of dreams is anything but obvious, and for this reason it is easy to ignore the mes-
sages. What is bizarre to the conscious, rational mind is not so to the unconscious,
which is rich in symbols. People who work on remembering and understanding their
dreams often report that dreams provide insights for overcoming and resolving prob-
lems, and moving ahead.
While some dreams seem to be sequences of disconnected images, ideas, feelings,
and sensations, others are story-like sequences that are dramatic and intricately
detailed. They may have plots as coherent, funny, and profound as the best stories
and plays. Some dreams are not told in a single episode and the dream series may
conclude the following night, or some may run for as long as a TV soap opera.Types of Dreams
Dreams offer nightly gauges on the dreamer’s physical, emotional, and spiritual
health. When disease begins to develop, dreams often provide warnings of specific
problems before physical symptoms are apparent. The warning may be in the form
of a broken heart, an exploding head, or limbs falling off. Such early diagnostic
dreams are entirely natural and are reminders of how illness is related to one’s
entire being. Dreams give advice on preventive measures and ways to provide for
one’s well-being. Dreams frequently suggest specific courses of treatment for different
problems. These suggestions may involve lifestyle changes, conventional medical
treatments, alternative therapies, or counseling that address the hidden sources of
disease. People may neglect the warnings but the unconscious is highly inventive in
delivering the message in ways that make it harder and harder to ignore.
Nightmares are terrifying dreams with complex imagery and story lines that are
usually vividly recalled. The most common scripts of nightmares include being
chased by a monster, being naked in public, falling through space, losing something
precious, and being unprepared for an important exam. Nightmares are especially
terrifying because in dreams, anything is possible. Most typically, the dreamer is
alone with no chance for escape.
Because REM sleep becomes more physiologically intense as sleep continues, most
nightmares occur in the early morning hours. Some factors that seem to contribute
to nightmare frequency are fever, stress, and troubled relationships. Traumatic
events can trigger a long-lasting series of recurrent nightmares. Alcohol, drugs, and
some medications that suppress REM sleep can cause an increase in nightmares.
The person sleeps soundly for the first five or six hours with little dreaming. When
the effect of the substance has worn off, the brain makes up for the lost REM time.
As a result, dreams are more intense than usual for the last few hours of sleep.
L-dopa, used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, and beta blockers, used in the232 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE