What The Hell Are Dreams?

Kept playing and restarting this at bedtime and falling asleep so I haven't heard it all yet. :chuckle:

The section about Tony Soprano's dreams, which feature appearances by people he needs to murder or has already, often pictured in disguise, particularly appealed to me.
Some repeat viewers skip the dreams. This is a mistake as the dreams lay bare Tony's raw emotions.

Anyway, four dollars a pound.
 
I dont often remember my dreams but am always fascinated when I do. I dont attach any significance to dreams. The brain cannot shut itself down so I think dreams are just the brain's 'standby mode' when the body has to sleep to recuperate.
 
I listen to audio books overnight, only books I know reasonably well and I tend to listen to the same book on three consecutive nights then move to another. The first night with a new book I nearly always have dreams that incorporate something to do with the book, after that I am aware of voices in the background in my dreams.

I think it gives credence to the idea that we can learn in our sleep.
 
What if dreaming is the whole point of sleep?

An interesting but frustratingly brief article:

'Exposed, the undulating surface of the brain is shimmering and opalescent, punctuated with arteries and veins. Give any part of it the tiniest jolt of electricity with a pen-like probe and it will activate the neurons in that spot. Neurosurgeons use this technique during some types of brain surgery to locate the source of seizures, or to avoid damaging vital tissue.

While the procedure is happening, the patient is awake, but feels nothing, since the brain doesn’t have so-called nociceptors, or pain sensors. Because the thin, outermost layer is responsible for consciousness, language, perception, memory and thought, moving the probe from spot to spot can reveal quite a lot. It can trigger smells, memories of childhood – even nightmares. Use the probe to touch a particular part of the brain: nightmare on. Remove the probe: nightmare off. In this way, I’ve witnessed first-hand how dreams are truly part of the neural architecture. They’re very much built into our bodies.'

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...-what-if-dreaming-is-the-whole-point-of-sleep
 
Steven said:
What if dreaming is the whole point of sleep?

An interesting but frustratingly brief article:

'Exposed, the undulating surface of the brain is shimmering and opalescent, punctuated with arteries and veins. Give any part of it the tiniest jolt of electricity with a pen-like probe and it will activate the neurons in that spot. Neurosurgeons use this technique during some types of brain surgery to locate the source of seizures, or to avoid damaging vital tissue.

While the procedure is happening, the patient is awake, but feels nothing, since the brain doesn’t have so-called nociceptors, or pain sensors. Because the thin, outermost layer is responsible for consciousness, language, perception, memory and thought, moving the probe from spot to spot can reveal quite a lot. It can trigger smells, memories of childhood – even nightmares. Use the probe to touch a particular part of the brain: nightmare on. Remove the probe: nightmare off. In this way, I’ve witnessed first-hand how dreams are truly part of the neural architecture. They’re very much built into our bodies.'

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...-what-if-dreaming-is-the-whole-point-of-sleep
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There are some good questions posed. I did always wonder why, if we only dreamed during REM sleep which is only about 1 1/2 hours, then why did my dreams seem to last so long and how did they all keep some semblance of connectedness. This article is stating that we may be dreaming longer than just during the REM stage.
 
brownmane said:
There are some good questions posed. I did always wonder why, if we only dreamed during REM sleep which is only about 1 1/2 hours, then why did my dreams seem to last so long and how did they all keep some semblance of connectedness. This article is stating that we may be dreaming longer than just during the REM stage.
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But are dreams actually lasting a long time and being connected or is that just how we perceive them? Might they be like episodes from TV, where there are cut-aways and panning shots to indicate time passing; we understand the convention and understand that 'this signifies time has passed', perhaps we do the same in dreams. And create our own perception of 'connected' in the same way as we 'know' that, for example, Episode 1 of Doctor Who is the same person as Episode 347, although the actor and storyline are completely different, we understand that it's all connected.
 
