Thursday, November 12, 2009
Inspiration behind Dream Art
Sigmund Freud’s research into the understanding of the subconscious mind had a great influence on Surrealists during the 20th-century. Surrealists who used Freud’s work as a creative tool branched off into Dream Art. Dream art refers to art work which is directly inspired by the irregular events that occur in ones’ dreams. But what is it about how we experience dreams that make them so inspiring?
When we go to sleep we are resting our bodies and our consciences, but our brain is still very active in the form of dreams. Dreams are a combination of verbal, visual and emotional stimuli that often come together as a broken, seemingly illogical but often entertaining series of events. Many scientists believe that dreaming is our brains way of sorting through problems, events, and experiences from our waking lives that we may or may not be aware of. Dreams occur most frequently during Rapid Eye Movement sleep or R.E.M. Sleep which is the deepest stage of sleeping. There are several physiological changes that occur during R.E.M. Sleep. Heart rate and breathing quickens, blood pressure rises, and our brain activity rises above normal waking levels (alpha waves).
Without our conscience to regulate our memories, emotional stimuli and stored sensory information, this increase in brain activity could explain why dreams seem to be nonsensical and illogical. How our sub-conscience interprets the illogical experiences that occur while we dream is the inspiration that artists use when creating Dream Art. A few famous examples of Dream Art are Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kublan Khan (literature), and Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror (film).
For More Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_art
http://publicliterature.org/books/dream_psychology/xaa.php
http://health.howstuffworks.com/dream.htm
When we go to sleep we are resting our bodies and our consciences, but our brain is still very active in the form of dreams. Dreams are a combination of verbal, visual and emotional stimuli that often come together as a broken, seemingly illogical but often entertaining series of events. Many scientists believe that dreaming is our brains way of sorting through problems, events, and experiences from our waking lives that we may or may not be aware of. Dreams occur most frequently during Rapid Eye Movement sleep or R.E.M. Sleep which is the deepest stage of sleeping. There are several physiological changes that occur during R.E.M. Sleep. Heart rate and breathing quickens, blood pressure rises, and our brain activity rises above normal waking levels (alpha waves).
Without our conscience to regulate our memories, emotional stimuli and stored sensory information, this increase in brain activity could explain why dreams seem to be nonsensical and illogical. How our sub-conscience interprets the illogical experiences that occur while we dream is the inspiration that artists use when creating Dream Art. A few famous examples of Dream Art are Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kublan Khan (literature), and Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Mirror (film).
For More Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_art
http://publicliterature.org/books/dream_psychology/xaa.php
http://health.howstuffworks.com/dream.htm
Stress and Dreams
Everyone has experienced dreams, and most people remember them on a regular basis. Dreams are healthy for our mind, and in human history have always been used to interpret our lives. Modern research has shown us that stress, something which this generation’s culture is addicted to, has impacted not only our physical well being, but also our dreams, ultimately impacting our minds.
Dr. Michael Brues, a sleep specialist, has found that everyone has one reoccurring dream that occurs during times of high stress for that individual 1. Victims of natural disasters, rape, or veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder recall the greatest amount of recurring dreams or nightmares. Not only do we remember our dreams on a regular basis, but we especially remember them during times of stress or psychological mayhem 2. The most memorable and emotionally charged dreams occur during REM, a stage in our sleep patterns where our minds are very close to a wakeful state. During REM, the four parts of our brain controlling memory, emotions, attention and coordination, all work together in dream production. 2
There are also many accounts of people who are able to process their stressful emotions and memories through these repetitive dreams. Dreams can be a symbolic image of the truths in our lives, which when interpreted, may be a means of coping with those major life stresses 3. Many researchers agree that dreams can be essential for memory consolidation or conflict resolution 3. A 1999 study scanned brains for adult women and found that the women with a history of depression had much smaller hippocampus organs and very high stress hormones 4, but other studies have concluded that dreaming will help patients overcome depression 3.
All studies have published the same information to treat nightmares and assist in peaceful sleep and dreaming. These include physical conditioning, important because exercise can be an outlet for stress and anxiety 4, and meditation or deep relaxation right before sleep, which will calm your body and mind down, preparing you for a good night’s rest.
