Chapter 1: The Nature of Dreams

Recently, I had a curious dream where day and night seemed to switch places. I found myself strolling in bright daylight while others were fast asleep. I even encountered owls hunting in the sun and engaged in an unexpected conversation with an old childhood friend who has since become a pastor.

What could explain this? Perhaps it’s the approaching winter solstice in England, where the days are short and cloudy, leaving little light. It might simply reflect a yearning for spring or a sense of lost brightness.

Often, dreams appear to be the brain's way of processing daily events, merging familiar and random elements akin to exhaust fumes or some other metaphor that escapes me. Their oddities seem to stem from various everyday influences, such as room temperature or what we consume before sleep.

However, I, like many others, have experienced dreams that have significantly altered my life's direction. After waking from these dreams, it felt as though I had received profound insights—a narrative so coherent and enlightening that it could only be described as a revelation.

Historically, dreams have been linked to prophecy and divine messages. In various religions, dreams convey clear or cryptic messages from angels. In today's world, aside from some echoes of Jungian thought, we often view dream interpretation with skepticism, considering it merely incidental brain activity that reveals little.

This perspective itself sheds light on how reductionism can often undermine its own arguments. The fear of validating the mystical aspects of dream interpretation leads to a dismissive view of the concept. But why should this be the case? If our brains genuinely process experiences, why shouldn’t the outcomes sometimes provide insights or understanding? After all, our self-awareness is limited; much of our psyche remains unconscious, and dreams might offer a glimpse into those hidden aspects, potentially revealing more than science can.

Consider the recently introduced "defensive activation theory," which posits that dreaming evolved to keep neurons in the visual cortex active, preventing other senses from overtaking it when not in use. Scientists Eagleman and Vaughn suggest:

Since the dawn of communication, dreams have baffled philosophers, priests, and poets. What significance do dreams hold? Do they predict the future? In recent years, neuroscientists have scrutinized dreams as one of the field's central mysteries. Do they serve a more practical purpose? They propose that dream sleep exists partly to keep the visual mind engaged during slumber.

Essentially, dreams occupy the visual brain while we sleep. However, these theories don’t adequately address the core mystery of dreaming, primarily the question of "why." Why does this brain activity carry content, and where does its significance originate? If I dream about a teacher from two decades ago whom I haven't thought about since, what does that mean? Is it sheer coincidence? What about dreams rich in meaning or narrative? Should we dismiss these as random physical phenomena? As Ebenezer Scrooge once remarked to the ghostly figures of Marley, “You may be an undigested bit of beef… There’s more of gravy than of grave about you.” To suggest that dreams merely keep neurons busy in the visual cortex overlooks the deeper search for meaning.

Dream language diverges significantly from scientific language, leaning more towards literary expression: filled with metaphors, parables, and narratives. The psychologist Carl Jung recognized this distinction; he believed dreams offered a crucial pathway to understanding the unconscious mind. Jung asserted that dreams could carry messages and allow us to glimpse the future. In a 1959 BBC interview, he stated:

“you can have dreams or visions of the future... it is quite evident that they do exist and have existed always...”

Such notions might be dismissed as fanciful today, yet they seem no more absurd than suggesting a vague evolutionary function and leaving it at that. These theories fail to acknowledge that our minds are composed of meaning as much as they are of matter.

This doesn’t imply that we should interpret our dreams daily; concerns about superstition are valid. Some dreams I deemed significant were unmistakably so. As with many aspects of life, we must balance the objective nature of science with the ongoing acknowledgment of our experiences, which suggest that reality transcends mere objective analysis. Dreams challenge our entire worldview and highlight our struggle to incorporate the transcendent, the meaningful, and the Other, as R. S. Thomas eloquently expressed:

And the

thought comes

of that other being who is

awake, too,

letting our prayers break on him,

not like this for a few hours,

but for days, years, for eternity.

The first video titled "Why do we dream? - Amy Adkins - YouTube" explores the reasons behind dreaming, delving into various interpretations and insights from science and psychology.

The second video titled "The Strange Science of Why We Dream - YouTube" investigates the scientific theories regarding dreams, including their purposes and the mysteries they hold.