Know Your Dream's Meaning

Know Your Dream's Meaning

The Calypte Media

Published by The Calypte Media, 2022.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

KNOW YOUR DREAM'S MEANING

First edition. October 17, 2022.

Copyright © 2022 The Calypte Media.

ISBN: 979-8215813768

Written by The Calypte Media.

Who are We?

ThePleasantDream.com is a leader when it comes to dream interpretations. We are a one-stop solution to explore the Dream World, which is done with the help of psychology, scientific evidence, and expert advice. 

To add to it, today, we boast a knowledgeable review board comprising some of the most astute licensed Psychiatrists. Our army at the review board closely monitors every word on the website.

However, it was not an overnight success but a series of sleepless nights and the tedious efforts contributed by our most efficient team members. And all these efforts have put us in the spotlight on the world wide web. 

We have received a humongous response from every nook and corner of the globe. Today, thousands of visitors surf our website daily, and we are on a winning streak offering them various dream interpretations.

Be it any dream theme, visitors find satiating answers to their dreams-related queries.  Due to this, we are one of the top-ranked websites for dream meanings on Google.

Besides, our easy navigation makes visitors easy to sail through the website, thus adding to easy readability. So, if you dream and wish to explore their symbolism, you know where to come!

Preface

We all dream, don’t we? Every night we enter into the world of fantasy where all our wishes come true, and our goals are achieved. However, it’s not about good things alone; we foresee bad dreams probably because we had a bad day at work or a brawl with a family member.

However, the biggest hitch is we treat our dreams to be a figment of our imagination. We always believe these events are a part of our unconscious mind and will never happen; hence they obliviate from our memories. Unbeknownst to us, the vision actually points toward the current positive and negative happenings of our life. They guide us to take specific actions. And these incidences throw light on dream interpretation and how important it is to know what your dream is trying to tell you.

With the same motto in mind, the team of ThePleasantDream, with the help of Dr. Nereida Gonzalez-Berrios, MD, a Certified Psychiatrist, decided to explore the world of dreams with the help of this book. We are taking you on a voyage where you will ably examine the meanings of your dream themes, understand the signals and correlate them with your waking life.

Our book is one-of-its-kind on the global level, wherein 300 common dream scenarios are highlighted with the help of top-notch visual representations. But before we dive in, we would like to narrate our unique milestone.

A few years back, we were also curious about the science behind dreams. During the preliminary research, we came across various resources highlighting dreams and their importance. As we dug deeper, we realized that it is not some fantasy world but a reality we tend to oversee. We came across theories put forth by various psychologists, dream analysts, and scientists.

Our curiosity was piqued, and we realized that there are many like us who wish to unearth these apprehensions. That’s when we decided to consolidate all the knowledge surrounding dreams into one, and the journey of ThePleasantDream commenced.

With a vast reservoir of knowledge, the team ascertains to spread the information about dream interpretation to readers across the globe. Furthermore, taking this legacy ahead, we decided to broaden the horizon and decided to launch this book. The purpose of this book is to manifold the process of spreading knowledge. Indeed, it feels great to see our goal finally shaping into reality because we acknowledge what our readers wish to unearth!

We know some unanswered questions about what you dreamt last night brought you here. Yet, something from within wants to find answers to your dreams that speaks out loud of your waking life. Therefore, we believe this book will be a turning point to help you interpret all these perplexities.

To add ease to your process of dream interpretation, we have carefully chosen and crafted 300 common dream themes. Most importantly, we are presenting them to you in the form of pictorials because we know they will make an impact on you and help you find the solution easily.

It doesn’t matter whether your dream was non-sensical or meaningful; one thing is guaranteed, it is trying to convey something. Through this book, we hope you decipher these signals and find solutions and a way to heal your present traumas.

Table of Contents

Who are We?

Preface

Dream Basics

What are Dreams? – Definition, Cause, Duration, Types, and More

Types of Dreams Explained (with 15 common dream themes!)

Do Animals Dream? Deciphering What They Dream about?

Dreams about Animals

Dreams of Amphibian

Dreams of Aquatic Animal

Dreams of Insects

Dreams about Mammal

Dreams about Reptiles

Dream of Birds

Dreams of Pet Birds

Dreams of Other Birds

Dreams about People

Dreams of Ex & Partners

Dreams of Family Members

Dreams of Friends

Dreams of Social Community

Dreams of Various Activities

Dreams of Ailment

Dreams about Fatal Activities

Dream about Festivities

Dreams of Fun Activities

Dreams of Gaming Activities

Dreams about Routine Activity

Dreams of Food

Dreams of Cooked Food

Dreams about Drinks

Dreams about Fruits

Dreams about Other Food Items

Dreams of Vegetables

Dreams of Objects

Dreams of Commodities

Dreams of Fashion Accessories

Dreams of Household Items

Dreams about Vehicles

Other Dreams

Dreams of Body Parts

Dreams of Mythical Creatures

Dreams about Nature

Dreams about Places

Random Dreams

Dreams of Science Fiction

The Ultimate Guide to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Dream Basics

What are dreams? What is the science behind the dreaming process? Why are some dreams frightening while some are too idealistic to accept? If you are the one who believes in dreams and has queries surrounding them, then we got you covered by listing some of the basics of the dreaming process.

