Research Paper on Dreams
How many of you have woken up and wondered what last night’s dream was all about? Or how about even trying to find the source of a dream through dream interpretations but not knowing how to go about it? According to author, Dr. Milton Kramer, “Dreams are a theater of the emotions, where we play out the day’s dramas that were left ‘to be continued’” (58). Today I am going to tell you what dreams are, why they are important to our lives, and how we can interpret what they mean.The origin of dreams is something that can be defined in 3 ways, psychologically, scientifically or theoretically depending on whom you talk to. In this case I have chosen to share the psychological point of view from the people who study all about it, psychologists. There is a major chemical in our brains that is called acetylcholine, which is the center of the dream creation in the brain (Lohff 1). In addition to this chemical our 4 different types of brain waves control our bodily transition into sleep. The four types of brain waves are beta, alpha, theta, and delta (Lohff 1). Each wave starts out fast then gradually slows down as one turns into another. This is when our five stages of sleep set in (Lohff 1). The first stage of sleep is the lightest and it lasts anywhere from thirty to forty minutes. As you progress into the second stage of sleep you are on the borderline of light sleep to deep sleep. Once you are in the third and forth stages of sleep you are in your deepest sleep and are about to progress backward through all of the sleep stages again. After starting back at your first sleep stage you enter the REM sleep stage. REM sleep is called “Rapid Eye Movement” and is the time when you dream (Lohff 2). REM sleep is very important in sleeping according to David Lohff, author of “The Running Press Cyclopedia of Dreams”, who says, “If you do not have REM sleep, animals and people learn more slowly and forget more rapidly what they learned (2). In addition to learning more slowly psychologists have also found that REM sleep can also help aid brain development in infants (Lohff 2). Many people state that they do not dream because they cannot remember, but you always dream when you reach REM sleep though you may not always remember it (Lohff 2). Time in a dream is very similar, if not exact to time in real life.
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Many scientists today have done studies that try to find out how dreams affect out every day life and just how important they are. One of their developments is called the “Selective Mood Regulatory of Dreams and Sleep” which means sleeping for an adequate amount of time of uninterrupted sleep will help you wake up in a better mood (Kramer 56). This goes along with a statement that your dreams during the night will affect the mood you are in when you wake up from them. This same group of scientists also discovered that there are two different modes of sleep (Kramer 58). One of these modes is called the progressive mode, which resolves emotional problems by working through them step by step and comparing them to previous challenges. The second mode is the repetitive mode that deals with the failing of resolving emotional problems with a repetitive pattern without actually charting any progress (Kramer 58). This can also tie in with helpful and unhelpful sequence of dreams which is whether or not dreams have some sort of solution or if we are mentally up to the task of solving our problems (Kramer 58). Contrary to what the studies have found each dream is different and personalized so this may not always be the case, but it is what is common. Dreams have been found to tie into the mood that we are in when we wake up. You may wonder how this is so but Dr. Milton Kramer states that “we need sleep to be continuous if we are to improve our mood over the course of the night.” This fact seems correct when you compare it to how and why we get nightmares or night terrors as they are also called. Nightmares or night terrors, occur when your dreams fail to protect your body’s reactions and jolts you in and out of REM sleep. For example, those who slept a full night of uninterrupted sleep dreamt more and were in better moods consistently rather then those who didn’t. Once you have had your dream and recorded it in some way you want to get to the bottom of it and you don’t want to have to go to four years of college to do so. Most dreams are not straight truth and don’t predict the future. Dreams are mostly symbols that we interpret to the best of our knowledge. These symbols are broken down into seven basic categories; male aspect and female character, female aspect and male character, children, animals, healing agent, guides, and negative characters (The Basics 1). When you go to bed at night your emotional state will give you some clue as to how your dreams will play out. Once you have these main focuses in mind it is time for you to find out some example of symbols and more about them. When animals appear in your dreams they are showing your good and bad traits (The Basics 2). For example, when you see a dog doing something considered “bad” it is something that you did or do but it is easier for you to accept as wrong when you see an animal do it instead of you. Another example is a car or automobile in your dream (The Basics 2). This is very controversial because most people say this has to do with the direction you are heading in your life and even your body (The Basics 2). If you were to be driving a nice new car this is good but say you were driving an old beat up car, this may not be such a good thing for you. Children are a very common thing seen in dreams and show “something new, different and joyous”(The Basics 2). Another common theme in dreams is death. Contrary to popular belief death is not always bad. It normally means a change in your life (The Basics 3). One of the final examples of symbols is people. When you dream about people, “the specific roles that they play are unimportant”(The Basics 3). This may come as a shock to most but it makes sense when you consider that dreams are not totally straightforward and truthful.
