Dare to Dream
[A] Dreams may affect our lives (and vice versa. more than we ever realized, says groundbreaking new research. Dream is a way for the subconscious to communicate with the conscious mind. Dreaming of something you are worried about, researchers say, is the brain’s way of helping you get prepared for a disaster in case it occurs. Dreaming of a challenge, for example giving a presentation at work or playing sports, can enhance your performance. And cognitive (认知的) neuroscientist have discovered that dreams and the rapid eye movement (REM) that happens while you are dreaming are linked to our ability to learn and remember.
[B] Dreaming is a "mood regulatory system," says Dr. Cartwright, chairman of the psychology department at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She has found that dreams help people work through the day’s emotional ups and downs. It’s like having a built-in therapist. While we sleep, dreams compare new emotional experience to old memories. As she puts it, "you may wake up and think, what was Uncle Harry doing in my dream I haven’t seen him for 50 years. But the old and new images are emotionally related." It’s the job of the conscious mind to figure out the relationship.
[C] In fact, dream emotions can help real therapists treat patients undergoing traumatic (创伤性) life s. In a new study of 30 recently divorced s, Cartwright tracked their dreams over a 5-month period, measuring their feelings toward their ex-spouses. She discovered that those who were angriest at the spouse while dreaming had the best chance of successfully coping with divorce. If their dreams were calm, they hadn’t started to work through their emotions and deal with the divorce. For therapists, this finding will help to determin whether divorced men or women need counseling or have already dreamed their troubles away.
[D] No device lets researchers read the content of dreams while we sleep, but scientists are finding new ways to interpret once we have awakened. Forget Sigmund Freud’s notion that dreams contain images with universal meanings for all his undeniable authority in the field of dream interpretation. A new generation of psychologists insists that dream symbols differ depending on the dreamer. In a recent study, Joseph Konick, a psychology professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada, asked 13 volunteers to make two lists: one of details recalled from recent dreams, and another of recent s in their waking lives. When ysts were asked to match which volunteer experienced which dream, they failed. Koninck’s conclusion: Each person understands his or her dreams better than anyone else—including traditional psychoysts. "There’s just no evidence of universal dream symbols," says Koninck. "My advice is to throw away your dream dictionary if you really want to interpret your dreams. "
[E] A century after the Freud era, scientists are only now decoding the biology of we manufacture dreams. At the sleep Research Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Nofzinger "looks into" the brains of sleeping subjects using PET scans normally employed to detect cancer and other diseases. By injecting subjects with a mildly radioactive substance, he has traced the source of the brain that controls emotions. During dreaming, the limbic system explodes like fireworks with neural (神经的) activity, filling our dreams with drama. "That’s why so many dreams are emotional states," says Nofzinger, "where we are running from er or facing an anxious situation. The part of the brain that controls dreams also manages our instincts, drives, ual behavior and fight-or-flight response." That’s why dreams are often strange combinations of s and people.
[F] For 11 years, a 58-year-old anthropologist (人类学家) kept a journal of nearly 5000 dreams. By yzing color patterns in the dreams, Arizona-based researcher Robert Hoss could accurately predict certain things about the man’s emotional state. Hoss correctly identified two separate years when the man experienced crises in his life. The anthropologist confirmed that in 1997 he had clashed with a colleague over a management issue, and in 2003 he’d had a falling out with a friend that left deep emotional scars.
[G] Today, psychologists are applying modern technology to probe the content of dreams. Hoss uses a computer-based approach called content ysis to interpret the colors in dreams. More than 80 percent of people dream in color, he says, though only a quarter of them recall the shades the next morning. To collect data, he yzed nearly 24,000 dreams, catalogued in two databases. His study suggested that specific colors represent particular emotions. For example, red means action, excitement and desire; blue equals calmness and harmony; black hints fear, anxiety and intimidation. The clues are in the colors. Hoss has been trying to determine the emotional states of a dreamer based on his/her dream colors. But, as with symbols and action, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to interpretation. Using color is your brain’s way of painting dreams with your emotion, and different people have different ways of using color.
[H] Psychologists have long known that people can solve their problems at work and home by "sleeping on it." The challenge has always been to train yourself to dream up the solutions. Dr. Barret, editor of the journal Dreaming, advises individuals to consider questions just before falling asleep (Should I take this job Should I marry this guy), and then let the subconscious provide the answers. "I’ve known artists looking for inspiration who simply dream up a future show of their art and wake up with plenty of new painting ideas," says Barrett. "More and more people are learning these techniques to control their dreams."
[I] Some researchers believe you can guide your dreams while you are sleeping. In recent years, Stephen LaBerge, PhD, has pioneered a way of directing the sleeping mind through "lucid dreaming," in which a sleeping person realizes he / she is dreaming while it is happening. Lucid dreamers can experience fantasy adventures—like flying to the moon, traveling through time or love on a beach—while fully aware that they are dreaming. According to La Berge, lucid dreamers can use the experience for a variety of purposes: problem solving, developing creative ideas and healing. Patricia Keelin, a 55-year-old photographer has used lucid dreaming for everything from talking to her long-dead father to feasting on sweets. "Chocolate always tastes better in lucid dreams since you don’t have to worry about calories," she says "Lucid dreaming is great and exciting, because it’s free and available to everybody."
[J] Well, not entirely free. Although everyone has the potential to dream lucidly, it rarely happens routinely without special training. Instructional workshops are needed to help individuals participate in their dreams. If you have repeating nightmares that make it difficult to sleep, try to change the endings. Once you awaken from a bad dream, imagine a change in the action to create a more positive outcome. If you are trapped, try to fly. In you dream, you can do what you want. Indeed, your dreams are like private movies where you are the star, director and writer all at once. And as the latest research indicates, you are also the most insightful movie critic. The best interpreter of your dreams is you.
Dare to DreamDr. Konick’s study of 13 volunteers indicates that you are the best interpreter of your own dreams.