Scientifically, dreams are defined as brain activity while a person is sleeping. The types of dreams that a person has can be traced to what part of the sleep cycle they were in during the dream. Dreams are directly connected to stored memories that are stimulated while we sleep. Scientists have a variety of hypotheses on why we dream. One of the hypotheses on why we dream is that it gives the cortex a chance to rest. By unplugging the cortex, your brain is no longer processing information. Instead, it dives into your memory banks and replays old memories, often jumbling them together in ways that do not make logical sense. According to this hypothesis, dreams do not have any meaning and our attempts to create some deeper truth out of scrambled memories is a human fallacy. A second hypothesis has arisen with the discovery that most mammals dream. Proponents of this hypothesis argue that dreams must serve a purpose if they are such a widespread phenomenon. The strongest theory thus far is the "threat simulation theory." The essence of this theory is that dreams are a way for the brain to put itself in different scenarios and then think of a way out. It's essentially your brain's way of training itself to respond to threats. Like the first hypothesis, this one ascribes no deeper, hidden meaning to the actual contents of the dream. An opposing hypothesis puts forth the idea that dreams are a way to encode memories. The amygdala is the part of our brain that is responsible for the formation of memories, especially very emotional ones. The amygdala is also very active during dreams. Interpreting dreams, under this hypothesis, is a way to analyze the memories that are too painful for us to face while fully awake. People who support this hypothesis believe dreams to be very helpful in facing past trauma. They have found by using the dream to tease out some event buried within their subconscious, they have been able to face their past and begin the healing process. Those who oppose this hypothesis fear that it may be harmful to those who subscribe to it. Their concern is that people become convinced that there is a traumatic event buried in their past when no such event ever truly occurred. By learning more about dreams and dream interpretation, you will come to recognize the different types of dreams and be able to understand what is causing them without ascribing the wrong meaning to them. Take advantage of this great opportunity to learn to interpret your dreams and use these messages to learn more about your life!

Disfigured by a car accident that also killed her dad, Jori has been transformed from a popular high school student into a bitter loner. Fatherless, isolated, and betrayed by her best friend, Jori is angry at the world. And now her sister Lisa has disappeared, unable to cope with the changes in her family. Walking home from school one day, Jori stumbles upon a strange house and meets Professor DePris, who shows her a living tapestry woven from dreams. Distrustful of the eccentric old man and the telepathic spider who weaves for him, she resists entering the dream tapestry until she realizes her sister is trapped inside. It’s up to Jori to enter the tapestry and rescue Lisa from the monstrous old man who is feasting on her fantasies. But how can Jori convince Lisa to leave this fantastic, yet dangerous, world where anything—even reuniting with their father—is possible?

Rev. ed. of: Dreams and the growth of personality. 2nd ed. c1985.

Your Dreams Can Show You the Way We all know that our dreams mean something, but do you realize that your dreams can actually help you? In the Kabbalistic tradition, dreams are prized as the key that unlocks the spiritual door leading to a path of greater wisdom. In this rich and unique guide you will learn how simple and practical steps can help you use the messages in your dreams to unleash healing, creativity, and personal fulfillment. Kabbalistic experts Jonathan Sharp and Dr. Edward Hoffman clearly explain how the Kabbalah works, along with its varied, mysterious, and fascinating components. These include the Tree of Life, the Tarot deck, the hundred most important symbols from Zohar (the ancient text on which the Kabbalah is based), and the numerology of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Following is a comprehensive list of more than eight hundred and fifty dream images with interpretations, evaluations, and unique prescriptions to help bring energy and inspiration to your spiritual journey. Each dream entry includes: Meaning: An overview of the image's significance as well as a numerological evaluation and interpretation Tree of Life: What the dream tells the dreamer about where she is on her life path, specifically in terms of spiritual development and emotional relationships The Journey: Practical advice on what steps to take so that you can use your dream to take you where you want to go -- solve problems, explore possibilities, find the inspiration to live more deeply, and much more Rich, comprehensive, and full of beauty and mystery, Divining Your Dreams will be a bedside companion for years to come.

Dreams, thoughts and actions, and the influences that produce them and their multiplying combination, cannot be numbered or reproduced any more than you can number the leaves of the forest, or find two exactly similar units among them. Thus the full meaning or interpretation of dreams cannot be fully demonstrated through mental or even spiritual stereotypes. But by the intelligent use of this book you will be able to trace out almost any dream combination and arrive at the true nature of its portent.

