treatment of cardiovascular disorders, seem to increase nightmares by increasing the
activity during REM sleep.
Conscious dreaming, sometimes referred to as lucid dreaming, is being aware that
one is dreaming during the experience. People in this unusual state of consciousness
are simultaneously aware of their bodies lying on a bed, aware of the content of
their dreams, and aware of watching themselves dreaming. Conscious dreaming
may be triggered by various things such as doing something impossible in the
dream like flying or walking on water. Likewise, auditory signals such as a doorbell
or a siren may startle people into becoming aware they are dreaming. Individuals
who wish to explore and use dreams constructively in their lives can learn tech-
niques to increase their conscious dreaming time.
Precognition is the condition of knowing about an event before it actually occurs.
Precognitive dreaming involves seeing people and situations from the future and is
an event where individuals are not bound by space-time. As people learn to recall
their dreams and record them in a dream journal, they often begin to recognize and
work with precognitive material in their dreams. Precognitive dreams may indicate
what may happen if certain courses of action are pursued or they may show a pre-
cise event that cannot be altered.
Making Meaning, and Healing, for Our Dreams
Until recently, Western societies have discouraged dreamwork and dream sharing.
When dreams are recalled, the significance is often minimized. People tend to
remember only bits and pieces from dreams and often jumble together parts from
several dreams into a single confused story. By the time individuals are fully awake
they have forgotten 90%, if not more, of their nighttime adventures. Thus, the
remembered dream is often different from the fuller dream experience.
By paying closer attention to dreams, people often gain greater access to their inner
lives. Some of the world’s most successful business executives never make a decision
until they have had a chance to let it pass through their minds during sleep, allow-
ing solutions to come during dreams. The first step in making sense of a dream is to
own it. It belongs solely to the dreamer and is a personal story. Although many
books have been written about dream symbols, they are best understood by the
dreamer. Dreaming about a horse may be a symbol of comfort and security because
the person always had a horse when she was growing up. A horse for another per-
son may be a symbol of terror because he was kicked by a horse as a young child. A
horse for another person may be a symbol for a challenge since she has wanted to
learn to ride for some time. Thus, dream dictionaries do not have the answers to
people’s dream symbols; they are personal images taken from one’s life representing
one’s unique experiences.
CHAPTER 18 DREAMWORK 233
