Human Health: The Science of Dreaming

Dreaming, perhaps the most common trait amongst humans past and present, is one of science’s largest mysteries. Philosophical thinkers, psychiatrists and neurologists alike have puzzled over the significance of dreaming for centuries. Why do we dream and what purpose do they serve in our lives?

The experiences we have in dreams are often so realistic that we cannot tell the difference between a dream and reality. The lucidity of our thoughts and emotions during sleep have the ability to simulate any real life scenario and even extend beyond the possibilities of the real world. We experience the sensations of love, lust, excitement and even pain. Maybe they are merely illustrations of our subconscious mind but even if that’s the case, studying them would help us to better understand ourselves.

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed dreams to be messages from the Divine. Some Christians believe they are a vessel for God’s words. The Chinese believe that the deceased, specifically family members, can sneak you a visit, but contrarily, Native Americans believe dreams are an astral adventure into the after–life or a different dimension. The Mayans encourage the remembering of dreams because they contain important information for the dreamer.

Creative individuals such as artists, musicians, and writers look to dreams for inspiration and ideas. Paul McCartney of the Beatles heard the music for "Yesterday" during a dream and writer Mary Shelley discovered the story of Frankenstein in hers.

The founding father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, believed, like the Mayans, that dreams were full of hidden meanings; but for Freud, they were specifically a way to understand people and their behavior. He thought dreams could be used as peepholes into souls. Influential thinker and founder of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, believed dreams were meant to help people grow and better understand themselves as well as their relationships with people.

New research and theories, such as the Contemporary Theory of Dreaming, find that our brains are constantly, consciously and unconsciously, making and unmaking connections both during our waking and sleeping states. The only difference is that the connections being made during sleep are less focused and intentional. Instead, they are emotionally guided. This theory suggests that dreaming is theologically purposeless but is not random and can explain the parallels we find between our dreams and realities. 

Numerous theories have been put forth but tangible evidence as to why we dream remains elusive. Every theory points to something larger. Some point to God, others lead us into different worlds. Modern theories and psychoanalytics point to the sub–conscious, science’s other mystery. For some of us, dreams serve as an escape from reality, while for others they are an opportunity to live out their fantasies. And without any tangible evidence to the contrary, we may as well make the most of them.