A client recently asked me what the meaning of dreams is and why they occur. This is a common question in psychology. An even more common question is the psychology of dreams.
What is a dream?
A dream is a succession of sensations, emotions, ideas, and images that occur in a person’s mind during a particular sleep stage. Dreams are usually involuntary. A dream can also be defined as a series of thoughts, feelings, or visions that arise several times per night when a person is sleeping.
Since we have mentioned that dreams occur at a particular stage of sleep, it is also worth mentioning that sleep is a cyclical process that occurs in five stages. The five stages of sleep are:
- Stage one of the transitional phase
This is the first stage, and it occurs when you find yourself floating in and out of consciousness. During this stage, you may be partially awake as your mind begins to drift off.
- Stage two
This is the stage where you spend at least 50 percent of your sleeping time. This is a lighter stage of sleep where your eye movements stop as your brain waves slow down. Your muscles also tend to relax during this stage.
- Stage three and four
These two stages are categorized together because they are both stages of deep sleep. They are the hardest to wake up from, and if you are woken from these stages, you may experience disorientation and grogginess for a few minutes.
- Stage five
This is a stage of rapid eye movements. Here, your brain usually bursts with activity as it starts to energize itself. This stage is characterized by heightened desynchronized brain waves, almost similar to those when you are awake.
Dreams usually occur in the fifth stage because of brain activity. Dreams typically last for a few seconds. However, some dreams can last up to 20 or 30 minutes. You can most of the time recall your dream because you are woken up during the fifth (REM) stage of sleep, where dreams occur. On average, people can dream between three to five times per night. Some may have up to seven dreams. Sometimes you may not remember your dreams. This may be because they occurred earlier in the Rem stage, and the mind already forgot them. This is especially the case with short dreams. However, it is tough for you to forget long dreams.
The Psychology of Dreams
In psychology, dreams are explained using four theories known as the theories of dreams. They are:
Sigmund Freud: Dreams are a form of wish-fulfillment
The father of psychology, Sigmund Freud, was the first person to suggest that dreams have a scientific or psychological purpose. He believed that dreams are often a form of wish-fulfillment or a revelation of hidden emotions and desires. According to Sigmund, a person can act out his desires that he could not fulfill in real life. However, other psychologists have argued that while this may be true for some dreams, it is not valid for all dreams. For instance, dreams involving punishment and traumatic events cannot be explained using this theory. Freud also believed that dreams, by nature, have disguised meanings. Regardless, Freud’s approach led to more psychologists exploring the topic.
Carl Jung: Dreams as direct mental expressions
Carl Jung took a completely different approach to explain dreams. Unlike Freud, Carl Jung believed that dreams are direct expressions of the mind. He wrote that dreams express a person’s unconscious state through symbols and metaphors. While this language is natural to the unconscious state, it can be hard to understand as it varies from walking or awake language. He also believed that dreams serve two purposes;
- To compensate for the imbalances in a person’s psyche
- To provide perspective images of the future, allowing a person to anticipate future events
Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley: REM and Activation-synthesis
Harvard professors Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley conceived the activation-synthesis theory of dreams in the 1970s. During the fifth (REM) stage of sleep, the two discovered that electrical signals, also known as electroencephalogram recordings (EEGs), pass through the brain. The brain then naturally reacts by trying to make sense of the random stimulus caused by the EEGs. Therefore, according to these two Harvard professors, dreams do not have an intrinsic meaning. They are simply a side effect of the brain’s natural activity.
Antti Revunsuo: Threat Simulation Theory
Antti Revonsuo, a Finnish psychologist, conceived the threat simulation theory of dreams. This psychologist found that during the REM stage of sleep, the amygdala, which is the part of the brain in charge of fight-or-flight, is activated. This means that it fires in the same way it would during a survival threat. Therefore, he explains that negative dreams’ primary role is to prepare or help you rehearse similar real events. This allows the body to recognize and avoid threats faster and more automatically.
Traditional Interpretation of Dreams
In ancient Mesopotamia and other traditional cultures, dreams were believed to be messages from deities or deceased people. Some conventional societies thought that dreams were predictors of the future. They would record dreams and have them interpreted by religious leaders. Some cultures still believe these notions up to date.
It is worth noting that there are other theories about dreams. Some are;
- Dreams are designed to help in problem-solving
- Dreams help in memory formation
- Dreams are a result of the human body relieving traumatic or significant events that happened during the day. For instance, when you watch a violent movie and dream about it or something similar.
Final Word
It is also worth mentioning that people do not experience dreams in the same way. For instance, a person may experience a violent or traumatic dream and remain still and calm without any physical movement. Other people act out their dreams. Such people kick, scream, walk, talk and go through motions as they dream. A therapy session can help you uncover the meaning of your dreams.