“This is still under debate. At one extreme, there are researchers who will argue that dreaming is simply an epiphenomenon, or a side effect, of chemical changes that occur in the brain during sleep. At the other extreme, some believe that dreaming is a mechanism that allows us to reconsider what’s going on in our lives without the constraints that we impose on our thoughts when we’re awake.
“A theory known as the threat simulation hypothesis proposes that the purpose of dreams is to make us respond to artificial threats so that we’re better able to cope with threats that come up in real life. Another theory suggests that our dreams help us interpret what other people are thinking, a useful skill for social beings.
“I can only speculate on the purpose of dreaming. I think that dreams provide us with new ways to see ourselves and our relationships with people and the world–to think outside the box.”
David Kahn, PhD, researcher and instructor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School, Boston, and chair of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.
Anyway you say it, dreams are often a gift — whether we’re working out our problems (without the normal constraints we would impose while awake) or learning survival techniques or analyzing things. They often come, unexpected, to teach, to guide, to warn us. I hope you will quickly see that God, our loving Heavenly Father, wants to speak to us through our dreams, if only we’ll listen. Are you listening?
If you’d like some help in understanding more about dreams and how to interpret them, please click on “home” at the top of this page and download my book. I think you’ll find it helpful and easy to understand.
Love, Ruthanna
