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**Jack** · Aug 16, 2005, 11:22 am

Being curious about the brain in general, I've long wondered about dreams. There seems to be a growing consensus on the purpose of dreaming, but there's no consistency that I can see on how we experience them. Do you dream? Do you remember your dreams...all of them or just now and then? Do your dreams make sense or are they really weird? (Like the one I had the other night where Richard Gere asked me to design a website for him???) Do you take your dreams as portents or just interesting mind trips?

YourTokah · Aug 16, 2005, 11:28 am

I love to dream - love it! I can't really say that I think they're that meaningful in the whole "predict the future and take this path in life" way. If they "mean" anything, it's that I had too much spicy food before bed, or too much sugar, or that I'm feeling certain emotions about something going on in my life and my subconcious will express it in this crazy, often amusing way.

I tend to forget my dreams by a couple of hours after waking. It really bums me out, sometimes, because a lot of them are too nifty to be relegated to the dust bins in my brain. There are tiny, fuzzy aspects of different dreams tht I remember....for example, I remember that a particular dream about my "first love" has occurred on more than one occasion, and that the majority of the dream took place in a certain odd color sceme.

Sometimes I'll dream about him, or about a stranger, and wake up emotionally tangled. In my dream, we're completely in love or lust, and I wake up Feeling that way.... then when I realize that it was a dream, a phantom emotion, I feel disappointed. Then I feel guilty because I love my husband so very much.... all in all, it makes for some interesting mornings. (Please no psychoanalyzations, anybody, I've already figured myself out as much as anyone will.)

Osborn F Enready · Aug 16, 2005, 12:04 pm

I take dreams as a nice conglomeration of familliar and unfamilliar things lumped together in no specific order or meaning.

I love to dream, but I only seem to remember them when I wake up mid-dream.

Prometheus · Aug 16, 2005, 12:31 pm

I have never understood my dreams. I seldom remember them explicitly, but I frequently have a feeling of deja vu that I assume is my brain remembering a dream.

It's really wierd. I wil be having a conversation with someone, and remember what they are going to say. Not thier explicit words, but thier tone of voice and thier facial expressions. I will also "remember" how I am going to feel about what they are about to say even before they say it. Like I said, I'ts really wierd.

Milton Bradley · Aug 16, 2005, 02:43 pm

I say interesting mind trip.

My dreams are pretty tame for the most part. Colorful, but tame.

I have to admit that I rarely remember having dreams at all if I smoke marijuanna the day before. That helped me arrive at my conclusion that it is just the natural brain activity of a healthy brain.

I want my cats REM dream schedule. That little guy dreams more than any other animal I have ever seen.

**Chris** · Aug 16, 2005, 04:10 pm

I dont always remember them but lately I have been since I constantly get woken up by either my 1 year old or my dog. I occasionally get nightmares. Very dark and disturbing nightmares. But they only happen about once every 2 months or so.

livvie · Aug 16, 2005, 04:31 pm

i dream most nights and usually remember them all but in bizarre orders like ill remember the last bit first the a few hours later ill remember something else about it...an also mine are really weird, i cant see how anyone could make sense of dreams or say they mean anything.

YourTokah · Aug 17, 2005, 11:07 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Isherwood

There seems to be a growing consensus on the purpose of dreaming, but there's no consistency that I can see on how we experience them.

What do you mean by "a growing consensus on the purpose of dreaming"?

**Jack** · Aug 18, 2005, 01:48 am

I was referring to the reports I keep seeing which indicate, to me at least, that scientists are pretty much in agreement as to the purpose of dreaming. The mechanics of it and what the brain is doing during dreaming. OK, purpose may be imprecise. They seem to have figured out what the brain is doing; which waves are produced by which level of dreaming, what parts of the brain are involved in dreaming. And they're getting closer to being able to say why we dream, why the brain needs to do this. But the subjects of dreams, and what they represent to the individual, are still far from understood.

Critter · Aug 18, 2005, 03:02 am

I have some really weird dreams. Like, I'll dream about people and places I know IRL, but they don't look the same. I also dream a lot about tornadoes and trains derailing, for some reason.

