study of Dreams, or IASD, provides us valuable insight into their nature. Sub Point: The potential causes of a nightmare are varied. Creative, emotional, and sensitive people tend to have more nightmares, as they are more highly aware of their surroundings and circumstances (IASD 2013). For others, nightmares are side effects of drug and medication use. Others are the result of post-traumatic stress, including the loss of a loved one, assault, or combat (IASD 2013). in addition to daily stressful problems. Therefore, nightmares are thought to be psychosomatic mechanisms to call attention to the issues in our lives (IASD 2013). Main Point: The recurring dream provides less horror to our dreams, and also a deeper mystery. Recurring dreams are those dreams that we have over and over, as if it were a task that we keep trying to complete. In fact, Dr. Angel Morgan writes in the Huffington Post that it may be...
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...few seconds, or approximately 20–30 minutes.[3] People are more likely to remember the dream if they are awakened during the REM phase. The average person has three to five dreams per night, but some may have up to seven dreams in one night.[4] The dreams tend to last longer as the night progresses. During a full eight-hour night sleep, most dreams occur in the typical two hours of REM.[5] In modern times, dreams have been seen as a connection to the unconscious mind. They range from normal and ordinary to overly surreal and bizarre. Dreams can have varying natures, such as frightening, exciting, magical, melancholic, adventurous, or sexual. The events in dreams are generally outside the control of the dreamer, with the exception of lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is self-aware. Dreams can at times make a creative thought occur to the person or give a sense of inspiration.[6] Opinions about the meaning of dreams have varied and shifted through time and culture. The earliest recorded dreams were acquired from materials dating back approximately 5000 years, in Mesopotamia, where they were...
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...961 hours. Part of those 229,961 hours sleeping is spent dreaming. What are dreams? This question has fascinated the human race throughout history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans, to Sigmund Freud in the late 1800’s, till now, people have queried what the mystical stories that play out in the sleeping mind are and why we have them. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia left evidence of dreams dating back to 3100 BC. According to these stories, gods and kings, like the 7th century BC scholar-king Assurbanipal, paid close attention to dreams. In his archive of clay tablets, some accounts of the story of the legendary king Gilgamesh were found (Seligman). The Mesopotamians believed that the soul, or some part of it, moves out from the body of the sleeping person and actually visits the places and people the dreamer sees in their sleep. Sometimes the god of dreams is said to carry the dreamer. Babylonians and Assyrians divided dreams into "good," which were sent by the gods, and "bad," sent by demons. They also believed that their dreams were omens and prophecies. In ancient Egypt, as far back as 2000 BC, the Egyptians wrote down their dreams on papyrus. People with vivid and significant dreams were thought blessed and were considered special. Ancient Egyptians believed that dreams were like oracles, bringing messages from the gods. They thought that the best way to receive divine revelation was through dreaming and so they would induce dreams. Egyptians would go to sanctuaries...
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...Aaron Scott Dr Kathryn Klee Introduction to Psychology 10/02/2011 I decided to do my sleep study on my roommate, Joe Sagar. Joe is a senior at McKendree University and plays soccer where he is the goalkeeper. He is 22years old and originally from Oldham, England. He spent 16years of his life growing up there with his mum Joanna and dad Paul before moving up to Glasgow to carry on his career in soccer. After a couple years in the British game, Joe decided to try his luck in the U.S to take up a scholarship. I started of my sleep study by asking Joe how much sleep, on average, he gets every night. He gets a low amount of six and a half hours sleep every night. He has a class every day at 8am and gets up at 7:15, therefore an early riser. His preferred sleeping environments are simply darkness and peace and quiet so he can peacefully fall asleep. Since Joe travels back home to England where the flight can be up to 14hours long, he has experienced jet lag before. He remembers the feeling of weakness and on some occasions, sickness. The time change leaves him extremely tired as he needs a few days to adapt to the different time zones. Dreams come very rarely for Joe but when he ever does dream it is happy dreams that occur. In terms of how long it takes for Joe to get to sleep, it isn’t long at all. I spoke with his girlfriend who he often stays with, and she claimed Joe falls asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow. This also leads in to Joe being a heavy sleeper. Joe...
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...mundane cycle of work, school and extra curricular activities that at the end of the day, they look forward to relaxation and sleeping which is fundamental to their health and well being. The main focus in this research paper is to examine the nature of a certain kind of dreaming in a stage of sleep, also known as a nightmare. Nightmare may professed a state of distress that once awaken a person may suffer despair, anxiety, and great sadness because of the strong emotional reaction. Nightmare is a kind of dream that occurs during the rapid eye movement stage of sleep. Dreaming itself can have wavering natures such as melancholic, adventurous, frightening, exciting, and sexual. Sigmund Freud who is most known for his psychoanalytical theory study about dreams, interpreted that dreaming is a ‘royal road to the unconscious’ or also known as the will-fulfillments (Sigmund Frued). Describing the will-fulfillments as it dreams the defense mechanism is lessened so that some of the subjugated material comes through to awareness without any bias. In other words, dreams implement vital functions for the unconscious mind and operate as a valuable clue to how the unconscious mind works. In retrospect, going in-depth into dreaming brings the subject of nightmare. Experiencing a nightmare can be hostile and disturbing that the dream may enclose situations of threat, distress, and physical or psychological terror. Interestingly, nightmare frequency, which is most associated with cognitive was...
