Are dreams garbage we need to discard or meaningful imagery?

by Richard Wilkerson, Dream Educator

Question: I read a science report that dreams were just garbage the brain is trying to get rid of at night and that trying to remember or recall dreams was dangerous.

Yes, a very challenging theory to the meaning of dreams and I'm glad you brought this up into public view. However, this is merely a theory (not real science) and is disputed by most dream researchers.

A current study by a real research team has shown that dreams produce some of the most meaningful and insightful imagery we can work with, and the so called garbage that the brain is trying to get rid is better said to be the brain re-tuning itself for orientation for the next day, finding novel shifts in viewpoint. A shift in a world-view is a shift in world viewed. Hardly meaningless garbage!

For More: See reference section: Connectionism

About the Author:

Richard Wilkerson is general editor for The Internet Dream E-zine, Electric Dreams, and director of DreamGate, the Internet Communications and Dream Education Center. He writes the Cyberphile column for the Association for the Study of Dreams Newsletter.

Originally published 2/19/98
Revised 11/12/08 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.

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