Dream interpreters reveal why we dream and what do they really mean

Ever dreamt of falling endlessly from a height Or being chased by a ghoulish creature down a spiral staircase If yes then you will resonate with how real and larger than life those dreams felt Not only do they create a mental notion of motion but also evoke a physical response which lingers on for a while after you wake upBut why do we dream and what do they really mean Dream interpretation has piqued the interest of psychologists and sleep experts for centuries and much rightly so Sigmund Freud an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis from the 19th century theorised dreams as ldquorepressed ideas or wishes that we are seeking to fulfil in our conscious staterdquoCarl Jung the Swiss psychoanalyst born in 1875 described dreams as ldquothe human psychersquos attempt to communicate important things to the individualrdquo From a clinical perspective dreams continue to remain a subject of mystery that psychologists strive to decode ldquoDreams are mysterious and have different meanings which can be difficult to unravel at timesrdquo shares a citybased doctor Santosh Bangar from Global HospitalWhat are dreamsDr Sonal Anand Psychiatrist Wockhardt Hospital shares that ldquodreams can be defined as the mental imagery or activity that specifically occurs during sleeprdquo Dreams are known to occur in the rapid eye movement sleep or REM stage of sleep At this stage your eyes move rapidly behind your eyelids while your brain is highly active Dreams also occur during the nonREM phases of sleepSleep experts reveal that dreams are best remembered from the REM sleep which is typically during the early hours of the morning REM sleep is when one tends to encounter different dreams that can be positive or even negative says Dr Bangar While some dreams reflect subconscious desires and fears few others tend to reveal an individualrsquos rising awakening to the changes they are undergoingWhen asked about the number of dreams that our minds conjure up during one sleep cycle Anand has observed that there can be around five dreams per night Although it varies from person to person depending upon the quality of sleep and onersquos mental state While dreaming is common and almost everyone experiences it Bangar shares that some people donrsquot dream at allWhy do we dreamDreams are a cumulative vision of our everyday life incidents As we experience life in moments we tend to accumulate those memories which shape and dominate our dream sequences Anand echoes Freudrsquos theory to highlight that our dreams voice our subconscious wishes that remain unfulfilled or motivations that push us to strive for more Our fears and trauma also manifest and come before us in the form of visual dream imagesDreaming also signifies the cognitive abilities of our brain When we dream during our unconscious state our brains are functioning to sew up a perfectly sound visual which is similar to recalling a memory during our conscious state Therefore the process of dreaming reflects a healthy and functional brain activityHowever doctors have found that stress and anger are natural triggers of dreams and need to be dealt with professionally They are also the tipping point of why one experiences nightmares Bangar advises psychotherapy if one dreams of nightmares relentlessly as they may represent a deeprooted mental issue that seeks expert analysisHow do dreams manifest physicallySleep analysts have detected physical impacts of what one feels when they are dreaming Anand highlights that the emotions sensations and images we feel and visualise during a dream are those that we have encountered in real life Why this happens is because the same parts of the brain undergo emotional sensations while we are awake and also during various stages of sleepThe REM stage of sleep is the one where our bodies are the most exposed to physical sensations that arise out of dream visions For example if you dream of being chased by an animal chances are that you will wake up hastily and feel the adrenaline pumping in your blood streams to escape Another example could be a fight sequence in a dream where one might enact a kick and end up hurting the one they are sleeping next toOften trauma is linked to the physical manifestation of terrifying dreams Trauma and stress trigger the emotional processing of the brain which can override and lead a person to wake up screaming sweating and increase their heart rates It also leads them to speak while they are dreaming The body may continue to remember the feelings of fright and anxiety that they experienced during a dreamWhen asked about the effect of sleeping position on our dreams Anand reports that ldquoRightside sleepers will have more positive dreams and fewer nightmares when compared to leftside sleepersrdquo This was verified by the evidence dug by Bangar which confirms that rightside sleepers are more likely to experience better sleep quality than leftside onesWhat do dreams meanInterpreting dreams is a process that has charmed psychologists doctors and researchers and continues to do so There are multiple theories about the interpretation of dreams People have often experienced travelling to different places while they are dreaming Such dreams are an outofbody experience and are known as Astral ProjectionsTo delve deeper into the world of dreams we spoke to Ashtar Tashi a Punebased psychic with intuitive abilities She believes that our mind is a powerful object which communicates with us via signals in our dreams In her experience of 20 years working as a psychic she has come across five common dreams that people encounter frequentlyHere are five common dreams and their interpretationsDream You are falling from a heightInterpretation Tashi echoes that this is one of the commonest dreams people have This dream can take the form of a plane crash where one is falling from the sky or falling off a cliff ldquoFalling in your dream implies the fear of failing Even if one is successful or content with what they do and still encounter this dream then they need to question themselves about what scares them Are they scared of a faccedilade they mask Or are they fearful of the responsibilities that come with successUltimately this dream represents repressed fears that we have not resolved within ourselves If one sees this dream recurrently then itrsquos time to address issues related to selfworth and overcoming selfdoubtsDream You are being followed by a snake or are surrounded with many snakesInterpretation Another usual vision people experience in their dreams is to be followed by a snake According to Tashi this dream has a serious connotation The person dreaming of this might be surrounded with dishonest people who are plotting harm silently These people do not reveal their true intentions and plan to cause damage in some way that this person is not aware of In this case one needs to reflect on their close company and choose their confidants wiselyDream You are walking naked in a gathering of peopleInterpretation This could be a disturbing dream which might throw someone off the grid if they set out to analyse it themselves Fret not According to Tashi dreaming of being nude in public signifies a fear of exposure and people finding out about your true self Mind plays games with us when we are being dishonest to our surroundings It designs a vision from our deepest fears and presents them in a magnanimous way to tell us that we are being phony People who have issues with self esteem are the most prone to this dream sequence It also points towards those who try to fit in an unfavorable surrounding or try to imitate mannerisms that are opposing to their true qualitiesDream You have died in your dreamsInterpretation When one encounters their own death in a dream it implies that they are ready to let go of their past and embrace a new life ldquoThe person is reaching a tipping point and they are all set to restart by letting go of what haunts themrdquo shares Tashi Seeing your own death in a dream is synonymous with a rebirth of new outlook in your real life In this case a person needs to accept that they deserve a second chance and let go of bottled up memories It is also a signal for the person to deal with their childhood traumas and overcome themDream You are being chased by a mystical creatureInterpretation Tashi describes this dream as an archetype of a wider dream pool where one is being followed by mystical creatures or animals ldquoSometimes mythical animals show up in our dreams They could be our spirit animals which resonate with our inner self They visit us in our subconscious state to remind us of our higher purposerdquo In this case one needs to indulge in a selfexploration journey to identify their true traits and abilities Tashi describes this as a sign of spiritual awakeningAlso ReadHow do genetic factors influence oral health