Definition Essay: Why Do Dreams Really Feel Real?

Why do we dream? What do our dreams mean? Dreams are a sequence of images, ideas, and feelings that involuntarily occur most commonly during the REM stage of sleep. They come in a wide variety of types, from the peculiar to the downright terrifying; the dreamer has no control over what they experience in their dreams. Though neurologists have been studying the human brain for decades, we still don’t fully know why we dream or what their significance is. Some psychologists theorize that dreams are closely linked to our subconscious mind, expressing our deepest fears or desires, allowing us to be what we cannot be. Others believe that dreams serve no function at all and are simply our imaginations running wild. In the words of Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, “The dream is the liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature, a detachment of the soul from the fetters of matter.” (The Interpretation of Dreams)

Dreams are scenarios your mind creates which represents who you truly are, were and are destined to be. You 're mind creates illusions that either further enhance your knowledge on what your purpose in life is or could make you fear it. Dreams are essentially part of the foundation of a persons life. Rudolfo Anaya in the novel Bless me ultima uses the concept of dreams to demonstrate the growth and the loss of innocence Antonio faces from beginning to end.

To many people, dreams are the thoughts that occur while sleeping, having almost mystic qualities. For millennia the significance of dreams has escaped even the brightest of philosophers and intellectuals. Many people have speculated about why people dream and what meanings the dreams have but in recent times two theories have gained credibility in answering those questions. The first theory is Sigmund Freuds and the other is known as the cognitive theory of dreams also known as biological determinism.

The article “In the Dreamscape of Nightmares, Clues to Why We Dream at All”, written by Natalie Angier, introduces various types of insight on nightmares and the reasons behind why they occur. Nightmares are dreams, able to jolt you awake. Although few suffer from nightmares so terrifying that help is sought, dreams are a universal human experience. A majority of our dreamlike states are spent negatively. As a result, numerous people have studied dreams and discovered that there may be reasons behind the existence of nightmares and dreams overall.

Knowing what causes one to have dreams is important in order for one to know what one thinks about. What one thinks about is oftentimes a direct reflection of how a person feels. The human mind is complex and beautiful and actually processes pretty much everything one thinks about, even if one is not aware of it (Hidalgo n.p.). One’s dreams are the mind's way of subconsciously processing the things one thinks about. Moreover, when one is in overdrive or very stressed out one's mind is aware of that and filters through that

There are many theories as to why we dream. One of the most popular of theories being that of Sigmund Freud, a psychoanalyst from the eighteenth century. Freud theorised that dreams were how are unconscious minds would cope with repressed desires (Obringer, par 2). He stated

What is the purpose of a dream? For thousands of years, ranging from the time of Joseph to the present day, human beings have tried to interpret the reason behind why we dream. Some people believe dreams are messages from the gods, while others simply believe they are extremely vivid portrayals of our overactive imagination. The renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud claimed that dreams satisfy desires that a person would not express while awake, essentially a window into our subconscious thought (Freud 1). Studies suggest that Freud might have been on to something and his theories are still relevant today.

Many people wonder why we dream. And that's because no one knows for sure why we dream. Some people think they have no use and are just activities our brain does while were asleep. Others say dreams are necessary for physical, mental, and emotional health. Studies were done and what they did was they awoke people just before they were about to dream. And these people experienced: Weight gain, depression, lack of concentration and Anxiety. (Dreams: Why We Dream, Lucid Dreaming,...)

“Dreams are a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.” This is the true definition of what dreams are according to Free Dictionary.com. Although many people are unaware of how dreams actually work there are two psychologists that have been able to pinpoint the true meaning of dreams. These two men are Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. There are many different perceptions on how people dream, what dreams mean, and why people dream.

First of all, some dreams that people dream of could be related to their personal problems. Or people dream because of their unconscious desires and wishes. Dreams have been observed as useful indications of what's on a person's mind. In addition, one article states “experts still do not completely understand why we dream or the causes behind dreams.” Finally, themes could be produced by thoughts that a person doesn’t want to think about so it comes out in their dream. People dream because of certain

There are many reasons of why we dream and what those dreams mean when we have them such as things what we have learned in the past or just things that we don’t need anymore. Before all the theories and everything else what is a dream? A dream can be images black and white or color of something that has happened in the past or something that you’re wishing for that may just give you insight of how to fulfill that wish that you have. One theory that applies to some the dreams that people have is just being a garbage collection. Things that we don’t need to things that may anger us make one depressed a person would dream about something like that just so you can get that out your system.

Even though most of our dreams make no sense, but occasionally there is a dream that you’ll finds useful. While we dream, our unconscious mind speaks to us in symbols. There is meaning behind symbols that enables us to explore hidden parts of ourselves. According to sleepassociation.org almost every human experience common dreams such as drowning in water, flying in the air or being chased by someone.

By researching, and observing dreams, I can conclude that each dreams have different behaviors. Dreams occur at different emotional states in your life. Times that you are feeling down, feeling on top of things, or even when you are feeling amazing. These dreams occur for these reasons because your brain is trying to help fix your emotional problems.

Dreams have been around as long as the first civilization came to be and have been a normal part of human existence. One third of your life is spent sleeping, and of that third, on average you will have spent a total of about six years of it dreaming. Most people dream on average two hours every night, but you can have anywhere from four to seven dreams in one night. According to research, the most common setting for a dream is in your own house. In our dreams we can do anything we want and be whoever we want to be. Our dreams are an escape from reality. While we dream we are unable to control our actions and choose our surroundings. We let our minds take over. Sometimes dreams can be understood in the context of repressed thoughts. Dreaming serves as an outlet for those thoughts and impulses we repress during the day. When we go to sleep at night and slip into our dream state, we feel liberated and behave in a manner that we do not allow ourselves to in our everyday life. Visions and ides can come from your dreams. Often, authors, screenwriters, and even poets turn to their dreams for inspiration. The think quest oracle library goes on to tell about the most well-known of the modern dream

Dreams are “hallucinations of the sleeping mind” (Loftus & Ketcham). Dreams can be very vivid, loud, and even emotional. This is why it is easy to confuse them with reality. Dreams are kind of like taking all of a person’s wishes and emotions and putting them all in a little “shadow world” (Bynum) when they go to sleep at night. “What is common in all these dreams is obvious. They completely satisfy wishes excited during the day which remain unrealized. They are simply and undisguisedly realizations of wishes.” (Freud). A person may be experiencing an emotion or wishing for something without even realizing it at all. Dreams can sometimes show a person how they are truly feeling without even their own awareness of these feelings or wishes. A lot of a person’s reality and emotions are used in their dreams, however, this is not always the case. Dreams can also be extremely bizarre, confusing, and even repetitive. This is where the interpretation of dreams comes into action. Many people find it hard to believe that when they have a dream over and over again that it does not mean anything. These types of dreams are called recurring dreams. Recurring dreams happen