Dreams play a significant role in human life. They are a frequent occurrence and can be interpreted by various cultures. People have many dreams- social, emotional and physical dreams. Dreams are a way for people to process their thoughts and may have a direct impact on their emotional state. People have different dream experiences based on age, gender and mental health. People interpret the meaning of their dreams and the dreams of others using dream interpretation methods. Oneirology is the scientific study of dreams. It refers to the academic study of dreams, or the scientific interpretation of dreams. Several scientific journals analyze dream content to determine their physiological and psychological characteristics. Basically, scientists study dreams to understand how humans dream and what effects dreaming has on the mind.
According to oneirologists, dreams play an essential role in human life. Humans have frequent dream experiences throughout their lifetime. Dreams are common in children and rarely affect adults. Some dreamers have recurring nightmares but are still able to function normally. Dreams can occur during wakefulness or when a person is asleep. They are usually triggered by an event or may be random- occurring at regular intervals or intermittently. Dreaming occurs mostly during REM sleep; however, about half of all dreams occur during other stages of sleep, such as silent wakefulness or paradoxical sleep. Dreaming can occur spontaneously but may also occur when someone feels stressed or anxious. A dream can occur at any time and anywhere; people have even died while having a dream. Dreams are often filled with emotionality, creating a sense of comfort or anxiety within the dreamer. Interpretations of dreams are generally done by trained individuals such as psychologists, philosophers or oneirologists.
Many ancient civilizations believed that dreams were premonitions or messages from God or nature spirits. God is seen as a messenger; thus the interpretation of dreams becomes relevant here as well. Dreams may be interpreted through the Bible, which contains many narratives about historical figures having dreams related to major events in their lives. For example, Joseph had a dream about his brothers selling him into slavery and later recognizing him as their bossy brother when he returned from prison. Other historical figures such as King Solomon, who is often associated with magnificent architectural achievements, are also commonly associated with having unusually vivid dreams that contain symbolism related to his life's work. In addition, many famous composers such as Mozart -who also had notable musical talent- were said to possess similar abilities to Joseph's dreamy brothers in his own musical abilities (as interpreted by others).
Aristotle is often credited with inventing the first known dream journal in which he recorded his own dreams every night for several weeks while he was asleep in Athens Greece . His book On Sleep was later included within his work Metaphysics . The book outlines various theories regarding the nature of dreams including whether or not people with eyesight problems experience nightmares . Aristotle believed that our thoughts cause our bodies to move; thus he believed that if someone is dreaming , that person's body is moving against his will . Aristotle also stated that our brain controls our bodily organs; thus dreaming may cause our organs to function abnormally .
Dreams have vast implications on our emotions and mental health throughout our lifetime. Interpretation of dreams has been an important human endeavor since ancient times when dreams were used to foretell future events such as natural disasters or the outcome of upcoming battles in people's pasts' historical records . Many scientific studies focus on interpreting one's dreams in order to determine its potential impact on mental health . Ultimately , understanding these creative manifestations may help us better understand how our minds function and interact with our environment.
