Is dreaming good? - By Sheridan Reed

What is a dream? Dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in your mind during your deepest stage of sleep. There are many types of dreams that show the brain is hard at work including, daydreams, nightmares, recurring dreams, healing dreams and prophetic dreams. 

Daydreams occur during the day while you are awake, where your mind wanders and your imagination takes place. They might be thought of as pleasant thoughts or distractions from the present. On the other side of the dream spectrum, a nightmare might be described as a frightening or an unpleasant dream causing fear or distress. There are also recurring dreams that occur more than once repeating the same story or theme.  A rare form of dreams, called healing dreams are known to be “messages”, to warn someone of their health status even before physical symptoms show. Some even believe in prophetic dreams, and that they tell the future. As you can understand, it might be hard to decipher a prophetic dream from a normal dream.

Dreams have been noticed and admired since 3000 B.C, when they were drawn on tablets. Dreams were often confused with the waking day, and they were sometimes thought of as another world they could connect to. Dreams in the Roman era were believed to be religious messages from God or past relatives and friends. Also people believed dreams predicted the future, and they would use the dreams for strategies for war and battles. The Chinese believed it was the time when your soul leaves the body and enters a different world, and it was unhealthy to be wakened.

You may be wondering why when you dream of a symbol, it is not just regarded as the symbol. Why can’t the color red just mean the color red in your dream? Because your unconscious mind is sending you a signal. In dreaming certain symbols compare real life to a symbolic meaning. Your brain is neurologically building patterns within the brains, comparing one thing to another. This is a way the mind builds up metaphors.

 

The psychology behind dreams is that dreams focus on the noticeable unprocessed emotional issues of the day. Psychologists will use dream work to reveal these issues. Dream work is a study that brings the brain to consciousness with an issue a person is dealing with. It is a form of therapy to relieve stress. This method helps the dreamer understand the dream by making herself or himself as the main focus in the dream.

It is important to know the meaning behind your dreams, because it is your subconscious mind trying to tell you a message, and dreams are the pathway. You may be oblivious to something occurring in your waking life, and your dream is the answer prepared by your own brain.  The dream also enhances the action of the brain’s memory and learning skills. It is an important role in the functions conducted by the brain. Dreaming has an effect on your daily life, and on also your mental health.