Originally Posted by: dormana

Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious interest throughout recorded history. The scientific study of dreams is called oneirology. Science has proven to an extent that all mammals dream. The scientific approach to dreams has been conducted through the discovery of REM sleep.
Dreams mainly occur in the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep—when brain activity is high and resembles that of being awake. REM sleep is revealed by continuous movements of the eyes during sleep. At times, dreams may occur during other stages of sleep. However, these dreams tend to be much less vivid or memorable. Dreams can last for a few seconds, or as long as twenty minutes. A person is more likely to remember the dream if he or she is awakened during the REM phase.

Yes - and then people go off the deep end and ... well, I guess you know how that goes. In some of the earliest societies, the dream world was regarded as an extension of reality. This would get into mythopoeic thinking and why we are in the mess today that we are.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream )

Welcome to the group dormana - do you plan to stick around?

"...men are not so far from the truth as they generally believe. Their greatest error is in searching for it where it is not, and in attaching it to forms; whereas, they ought, on the contrary, to avoid form in order to dwell upon the essence." Fabre D'Olivet

Rather than STOP and say, 'Woops! I'm headed in the wrong direction,’ we tend to place a premium on projecting a consistent image of ourselves and try to rationalize our initial decision despite increasing evidence suggesting we ought to do the contrary. B M Staw

… many people today don't want honest answers insofar as 'honest’ means 'unpleasant’ or 'disturbing.’ They want a soft answer that turneth away anxiety. — Louis Kronenberger

Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true. — Francis Bacon

"How to teach again, however, what has been taught correctly and incorrectly learned a thousand thousand times, throughout the millenniums of mankind's prudent folly." ... "The easy thing is to commit the whole community to the devil and retire again into the heavenly rock dwelling, close the door, and make it fast." — Joseph Campbell

Alas, dormana is living up to his / her name.

Sometimes I learn things in my dreams. No, not from 'night school' (although I have been there as well) but for instance in the 1990's I used to have a reoccurring dream of an accident involving a bus, and some years later the meaning that one of my dream books suggested came true.

A few weeks ago I dreamt of an exam, which I think my father was marking... only that the last few pages were blank as I had not had enough time to complete answering all the questions.

Whilst dream books talk about exams they don't go into specifics which relate to all dream variables.

Classic dreams include things which as death and birth, often having the opposite meanings.  Which reminds me, in the mid-1990's at work I answered the telephone to an elderly lady who had a very trembling voice who told me that her husband (who was a part-time employee there) had just died. At the exact same moment the boss was speaking on the phone (in a different office) to a son whose wife had just given birth to the first son (the bosses' first grandchild).

Sometimes life can be truly bizarre and amazing and baffling and... (etc)

Simon

ps. (I know that you'll ask..) re: 'night school'; a dream I had ages and ages ago: All I recall is that I was in a classroom setting waiting for the teacher to arrive, and when he/she did they apologised but said that I was not ready (or some other reason why I was not meant to be there). There probably was more but it was over 20 years ago and I've forgotten the rest. But it does mean that when I hear of children being taken to 'night school' in their dreams  I accept the possibility of this having been a real experience / not just a mere 'dream'.

I had a reoccuring dream for my entire life that ended the day I told it to my Mom and she told me what happened.  My brain was scaring me with repressed memories.

When I was little, my parents had a really good friend live with us.  She was bi-polar.  My older sister went to sleep at a friends house and the baby sister (friend of family) and I were the only ones home.

She slit her wrists and her and I went to bed where she made me cuddle with her while she hoped to die....my parents came home before that happened.

I have no recollection of that night...but obviously my subconcious does.  I dreamt about cut off arms all over the walls  in my bedroom with blood every where...from about the age of 3 until I was 18.  It was a horrifying dream.  In my dreams I was climbing the wall which had the cut off bloody arms on it, trying to get to the ceiling where there was no blood.

My guess is it was my little self wanting to get away from the arms that were embracing me and looking at the white ceiling in my bedroom. 

I know I was awake when she did it, because if I had been asleep already we would have been under the blankets.  My mom says we were on top of the blankets.

Strange how the mid works isn't it.

I mentioned the dream to my mom because I asked friends if they had weird dreams like that...all of them said no and thought it was a demented dream.  So I told my mom about it.  That's when she told me what happened.

It speaks volumes about "alien-type" dreams and alleged "abductions." It's only processing going on, and I know I never in my life had a dream about aliens until I began to read about it (although "things" were going on for decades before that - so, there is SOMETHING going on).

At some point we need to realize we are JUST coming out of the mode of thinking that has supressed advancment in humans for millennia - dataless mythopoeic thinking, which is directly connected to HOW the brain works, AKA, the triune brain approach. The ancients failed epically because of thinking without data ... at least we can put the pieces together today. The problem is, people don't WANT to put the pieces together - because they are afraid ... which is STILL the triune brain approach.

"...men are not so far from the truth as they generally believe. Their greatest error is in searching for it where it is not, and in attaching it to forms; whereas, they ought, on the contrary, to avoid form in order to dwell upon the essence." Fabre D'Olivet

Rather than STOP and say, 'Woops! I'm headed in the wrong direction,’ we tend to place a premium on projecting a consistent image of ourselves and try to rationalize our initial decision despite increasing evidence suggesting we ought to do the contrary. B M Staw

… many people today don't want honest answers insofar as 'honest’ means 'unpleasant’ or 'disturbing.’ They want a soft answer that turneth away anxiety. — Louis Kronenberger

Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true. — Francis Bacon

"How to teach again, however, what has been taught correctly and incorrectly learned a thousand thousand times, throughout the millenniums of mankind's prudent folly." ... "The easy thing is to commit the whole community to the devil and retire again into the heavenly rock dwelling, close the door, and make it fast." — Joseph Campbell

Originally Posted by: Jim

It speaks volumes about "alien-type" dreams and alleged "abductions." It's only processing going on, and I know I never in my life had a dream about aliens until I began to read about it (although "things" were going on for decades before that - so, there is SOMETHING going on).

Sorry Jim but I am not convinced that processing represents the whole story. Yes, definately some, even most, but not every instance.

I think that there are some people who really have had experiences, although the aliens have worked on the basis of trying to prevent the memory surfacing in the conscious mind.

Simon

When I get into this with people, I tell them - look around - everything you see should not be here.

"...men are not so far from the truth as they generally believe. Their greatest error is in searching for it where it is not, and in attaching it to forms; whereas, they ought, on the contrary, to avoid form in order to dwell upon the essence." Fabre D'Olivet

Rather than STOP and say, 'Woops! I'm headed in the wrong direction,’ we tend to place a premium on projecting a consistent image of ourselves and try to rationalize our initial decision despite increasing evidence suggesting we ought to do the contrary. B M Staw

… many people today don't want honest answers insofar as 'honest’ means 'unpleasant’ or 'disturbing.’ They want a soft answer that turneth away anxiety. — Louis Kronenberger

Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true. — Francis Bacon

"How to teach again, however, what has been taught correctly and incorrectly learned a thousand thousand times, throughout the millenniums of mankind's prudent folly." ... "The easy thing is to commit the whole community to the devil and retire again into the heavenly rock dwelling, close the door, and make it fast." — Joseph Campbell

Originally Posted by: 3pisces

She slit her wrists and her and I went to bed where she made me cuddle with her while she hoped to die....my parents came home before that happened.

WTF! I didn't know that! holy crap, what a freaking nightmare!