I remember bits and pieces of the vivid dreams; like one of the aforementioned tornadoes; I was walking along a set of railroad tracks, looked up, and there was a tornado off in the distance; so I turned around and started running back the way I came, and I could hear the roar getting closer and closer until I was picked up off my feet and pulled backward. Definitely one of the scariest dreams I've ever had. (Don't ask me why I didn't just get off the tracks and find shelter.)

Most of my dreams don't really make much sense.

YourTokah · Aug 18, 2005, 11:03 am

Quote:

Quote by: Isherwood

I was referring to the reports I keep seeing which indicate, to me at least, that scientists are pretty much in agreement as to the purpose of dreaming. The mechanics of it and what the brain is doing during dreaming. OK, purpose may be imprecise. They seem to have figured out what the brain is doing; which waves are produced by which level of dreaming, what parts of the brain are involved in dreaming. And they're getting closer to being able to say why we dream, why the brain needs to do this. But the subjects of dreams, and what they represent to the individual, are still far from understood.

OK, gotcha. I don't know if we can really ever say "why" people dream... It seems to be some random event, to me, and still rooted in the emotional psyche of the individual. Unless someone tells me that dreaming is necessary to survival, I don't care about it either way, really.... but I do enjoy it. (thoroughly, when I'm having a particularly sexy dream.... :) Being a new momma makes feeling sexy a pretty difficult task when I'm awake).

Strange Dreamer · Nov 17, 2005, 11:10 pm

I happen to enjoy dreaming also. Over the years I have learned quite a bit about my own dreams, and I will try to cover the basics. These are mainly my own experience, so hearing how other people experience dreams is of interest.

1) I have a semi-permanent world built specifically as a back drop for my dreams that is roughly based on places I have been, but not always. There are also people that I know in there, and have a seperate personal history with that I have no significant knowledge of when awake.

2) The dream world is very flexible, and can change an aspect from the time it takes you to look away and back.

3) I seem to have a certain amount of stamina when it comes to holding to a specific dream before things start to derail or I actually feel a sort of fatigue force me out.

4) There seem to be several types of dreams.
A) fun or weird dream just there for unknown reasons
B) specific subject when your subconcious is trying to tell you something
C) a place to have an outlet and do the things you won't allow yourself in reality
D) precognitive where I have seen short bits of time through my own senses in the future, but usually only remember when they actually happen (somewhat infrequent)
E) dream where I end up in a place where things seem more real than reality (rare)

5) The laws of physics are bendable and suspendable, but there are other laws specific to the dream world in their place.

6) Dreams can be controlled, but I usually just watch. It almost seems like I would be forcing control over a different aspect of myself that is best left to do what it need to do.

Clarence · Nov 17, 2005, 11:34 pm

Last night, I dreamed... Crap! you wouldn''t understand. But near the end I was falling (had been tricked/pushed) and waiting to hit. I wasn't aware that it was a dream at that particular part of the dream, so I was dealing with death. I remember my thought processing imminent death. I handled it alright I guess, I took my mind to another place and it felt calm. then Bam! The impact was sudden and unexpected. but the thing is, I was only hurt severly. not dead. My parents and wife came up immediatly and were pissed at somebody about there not being any ambulances ready and waiting in a place like this (???). I was numb physically and rethinking what I had been thinking while falling. Then I was healed in the same place long enough to see that the problems were solved but there was a tint to the vibe I can't remember why. then I woke up but not suddenly. I wouldn't have remembered it ever again if I hadn't came upon this thread. Rarely remember this long.

Son of Belial · Nov 17, 2005, 11:39 pm

My dreams scare people.

PatrickHenry · Nov 18, 2005, 01:10 am

A woman at my church Sunday said that she dreamed she was praying for her former roommate who still lives in China. She said she was praying very intently in her dream, and when she awoke, her eyes were wet with tears.

Son of Belial · Nov 18, 2005, 01:18 am

I do that once a week or so. I don't dream about praying, but I do wake with tears. Heh. Usually the dream involves people getting sucking into jet engines or exploding in midair or something.

Clarence · Nov 18, 2005, 01:57 am

suddenly, in a dream, she was there. It was pale blue like a movie. I put my arms around her so fast.

rcne · Nov 18, 2005, 10:49 am

I had mentioned this on another board, then found this thread. I'd be curious if any of you have had this happen to them....

I have since found out that it is not quite as unique as what I first imagined, but to me it was quite extraordinary.

Quote:

Lucid Dreams

..dreams where you become aware that you are dreaming, known as lucid dreaming.

