Answered by Jane Teresa Anderson

Here are brief answers to some of the major questions people usually ask about dreams and dreaming.

(For a more in depth article about my approach to dreams and dreamwork, check out 'In a Nutshell' - a summary.)

Also check out these in-depth articles:

Children's Nightmares
Recurring Dreams
Dreams of Death, Dying and the Departed

Q1: What does it mean if I don't dream?

A: You do dream. Everyone dreams as can be shown by measuring brain activity and watching for other signs of dreaming such as REM (Rapid Eye Movement). Many people know they have been dreaming but can't remember their dreams. Others don't even remember dreaming and think they don't dream - but they do. All it means is that they have forgotten the art of dream recall.

Q2: How often do we dream in one night?

A: During a full night's sleep we may have four or five dreaming periods, each one longer than the last. This gives a minimum of four or five dreams during a good night's sleep.

According to science our first dream (characterised by brain activity, REM and other signs) occurs after about an hour and a half of sleep and lasts for about five or ten minutes. This cycle is then repeated, though in a slightly shorter time, culminating in a slightly longer dream state of about twenty minutes. This process continues through the sleeping period. Calculations suggest that we spend up to 25% of our sleeping time in this physiological dream state, though whether we are actually dreaming all this time is under debate. My research has shown that we frequently experience dreams within minutes of falling asleep and that these dreams are no different (in our experience of them, or in their symbolism) than dreams occurring within the expected time periods - with the possible exception that these dreams sometimes have more telepathic or precognitive content, as time later bears out. (Further Details: "Sleep On It and change your life", by Jane Anderson, published by Harper Collins Australia, 1994).

Q3: How long is a dream?

A: The earlier dreams during a sleep are believed to be shorter than the later ones. Dreams at the end of an eight hour sleep may be up to 45 minutes long - that's a lot compared to how much we remember of them! Sometimes as you fall asleep you see flashes of individual pictures: like watching a slide show. This is not the same kind of dreaming as occurs later in sleep. It's called 'hypnagogic sleep'.

People used to think dreams happened in flashes: a whole dream story in a second. This idea started when a French man (I think his name was M.Maury) had a long dream about being in the French Revolution. Towards the end of his dream he was led to the guillotine and made to kneel and place his head on the block. As the blade came down to chop off his head he suddenly woke up because his bed head fell and hit him on the back of his neck. He concluded from this that the bed head had fallen before any dream had occurred, and that as he felt the pain on the back of his neck the whole dream was 'made up' backwards as his brain tried to make sense of the pain. Most research since then suggests that dreams take place in 'real time'.

Q4: Where do dreams come from?

A: There is a lot of disagreement on this! The brain is the physical organ where the electrical impulses and 'dreaming brain waves' occur.

Think of a television: it is a machine which picks up electromagnetic waves broadcast by the television station and translates the waves into moving pictures with sound. Every television which is tuned to the same channel at the same time translates the waves into a similar picture. We all watch the same television movie. I see the brain as being more complicated than this. It is an organ which receives electrical information (from our nerves) about what we sense (see, hear, taste, smell, touch etc) around us. It translates this information in different ways. I smell a rose and it reminds me of my granny who used to grow roses so my TV-brain makes a picture of my granny's garden. You smell the same rose and it reminds you of being pierced by a rose thorn last week, so your TV-brain makes a picture of a painful memory. We both see the rose but our brains translate the information according to our different past experiences. This happens when we are awake - and also when we are asleep.

Asleep, our brains continue to translate our daytime experiences and compare them with our past experiences, but especially with our UNCONSCIOUS past experiences: things we've forgotten about. So, in a way, our dreams are like movies made in our brains in special individual ways which depend on our past (conscious and unconscious) experiences.

While we are asleep we are also very good at 'picking up' on the thoughts of other people, so we can and do also dream little pieces of other people's lives. This is telepathic dreaming. Sometimes we are so good at this 'picking up' that we see the future in our dreams. So our dreams may seem to come from our brains - but they don't really, do they? The brain is just an in-between machine.

Q5: Why is it, when we dream, that we really think it's real?

A: In the dream state we rarely have memory of our 'waking life' so the only experience we know AT THAT MOMENT is the dream, so we believe it. We think it must be real.

