Do dreams really matter at all?

its strange, I've never really dreamed, or at least, I don't remember them at all, but I swear I don't

If you deprive someone of REM-stage sleep (not all sleep, just REM-stage), it effects mental functioning. Eg, at some point, you will begin to hallucinate (essentially, dreaming will be "forced upon you" even in your waking state).

Dreams can reveal deeper levels of psychological activity, things going on "down under." Some very creative solutions to problems have occured in dreams.

Are they channels to the transcendent? I've yet to see any extraordinary evidence to back-up those extraordinary claims...though for myself, as I've mentioned in other threads, I have had numerous "suspicious coincidences." But still, nothing I could grasp, wave over my head and go, "See!"

Loosely speaking, everyone dreams, and dreaming occurs 24/7. But our attention is brought to it when the organism takes a break from environmental vigilence. As to why some people remember their dreams and others don't: the theories are, those who remember tend to ascend through the sleep stages more abruptly than those who don't remember; and/or also, some people just have better memories.

I typed this quickly, so some points may have to be clarified.

OH dreams are very important, in fact they might be th real reality and this is the dream. But in this dream the reality cannot be comprehended because it´s too complicated so symbols and odd things are remembered as our brains try to fathom the real reality, the reality where we are pure energy.🙂

Mine tells the future sometimes and others are just enjoyable ones or nightmares.

Originally posted by inimalist
its strange, I've never really dreamed, or at least, I don't remember them at all, but I swear I don't

I read somewhere that protein deficiency plays a part in not remembering dreams. My son was complaining about not remembering dreams so I'm going to eat more steak for a while and see if we get any results. I eat a lot of red meat and I dream quite often but we've been trying to eat healthier so I've been eating less steak. Notably my dreams have been far less frequent to the point where I've missed them.

given we still know very little about "where dreams come from", so to speak, that isn't enitrely impossible

though in my case I find it unlikely. Its something that has been with me my whole life, and my mother was nuts about making sure I had a good diet

Originally posted by Mindship
Dreams can reveal deeper levels of psychological activity, things going on "down under." Some very creative solutions to problems have occured in dreams.

Originally posted by Mindship
...though for myself, as I've mentioned in other threads, I have had numerous "suspicious coincidences." But still, nothing I could grasp, wave over my head and go, "See!"

Depending on the distance of some future event that a person accurately predicts and the relevance of said event to the dreamer, I'd say that would be evidence that there is something to it. Like if you dreamed about the tsunami two years before it happened and everyone was talking about tsunamis.

Originally posted by Mindship
Loosely speaking, everyone dreams, and dreaming occurs 24/7. But our attention is brought to it when the organism takes a break from environmental vigilence. As to why some people remember their dreams and others don't: the theories are, those who remember tend to ascend through the sleep stages more abruptly than those who don't remember; and/or also, some people just have better memories.

I typed this quickly, so some points may have to be clarified.

Originally posted by Bicnarok
OH dreams are very important, in fact they might be th real reality and this is the dream. But in this dream the reality cannot be comprehended because it´s too complicated so symbols and odd things are remembered as our brains try to fathom the real reality, the reality where we are pure energy.🙂

Interesting, but I wonder if there isn't a lot more evidence to the belief that the dream world is different for everyone and the physical world is the same for everyone and thus the consistent reality that all can relate to. If what you are saying is true then a persons nightmares could truly be scary to them. ex. If I dream about being chased by jason and werewolves then that is what my real world holds for me. In some dreams a person can even feel pain inflicted on them. I would hope that conscious pure energy manifestation would transcend physical if not emotional pain. 😮‍💨

Originally posted by The MISTER
A buddy of mine was looking for a meaning behind a dream I considered to be just another crazy dream. He said I was ignoring an obvious message about the worlds end. I don't think dreams have deep meanings that we should spend a lot of valuable time deciphering. But I only have my many crazy dreams to go off of. What do you think? Are dreams ever messages? Aren't end of the world dreams as common as end of the world movies?

Dreams are always personal, and only about the person who had the dream. The idea that a dream could have something to do with the end of the world, is projecting the dream into a realm that a dream can't go. It is more likely that a dream about the end of the world is about some kind of ending taking place in the person's life. The end of a relationship, or a job are possible examples of what a dream about the end of the world could mean.

Originally posted by ADarksideJedi
Mine tells the future sometimes and others are just enjoyable ones or nightmares.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
It is more likely that a dream about the end of the world is about some kind of ending taking place in the person's life. The end of a relationship, or a job are possible examples of what a dream about the end of the world could mean.

what evidence are you basing this on?

