We've all woken up from a dream that leaves a lasting impression on us. For me personally, I can remember dreams that I had from years ago, as if I dreamt them just last night. For example, I once had a dream that started with me as Dill Pickles from the "Rugrats." Innocent enough, right? Well, the dream took a turn when suddenly I was myself again, laying in my bed. My room was setup was so that I could see my closet door from my bed, and in this dream, there was a shadow of a lion on the door and the lion began to scream at a now terrified me. This continued until I saw a bright light and from there, that is all I remember.
I have been fascinated by dreams ever since. I think it is amazing that these often strange scenes that play out in our minds while we sleep can impact us in the way that they do. While there is still so much information that scientists have yet to figure out about dreams, I truly believe that our dreams are trying to tell us something.
Many people disagree with this idea, but I don't understand why. On a daily basis our minds take in so much information, and a lot of this information we aren't even aware of. Throw in all the different emotions, both the ones we are aware of and those we suppress, and you've given your brain a whole lot to organize.
In my opinion, it is only natural that your brain would have to send you some of this information while you slept. We're only awake for a certain amount of time and you're already focusing on so many other things while you're up.
However, we don't always get this information so straightforward in a dream. Often times we receive the messages our brain is trying to send us through signs and symbols. These signs and symbols are often times what makes a dream confusing and/or weird, (I recently dreamt that I was washing bananas in the middle of a taping of a British talk show), but there are plenty of websites to help you decipher your dreams.
Regardless of whether or not you believe that dreams can be symbolic, it is still important to take them with a grain of salt. Keep a journal or paper by your bed so you can write down your dreams as soon as you wake up so you don't forget them. You could be surprised at what you might find (I have had a few dreams that have even predicted the future!). And don't worry if you can't remember your dreams, it just means you were really tired.
Happy dreaming!