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...Shannon Walter Professor Liao English 104 – 33 12 March 2013 Research Proposal: The Psychology of Dreams For my research project, I am investigating the abstract world of dreams and the theories behind those dreams. Why we dream what we dream, and how, and where dreams come from. There have been many different theories on where dreams come from and how to interpret the dreams of different people. I will be exploring the similarities and differences of those theories along with speculating which theories are the most accurate, taking into consideration recent research on the psychology of dreams and dream interpretation. My main focus will be the world-renowned psychologist, Sigmund Freud. His theories on dreams and the interpretation of dreams are the most widely known and socially accepted theories, but are those theories the most accurate? That is what my research paper will be discussing and examining. This paper will be objective, simply providing the facts about dreams and the different theories regarding dreams and the interpretation of them. I will go in depth with why we dream what we dream, some of the most common dreams that people have, and what the most popular theories are behind the psychology of dreams. My purpose of this paper is to inform my audience of the theories behind dreams and where they come from. I will provide information on the different interpretations of common dreams, the history of dreams, and the basics of the sleeping cycle. My readers...
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...Dreams: What are dreams and what do they mean? Shanice Monteith The University of West Florida Abstract Dreams that take place while we sleep are one of the most fascinating aspects of human consciousness and are common among all of us. We all ask the same question, what is a dream? A researcher by the name of Sigmund Freud’s theory of dreams gives us a good insight about dreams. His theory is one of the best-known models of dream interpretation. There are also other types of theories that suggest to us what a dream is. Some say that dreams are simply random firing of memory neurons. Others say differently. I will try to show both sides of this controversy. This paper will examine what a dream is and what people interpret a dream to mean. It should also give you a broader perspective of dreams, go into detail of different theories regarding dreams and give you more insight of such a fascinating but complicated topic. There is also the case of nightmares which will be discussed briefly and why they occur when we dream. What are dreams and what do they mean There have numerous studies on what is a dream. A lot of controversy has happened because of this. Some people say it could be just simply random firing of memory neurons as stated earlier but not everyone thinks the same way. Others say there is a lot of detail that could go into finding out more about this topic so they begin to do more research to come up with different ideas about such a debating issue...
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...Paranormal refers to something that is cannot be scientifically explained. Paranormal experiences include things like hallucinations, mystical experiences, out of body experiences, telepathic experiences, psychokinetic experiences and lucid dreaming. According to Targ, Schlitz & Irwin (2000) 35 – 50 % of people say they have had a telepathic experience and 20% report being regular lucid dreamers according to LaBerge & Gackenbach (2000). More than 30 % of people believe in dreams predicting the future and 40% of people believe in telepathy Schott B. (2007). There is research into anomalistic psychology to see why these numbers are relatively high for events that seem to be scientifically impossible. One explanation is the cognitive deficit...
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...7: States of Consciousness CHAPTER PREVIEW Consciousness is our awareness of ourselves and our environment. Conscious information processing enables us to exercise control and to communicate our mental states to others. Beneath the surface, unconscious processing occurs simultaneously on many parallel tracks. Our daily schedule of waking and sleeping is governed by a biological clock known as circadian rhythm. Our sleep also follows a repeating cycle. Awakening people during REM sleep yields predictable “dreamlike” reports that are mostly of ordinary events. Freud’s view that dreams can be traced back to erotic wishes is giving way to newer theories, for example, that dreams help us process information and fix it in memory or that dreams erupt from neural activity. Studies of hypnosis indicate that, although hypnotic procedures may facilitate recall, the hypnotist’s beliefs frequently work their way into subjects’ recollections. Hypnosis can be at least temporarily therapeutic and has the potential of bringing significant pain relief. Hypnosis may be an extension both of normal principles of social influence and of everyday splits in consciousness. Psychoactive drugs also alter consciousness. Depressants act by depressing neural functioning. Although their effects are pleasurable, they impair memory and self-awareness and may have other physical consequences. Stimulants act at the synapses by influencing the brain’s neurotransmitters. Their effects depend on...
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...Caleb Crawford Psychology Period 6 Dream Essay A dream is a period of spontaneous brain activity usually lasting from about 5-40 minutes that occurs during sleep several times a night usually about 90 minute intervals dreams allow a person to take a closer look into his their mind and themselves sometimes dreams act as a way to discover yourself, dreams can be used to solve all different types of problems. There are also certain types of dreams. There are fantasy, daydream and waking dreams. There are also lucid dreams, nightmares and night terrors. There are also certain stages in the dream cycle. In the first stage, your body temperature drops, your eyes close and your brain waves begin regular alpha rhythms, indicating a relaxed state. In many of my dreams, what happen in my dreams would happen the next day or within the following days. I think the reason for this is because when I would wake up and remember my dreams threw out that day I would be thinking about those dreams I had, had so the more I thought about it the more I would want to make those dreams come true. Like for example Tuesday night I had dreamed about a project I had due the next day in English and my dream was me presenting my PowerPoint and in my dream I had done very good on my essay. We were suppose to present for 5 minutes and I did like 6 minutes and I answered all the questions that my classmates had and I did very good on the whole project in my dream. So when it came time to present my project...
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