Quote:

A few days ago I had a dream where in a dream I fell asleep and had a dream. To the best of my recollection I have never dreamed in a dream before.

I remember in my dream thinking that this was unique. Neither dream was particularly profound - just your average B-movie entertainment dream.

So, the only thing interesting was my being aware of dreaming a dream while already in a dream. The second dream, by the way, was related to the story-line of the original dream.

So my question is - has anyone else ever dreamed a dream in a dream?

Kite · Nov 18, 2005, 01:13 pm

I have a dream every night, to the best of my recolection. In terms of dreaming, I am very similar to Strange Dreamer. I can control my dreams to an extent, for example, If I want to dream about a particular subject, I think about that subject, and close my eyes, but I dont exactly try to go to sleep. When I realize that what I am thinking about is not related to what I was initally thinking about, and I cant remember how I came to thinking about it, I know I am dreaming. If I dont like the direction the dream is going in, I can open my eyes and try again. I always seem to have Lucid Dreams, at least for the past few years. I used to have nightmares when I was smaller, but I dont anymore. Most of my dreams are garbled, and I cant really control them. Sometimes, I can actually make choices in a dream. Most times however, I cant. If I wake up from a dream I particularly liked, I make a concious effort to remember it. I dont really have recurring dreams, but more dreams that are very similar. It may start the same, but it ends differently. I've thought about this kind of thing before, but not really in depth. I can say though, I like to dream.

LetThereBe · Dec 5, 2005, 10:21 pm

I also find this to be a very interesting topic. I have had lucid dreams, twice I forced myself to wake upon realizing this. Other times I used this fact to do whatever I wanted (controlling lightning was so cool...)

One thing I wonder, is if any of you have ever died in a dream. Most people say they always wake immediately before the moment of death, but I have had two dreams I remember quite distinctly where I actually died. One I was being hunted by some person I didn't know, and got a point-blank shot gun blast in the head. The other time I was excecuted by some Buddhists. Strange.

Aug 16, 2005, 11:22 am	#1 (permalink) (top)
Jack formerly Isherwood Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 13,761	Dreams Being curious about the brain in general, I've long wondered about dreams. There seems to be a growing consensus on the purpose of dreaming, but there's no consistency that I can see on how we experience them. Do you dream? Do you remember your dreams...all of them or just now and then? Do your dreams make sense or are they really weird? (Like the one I had the other night where Richard Gere asked me to design a website for him???) Do you take your dreams as portents or just interesting mind trips? The Forum Rules Radical Atheist Heathen Queer Let's agree to respect each others views, no matter how wrong yours may be. (Ashleigh Brilliant)

Aug 16, 2005, 11:28 am	#2 (permalink) (top)
YourTokah Conundrum Posts: 337	I love to dream - love it! I can't really say that I think they're that meaningful in the whole "predict the future and take this path in life" way. If they "mean" anything, it's that I had too much spicy food before bed, or too much sugar, or that I'm feeling certain emotions about something going on in my life and my subconcious will express it in this crazy, often amusing way. I tend to forget my dreams by a couple of hours after waking. It really bums me out, sometimes, because a lot of them are too nifty to be relegated to the dust bins in my brain. There are tiny, fuzzy aspects of different dreams tht I remember....for example, I remember that a particular dream about my "first love" has occurred on more than one occasion, and that the majority of the dream took place in a certain odd color sceme. Sometimes I'll dream about him, or about a stranger, and wake up emotionally tangled. In my dream, we're completely in love or lust, and I wake up Feeling that way.... then when I realize that it was a dream, a phantom emotion, I feel disappointed. Then I feel guilty because I love my husband so very much.... all in all, it makes for some interesting mornings. (Please no psychoanalyzations, anybody, I've already figured myself out as much as anyone will.) Political Compass: Economic Left/Right: -4.75 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.95 PhotoBucket of YourTokah

Aug 16, 2005, 12:04 pm	#3 (permalink) (top)
Osborn F Enready Principled Observer Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 13,873	I take dreams as a nice conglomeration of familliar and unfamilliar things lumped together in no specific order or meaning. I love to dream, but I only seem to remember them when I wake up mid-dream. Petition of Redress of Grievances: http://www.givemeliberty.org/default.htm Canadian Lawsuit Against Their National Banks: http://www.freewebs.com/classaction/ Osborn F. Enready

