Online Clock On Dreams

Online Clock on Dreams: Why Do We Dream?

In a previous blog post, we explored the question of why we sleep. The biological need for sleep is very different from why we dream. So why do we dream, anyway?

Everyone dreams. Even the people who don’t think they dream do dream. They just don’t remember their dreams and assume that they don’t dream. Every single person who has ever been studied dreams. Age, ethnicity, race, income, level of education, and all other demographic markers do not matter. We all dream.

If everyone dreams, then why do we dream? That’s a question that has plague philosophers and psychologists for as long as humans have been in existence. In some cultures, dreams are given spiritual significance. Dreams are viewed as a gateway into other realities. Through dreaming, we visit these other dimensions of life. That’s lovely and very sci-fi, but there’s little evidence to support the theory. For the purposes of this blog post, we’re classifying that theory as “gee, that’s interesting” and we’re moving on.

Be careful: short research into the field of Dream Interpretation reveals that there are likely a lot of charlatans active in this field, offering little more than hocus-pocus.

Some people believe that dreaming is the way the subconscious “cleans house” and works through problems that are facing an individual during their waking hours. This idea is so popular that there are a variety of “dream dictionaries” available to help someone interpret their dreams. Personally, I’ve not really found these dictionaries all that helpful. Dream dictionaries seem to come in two types. The first type references other dictionaries and seems to try to legitimize the claims by repeating them. If five books all agree that dreaming of an apple signifies a fear of the dentist, then those books must be correct, right? I keep trying to find an original scientific source for these claims, but that eludes me. The second type seems to disagree with all of the others. If five books all say that dreaming of an apple signifies a fear of the dentist and a sixth book says it means a desire for sin, then the sixth book must be correct, right? I’ve not been able to determine an academic source for those claims either. I’m not saying dream dictionaries are worthless. They might be very helpful for some people, but I’m on the fence about them.

In clinical psychology, dream interpretation works very differently than how it works in “dream dictionaries”. Psychologists who are trained in dream interpretation focus on what the dream means to the individual. They don’t focus on the apple, but what apples mean to the person. This process can be traced back to the fundamentals of psychoanalysis. Sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar and sometimes a cigar is much more.

The first step in all forms of dream interpretation is to write down your dreams. Dreams are very elusive. Keeping a dream journal on a nightstand might encourage you to write down your dreams when they are fresh in your mind. Notice that I used the word “dreams” not “dream”. We experience several different dreams while we sleep. These dreams stop and start as we enter and leave the proper cycle of sleep. The human mind doesn’t like disjointed chaos. When we wake, we stitch together the disconnected dreams into a memory of one long dream.

Once you have your dream journal you can do several things with it. One option is to use a dream dictionary and look up major themes for the past week or just a single night. Another option is to take your dream journal to a therapist who has been trained in dream interpretation. Finally, you can look over your journal and try to find any continuing themes and ask yourself what those themes might mean to you. Is your subconscious trying to tell you something?

What does it mean when we keep dreaming about clocks?

To take a personal example, I often dream of clocks when I’m working on a blog post. They’re typically analog clocks and the hands frantically spin and whirl around the face. As the deadline looms closer, the clocks grow and take on a Salvador Dali-esque appearance. The clocks crash around me and envelop me. They smother and squeeze me. At some point, I’ll scramble over the jumble of numbers or claw over the distorted faces. I’ll climb until I’m free of the murderous clocks and I stand, triumphant, in a wasteland of writhing ticking clocks.

I don’t need a dream dictionary or a therapist to tell me that these dreams are related to anxiety and my inevitable victory represents having never missed a deadline. I’ve looked this up in dream dictionaries and most agree that dreaming of clocks is related to anxiety or a need for order. Some have said that the ticking of a clock represents a heartbeat and a need for more passion in one’s life. I can’t help but feel that’s a thinly veiled jab at my stagnant dating life. Stupid dream dictionaries telling me I need to date more.

On the other hand, some people think dreams mean absolutely nothing and maybe I’m just obsessed with time. I think I’ll go with that. My dating life is fine and I’m simply obsessed with time.

Still…if anyone wants to go out to dinner with me they can feel free to write in the comments.