Or more precisely, does the dreamer know when a dream is about to be interrupted—does the dreamer know when a dream is going to end on an
unconscious level? Is it decided beforehand when the best place to terminate a dream may be?—to leave the dreamer begging for more, to leave the
dreamer pondering its meanings.
I had a dream earlier this morning that got me thinking about this question, and it was also one of the first thoughts I had (that kept nagging at me
the rest of the day.) From what I can remember, much of the dream consisted of me just standing around a frozen yogurt shop looking at the crummy
tables and benches and stuff. Real exciting!
But then the dream took a much more interesting turn, and intense things started happening. I had an important phone call, and in the conversation I
laid out a plan for a major life decision that’s been weighing heavily on my mind this year. Just as it seemed vital information started seeping
through, the dream terminated at the behest of my alarm clock. Why wasn’t I interrupted when just inspecting the cleanliness of the frozen yogurt
shop?
Why does it always seem like when I’m on the cusp of some ground-breaking personal epiphany, the dream is prematurely ended?—whether by alarm
clock, or just natural awakening, it always seems I miss the best parts. The bus always seems to be taking off, leaving me to chase after it! (if
you’ll allow the metaphor.)
When thinking about this question earlier, I wanted to investigate two things: 1) how dreams can have a psychologically-healing effect, and 2)
evidence that dreams can be prophetic or predictive.
Unfortunately, I just cycled through a hodgepodge of loose theories and admissions that there isn’t much evidence in the way of concrete answers.
Most of us have had at least one or two dreams that appeared entirely prophetic or predictive and subsequently appeared to “come true.” Even a
broken watch can match this level of accuracy, right?
It would suggest an intelligence and a plan on the part of the subconsciousness of the dreamer, but it would also seem to maximize the psychological
benefit. It seems to know just when to end the dream leaving the awoken person with many questions and lingering feelings. It seems to give us a push
towards finding an answer about ourselves. It forces us to search within.
It’s like watching a movie and being cut off during the climactic ending, where we can only speculate about the ending. We examine all possible
outcomes because we can't actually see the ending (which may limit our choices and possibilities.)
It could just be that we only remember the intense moments of a dream upon being startled awake. If I had woken up during the yogurt shop scene, maybe
I wouldn’t have remembered the dream at all.
Anyway, from someone who believes that dreams may be predictive about future events, and also have a psychological healing component to them, I guess
I’m just wondering if it could use these two aspects to keep teasing us with important information. Maybe like a carrot dangled in front of a mule,
it’s just a way to keep us pushing forward for answers.
edit on 27-6-2014 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)