Thankfully these symbols are common and not precise so you can fit them into your own personal dreams with a little more clarity. When you deal with more then one issue in your dreams it may be a little easier then it would be when you are awake on your head because you have the capabilities to tackle more then issue at a time during sleep. A way to help decode your dreams with these symbols is to use the association method. “Association is a traditional psychological method of looking at something and taking note of the first thing it reminds you of” according to “Dream Interpretation Tutorial: The Basics” an internet article. You can also use amplification, which is taking the symbols that you already know and write down what they mean to you (The Basics 3). Once you know how to interpret your dreams you have to start with the proper way to sleep in order to record them. To begin with when falling asleep stay as relaxed as possible and keep your mind clear of the day’s worries (Dream Analysis 1). This will help you fall into a better REM cycle and also aid you in remembering your dreams when you wake up. When waking up it is best to do it naturally and not be shocked awake in order to collect your thoughts and give yourself time to write them down or tape record them (Dream Analysis 2). If you wake up and don’t remember your dreams there are two major reasons, either you didn’t get enough sleep or you don’t get proper nutrition (Dream Analysis 2). When you do have your dreams recorded and ready, read them over and look for some sort of theme. This main theme will be the stepping stone in finding the symbolic meaning of your dream. In order to find the theme take out all the details of the dream. Once you do this you can then fill in the blanks. In addition to symbolic meanings in dreams numbers sometimes can come into play (Numbers In Dreams 1). This is more on the side of astrology and numerology than it is scientific. Because of this, its validity is questioned. Each number up to 10 has it’s own reasoning. For example, If you have 3 puppies in a dream that may have to do with commitment because that is what the number 3 means in numbers within dreams. Being able to interpret dreams is something that takes practice, effort, and time but you will get better and it will get easier and eventually pay off.
Dreams are a very important part of life but no one really bothers to give them more then a moments thought. It’s easy to see how you overlook them once you know what they are, where they come from, and how to interpret them. A very important point about dreams was said in the Internet article “Dream Central’s Unique Method of Dream Analysis” “Sometimes your sleeping mind can arrive at conclusions far better then our normal thinking process.” With that said I would like to thank you all for your undivided attention and I hope you all got some new knowledge about your dreams.
Many scientists today have done studies that try to find out how dreams affect out every day life and just how important they are. One of their developments is called the “Selective Mood Regulatory of Dreams and Sleep” which means sleeping for an adequate amount of time of uninterrupted sleep will help you wake up in a better mood (Kramer 56). This goes along with a statement that your dreams during the night will affect the mood you are in when you wake up from them. This same group of scientists also discovered that there are two different modes of sleep (Kramer 58). One of these modes is called the progressive mode, which resolves emotional problems by working through them step by step and comparing them to previous challenges. The second mode is the repetitive mode that deals with the failing of resolving emotional problems with a repetitive pattern without actually charting any progress (Kramer 58). This can also tie in with helpful and unhelpful sequence of dreams which is whether or not dreams have some sort of solution or if we are mentally up to the task of solving our problems (Kramer 58). Contrary to what the studies have found each dream is different and personalized so this may not always be the case, but it is what is common. Dreams have been found to tie into the mood that we are in when we wake up. You may wonder how this is so but Dr. Milton Kramer states that “we need sleep to be continuous if we are to improve our mood over the course of the night.” This fact seems correct when you compare it to how and why we get nightmares or night terrors as they are also called. Nightmares or night terrors, occur when your dreams fail to protect your body’s reactions and jolts you in and out of REM sleep. For example, those who slept a full night of uninterrupted sleep dreamt more and were in better moods consistently rather then those who didn’t. Once you have had your dream and recorded it in some way you want to get to the bottom of it and you don’t want to have to go to four years of college to do so. Most dreams are not straight truth and don’t predict the future. Dreams are mostly symbols that we interpret to the best of our knowledge. These symbols are broken down into seven basic categories; male aspect and female