The History of Dream Interpretation
Initial evidence on the dream interpretation is from the year 3100 BC. At this time priests from the ancient culture in Mesopotamia began to predict supernatural events in the dreams of the king. Within Egypt and Greece dreams were still playing an important part in spiritual life. The royal family as well as common people sought advice to comprehend the significance of their common dreams.
Over the years the dream world has now been given scientific explanations that don’t depend on spiritually based factors. Researchers from China as well as in the Middle East, and Europe have researched this fascinating phenomenon extensively however, it was not until Sigmund Freud wrote his groundbreaking publication “Dreams Encoding” in 1900. Dreams are interpretable according to the latest psychology. While the book sparked quite a lot of controversy, Freud’s theories have led to new generations of scientists studying the reasons and how we get those dreams.
The Meaning of Common Dreams
Experts aren’t sure about the meaning behind nightmares. Though the root of nightmares may be due to stress, fever, or as a result of a side effect of drugs, the significance of the nightmares remains unclear. But, there are commonly accepted explanations for most nightmares. Below are the explanations for the top 10 most frequently encountered nightmares
1. Teeth falling out
Teeth falling out is one of the most commonly recited human fantasies.
There is a popular saying that goes “The tooth, hair, is the cornerstone of a person”. Teeth are the primary component of confidence in yourself. If you are imagining losing your teeth, it indicates that you’re unconfident and worries about the way others around you believe about your appearance. If you have a dream that occurs repeatedly, you’re probably experiencing issues with communication and feel insecure about how to express yourself. This is a psychological problem that requires improvement in order to stop the problem from becoming worse
2. Being chased
The most commonly rehearsed nightmare is to be pursued by someone
The reason you have this dream is that you’re feeling overwhelmed in a specific circumstance, or you have been trying to escape from your present issue in reality. These negative emotions are with you throughout the dream and triggered the fight or flight response within the human body (fight and flight are a bodily response that happens when the subject confronts something terrifying physically). The body will decide whether to remain prepared to face the threat or escape to protect it.)
3. The crowd is awash with nude
The dream is that you’re naked in front of an audience.
If you’re having this kind of dream, you’re being anxious and scared of hurting yourself when you must be yourself before others. This is among the frequent dreams that occur when you’re anxious. 60-75 percent of adults have experienced this type of dream.
4. The thought of being late
You imagine that you’re in the middle of school, or late to work, or late to get on your plane…
This dream implies that you’ve got a dozen tasks to finish but do not have the time to finish each one, and it is likely that you’ve missed a crucial chance in your life.
It is a frequent dream. In a study of dreams conducted on 1100 German people, 24% of those who had dreams experienced this.
5. The test is taken
You imagined that you took the test, and you weren’t doing any study.
The dream indicates that you’re extremely worried that you won’t do good at the task you’re working on and have a phobia of your perfectionist tendencies. Many scientists believe that dreaming occurs as your brain sorts or organizes information. This is why the dream is often experienced by those who are in school.
6. Legs missing and falling from above
A dreamy flight could turn into a nightmare once you fall from the sky
The reason for this dream is that you’re feeling a vague feeling of loss or may be losing control of your life. According to scientific research, the feeling of freedom falling asleep is due to fluids moving within the ears inner. The sensation of falling with the sensation of having no legs during sleep is known as”the “hypnic” Jerk sensation.
7. Dodging an ocean
The ocean is threatening to take you in! In your dream, you’re enjoying a swim and then gradually become exhausted. Sometimes, you may imagine that a tsunami has engulfed the entire city.
If you have a dream that you’re floating in the ocean, it signifies that you are filled with emotions that you’ve been avoiding within. The huge wave is often a symbol of emotions, unfulfilled desires, or unanswered thoughts. This dream can be linked to hypnic the jerk as well as sleep apnea.
8. Impossible to move
You suddenly can’t move, which is usually the case when you’re caught by someone. In a dream, you’re pinned to the ground by a monster and are stuck.
It is a common dream associated with sleep paralysis. In English sleep, paralysis is often referred to by the name of sleep paralysis. If you suffer from sleep paralysis, your body may feel as if you’re awake but in limbs and cannot move them. It usually lasts for a couple of minutes. A lot of people believe that sleep-related paralysis is the work of the devil. It’s actually an ordinary phenomenon that usually is experienced when you’re stressed. Around five percent of the globe’s population is regularly affected by sleep paralysis.
9. Uncontrollable driving
In the scene, the car that you’re driving flips over an incline, falls off the bridge, and is thrown into a road blockade or turns over on an expressway…
The dream indicates that you’re losing control of your own personal life. In the eye of science when you experience this type of dream after an accident, you could suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (also called PTSD). It’s a form of anxiety disorder that can be experienced after witnessing or experiencing an event that creates anxiety, stress, or a sense of terror.
10. Dead
Do you have a vision of you or someone else close to you dying in your dream?
If you are confronted with this dream, you may discover that an opportunity or problem that is out of your control will be approaching you. In addition, if the person you love dearly has died, this heartbreaking and unforgettable dream is an element of the memory that you have of your loss which you felt.
The mystery and the meanings in dreams have always kept people interested in learning more about them. But in the end, the dream will always remain a mere dream. If you experience an unsettling nightmare, don’t become scared and frighten yourself with the thought that dreams could be a sign of unfortunate events that are going to happen! Be positive and joyful dreaming of beautiful dreams that will happen in their own way.
References:
- Prado de Oliveira, L., 2014. Histoires de l’interprétation des rêves. Cahiers de psychologie clinique, 42(1), p.13.
- Revonsuo, A., 2000. The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(6), pp.877-901.
- The Science Behind Dreaming. The Scientific American.
- What Your Dreams Actually Mean, According to Science. Jeffrey Kluger. Time.