Originally posted by inimalist
what evidence are you basing this on?

The fact that there are no psychic abilities in dreams. If you believe in that kind of thing, then you need to prove that to me.

However, the subconscious mind is always interpreting things in your life. If a dream is going to have a meaning, and they don't always, then it is going to be something from your own life.

Originally posted by inimalist
what evidence are you basing this on?

Well, I agree with him (again talking out of my layman ass). It seems to me that it is more likely that it may be based on personal reasons than predictions. Perhaps not very likely but the outside predictions things seems to me close to 0% likely #hmm#

Originally posted by inimalist
its strange, I've never really dreamed

I don't usually recall my dreams, I do sometimes. Often it seems to me that there are clear reasons why I dreamt about the things I did, though I can't vouch that it isn't meaning I apply to retroactively. Sometimes I only recall certain words or something and things tend to fade fast.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
The fact that there are no psychic abilities in dreams. If you believe in that kind of thing, then you need to prove that to me.

However, the subconscious mind is always interpreting things in your life. If a dream is going to have a meaning, and they don't always, then it is going to be something from your own life.

ok, what evidence do you have that dreams represent unconscious meaning or working through of personal issues, rather than random thoughts?

Originally posted by Bardock42
Well, I agree with him (again talking out of my layman ass). It seems to me that it is more likely that it may be based on personal reasons than predictions. Perhaps not very likely but the outside predictions things seems to me close to 0% likely #hmm#

I'm questioning the personal relevance part. The idea that dreams hold some deeper meaning than simply being what we are thinking about at any given time, afaik, is not really supported by solid evidence.

Obviously it would be notoriously hard to test, but if Shakey wants to speak so authoritatively on the issue, I'm interested in where he is getting his opinion from

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
is that possible? i swear i have had a dream every single night of my whole life

the reason I feel that I don't dream, as opposed to not remembering dreams, is because it is a little tongue-in-cheek for me to say I don't dream.

I might "dream" once or twice a month, say, and I know that I have one, because it feels a certain way when I wake up. I can never really remember them anyways, but there is a markedly different experience personally to dreaming and not remembering vs not dreaming.

I can't confirm this in any meaningful way, but there are issues like, I don't sleep very well or soundly, I am somewhat of an insomniac, and even the fact that I don't get visual hallucinations when I do psychadellic drugs (some people link the two, idk though)

Originally posted by inimalist
I'm questioning the personal relevance part. The idea that dreams hold some deeper meaning than simply being what we are thinking about at any given time, afaik, is not really supported by solid evidence.

I don't understand how exactly you'd differentiate between that. I mean thinking about things can have meaning to you. Dreams being something you try to analyze more deeply than many other things you think about so I can see why it can help you understand your thoughts about an issue. Unless you think dreams have no or vastly diminished relation to you compared to things you think about during waking times?

I suppose that's not a magical deeper meaning, but it would make them not pointless in that respect anyways.

Originally posted by inimalist
ok, what evidence do you have that dreams represent unconscious meaning or working through of personal issues, rather than random thoughts?

They could be random thoughts, but the interpretation is not random, and the images that are created are also not random. If you have a dream that is random in its meaning to your life, it will not register with you, but those the strike a cord, are the ones you remember. Those dreams are made of images that are drawn from things in your life. It is really no different then thinking about something, and coming up with an answer. As an artist, I will put things in the back of my mind, and wait for an answer. It is the same thing. The answer might come to me in the day or night in a dream.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
and the images that are created are also not random.

this

how do you know this

Originally posted by Bardock42
I don't understand how exactly you'd differentiate between that. I mean thinking about things can have meaning to you. Dreams being something you try to analyze more deeply than many other things you think about so I can see why it can help you understand your thoughts about an issue. Unless you think dreams have no or vastly diminished relation to you compared to things you think about during waking times?

I suppose that's not a magical deeper meaning, but it would make them not pointless in that respect anyways.

but, if there is no real source for generating "meaningful symbols" in your dreams, this process would be no different than reflecting on the personal significance of ink-blot interpretations, something considered to have little psychological value.

Originally posted by inimalist
this

how do you know this

The image of a car in a dream is am image of a car. If the image of a car is random, then you will not identify it as a car. Images are pulled from a library of sorts, in the mind. The relationship of the images maybe random, but those sets of images will not stick with you. The ones that stand out are the ones that are given meaning by you. That meaning is of value.