The workings of dreams

Does anyone know how the human mind starts dreaming or in a term dream?And does your dreams really tell your future?Can dreams tell you your destiny?

I can try to explain broadly on the structure (scientifically) on stages of how the human mind starts dreaming.
Stages of sleep broadly defined as REM:rapid eye movement and NREM:non-rapid eye movement. Both carry certain features for example NREM has 3 stages N1, N2, and N3 or you can call it Delta.
This is the cycle of how you and I sleep: N1-> N2-> N3-> N2-> REM.

Explaining the cycle:
Stage N1= drowsy sleep and unconscious awarness of external environment.
Stage N2= muscular activity decreases, counscious awareness disappears. note: this process takes up to 45-55% of sleep.
Stage N3= deep or slow-wave sleep, this is where night terrors or sleepwalking or talking occurs. Also Parasomnias occurs, which is an unnatural movement, behavior and emotions in sleep, while dreaming.
Stage REM= low muscle tone and rapid, low voltage EEG: which is electrical activity along the scalp produced by neurons in the Brain.
This stage the is the most memorable dreaming occurs. Sometimes the feeling of Paralysis occurs.
Paralysis or descending muscular atonia happens because the body protects it self from self damage through physical acting of vivid dreams that occur in the REM stage.

So the human mind starts Dreaming in stages N3 and REM sleep.
If I find any more info I'll post

reply to post by WhatsThat



That was an excellent synopsis of the dream process and very easy to understand. For myself, I thank you.

To the OP, I have had dreams that tell me the future. Unfortunately I am not always able to interpret them correctly until after the fact (wishful thinking takes over). However, recently I awoke with a sense of global doom...dozed back to sleep and woke crying with a sense of personal doom. That doom came 7 days later and I am still trying to recover.

Most dreams tell me something about myself in the present. Learn the symbolism and think about what they mean in your life. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something that you probably know but aren't addressing.
There are many good books out there not to mention the internet. Hehee

Hey just found some interesting ideas on Dream and sleep. I'll cut the words down a bit.

Some Authors suggest that "we need to dream, as much as we need to sleep." Ivy Press. 1999.
They think if we stop people from dreaming by waking them up before they start or hit REM sleep they immediately hit REM sleep once they fall asleep.

Remember the cycle N1->N2->N3->N2->REM
Well a person will increasingly go into REM if they are deprived of sleep.

Generally we try to make up any REM time we lose.
Also the cycle of sleep is repeated about 5 times during the night.

Brain Scans and Dreaming:

Mark Solms a neurologist found during REM sleep only some parts of the brain are active. For instance the brain responsible for complex thought processes are idle, while the primitive areas that involve emotion and long term memory are very active.

Solms suggest through his studies that the part of the brain thats active releases Dopamine that drives dreams.

But some say Luicid Dreams is most important.
Luicid Dreams is light phase sleep, which can happen during REM sleep.
Once someone is partially awoken in REM sleep they enter light stage of sleep.
Some say thats the magical phase, actually I say that.

AND.....
This magical state= Lucid Dreams or Dream Consciousness is being aware that your dreaming or realizing your dreaming during a dream. Peter Fenwick suggest we can create Lucidity on Demand.
One can train yourself to be calm while in a Lucid dream and ask characters in your dream advice, questions..etc. Le Berg a Tibetan teacher said he asked for advice, conquer his enemies and brought happy endings to his dream.

This practice has been done by Tibetan yogis since the 8th century and is seen as a
gateway to mystical states.

Overall one can suggest that a mystic state can be caused by the dopamine that the brain releases during REM sleep. when coming out of REM sleep we hit Lucid dreams, which can be controlled. Plus REM dreams and Lucid Dreams are more likely remembered because they happen at the end of sleep.
(Lucid dreams happen in light sleep and REM sleep is the last stage of sleep)
Yep-I think thats it-_javascript:icon('')

The REM model is useful but I know personally that I have at times started dreaming the moment I began to go unconcious, minutes after lying my head down and then into sleep (so it's not just stage 3 and 4 that you dream). I also know that I have gone lucid during deep sleep (So it's not only light sleep where lucid dreaming occurs). There is no dream that you cannot go lucid in, all that must happen is that you ask yourself if you are dreaming and you come to the conclusion that you are, and probably affirm it through some act (so to say certain types of dreams occur only at particular stages is a mistake in my opinion).

I think they realize it, but there really is more going on and more to it than the psychologist and scientific REM approach. I also think it is possible to tell perhaps, what sort of stage you may be at as you observe your dream in sleep. I am pretty sure I am getting to where I can tell at least if I am in deep sleep or light sleep. (Edit: or at least after the fact, during recall I can remember how it "felt," how deeply or lightly I must have been sleeping)

But I do think that dreamers, people who make an effort to recall their dreams and focus on their dreaming... I think they are going to sleep and dream differently than people who don't. Much like a person practicing prana (observing their breath) will find that they breathe differently than those who don't. Awareness, self awareness changes things.

[edit on 28-3-2009 by Novise]

reply to post by Novise
Your right Novise about the awareness of breath and how Pranic (the power of your breath) can be used to guide you; and place you into an experience of awareness. Also the sleep cycle is not a standard one but on easy one to understand
Like I said Above, from the cycle, some people when sleep deprived may immediately go into REM sleep. Plus what ever REM sleep we lack we make up for with the next night, or day. Its like your body goes straight into dream state (*going straight into REM) Its suggesting your BODY MOST DREAM it cant do with out it.

Novise your right about Lucid Dreams, it can occur in DEEP or Light phases of sleep." I had to (read) up on it, w/ Peter Fenwick a coauthor of "The Hidden Door: Understanding and Controlling Dreams"".
Your Right Novise every one's an individual who receive dreams through many ways, and I'm clearly not an expert. But, like you said Pranic breathing and meditation bring about heightened effects; They bring across clear dreams. Its a good way to clear your head and fall asleep easier.