What are Dreams? – Definition, Cause, Duration, Types, and More

Dreams are universally accepted phenomena experienced by every human. They are the visuals that are created when we are fast asleep. Sometimes, dreams take us on an adventurous trip, which we always wanted to go on, or help us have romantic encounters with celebrities we adore entirely.

Dreams are literally a blend of fun and frolic or, at times, dark and bizarre. So naturally, we want to remember the sweet ones; otherwise, we ignore them outright. But have you thought about what dreams are in reality? Dreams are figments of imagination. It’s a surreal mix of truth and reverie. Why are some dreams good and some dreams bad? Or why do some of them frighten you and wake you up from a deep slumber?

If you experience dreams and believe in them often, you must have asked yourself these questions. And if you are looking for the answers, we have you covered.

What are dreams?

Dreams are visuals that we experience in sleep and are based on the feelings or experiences we encounter in a day. It’s all about the visualizations drawn by our brain from recent incidents to which it tries to derive some meaningful information. Though they result from our imagination, dreams have visual images and involve all our sensory organs. It does happen that we might smell, hear or taste in our dreams. Amid this, there are a few characteristics that are usually found in all dreams:

It is difficult to achieve control over your dreams.

They aren’t voluntary.

The narrative of the dream is in first-person.

You wouldn’t always be able to find meanings out of it.

You’ll encounter people who you know or meet in your waking life.

At times, you’ll also see people whom you rarely know but have heard of them.

You’ll be able to feel the emotions in your dreams.

The incidents of regular life are found to be transferred in your dreams.

You’ll remember a few instances from your dreams.

Dreams are disorganized and illogical visual images that the sleeping brain tries to analyze in-depth.

Dream objects can be related to reality, like dreams about a baby or family. Otherwise, they can be absolutely bizarre, such as dreams about security cameras or parking lots.

The emotionally intense dreams are better recalled because they create long-lasting memories.

We all dream, right from babies, to adults and even animals. The only difference is that we all experience dreams based on different themes. This is because we all have different experiences, and that’s why the content of the dreams differs. Now, before we dig deep into the why, who, and what’s, you need to have a basic understanding of…

Phases of Sleep

There are two phases of sleep. These phases are known as Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep and Non-Rapid Eye Movement, i.e., NREM sleep.

During REM sleep, our eyes move rapidly in various directions but do not send any visual information to the brain. On the other hand, non-REM sleep is precisely the opposite, wherein you are in a deep sleep, and your brain is less active. Dreams in NREM sleep are easily forgotten, but the dreams that begin in REM sleep are remembered and recalled better because the brain stays in an active and alert state of consciousness.

So, we go through all these stages at regular intervals when we sleep. To experience these stages, it is advisable to sleep for a minimum of 7-9 hours. Once you have the NREM phase of sleep for a few minutes, it will transfer to REM for a while and back to NREM. This cycle continues multiple times during your entire sleep time.

Here, different parts of the brain are active. Therefore, the memory of the dreams seen in this period is vivid in nature. The time interval of both these phases keeps extending as the night passes. All-in-all, you must understand that your sleep is divided into various stages, and we will elaborate on them here

Stage 1: This is the stage where you are in light sleep with fewer eye movements, and your muscle activity is minimal. This stage occupies 4-5% of your entire sleep.

Stage 2: In this stage, your eye movements stop, and the brain waves also get slower. You’ll experience occasional rapid brain waves. This is known as sleep spindles. This stage occupies the maximum amount of your sleep, i.e., 45- 55%.

Stage 3: Here, the slowest brain waves, called delta waves, start to show up, which are interrupted by the small, fast waves. You’ll observe this stage forming 3- 8% of your sleep.

Stage 4: The delta waves are produced by the brain exclusively. If you try waking someone while they are in stage 3 or 4, you might face some difficulty. Together, these two stages form the ‘deep sleep’ phase, and you wouldn’t observe eye movement or muscle activity here. If people are woken up from this phase, they take time to adjust to their surroundings and can feel disoriented for a few minutes. This stage occupies 10- 15% of the entire sleep.

Stage 5: This is the stage of your Rapid Eye Movement, also known as REM. In this phase, you’ll experience rapid breathing. Your eyes will jerk rapidly in different directions, and you’ll feel paralyzed. You wouldn’t be able to move your body parts easily. It will feel like there’s nothing left inside you. There is an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Males can also observe erections. When people are woken from this phase, they tell you bizarre stories. In reality, these dreams account for 20- 25% of your sleep.

Now that you know about your sleep cycle, why not delve a little deeper and see the root cause of dreams?

What causes dreams?

There are various theories revolving around the causes of dreams. However, the most common ones explain that dreams express the desires and wants of our unconscious mind. These desires are reflected in our dreams to help us understand what we want. Another theory of dreaming also suggests that dreams give out random signals from the brain during sleep. This helps us to decide what should be done in real life.