When you were a baby your real world was made up of lots of milky food and strange sounds. You had no idea that you would go to school when you were older. You had no idea what a tree was. As  you grew into a child your idea of your REAL world changed. I wonder what your REAL world will be tomorrow? We always think that what is happening NOW, what we are experiencing NOW, is the only REAL there is. The same happens with dreams. So how do you know which is the real world: the one you're in now, the dreaming one, or another one?

A famous Chinese sage, Chuang Tsu, who lived around 350 BC, fell asleep and dreamed he was a butterfly. He didn't know it was a dream, so he really believed he was a butterfly. When he woke up he thought about his dream and asked his students: "Am I a man who dreamed I was a butterfly, or am I a butterfly who is dreaming I am a man?".

Some people DO realise, in the middle of a dream, that they are dreaming ... and they can stay in the dream while being aware of their two (or more?) states of reality. They can 'go with the flow' of the dream, just knowing it is a dream, or they can become the director of their own dream and change the dream-movie. This is known as 'lucid dreaming'.

Q6: Why are dreams symbolic?

A: The right side of the brain, which deals more in abstract (symbolic) ways of 'thinking', is more involved in dreaming than the left side of the brain which deals with more logical ways of thinking.

Have you ever had a dream where you were asked to do a simple sum like 4 + 3? Usually this is very difficult to do in a dream! Instead you might come up with an answer like '43' or 'April the 3rd' or '4th and 3rd place'. This is how the right side of the brain works. It looks for 'whole pictures' or 'whole understandings' instead of a logical answer. Can you see how 4 + 3 is not always 7? This is why dreams can come up with some unusual and clever solutions to problems. Symbols are ways of summarising a WHOLE thing. A round shape coloured in with bright yellow and with yellow spokes shooting out all the way around it makes everyone think 'SUN' and 'DAY' - but it's just a symbol. A picture of a black cloud makes many people think of anger or depression or feeling down - but it's just a symbol. This is what the right brain does in dreams: it finds clever and creative ways to sum up whole situations in new ways. It's a case of "A picture is worth more than a thousand words".

I also think of the unconscious, or my soul, or spirit, as a wise part of myself that sees the world in wholes and symbols with my right brain being the machine which helps the less clever part of me (the conscious part) to 'see the bigger picture' of life. So, for me, my dreams are symbolic because they are communications from the most ancient and wisest part of my true being which naturally 'thinks' in this way.

Q7: Do dream symbols mean the same to everyone? I've looked at dream dictionaries and they often give different meanings for the same symbols.

A: No, dream symbols don't mean the same to everyone and most dream dictionaries should be chucked in the garbage.

Some symbols tend to have the same meaning for most people, but there will always be exceptions and it's important to remember this when interpreting a dream. For example, water tends to symbolise emotions for most people, so muddy water might suggest unclear emotions, stagnant water might suggest stagnant emotions and still, deep water might suggest a person is calm on the surface but has very deep emotions. A flood usually suggests the dreamer is feeling emotionally flooded, but if this person experienced a real flood a few years ago and, as a result, lost all their possessions, then the dream flood might symbolise 'loss' or 'change' to that person.

Butterflies tend to symbolise transformation and change for most people (because we all know that squirmy caterpillars change into beautiful butterflies), but if you used to work in a museum pinning dead butterflies onto wooden blocks and you found the job really boring, then dreaming of butterflies might symbolise 'boredom' to you.

Here's a quote from a dream dictionary which should never have been published: "Mint Julep: To mix or drink a mint julep in a dream foretells enjoyment through making an effort to understand the viewpoint of others". !!! (From a dream dictionary titled "Your Innermost Thoughts Revealed: Dreams: Hidden Meanings & Secrets", Tophi Books, Ramboro, London, 1987). This is the kind of popular book that gives dream interpreters like me dreams of swimming against the tide. Can you work out why?!!

Q8: Why are some dreams recurring?

