Dream Interpretation

1657 Words4 Pages

Dreams have been around since time began. The reason why they occur, even today, is a mystery. Debates have surrounded about whether dreams are meaningless or important. Since early history, people have recounted their dreams believing they were secret codes or messages. (Young) In Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood Perry, one of the killers, dreamed that he was saved by a bird that took him to a new place described as “paradise.” (Capote 93) Though the dreams made Perry feel superior, the meaning of his dream is fascinating but still a mystery. Dream interpretation has brought insight and knowledge to what a person’s subconscious can uphold. Experts have sought to explain what dreams actually contain. Although dream interpretation is criticized as ridiculous, numerous people believe interpreting dreams is important to figuring out their life and inner psyche. When someone says they have had a dream another may find it fascinating or completely dull. Dreams are a fascination because they reoccur often and sometimes change. No one can really explain why this happens but some are determined to find out how. Because of this curiosity and fascination, there are some researchers who find dreams enthralling enough to study them. As if dreams weren’t compelling enough, they found that a person goes through five stages of sleep: two steps of light sleep, two steps of deep sleep, and one stage of REM which translates into rapid eye movement. Researchers found when people wake up at different sleep stages give different recounts of their sleep, no matter what type of dream they just had. Since these stages happen, there are two types of dreams: REM dreaming and non-REM dreaming. REM dreams tend to have length, complexity, and hallucinatory... ... middle of paper ... ...fice, The US Library Of Congress, 2010-2013. Web. 27 Feb 2013. . Lewis, James R. The Dream Encyclopedia. New York: Gale Research, 1995. Print. Matalon, Nadav. “The Riddle of Dreams.” Philosophical Psychology 24. 4 (Aug 2011): p 517-536. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb 2013. “Rescue.” Dreambible.com. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office, The UK Intellectual Property Office, The US Library Of Congress, 2010-2013. Web. 27 Feb 2013. < http://www.dreambible.com/search.php?q=rescue>. “Snakes.” Dreambible.com. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office, The UK Intellectual Property Office, The US Library Of Congress, 2010-2013. Web. 27 Feb 2013. . Young, Emma. “The I in Dreaming.” New Scientist 12 March. 2011: 209. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb 2013.

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