I'm a Dreamer and So are You
Exploring our nocturnal hallucinations
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.
- Carl Jung
Every night when we lay down and go to sleep, we enter a world unto our own. This is a world that lies deep within us all. Dreams are one of the few things that we all have in common, but what are they, and where does our consciousness go when we are dreaming?
During dreaming anything is possible, it’s like a built-in fantasyland and we all get a free ticket every night. Dreams can be epic and mysterious or they can seem completely innocuous. Either way, they are one of the most fascinating aspects of being human.
While there is still significant debate as to why we dream, there have been numerous advancements in the study of dreams, and even though most of us dream during sleep, it’s an individualistic experience. We don’t share a collective dream although there are reports of shared dreams throughout history.
According to sleepfoundation.org, Dream content can differ greatly from person to person, and although there is no easy way to explain the dream state, it can be useful to understand the fundamentals of dreaming.
Dreams are thoughts, images, or feelings that occur during sleep. Some of us dream in color whereas others seem to only dream in black and white, or in one solid color such as red or blue. Interestingly enough, individuals who are blind tend to have dreams that are more sound or taste-orientated.
I once had a dream that I was a Frittata (Italian-style flat omelet). In the dream I wasn’t a person, I was the ingredients of the Frittata, eggs, peppers, mushrooms, etc. I was still me only in consciousness, I was fully disembodied.
As the person making the Frittata started to pour me into the pan I couldn’t wait, I thought to myself, that I was going to be the best Frittata I could be. When I hit the pan I was trying to stretch myself out far and wide until I reached the edge of the pan, taking up as much space as I could.
As I stretched as far as I could, I realized that I just didn’t have enough in me to cover the whole pan. I was disappointed to say the least. Upon awakening, I had my arms and legs all stretched out with a sense of giving it my all. When I got to thinking about the dream as I woke up I came to the conclusion that I was probably stretching myself too thin in life. As it turned out I was.
What a strange way for my consciousness to let me know that I was going too hard in life, not taking enough time for myself or my family. We are all very creative people, for some only in dreams. After all, have you ever had a really boring dream? I mean, I have had dreams that I wished would end but boring, no.
Dreams are usually voluntary, experienced from a first-person vantage point, with subject matter that may seem illogical or even incoherent. But in my opinion, your dreams should be listened to. Of course, not all dreams have a message but some do and if you think about your dreams you just might find one.
Sometimes elements of waking life can incorporate themselves into our dreams. Most of us have had a dream where a doorbell or the sound of someone knocking has penetrated the dream world and taken on a life of its own, only to realize that you need to wake up.
Dreams can unleash some very strong emotions. I think it’s fairly common for individuals to experience some kind of rage or profound sadness in their dreams from time to time. As well as being aware of your surroundings but unable to manipulate them is another dream commonality.
Dreams are strange enough under normal circumstances, but when we are sick our dreams can be completely out of the ordinary.
In February of 2022, it was my family’s turn to get the COVID-19 virus. One of the weirdest parts of having COVID-19 was the influence that it had on my dreams. Throughout the first three days of being sick, I had a fever and was lying down quite a bit.
When I would fall asleep, my dreams were insane, not so much in the subject matter but how the dreams were structured. I would lay down, go to sleep, then I would wake up, go talk to family members, plan to eat some lunch, and then, BAM! I am waking up again.
This went on for a while, over and over again. It happened so much that by the time I actually woke up, I was questioning my reality more than I already do. I have had fever dreams before but nothing like that.
One theory is that during dreaming, our consciousness remains largely internalized. It's thought that the brain constructs a sort of virtual reality experience, generating thoughts, emotions, and perceptions from within itself rather than from the external world.
We may never know why we dream, what dreams are, or where we “go” during dreaming. It could be that we aren’t supposed to know, kind of like our own personal mystery to figure out. However, for me dreams are important, they are something that’s beyond me. They are questions that I am not qualified to answer.
Damn, that's a crazy dream! It really does seem like your subconscious was trying to tell you to chill.
I don't know if I'd be as excited in my dream to be in a 400 degree pan, but then again, cooking really becomes abstract at times (when I'm in the zone).
Brian this article is close to my heart. I can remember being fascinated with dreams as far back as second grade. I don't remember ever dreaming that I was anything other than myself. On one side being a frittata strikes me as hilarious. On the other side, the fact that you were stretched to the max was not so good. Great article