Dreams - Psycho analysis

Dream interpretation
It is a well known fact that some of mankind's greatest creations, ideas and inventions have all been attributed to the attempts of interpreting and understanding dreams. Visions of symbols, words, objects and people that appear during sleep cycles can give us many messages.In any particular culture, the meanings of dreams can vary in their vision and interpretation. To Native Americans, dreams were messages sent by sacred spirits.

One book, "Oneirocritia", written by Artemidorus- a Roman philosopher in the 2nd century A.D., has served as the foundation of many other dream interpretation books. Psychologists Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, who have both expatiated the significance of dream interpretation, have given credit to Artemidorus' work.

Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, interpreted people's dreams in order to help them unearth their hidden feelings. Jung, a Swiss psychologist, who initially followed in Freud's footsteps, developed theories of Anima (women) and Animus (men) involving the feminine and masculine principles and the collective unconscious symbols known as Archetypes. Archtypes such as falling, flying, colors and numbers all take on a universal meaning, as well as specific significance to cultures and the individual dreamer.

Psysiological aspect of dreams
With the advancement of science in the 1950's, many studies and theories were summarized on the physiological aspect of dreams. The discoveries of REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non rapid eye movement), which are the brain's electrical activities during sleep, became apparent. REM cycles occur four to five times a night during sleep and lasts less than 30 minutes per cycle for the first cycle but increases in length as each cycle progresses. This is the period when dreams occur. The other sleep cycles are spent in NREM sleep without dreaming.

Through extensive research, it was also discovered that birds and nearly all mammals, including newborn babies, experience REM sleep. People with emotional disturbances, those who have suffered trauma, and highly stressed individuals, seem to increase their dream time.