They also help us to process all the information that we have received during the day. Dreams analyze this information and derive some meaning out of it. One theory also says that dreams work as a form of psychotherapy. The new research methodologies have brought forward some evidence that:

Dreams prepare us for the possible upcoming threats (also called threat simulation theory).

They develop our cognitive thinking.

They help to process the emotions.

They help in memory consolidation.

They reflect the unconscious desires and wishes that were repressed for a long time.

Studying dreams in laboratories and conducting experiments to bring forward its evidence is challenging. But the new research methodologies and technology contribute to their maximum for its study.

Why do people dream (why do we dream)?

Dreams are a way to process our emotions, strengthen our memory, replay our past, or remove the unnecessary information stored in the brain. Besides, the ones who don’t dream face difficulties in their real life. Since Sigmund Freud has explained the importance of dreams, a lot of research has been done to help identify the function of dreams. Dream researchers have also tried to know why we dream. Well, many theories have shown up as the answer to this question, but we are listing some of them:

1. It represents unconscious feelings

– Dream Rebound Theory

Sigmund Freud coined the dream rebound theory. He said that dreams are a representation of one’s own unconscious desires, wishes, motivations, and thought processes. Even though several theories by Freud have been dismissed in the past, Dream Rebound Theory has been backed by research according to which suppression of thoughts may result in dreaming.

2. Helps Process Information

– Activation-synthesis theory

J. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, derived this theory. It says that during our REM sleep, the amygdala and hippocampus in our brains are triggered.

3. Aids in Memory

– Information-processing or Self-organization theory

The information-processing theory states that sleep helps us process the data and memories from the previous day. A few dream experts also call dreaming a byproduct of experience processing. This dream theory suggests that dreams increase your memory power. They help you filter the important and unimportant memories.

4. Facilitates Creativity

– Creativity theory of dreaming

Dreams solve your problems and enhance your creativity. If you’re an artist, you might have often woken up with a brilliant idea for your artwork. It is because when you’re dreaming, you’re allowed to wander wherever you want. There’s no limit. So, you can explore your limitless potential. In fact, scientific research has also claimed dreaming to be an effective promoter of creative thinking.

5. Reflection of a person’s real life

– Continuity Hypothesis

You might have heard people saying that dreams reflect your real life, and it is backed up by the continuity hypothesis. It says that dreams do not show a straightforward replay of the incidents in your life but divide it into different fragments.

6. Trains for Fight-and-flight

– Threat-simulation theory

Amygdala is a part of our brain. This amygdala is responsible for the fight-or-flight response. A theory states that this part of the brain is more active while we’re sleeping. This way, while dreaming, the brain trains us to deal with fearful situations. It can be a normal fear of falling off from a height or using the washroom in public. If you fear exams, the dream can be related to your exams.

7. Confronts emotional dramas

– Emotional regulation theory

Dreams help you confront your emotional troubles in real life. There might be so much going on in your waking life that you didn’t get time to process. When we suppress our emotions, they tend to get heavy on us because we haven’t processed them yet. Hence, dreams help us process them in our REM sleep.

8. Dreams clean up clutter from the mind

A theory uses the computer metaphor of clean-up for our mind. As dreams help process information and filter important material from the unimportant ones, the theory suggests that it removes the extra clutter from the mind and refreshes it for the new day.

9. Dreams are responses to external stimuli in sleep

Another theory states that we dream in an attempt to interpret the external stimuli around us. This can be anything like a dog barking, some music playing, or random noise from the streets. Your brain needs time to interpret all the information, and dreams help you do exactly that.

10. Reverse-learning Theory

This theory tells us that we dream so that we can forget things. Unless we process all the information, our minds cannot delete them. So, we dream and analyze that information to find out if it is helpful for us or not. Our mind tries to build connections between different memories and dreams to help eliminate the unimportant ones.

11. Continual-Activation Theory

This theory is pretty simple. It only focuses on the fact that dreams help our brains remain active while sleeping so that it keeps functioning well. As a result, it results in brain activation. The focal point of this theory is that when we are in our REM sleep, our brain processes several memory traces already acquired through various experiences.

12. Biological response to life circumstances

A researcher tried to study why the dream content is negative at times. For example, dreams involving enemies or violence. But the results showed that it could be evolutionary or a form of biological response to your day-to-day life circumstances.

When do we dream?

We dream in both the NREM and REM stages of the sleep cycle. However, we remember the dreams from REM sleep more vividly since our brain is active during that period. Our sleep cycle keeps fluctuating between both these stages throughout our sleep. So we, indeed, dream in both these stages, but the dreams seen in the REM stage are more vivid than NREM sleep dreams.

NREM sleep is deep sleep, and our brain is less active, which makes it difficult to remember dreams. But in REM sleep, the parts of our brain are active; hence, we can have imaginative and fantastical dreams. Due to this, we tend to remember our dreams.

How long does a dream last?

It is difficult to predict how long you might be dreaming. But experts have tried to study and provided an estimate as to the answer to this question. A study by the National Sleep Foundation mentions that a person can dream approximately four to six times a night. This means a person spends around 2 hours a night dreaming.