character, female aspect and male character, children, animals, healing agent, guides, and negative characters (The Basics 1). When you go to bed at night your emotional state will give you some clue as to how your dreams will play out. Once you have these main focuses in mind it is time for you to find out some example of symbols and more about them. When animals appear in your dreams they are showing your good and bad traits (The Basics 2). For example, when you see a dog doing something considered “bad” it is something that you did or do but it is easier for you to accept as wrong when you see an animal do it instead of you. Another example is a car or automobile in your dream (The Basics 2). This is very controversial because most people say this has to do with the direction you are heading in your life and even your body (The Basics 2). If you were to be driving a nice new car this is good but say you were driving an old beat up car, this may not be such a good thing for you. Children are a very common thing seen in dreams and show “something new, different and joyous”(The Basics 2). Another common theme in dreams is death. Contrary to popular belief death is not always bad. It normally means a change in your life (The Basics 3). One of the final examples of symbols is people. When you dream about people, “the specific roles that they play are unimportant”(The Basics 3). This may come as a shock to most but it makes sense when you consider that dreams are not totally straightforward and truthful.
Thankfully these symbols are common and not precise so you can fit them into your own personal dreams with a little more clarity. When you deal with more then one issue in your dreams it may be a little easier then it would be when you are awake on your head because you have the capabilities to tackle more then issue at a time during sleep. A way to help decode your dreams with these symbols is to use the association method. “Association is a traditional psychological method of looking at something and taking note of the first thing it reminds you of” according to “Dream Interpretation Tutorial: The Basics” an internet article. You can also use amplification, which is taking the symbols that you already know and write down what they mean to you (The Basics 3). Once you know how to interpret your dreams you have to start with the proper way to sleep in order to record them. To begin with when falling asleep stay as relaxed as possible and keep your mind clear of the day’s worries (Dream Analysis 1). This will help you fall into a better REM cycle and also aid you in remembering your dreams when you wake up. When waking up it is best to do it naturally and not be shocked awake in order to collect your thoughts and give yourself time to write them down or tape record them (Dream Analysis 2). If you wake up and don’t remember your dreams there are two major reasons, either you didn’t get enough sleep or you don’t get proper nutrition (Dream Analysis 2). When you do have your dreams recorded and ready, read them over and look for some sort of theme. This main theme will be the stepping stone in finding the symbolic meaning of your dream. In order to find the theme take out all the details of the dream. Once you do this you can then fill in the blanks. In addition to symbolic meanings in dreams numbers sometimes can come into play (Numbers In Dreams 1). This is more on the side of astrology and numerology than it is scientific. Because of this, its validity is questioned. Each number up to 10 has it’s own reasoning. For example, If you have 3 puppies in a dream that may have to do with commitment because that is what the number 3 means in numbers within dreams. Being able to interpret dreams is something that takes practice, effort, and time but you will get better and it will get easier and eventually pay off.
Dreams are a very important part of life but no one really bothers to give them more then a moments thought. It’s easy to see how you overlook them once you know what they are, where they come from, and how to interpret them. A very important point about dreams was said in the Internet article “Dream Central’s Unique Method of Dream Analysis” “Sometimes your sleeping mind can arrive at conclusions far better then our normal thinking process.” With that said I would like to thank you all for your undivided attention and I hope you all got some new knowledge about your dreams.
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___________________________________________________________Warning!!! All free online research papers, research paper samples and example research papers on any writing topics are plagiarized and cannot be fully used in your high school, college or university education.
If you need a custom research paper, research proposal, essay, dissertation, thesis paper or term paper on your topic, EffectivePapers.com will write your research papers from scratch. Starting at $12/page you can order custom written papers online. We work with experienced PhD. and Master's freelance writers to help you with writing any academic papers in any subject! High quality and 100% non-plagiarized papers guaranteed!