Aug 16, 2005, 12:31 pm	#4 (permalink) (top)
Prometheus Glad to be back! Location: Vernal, UT Posts: 1,725	I have never understood my dreams. I seldom remember them explicitly, but I frequently have a feeling of deja vu that I assume is my brain remembering a dream. It's really wierd. I wil be having a conversation with someone, and remember what they are going to say. Not thier explicit words, but thier tone of voice and thier facial expressions. I will also "remember" how I am going to feel about what they are about to say even before they say it. Like I said, I'ts really wierd. Fixed ideas are like a cramp in the foot - the best remedy against it is to tread on it. -Søren Kierkegaard

Aug 16, 2005, 04:10 pm	#6 (permalink) (top)
Chris Gamma-ray burst Location: Nashville Posts: 6,355	I dont always remember them but lately I have been since I constantly get woken up by either my 1 year old or my dog. I occasionally get nightmares. Very dark and disturbing nightmares. But they only happen about once every 2 months or so. I'm voting against the theocratic psychopaths Shared

Aug 16, 2005, 02:43 pm	#5 (permalink) (top)
Milton Bradley BANNED Location: Ohio Province, Rep. of Comerica Posts: 7,320	I say interesting mind trip. My dreams are pretty tame for the most part. Colorful, but tame. I have to admit that I rarely remember having dreams at all if I smoke marijuanna the day before. That helped me arrive at my conclusion that it is just the natural brain activity of a healthy brain. I want my cats REM dream schedule. That little guy dreams more than any other animal I have ever seen.

Aug 16, 2005, 04:31 pm	#7 (permalink) (top)
livvie Sedimentary Rock Posts: 16	i dream most nights and usually remember them all but in bizarre orders like ill remember the last bit first the a few hours later ill remember something else about it...an also mine are really weird, i cant see how anyone could make sense of dreams or say they mean anything.

Aug 18, 2005, 01:48 am	#9 (permalink) (top)
Jack formerly Isherwood Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 13,761	I was referring to the reports I keep seeing which indicate, to me at least, that scientists are pretty much in agreement as to the purpose of dreaming. The mechanics of it and what the brain is doing during dreaming. OK, purpose may be imprecise. They seem to have figured out what the brain is doing; which waves are produced by which level of dreaming, what parts of the brain are involved in dreaming. And they're getting closer to being able to say why we dream, why the brain needs to do this. But the subjects of dreams, and what they represent to the individual, are still far from understood. The Forum Rules Radical Atheist Heathen Queer Let's agree to respect each others views, no matter how wrong yours may be. (Ashleigh Brilliant)

Aug 18, 2005, 03:02 am	#10 (permalink) (top)
Critter Bullets & Bracelets Location: Northwest Ohio Posts: 658	I have some really weird dreams. Like, I'll dream about people and places I know IRL, but they don't look the same. I also dream a lot about tornadoes and trains derailing, for some reason. I remember bits and pieces of the vivid dreams; like one of the aforementioned tornadoes; I was walking along a set of railroad tracks, looked up, and there was a tornado off in the distance; so I turned around and started running back the way I came, and I could hear the roar getting closer and closer until I was picked up off my feet and pulled backward. Definitely one of the scariest dreams I've ever had. (Don't ask me why I didn't just get off the tracks and find shelter.) Most of my dreams don't really make much sense. Making people go, "WTF?!?!?" since 1979.

Nov 17, 2005, 11:10 pm	#12 (permalink) (top)
Strange Dreamer Crazy Poet Location: In a different world Posts: 43	I happen to enjoy dreaming also. Over the years I have learned quite a bit about my own dreams, and I will try to cover the basics. These are mainly my own experience, so hearing how other people experience dreams is of interest. 1) I have a semi-permanent world built specifically as a back drop for my dreams that is roughly based on places I have been, but not always. There are also people that I know in there, and have a seperate personal history with that I have no significant knowledge of when awake. 2) The dream world is very flexible, and can change an aspect from the time it takes you to look away and back. 3) I seem to have a certain amount of stamina when it comes to holding to a specific dream before things start to derail or I actually feel a sort of fatigue force me out. 4) There seem to be several types of dreams. A) fun or weird dream just there for unknown reasons B) specific subject when your subconcious is trying to tell you something C) a place to have an outlet and do the things you won't allow yourself in reality D) precognitive where I have seen short bits of time through my own senses in the future, but usually only remember when they actually happen (somewhat infrequent) E) dream where I end up in a place where things seem more real than reality (rare) 5) The laws of physics are bendable and suspendable, but there are other laws specific to the dream world in their place. 6) Dreams can be controlled, but I usually just watch. It almost seems like I would be forcing control over a different aspect of myself that is best left to do what it need to do.