A: Our dreams tend to be working on understanding whatever we have been experiencing in the 24 - 48 hours before sleep. If we have a particular problem in life, or a way of dealing with life that is not really working well for us, our dreams will go over and over this problem searching for a way to make sense of it all. A recurring dream comes up every time we go through the same old life problem without solving it. If you can interpret the dream you can discover WHY you keep going through the same recurring life problem. The dream keeps recurring until you finally understand what it is about your thinking and attitudes that is stopping you from solving the problem!

For example, if you have a recurring dream that you are being chased and you keep running away, this is often because you are not facing something in life that you're fearful of. Unfortunately this approach doesn't work. The more we run away from something we're frightened of, or don't want to face, the bigger it all becomes and the faster we have to run. This kind of recurring dream always has symbolic clues so a good dream interpreter can help you to identify what it is you're not facing and why you're fearful of confronting it. The dream usually shows you something about your personality or approach to life which you might not have understood. Knowing more about yourself helps you to make changes for the better.

Then the recurring dream goes away because the recurring life problem is not there any more!

Q9: Can you stop a recurring dream?

A: Yes, by interpreting it and taking action in your waking life to solve the problem the dream is warning you about. For a fuller explanation see the answer to Q8.

An old recurring dream may reappear later in life if you are on the verge of repeating the old patterns. This is a useful indicator of 'slipping back'. Providing you understood the original dream you simply take appropriate action and the dream gets filed away until the next time you may need a reminder.

Q10: Can watching a scary movie or eating certain types of food before bed give you bad dreams?

A: Sometimes yes, because our dreams try to make sense of our daytime experiences. It is easy to say "That dream wasn't important. I only dreamt about that monster because I saw the movie before bed" - but all dreams are important. Have a think about ALL the things you experience in one day. Why would you only dream about some of these? Have a think about a movie and all the things which happen in it. Why would you only dream about one of the monsters? Why didn't you dream about something else you saw on TV that night? Of course you know the answer. You probably dreamt about the monster because it made you feel fear -even though you KNEW it was a movie. (You got goosebumps, right?!) So that fear you felt while watching the movie matched with other fears in your mind and you went to bed to dream about 'fear and the best way to handle it'. The monster slipped easily into your dream as a dramatic SYMBOL of 'something that I fear'. See how it works? A good dream interpreter can look at this kind of dream and see clues about the OTHER things in your life that frighten you and clues about how you can handle these other things more successfully.

Some types of food can seem to make you dream more. If food is difficult to digest (or if you are allergic to it) you might keep waking up, even a little bit, and this helps you to remember bits of dreams. Usually your dreams are working out how to 'cure' you of the allergy or indigestion, so even at this level 'food induced' dreams are meaningful.

Q11: What is the difference between a nightmare and a normal dream?

A: Nothing except your feelings. If you found your dream really scary you might call it a nightmare, but it's just a 'really scary dream'. Two people might have the same dream but one person experiences it as more scary than the other.

Q12: What are some common dream symbols and what do they mean?

A: Before reading on, check out my answer to Q7 which explains why dream symbols do not mean the same to everyone and why most dream dictionaries should be chucked in the garbage. Some symbols tend to mean similar things to most people. Here are some of the most common:

• water - your emotions
• houses and buildings - your state of mind
• plants - your personal growth and health
• cars and transport - how you're going about the various journeys of your life (eg school, growing up, relationships etc)
• weather - a barometer of your emotions and feelings
• head - your ways of thinking
• heart - your ways of feeling

Stop right there! There's so much more to dream interpretation than symbols. Symbols are really important, but as their meanings can change depending on the dreamer and the rest of the dream, make sure that you support your project with more balanced discussion. If you leave a discussion of dream interpretation as a list of dream symbols you've lost the point. (Check out my answer to Q7 and have a look at the puzzles in Dream Puns & Puzzles.)

Q13: Why do you think it is important to interpret your dreams?

A: You can get by in life without interpreting your dreams. You can have a great and successful life without interpreting your dreams. BUT you can have a better life if you interpret your dreams and act on them because your dreams help you to know yourself more deeply and this self-knowledge gives you the tools you need to be the best you can. Dream interpretation also helps you to understand the world and the way life works. This experience gives you a spiritual connection with everything and everyone.

Q14: Has your life changed because you interpret your dreams?

A: Enormously.

Q15: Why do so many people wake up without remembering their dreams?