On that note ~

I'm sure there is a scientifically sensible reason for time (seemingly) being distorted or at least 'unconventional' in dreams...but instead I'm going to go with my silly theory that it's our brains telling us the plain truth: that time's apparent passage is merely a human invention.
 
catseye said:
But are dreams actually lasting a long time and being connected or is that just how we perceive them? Might they be like episodes from TV, where there are cut-aways and panning shots to indicate time passing; we understand the convention and understand that 'this signifies time has passed', perhaps we do the same in dreams. And create our own perception of 'connected' in the same way as we 'know' that, for example, Episode 1 of Doctor Who is the same person as Episode 347, although the actor and storyline are completely different, we understand that it's all connected.
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In my mind, with the idea that we are possibly in a longer dream state than previously thought, and that it might not happen only during REM stage, I can suppose that this may also address lucid dreaming.

REM is the deepest stage of sleep.

Lucid dreaming tends to occur when you have had a short wakening and fall asleep again. Lucid dreaming is the state at which you are aware that the dream state and conscious state are two separate states and you can affect your dream just by willing it. I do think that you are not in REM stage at this point and that that is why you can become lucid.

These are my suppositions only, no sleep research that I know of to back this, but it is interesting.
 
So, after you had your dream, whether crazy or not crazy, will this dream change the way you might think about something?

Do you believe your dream is true and this will influence your thinking ?

I personally have a hard time remembering my dreams, but my wife’s latest dream was that she was cooking in the kitchen with my mother who has been dead for 20 years.

I believe the dead come to us in our dreams.

I said to my wife, how did my mom look ?

My wife said for being dead for 20 years, really not too bad !

My wife was puzzled why my mother and why her mother was not in her dream ?

Strangely we know of three, not family related, people who have died in the last two days.
 
charliebrown said:
So, after you had your dream, whether crazy or not crazy, will this dream change the way you might think about something?
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I once had a very involved dream in which I learned who Jesus was and how his persona was created. But that is not for this thread. It was a very interesting concept. And definitely of a Fortean leaning.
 
CharmerKamelion said:
I expect there are planets out there where they believe Captain Kirk is a god, but we know he is really just a character made up for a TV show...... or is he.....?
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Wasn't there a comedy sci-fi about actors from a Star Trek-like show being kidnapped to save a peaceful alien race from invaders, 'cause the kidnappers thought the actors were the ultimate warriors? Rubbish film, I can't remember the title. I'm sure @ramonmercado can though.
 
SimonBurchell said:
Wasn't there a comedy sci-fi about actors from a Star Trek-like show being kidnapped to save a peaceful alien race from invaders, 'cause the kidnappers thought the actors were the ultimate warriors? Rubbish film, I can't remember the title. I'm sure @ramonmercado can though.
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That would be "Galaxy Quest", Simon.
 
SimonBurchell said:
Wasn't there a comedy sci-fi about actors from a Star Trek-like show being kidnapped to save a peaceful alien race from invaders, 'cause the kidnappers thought the actors were the ultimate warriors? Rubbish film, I can't remember the title. I'm sure @ramonmercado can though.
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Rubbish film? Galaxy Quest is one of the finest films ever made.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Rubbish film? Galaxy Quest is one of the finest films ever made.
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[Scowls in contempt] Just cause some pretentious critic somewhere said it doesn't make it so. [shuffles off muttering under his breath]
 
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After last night's dream about watching whilst also being in, a horror film - I had to wonder. I don't watch horror films. I don't like anything psychological or 'edge of the seat' (I've got enough real life doing that to need to watch it as well). I just wondered why my subconscious chose to put me in that state of 'incipient horror' as an observer rather than a full participant? So I kept the feeling that I could just stop watching at any time, whilst almost being forced to go along with the actions. Rather like the feeling you get when absorbed in a really good book - that you are 'almost' part of the action, but you can stop at any time.

Why would the brain feel it necessary to create that feeling? Why not just plonk me in the middle of the action?
 
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