"A truly comprehensive, scientifically rigorous and utterly fascinating account of when, how, and why we dream. Put simply, When Brains Dream is the essential guide to dreaming." —Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep Questions on the origins and meaning of dreams are as old as humankind, and as confounding and exciting today as when nineteenth-century scientists first attempted to unravel them. Why do we dream? Do dreams hold psychological meaning or are they merely the reflection of random brain activity? What purpose do dreams serve? When Brains Dream addresses these core questions about dreams while illuminating the most up-to-date science in the field. Written by two world-renowned sleep and dream researchers, it debunks common myths that we only dream in REM sleep, for example—while acknowledging the mysteries that persist around both the science and experience of dreaming. Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold bring together state-of-the-art neuroscientific ideas and findings to propose a new and innovative model of dream function called NEXTUP—Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. By detailing this model’s workings, they help readers understand key features of several types of dreams, from prophetic dreams to nightmares and lucid dreams. When Brains Dream reveals recent discoveries about the sleeping brain and the many ways in which dreams are psychologically, and neurologically, meaningful experiences; explores a host of dream-related disorders; and explains how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight. Making an eloquent and engaging case for why the human brain needs to dream, When Brains Dream offers compelling answers to age-old questions about the mysteries of sleep.

Dreams can be letters coming from someone's unconscious mind. These are also considered as successions of ideas, images, sensations, and emotions that usually happen in an involuntary manner to one's mind. These are highly evident during a specific stage of dreams known as oneirology. Dreams just come in your sleep without trying to imagine the possibility of dreaming something. Such experience sometimes brought us joy, excitement, and even fear. You can hardly stop ourselves when we have those kinds of experiences in our dreams. But, people can also obtain the greatest and wildest dream such as flying, going around the sun and even tasting the moon. That can only be possible when you dig into the world of lucid dreaming. That kind of dream will not only excite you and bring joy to other people's faces as you tell them your dream. You and other people might be left in awe when you tell them about your lucid dreams. Such kind of dream may sound peculiar to you, but you probably have that kind of dream, maybe in your unconscious state. But if you think you did not really have that dream, you will surely experience that just keep on scrolling the book. You must be excited and keep your eyes to every word you read about lucid dreaming. It may turn your world up, side, and down. To add, it will not only bring pleasure to your total being but it will allow you to experience healing by simply dreaming. That can be a bit exciting. Do not worry too much because you will learn the magic of lucid dreaming thru the best techniques and ways to obtain and enjoy such lucid dreaming. It does not require anything but only your focus.

THIS BOOK IS FOR ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO WAKE UP, BOTH IN THEIR DREAMS AND WAKING LIVES. Dreams of Awakening is a thorough and exciting exploration of lucid dreaming theory and practice within both Western and Tibetan Buddhist contexts. It not only explores lucid dreaming practices, but also the innovative new techniques of Mindfulness of Dream and Sleep, the holistic approach to lucidity training which the author co-created. The book is based on over 12 years of personal practice and the hundreds of lucid dreaming workshops which Charlie has taught around the world, in venues as diverse as Buddhist temples and dance-music festivals. Using a three-part structure of Ground, Path and Germination the reader is given a solid grounding in: • the history and benefits of lucid dreaming • cutting edge research from dream and sleep scientists. • entering the path of learning to do the practices • prophetic dreams, lucid living, out of body experiences and quantum dreaming. Although Dreams of Awakening presents many different angles on how to make the 30 years we spend asleep more worthwhile, the fundamental aim of the book is to teach people how to lucid dream their way to psychological and spiritual growth. This book is for all those who want to wake up, both in their dreams and waking lives.

Lucid dreaming has been acknowledged for centuries, but has till lately remained a rare and little recognized phenomenon. My own scientific and personal explorations, together with the findings of additional dream researchers across the world, have merely started to shed light on this strange state of consciousness. Lately, this fresh research field has captivated the attention of the population outside the domain of scientific dream research as studies have demonstrated that given suitable training, individuals may learn to have lucid dreams. It has been stated that “everything is dependent on remembering,” and this is surely true of lucid dreaming. Learning to recall your dreams is essential if you wish to learn how to dream lucidly. Till you have excellent dream recall, you won’t bear much probability of bearing many lucid dreams.

Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self is the account of an extraordinarily talented lucid dreamer who goes beyond the boundaries of both psychology and religion. In the process, he stumbles upon the Inner Self. While lucid (consciously aware) in the dream state and able to act and interact with dream figures, objects, and settings, dream expert Robert Waggoner experienced something transformative and unexpected. He was able to interact consciously with the dream observer - the apparent Inner Self - within the dream. At first this seemed shocking, even impossible, since psychology normally alludes to such theoretical inner aspects as the Subliminal Self, the Center, the Internal Self-Helper in vague and theoretical ways. Waggoner came to realize, however, that aware interaction with the Inner Self was not only possible, but actual and highly inspiring. He concluded that while aware in the dream state, one has both a psychological tool and a platform from which to understand dreaming and the larger picture of man's psyche as well. Waggoner proposes 5 stages of lucid dreaming and guides readers through them, offering advice for those who have never experienced the lucid dream state and suggestions for how experienced lucid dreamers can advance to a new level. Lucid Dreaming offers exciting insights and vivid illustrations that will intrigue not only avid dreamworkers but anyone who is interested in consciousness, identity, and the definition of reality.