The Chimera of Dreams.

 In the summer, my deep sleep often generates vivid, enjoyable dreams. In times of stress, in dreams I lose my handbag and all its contents or find myself in some large building, knowing there is an imperative for me to be somewhere but not being able to find my way.

Then there are the elusive dreams that leave pleasant but not retrievable thoughts behind.                                                                         

It’s the time when your body is stiff but your brain enjoys wonderful plasticity, so it’s when I practise Pilates and have another go at recalcitrant crossword clues.

There is a whole science – oneirology – dedicated to understanding why we dream and it has been established that the average person will dream for 6 years in his life-time.

Technology has helped us determine what is happening in the brain during dream. Essentially they occur during the Rapid Eye Movement phase of sleep.   

                                                    

So, why do we dream? Some explanations offered are:

Perhaps the best known Dream Theory is that of Sigmund Freud who believed they expressed our deep desires and repressed wishes. He identified two main components: the dream images and their hidden meaning.

The Activating-Synthesis Model explains that parts of the brain, the amygdala end hippocampus, are active during REM and create electrical impulses which give rise to random thoughts, images and memories. On waking, trying to make sense of them can boost creativity, promote inspiration, etc.. 

                                                                      

The Self-Orgnisation Theory sees dreams as a side-effect of brain neural activity in the frontal lobe while memories are sifted through to be consolidated or discarded. When we are awake, this area of the brain is where remembering and learning takes place.

The Emotional Regulation Theory maintains that dreams act to help us cope with emotions or trauma while safely in slumber. This is supported by the activity noted in the amygdale which deals with threatening stimuli, as well as fight-or-flight decision-making.

The overall function of dreams may be seen as reflections of your life: preparing you to deal with issues that are causing you anxiety. They help us to sort between essential and non-essential information, leading to more effective thinking, memory and emotional processing. Because the unconscious is free to wander in dream, on awakening, our attempts to make connections between disparate ideas can lead to creativity.                    

Dreams have always had significance for man. One lovely cultural item created by some Native American tribes is The Dream Catcher. This is a talisman to protect children from bad dreams. The charm - usually made of yarn, leather, feathers and beads – is hung near the child’s bed to absorb evil spirits. 

                                                       

What is frustrating is being unable to retrieve a coherent sense of a recent, pleasant dream.                My poem, The Chimera of Dreams, attempts to describe what that feels like:

Fleeting sensations of a recent dream

Fragments that feint and dip

Dusking and shivering

But never forming coherent units

Not fully making sense

Shifting  sands of subtle recollections

Tantalising tendrils of emotion and image

That remain elusive without taking form

Hints and glints of gossamer threads

That charm yet remain ethereal

Just beyond one’s grasp

Veiled whispers, delicate wisps

Of your nocturnal meandering.

                            

                                                  

Sweet Dreams!