A: Some people call it 'dream amnesia' and say it is natural to forget your dreams. There are many reasons, but I feel that we mostly forget to remember our dreams when we have been taught that they are worthless. Once people realise how important and meaningful their dreams are, they usually start remembering them.

Often, as children, we have a scary dream and then 'block' out future dream memories out of fear. Parents often tell their frightened children, in the middle of the night, "It's okay, dear, it's ONLY a dream." In this way children are taught that dreams are not important.

We also tend to forget our dreams if we jump out of bed in the morning without having time to lay still, half asleep, and recall them. (What a great excuse!)

Q16: Does it matter if you can't remember your dreams?

A: No, but if you CAN remember your dreams AND interpret them, you have the key to dramatically improve your life and your understanding of the world. Also see my answers to Q8 & 13.

Q17: Some people say dreams are the brain's way of sorting out the events of the day, chucking out the garbage and storing the important information (new learning and experiences) as memory. Do you think there's any truth in this and, if so, why would we need to interpret dreams?

A: See my answers to Q4, 10 & 13.

Q18: Can you make yourself dream about a subject?

A: Yes. It's called "Dream Incubation" and there are many ways you can do it. As we often dream about unsolved problems in our lives, you can use this information to concentrate on a problem or question (the subject you wish to dream about) as you fall asleep. So it's best if you turn your desired subject into some kind of question or problem needing a solution. This works well, though sometimes you can be too anxious on the first night and end up having the dream on the second night. Sometimes you can have a dream that SEEMS to NOT be about the subject at all, but, when you interpret the dream, you realise that the dream handled the subject symbolically and your answer is indeed there.

Q19: Can you solve problems in your dreams?

A: Absolutely. This is the main feature of dreaming but to solve a problem in your life you need to interpret your dream and then act on it. Make sure you don't take a dream solution literally though: you may dream of killing the person who seems to be your problem, but killing someone in a dream is symbolic of killing off old attitudes in yourself. In such a dream it is the need for you to act in a new way (by putting an end to acting in the old way) which solves the problem.

How often have you gone to bed with an unsolved problem (an assignment or maths problem, for example) to 'sleep on it' and then woken up in the morning suddenly knowing the right answer?! People often do this without even remembering the dream which gave them the solution!

You can use Dream Incubation (see my answer to Q18) to solve a particular problem.

Q20: Have any great discoveries been made in dreams?

A: Yes. Here are a few famous ones:

1. A German chemist, Friedrich Kekule (1829-96) had been trying to work out the molecular structure of benzene. He dreamed he saw a snake swallowing its tail and this was his answer, because a benzene molecule is like a string with the two ends meeting to form a circle. He addressed a scientific audience with the words, "Let us learn to dream, Gentlemen, and then we may perhaps learn the truth."

2. A German scientist, Otto Leowi, dreamed of an experiment to test whether nerves passed their impulses around the brain and body electrically or chemically. After the dream he conducted the experiment and later collected the 1936 Nobel prize for Medicine or Physiology for this discovery of chemical neurotransmitters.

3. An American, Elias Howe, was searching for a way to improve the sewing machine. He then dreamt he had been captured by cannibals, who stood in a circle around him, holding their spears. Fearing his death, he looked at the sharp point on each spear and noticed a hole just below each point. And that's exactly where the hole in the sewing machine needle is today.

4. Einstein traced the roots of his Theory of Relativity to a boyhood dream. In the dream he rode a sledge, faster and faster until he was travelling as fast as light itself. At this point the stars fused into patterns and colours, and relativity was glimpsed in picture form.

Q21: If someone very close to you dies, and you have a dream about him/her, is the deceased person trying to contact you and trying to tell you something?

While contact can and does occur through dreams, this does tend to be around the time of the person's death. When we dream of people close to us who have died we are usually dealing with our own grieving and healing. The deceased person, in the dream, can represent our feelings about the person, their beliefs and attitudes (as we experienced them) and any unresolved conflicts or issues we had with them. In our dreams we seek to end conflict within ourselves and find pathways to healing. We search for a way to be at peace with ourselves. In dreaming of the deceased we may release our unexpressed grief and also deal with our own feelings and questions about mortality and immortality.

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