More About Dreams

The November 2007 issue of Real Simple has an article called In Your Dreams by Kristyn Kusek Lewis, who quotes lots of "authorities" on what happens in the brain during dreaming. Not the least occurence is the inactivity of the prefrontal cortex, responsible for logic and reasoning. This means that while your dreams may be linking new events/sights etc. to old memories the linkage is not necessarily reasonable or rational. What is more likely is that some underlying feeling is present in both the new and the old; the anygdala which processes emotions and the hippocampus which is the seat of memory are both very active during REM dreaming.

The fact that hormones and certain medications enhance dreaming is also mentioned.

So what does this mean for me. Well, according to the article, I could be processing some underlying emotion that I should give attention; I could be processing grief; I may be just putting together a vivid mishmash of memories and emotions with no meaning.

I had another very vivid dream last night, and I don't remember it now, but I remember thinking that it had the same startling ability as some of my other dreams. We spent the night at the house that is being renovated last night. One bedroom still has furniture and was heated by a ceramic heater. No hot water, but we came back to the condo to get clean and sleep tonight. I think my dreams are a replay of the true mishmash of emotions and thoughts I am having about the remodeling and about my ability to make decisions that will please everyone. LOL. Oh yeah, I'm trying to please everyone with the decisions that we make about how the place will look.

Finally, I'm turning to face those people and saying, "Excuse me, but you're not going to live here; we are. Get lost." My partner is happy with our decisions, I am happy with our decisions, and so they can just bag it.

And, I'm facing once again the fact that very few decisions I ever made pleased my mother. I remember her saying, "Why are you wearing that ugly grey shirt? It makes you look haggard." Oh well. She's dead. I can wear my grey shirt if I want to - only I really prefer red.

Happy dreams, y'all.