A slept on subject
By Srihita Madiraju and Joshua Yan Sept. 25, 2024
An individual scavenges through an obstacle course at school, encounters Howie Mandel selling mangoes and suddenly turns into Curious George—a fragment of human imagination. Although occurrences like these may seem like nothing more than scenes from a bizarre movie, dreams serve as a window into one’s inner psyche, offering both insights into the past and revelations for the future.
Currently, a sole reason explaining why dreams occur has not been discovered yet, but many theories have been proposed. For example, the Sigmund Freud Theory suggests that dreams represent unconscious desires, thoughts, motivations and longings. A more analytic theory, the Activation-Synthesis Dream Theory, proposes that circuits in the brain activate during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep—the stage of sleep where dreams happen the most frequently. The amygdala and hippocampus, the processing center for emotions and the part of the brain responsible for memories, are triggered to create an array of electrical impulses. Thus, this operation stimulates random thoughts, images and memories in dreams.
Nevertheless, dreams are a crucial aspect of the human experience. Putting the mind into an active situation stimulates creative thinking, which explains why it is not uncommon for people to credit a dream as an inspiration or idea. For example, in 1965, Paul McCartney released his hit song “Yesterday” with a melody that he attributed to a dream. Additionally, Mary Shelley came up with her historically-acclaimed novel “Frankenstein” in her sleep. Director Christopher Nolan created the plot for his psychological thriller “Inception” from his lucid dream as well. Last of all, the inspiration for Albert Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity stemmed from an idea he cultivated in a dream.
“One of my dreams inspired a great dance choreography that I created. Immediately after I woke up, I had to write down the parts I remembered,” Sophomore Maansi Ranjan said.
Moving forward, dreams may reflect an individual’s mentality or experience. For example, the classic dream of teeth falling out usually represents a fear of aging. Dreams that revolve around being late or missing an event could symbolize anxiety or stress levels. Also, frequently repeating the same dream is referred to as a recurring dream, usually occurring because of a subconscious hyperfocus on a concept. Nightmares can also be a result of irregular sleep patterns, medications or a mental health disorder which frequently repeat until the dreamer allows it to finish so that the brain can fully process the information.
“Occasionally, I dream about my family leaving me behind in an airport. Perhaps it represents my attachment issues or fears of being abandoned. To keep track of any patterns in my dreams, I am considering getting a dream journal,” Junior Hope Tran said.
Essentially, the wandering mind is an enigma. There is no true reason for what it means when an individual finds themselves at night listening to an unmade melody or watching the events of a book that they have not yet written unfold. Regardless of whether dreams are just arbitrary thoughts or vessels for something beyond the surface, they are both a profound and alluring aspect of the human experience.
About the Contributors
Srihita Madiraju
staff writer
Srihita Madiraju is a Junior at Leland High School and a staff writer. She enjoys reading and writing and this is her first year in journalism. She enjoys dancing, going to the beach, and hanging out with her friends.
Joshua Yan
staff writer
Joshua Yan is a Senior at Leland High School. This is his second year as a staff writer for the school newspaper. He likes playing piano, playing games with friends, and pen spinning.
Yunseo Kim
artist
Yunseo Kim is an artist. She enjoys trying out new art and this is her second year in journalism. Outside of school, she likes to do Taekwondo, and experiment with cooking.
Comments