My Dream Regime

by Shelby

“You’re so lazy!,” and “Get out of bed!,” are often things shouted from my mothers’ mouth. Is it so awful that I love to sleep? It’s not because I enjoy bumming around, but because I love to dream. This passion chose me. Ever since I was about ten years old I have had a strong, and oddly deep, relationship with my dreams. The furthest back dream I can remember is when I was in my backyard on a picnic table as Aaron Carter, then teenage heartthrob, knelt down and proposed. Stupid, silly, I’ve heard it all. But still, it plays an important role in my dreaming chronology. Although none of the dreams I had the rest of elementary, or even middle, school are vividly remembered, my friends always knew I had intense dreams to share with them. Now, ever since freshman year, I keep a dream journal. It always sits next to my bed with a pen nearby. It not only holds my dreams, but my fears and emotions within them. People say that dreams are a way of recognizing and realizing deeper feelings, and there are always ways of interpreting them. There are dream dictionaries that explain the meaning of each object or situation you may dream of. For example, if you dream of an orange you will have good health. If you dream of colors, you are enthusiastic.

http://www.dreamforth.com/dictionary/a.html.

Unfortunately, I cannot experience that one because I am of the 12.4% of people who dream in black and white. I never thought this was odd until someone brought up that they dream in color. Among the people that do dream in black and white, and this goes for myself as well, we will know if something is a specific color. For me, the only time I will ever recognize a color is if it has some significance; such as one time in my dream there was a red ribbon present the entire time. Still, seeing colors are a rare occurrence for me.

There was this one Spongebob Squarepants episode where he was able to jump to and from peoples’ dreams. I used to think this was super awesome and wished I could do the same. Now, I believe some people can. A few months ago I had a dream about a guy I used to go to camp with that I haven’t seen in over a year and a half. In my dream he would not stop texting me about how he missed me, but my boyfriend kept telling me to ignore him, that he was a bad influence. Just a week after having this dream, that guy sent me a letter from the rehab center he had been in for a few months. Call me crazy, but I think he dream hopped me. Now I don’t think I’m psychic, or hold some supernatural powers, but I do think my dreams play an important role in my life. They often help me understand my reality. And at times I think that maybe my dreams are reality. Is it possible that once I drift off into my land of dreams, that is when I am truly alive? I must be neurotic. My dreams make me feel so anyway. I often believe that thinking about my dreams so much, and looking too much into them makes me psychotic. But I would also find it hard to believe that I am the only one with bizarre dreams. Each and everyone one of us dream. Yes, 90% of all dreams are forgotten, but we still have them. There is a certain technique you can learn that lets you control your dreams. As much as I’d love to share this interesting process with you, I was too afraid to look it up. If I were able to even so much as know how to control my dreams, I believe that would defeat the purpose.

Dreams are not meant to be a thought process, that’s something we do when we’re awake. I think being able to control dreams is madness. The purpose of dreaming is to figure out what you are feeling, not to make yourself feel a certain way. That’s not possible. It would be like saying okay, I will make that cookie a horse. It’s not going to happen. Don’t try to control your dreams.

Sigmund Freud believes that dreams are all full of “wish fulfillment,” and “the royal road to the unconscious mind.” http://www.ask.com/wiki/The_Interpretation_of_Dreams. He believes that people push repressive thoughts into the back of their mind which are later revealed through dreams. And sometimes people don’t even realize they have those thoughts. He later discovered his theory of “id, ego, and super-ego.” Id is the unorganized parts of our personality, the emotions we are unaware of. (Instinct.) Ego is a set of functions such as control, planning, defense, and judgement. (Realistic intentions.) The super-ego is the part of us that aims for perfection such as our goals, fantasies, and actions. (Morals and critical functions.) This theory was formed from his idea of ambiguity and unconsciousness. If dreams really are what we “DK we DK“ in relation to emotions, are we all in some way ignoring our true feelings, by pushing our emotions aside and letting our dreams do all the sorting? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Freud has a point. Dreams are our bodies way of expressing and revealing ourselves… to ourselves. I may seem laden with dreams, but maybe you are overlooking your emotions.

So after I have ranted and raved about my obsessive dreaming process, I want to ask this: Do you ever sit and think about your dreams? If so, do they mean absolutely anything to you and your life? There is no right or wrong answer, but maybe this will get you thinking. If dreaming has a significant effect on some peoples’ lives, what makes you so different? Yours can be important too. Next time you wake up, try to jot down your dream. Maybe it will mean nothing and maybe you will feel ridiculous doing so, but in a week or so.. if you find a connection, can’t say I didn’t warn you.

MORE DREAM SITES:

http://shelbyywoo.tumblr.com/page/4

http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/article/color-dream

http://www.guidetopsychology.com/dreams.htm

http://health.discovery.com/centers/sleepdreams/experts/garfield.html