Works Cited
How Dreams Affect Your Sleep
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD, January 2009
SOURCES: Michael J. Breus, PhD, American Board of Sleep Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Clinical Sleep Disorders, Altanta School of Sleep Medicine, Atlanta.
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
November 10, 2009. <http://www.webmd.com/video/breus-dreams>
Brues, Michael. What's in a Dream? Monday, March 16, 2009. November 9, 2009. <http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2009/03/whats-in-dream.html>
Michael J. Breus, PhD. The Health Benefits of Dreams, WebMD the Magazine – Feature. November 8, 2009. <http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/the-health-benefits-of-dreams>
Nadis, Steven. Basic Brain Care - Keeping Stress in Check. October 2007. The Dana Foundation. November 12, 2009. <http://www.dana.org/news/brainhealth/detail.aspx?id=9912>
lucid dreaming- billy blue
Billy Blue
Critical Practice
Lucid dreaming
Lucid dreaming is the ability to realize when you are in a dream state, then to use that knowledge to control your dreams. Most people may think of dreams as uncontrolled, unconscious states in which we are trapped, for better or for worse, but lucid dreaming challenges that notion. Lucid dreaming blurs the line between sleep and wakefulness, between conscious and unconscious. The “levels” of consciousness that we have come to think of as absolute, such as waking and dreaming, can be manipulated at will by skilled dreamers. This also can blur the line between what we think of as fantasy or reality since we can, at will, experience our fantasies at will.
The skill of lucid dreaming can be gained and sharpened through practice. While a few methods have developed, they are similar in that they focus on reminding yourself that you may have started to dream. Or, by asking yourself if you have begun to dream, these simple methods will be clues enough to focus your mind on the reality around you, allowing you to alter it if possible.
By maintaining your consciousness in this way, you become more aware of the moment when you do become a dreamer. This skill, apart from allowing you to literally “live your dreams”, has other benefits as well. Lucid dreamers can rehearse troubling situations, live out fantasies, or solve creative problems. Many artists, scientist, and politicians have gained insight from their dreams.
Through practice we can learn to use our minds to explore what we think of as reality, as consciousness, and to stretch the limits of what we think our minds can do. Lucid dreaming is one way that we can explore the very idea of consciousness. We can test what that idea means to us, how it limits us, and how to pass beyond those limits.
http://www.lucidity.com/
http://health.howstuffworks.com/dream.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077505/
http://www.dreamviews.com/whatislucid.php
Critical Practice
Lucid dreaming
Lucid dreaming is the ability to realize when you are in a dream state, then to use that knowledge to control your dreams. Most people may think of dreams as uncontrolled, unconscious states in which we are trapped, for better or for worse, but lucid dreaming challenges that notion. Lucid dreaming blurs the line between sleep and wakefulness, between conscious and unconscious. The “levels” of consciousness that we have come to think of as absolute, such as waking and dreaming, can be manipulated at will by skilled dreamers. This also can blur the line between what we think of as fantasy or reality since we can, at will, experience our fantasies at will.
The skill of lucid dreaming can be gained and sharpened through practice. While a few methods have developed, they are similar in that they focus on reminding yourself that you may have started to dream. Or, by asking yourself if you have begun to dream, these simple methods will be clues enough to focus your mind on the reality around you, allowing you to alter it if possible.
By maintaining your consciousness in this way, you become more aware of the moment when you do become a dreamer. This skill, apart from allowing you to literally “live your dreams”, has other benefits as well. Lucid dreamers can rehearse troubling situations, live out fantasies, or solve creative problems. Many artists, scientist, and politicians have gained insight from their dreams.
Through practice we can learn to use our minds to explore what we think of as reality, as consciousness, and to stretch the limits of what we think our minds can do. Lucid dreaming is one way that we can explore the very idea of consciousness. We can test what that idea means to us, how it limits us, and how to pass beyond those limits.
http://www.lucidity.com/
http://health.howstuffworks.com/dream.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077505/
http://www.dreamviews.com/whatislucid.php
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