Nov 17, 2005, 11:34 pm	#13 (permalink) (top)
Clarence pregnant with truth Posts: 2,351	Last night, I dreamed... Crap! you wouldn''t understand. But near the end I was falling (had been tricked/pushed) and waiting to hit. I wasn't aware that it was a dream at that particular part of the dream, so I was dealing with death. I remember my thought processing imminent death. I handled it alright I guess, I took my mind to another place and it felt calm. then Bam! The impact was sudden and unexpected. but the thing is, I was only hurt severly. not dead. My parents and wife came up immediatly and were pissed at somebody about there not being any ambulances ready and waiting in a place like this (???). I was numb physically and rethinking what I had been thinking while falling. Then I was healed in the same place long enough to see that the problems were solved but there was a tint to the vibe I can't remember why. then I woke up but not suddenly. I wouldn't have remembered it ever again if I hadn't came upon this thread. Rarely remember this long. Last edited by Clarence; Nov 17, 2005 at 11:47 pm.

Nov 17, 2005, 11:39 pm	#14 (permalink) (top)
Son of Belial BANNED: Requested ban Location: Acheron 27 Posts: 1,461	My dreams scare people.

Nov 18, 2005, 01:10 am	#15 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,446	A woman at my church Sunday said that she dreamed she was praying for her former roommate who still lives in China. She said she was praying very intently in her dream, and when she awoke, her eyes were wet with tears. "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

Nov 18, 2005, 01:18 am	#16 (permalink) (top)
Son of Belial BANNED: Requested ban Location: Acheron 27 Posts: 1,461	I do that once a week or so. I don't dream about praying, but I do wake with tears. Heh. Usually the dream involves people getting sucking into jet engines or exploding in midair or something.

Nov 18, 2005, 01:57 am	#17 (permalink) (top)
Clarence pregnant with truth Posts: 2,351	suddenly, in a dream, she was there. It was pale blue like a movie. I put my arms around her so fast.

Nov 18, 2005, 01:13 pm	#19 (permalink) (top)
Kite Evil Overlord Location: A Geofront, somewhere in Antarctica Posts: 938	I have a dream every night, to the best of my recolection. In terms of dreaming, I am very similar to Strange Dreamer. I can control my dreams to an extent, for example, If I want to dream about a particular subject, I think about that subject, and close my eyes, but I dont exactly try to go to sleep. When I realize that what I am thinking about is not related to what I was initally thinking about, and I cant remember how I came to thinking about it, I know I am dreaming. If I dont like the direction the dream is going in, I can open my eyes and try again. I always seem to have Lucid Dreams, at least for the past few years. I used to have nightmares when I was smaller, but I dont anymore. Most of my dreams are garbled, and I cant really control them. Sometimes, I can actually make choices in a dream. Most times however, I cant. If I wake up from a dream I particularly liked, I make a concious effort to remember it. I dont really have recurring dreams, but more dreams that are very similar. It may start the same, but it ends differently. I've thought about this kind of thing before, but not really in depth. I can say though, I like to dream. I know your type. You think, "I'll just get me a costume, rip off the neighborhood kids." Next thing you know, you've got a jet shaped like a skull with lasers on the front! -The Monarch

Dec 5, 2005, 10:21 pm	#20 (permalink) (top)
LetThereBe Always Seeking Location: Ohio Posts: 720	I also find this to be a very interesting topic. I have had lucid dreams, twice I forced myself to wake upon realizing this. Other times I used this fact to do whatever I wanted (controlling lightning was so cool...) One thing I wonder, is if any of you have ever died in a dream. Most people say they always wake immediately before the moment of death, but I have had two dreams I remember quite distinctly where I actually died. One I was being hunted by some person I didn't know, and got a point-blank shot gun blast in the head. The other time I was excecuted by some Buddhists. Strange. It is just.