MadKally

and the women and the cats he was always putting behind a brick wall in his house.. I read Poe when I was real young. I think the The Telltale Heart bothered my the most. (at first)

thump thump thump thump

tronvillain

Pseudoscience. As to what dreams actually are, I think the theory that it is neurons strengthening newly formed paths, reinforcing old paths, as well as some relatively random firing is reasonably convincing. After all, it is not difficult to see how this would permit "creativity."

Oh, and I am unable to recall ever having had a falling, flying, slow motion, or exposure dream. How odd.

Nowhere357

Is your assertion that dream interpretation is psuedoscience based on this, some other criteria, or just personal opinion?

Please explain how forming and strengthening neuron paths, along with random firing, explain or permit 'creativity'.

IMO failure to recall those dream types you mentioned would be odd, only if you typically recall many of your dreams.

trekbette

All sleep studies really fascinate me. I have had intermittent insomnia since I was 6. I have had weird and wild dreams for as long as I can remember (S&M dreams starring Christopher Walken for example). I also have a vivid imagination and some outlandish day dreams as well. And dreams stick with me. I remember them for a long time.

My personal theory about dreams is that they are my way of filtering out all the extraneous stuff that happens around me.

As for dream interpretation. I have never found it to be accurate in my case.

I did use some dream interpretation books to help me dissect a Salvadore Dali painting for an art class. Very interesting.

I don't like Freud. While he did open the door to modern psychology, his theories were too basic. For him, it was all your parents' fault and sex is all that matters to anyone.

All kids had screwed up childhoods. It part of childhood. I am a big believer in personal responsibity.

And I love sex, but there are other things I love too.

VonEvilstein

My old, recurring dream was born out of fear, too. For several years in, and after high school (and even now, occaisionally) I would have the same dream every Saturday night:
In my dream, I'd wake up in the night, and realize it was actually Sunday night, and I had prepared nothing for the coming week at school. I would start to panic, and then wake up for real, realize that I still had all of Sunday to study, calm down and go back to sleep.
I guess I must have had well protected and uneventful time as a teenager, if showing up at school unprepared was my greatest fear!

sakrilege

The 'Cant run' happens when a person is partially awake and is aware that their body is not responding because of the 'dream paralysis' (terminology?) that happens when sleeping. I experience this often. Flying sometimes, Falling once, Naked/exposed never.

MadKally

Sometimes I dreamed about my ex-husband being in the same house with me. It was an unfamiliar place, lots of people were there, but I couldn't find a way to get out. I kept hiding from him. I wouldn't be able to run anyway.(the slow motion thing) I dream of falling every once in a while. I've had quite a few dreams about forgetting to get dressed when I go out in public. Sometimes now, I look down to see if I'm completely dressed before I leave the house. lol I really wish I could fly. Sounds like fun.

Kally

Nowhere357

Sleep paralysis may indeed be involved with the 'can't run' type of dream, but IMO it is not the sole explanation.

Often during lucid dreams I have decided to wake up (to record the dream, and sometimes just to see if I could). Then to wake up, I have to fight and struggle through the sleep paralysis, and that is an intense and even frightening experience. I think the anecdotal evidence points to this as a source of 'alien abduction' myths.

I fly a lot (second favorite thing to do), and haven't had a naked/exposed dream in a long time.

Even when lucid dreaming, it is incredible how fluid the dreams are. Recently, I was riding a motorcycle down the highway when I saw my daughter standing at the side of the road. I pulled the bike over, opened the door, she got in, and I drove we drove away in the car. This happened while I was paying attention!

Wyz_sub10

I've had to jolt myself from nightmares on several occasions. It's a bizarre feeling.

But on two occasions I have had sleep paralysis where I have been "half awake" - eyes open, unable to move for a few seconds. That is a very unsettling feeling.

tronvillain

Nowhere357:
Well, what exactly do you think creativity is? Unless you propose that it is some magical ability, it is the product of the brain operating - the product of neurons firing. Now, if old and new neural pathways are being strengthened along with some degree of random firing, you have the potential for novel combinations to occur without the conscious mind having to make sense of them all. Why should "creativity" be anything more than old ideas thrown together with some degree of randomness thrown in?

Oh, and you are right that I do not recall many dreams. Still, while I seldom recall dreams, I have recalled many over my lifetime and none of them have been falling, flying, slow motion, or exposure dreams.