Lucid Dreams Research Paper

Dreams have been the topic of discussion for hundreds of years, yet the answer for why we dream and what they mean has yet to be answered. Dreams are a series of vivid images that occur during the REM stage of sleep. Many scientists have tried to explain the meaning of dreams with theories. Per Sigmund Fraud, our dreams are a way of playing out our wishes that we might not think of consciously. This theory is made up of two parts manifest content, which is the actual dream itself and how it is remembered by the dreamer, and latent content, which is what the dream symbolizes to the dreamer. In contrast, the activation-synthesis theory indicates that dreams are meaningless, and occur through changes in neuron activity that activates the brainstem. Last, the neurocognitive theory of dreams suggests that dreams are a meaningful outcome of our cognitive capacities, which form the dreams we have. Though these scientists have logical explanations, the true reason has never been found, because of the lack of technology to help us see what we actually dream, instead we only have people’s inaccurate accounts.
During the dream …show more content…
Lucid dreaming is when you are aware that you are in a dream. During the assignment, I had a total of three lucid dreams for the two weeks. Typically, I lucid dream once or twice a month, but it increased during the assignment. For example, on March 7, I woke myself up because I gained consciousness while I was asleep. Also, if I lucid dreamed, then I could recall more information because I was able to interact and sort of control my dream. Along with lucid dreams I had a reoccurring theme of danger, which I typically never dreamt about before the assignment. I found myself in a multitude of dangerous situations. Lastly, I would go along with my day, then a friend would say something and I would remember something that happened in my