Definition Essay: Do Dreams Have Meaning?

Numerous studies have been conducted and there has yet to be any definitive answers unto the debate of whether or not dreams have meaning. Dreams are frequently bizarre and often confusing with their odd characters and events that are linked with reels of memories and desires, but what if those seemingly random scenarios actually have meanings behind them? Dreams are mysterious and uncontrollable for most; there are so many dissimilarities and interpretations of them that there are endless possibilities for each varying person. Although some argue otherwise, dreams do have meaning based on the lasting impressions and emotions they have on people, the significance of recurrence, and the unpredictability and uncontrollability of these night
Dreams may occur during other stages of sleep; however, they tend to be more vivid and memorable during REM sleep. “REM involves regular, periodic, and intense activation of the limbic system and the amygdala--the two major emotional centers of the brain. As the night progresses, activation patterns become more intense and likely color the person's mood for the day upon awakening” (McNamara, 1991). Whether it be an attachment people have to their dreams or the entanglement of the consequential feelings, dreams are prominent enough to influence and even reveal insight to emotion. Certain situations or images seen within dreams can exploit untapped feelings and make clearer to the dreamer his own presentiment. This is known as the Freudian theory of dreams in which, “Sigmund Freud famously postulated that [dreams] are the manifestations of our repressed desires and anxieties, while Carl Jung, his student, said they represent not only pent-up anxieties but dreams are meant to offer some solutions to problems” (Dharani, 2017). Emotions affect feelings and therefore can lead to actions or
If people controlled their dreams, there wouldn’t be much room for interpretation among the reasons behind why dreams are so strange and difficult to fathom. It’s good people are unable to govern their dreams because if they could, it would be life as they already live it. Dreams are surreal and open up creativity and opportunity for dreamers to wake up and continue to be baffled in a pleasant way. “It is believed that some Renaissance painters have employed a technique of waking up while they were dreaming and depicting their dreams in their art” (Dharani, 2017). Dreams can be interpreted in many different ways and when it’s being analyzed and utilized in a way that welcomes success, those dreams are undoubtedly meaningful. A whole new and healthy world could be opened up when dreamers embrace what they see and experience subconsciously. “One study found that REM sleep affects learning of certain mental skills. People taught a skill and then deprived of non-REM sleep could recall what they had learned after sleeping, while people deprived of REM sleep could not” (“Clinical trials,” n.d.). Dreaming occurs in REM sleep, and it’s evident here that people remember more when in the REM sleeping stage. Dreaming is healthy, and can supply healthy results such as a broader information retainment. Dreams also introduce new ideas and expand the spectrums of many with their bizarre