What’s in a dream?

[Vast]

Forgive me for asking this question, it must tend to come up all the time. But I am still not entirely sure of how the dreamscape or scenario is created. Whether your dreaming unconsciously or consciously directing your dreams, how is what’s in the dream selected? If anyone knows of any good reading material that goes into depth about the structure of dreams, please offer some suggestions. thanks!

[Umbrasquall]

Well I think your subconcious creates the dreamscape by channeling your concious mind's experiences. Try looking at this. It's got some links and suggestions of works to read for more. http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/library/idx_science.htm

[Ev]

There's a lot of controversy regarding this topic. Scientists tend to belive your subconscious creates your dreams. A lot of people here (including me ) belive dream is actually anoter place, which is perceived by some part of our astral/mental body... A Lot of experiences originate or first acessed in a dream. Yet they feel (very hard to express it) as if you've felt it hundreds of times before. They feel *normal* and *right*.... This is very complicated stuff, and I'm glad you are interested in it then it's not even known if all our dreams are the same. there may be multiple types of dreams and so on....

[Vast]

Thanks for the link Squall! It’s got some pretty good information, but it’s only just scratching the surface. When you say channeling the conscious mind’s experiences, that’s when it gets a little vague. Ev, I don’t think there needs to be controversy surrounding something we all experience. I know there’s a lot of hype about how little we really know about the human brain, and consciousness, and I agree with what you say about the vivid dreams we can have, indeed they can be very powerful! If people believe that dreams do in fact come from an astral or mental body, or even a universal mind that we all share, each and every one of us has access to it. Why or do you believe consciousness isn’t housed in the brain? I’m not saying you shouldn’t believe it isn’t, but that our conscious mind is activated by our senses which are receiving information, if we are highly alert, our conscious mind is in operation. When we need to replenish the body by sleeping, our senses switch off to allow us to rest and recharge, it doesn’t mean our brains switch off, our heart needs to keep beating and our brain continually operates to keep it functioning, kind of like a computer in standby mode, our mind lowers it’s frequency but nonetheless keeps active. I know you know this, I’m just inquiring as to why the dreamscapes or scenarios shouldn’t be housed in the brain, or subconscious mind? Wherever they are housed, my interest is purely why they can sometimes be so vivid? have so many variations, and ultimately what makes dreams?