Wednesday, April 18, 2007

And I thought my dreams were unique...

I read a really interesting story about dreams in today's local paper. I dream at night. A lot. If there was a pill to take to stop dreaming, I would take it.

The story in the paper was about anxiety dreams, and about that these dreams seem to be universal. These dreams "cross cultures and languages, gender and age, and we've been dreaming them since we started studying dreams -- and maybe since the dawn of the dream itself".

So if you live here in California, or on the other side of the world, we can still have the same type of dreams (even though we never sleep at the same time due to the time difference - haha). No one knows why according to the article, but one researcher, Patricia Garfield, says in the article "that there is something instinctual in humans that plays out in our dreams, a universal set of problems we try to cope with through our universal dreams".

I have brought my dreams with me all the way to California from Sweden. I have a number of "themes" that reoccur at night, for several years, as long as I can remember. No matter in what part of the world I sleep.

And when the article listed the 12 most common anxiety dreams, I could check mark half of them as "my" dreams...

'''''''''''''''''''''

Dream 1: You're back in school, and you're about to take a big test, but you suddenly realize that you haven't been to class all semester and there's no way you will pass.

Dream 2: You're out in public, and you are surprised to find that you're not fully clothed. You try desperately to hide yourself, but oddly, no one else seems to notice.

Dream 3: You're at your past or present job and you're extremely busy, but no matter how hard you try, you never seem to be able to get everything done. Worse, the tasks keep piling up, and people are getting upset.

Dream 4: You're about to perform in public, and you discover you won't be able to pull it off. For example, you don't know the words to the song you're supposed to sing.

Dream 5: You really need to make a phone call, but the buttons don't work, the person can't hear you, you dial the wrong number, etc.

Dream 6: You're in your house and discover there are one or more new rooms that you've never seen before, and you wander around and get hopelessly lost.

'''''''''''''''''''''

It actually feels ok not to be unique. It feels pretty good to be more or less normal. I still would take that pill however...

I wonder which one it will be tonight?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't have the other dreams, but number 6 definitely. And it's never a room less! Always at least one extra. Very often a new apartment where I suddenly discover more rooms I didn't now I had.

SweFlo said...

1 and 5 ring a bell! I used to dream I was in Sweden and just couldn't figure out how to dial the phone number home to my husband in the US. I had this dream a lot a few years ago. And if I knew the numbers the buttons were all messed up. Weird.

Annika said...

Interesting..
1,4 and 5 are common with me as well. Very strange, and I dream it a lot.
Another dream that I dream a lot is that i am losing my teeth, one by one fall out. Awful!!

JaCal said...

Matilda - maybe you have one of the other six (I just listed the ones I had). Isn't it weird with the extra room!! I dream that one almost every night! And I thought it was only me...

Sweflo - that is one of my recurring dreams, that I HAVE to dial an important number (like 911) and it just doesn't work. Weird is the word.

Annika - the tooth dream was one of the dreams they listed. I just to have that one too - but it was years ago. Maybe I should list them all... and add what they think it means... ;-)

Annika said...

About the tooth dream I have heard various explanetions...But...Sure, go ahead an publish :-)))
Once I had a dream that my teeth turned to salt licorice...when I woke up I could taste it...Not half bad, actually...

JaCal said...

Oh, yes, all your tooth problem... yeah - that sure us ground for anxiety dreams... ;-) But it also seems common for the rest of us. According to the article it should stop around 30... ;-)

SweFlo said...

Yeah, the teeth falling out! I get that one every so often when I have something big coming up I feel unsure if I can hadnle. Never a pleasant one. but sometimes there is kind of just like ONE tooth loose, so I guess that means I am just a little bit worried ;-)

NETTAN said...

I don't dream as much as I used too, I think I might not sleep as deep after I became a mom... (I'm always awake as soon as the son is, even though he is in the next room, not even saying a word...). But I totally remember these weird dreams. A dream that I used to have a lot was that I either couldn't open my door to the common stairs in my apartment building or that I couldn't turn the light off. And I totally knew that I was dreaming and wanted to wake myself up. You sure feel exhausted when you wake up...

molly jean said...

2 and 5 are bad dreams that I have had many times. Also, difficulty with very steep and tricky stairs that go down for miles! The phone ringing and I can't find it...no that one is real, in the day time!

JaCal said...

SweFlo - I used to have the teeth-dream - but it's been a looong time now. In the article it says that this one usually goes away with age... I guess I'm too old for it now hahaha!

Nettan - lucky you... I'm just sleeping less - still dream as much... gosh, I wish there was a pill...

Molly Jean - welcome! How interesting - I also have to force stairs - but they usually go up... Not getting your phone to work as you would like to - that sure is something that happens irl these days...