心理学与生活-第40节

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of　the　unconscious　psyche；　they　show　us　the　unvarnished　truth。”　Freud　thought　that　the　vigilance　
of　the　ego　relaxed　during　sleep；　allowing　primitive　and　forbidden　sexual　and　aggressive　urges　to　
escape　from　the　unconscious。　This　material　was　so　threatening　to　our　waking　state　of　
consciousness　that　the　disgusting　desires　of　the　unconscious　were　disguised　in　dreams。　It　is　
interesting　to　note　that　Freud；　like　Biblical　characters　and　people　of　the　past；　thought　that　only　a　
wise　man　or　woman　（or　psychoanalyst）　could　interpret　dreams　correctly。　

Freud　thought　that　there　was　a　universal　set　of　symbols　used　by　the　unconscious　to　disguise　the　
hidden　content　of　dreams。　For　example；　dreams　of　flying　signify　the　desire　for　sexual　adventure；　
elongated　objects　such　as　trees　and　pencils　symbolize　the　penis；　containers；　such　as　closets；　rooms；　
ovens；　and　automobiles　represent　the　vagina；　and　sexual　intercourse　is　disguised　as　riding　a　horse　
or　shooting　a　gun。　

Carl　Jung　was　a　member　of　Freud’s　inner　circle；　and　later　broke　away　from　Freud　because　of　
theoretical　disagreements。　He　believed　that　the　“general　function　of　dreams　is　to　restore　
psychological　balance；”　and　that　important　messages　in　dreams　could　only　be　interpreted　from　a　
series　of　dreams　that　occurred　over　time。　Jung　estimated　that　he　analyzed　at　least　80；000　dreams　
during　his　professional　career。　

Anecdotal　evidence　to　support　Freud　and　Jung’s　ideas　about　dreams　exists；　but　their　theories　
cannot　be　experimentally　supported　or　rejected　because　of　problems　in　doing　the　necessary　
research。　Research　on　dreaming　was　stimulated　in　the　early　1950s　when　two　investigators；　
Aserinsky　and　Kleitman　at　the　University　of　Chicago；　established　the　relationship　between　REM　
sleep　and　dreaming；　but　their　research　does　not　answer　the　questions　posed　by　the　theories　of　Freud　
and　Jung。　Some　of　the　more　frequently　asked　questions　about　dreams　and　dreaming　follow。　

DOES　EVERYONE　DREAM？　

Some　people　claim　that　they　never　dream；　but　research　tells　us　that　everyone　dreams。　People　who　
claim　that　they　do　not　dream　simply　do　not　remember　their　dreams。　Dreams　are　usually　not　stored　
in　long…term　memory；　and　they　are　lost　unless　they　are　reviewed　or　recorded　immediately　on　
waking；　before　other　material　replaces　them　in　the　short…term　memory。　

ARE　WE　MORE　LIKELY　TO　HAVE　GOOD　DREAMS　OR　BAD　DREAMS？　

Investigators　who　have　collected　and　studied　dreams　have　found　that　bad　dreams　are　more　
monly　recalled　than　good　dreams。　Dreams　are　more　likely　to　involve　failure；　misfortune；　and　
frustration　than　success　and　pleasant　emotions。　

WHAT　DO　PEOPLE　DREAM　ABOUT？　

Falling　or　being　chased　are　among　the　most　mon　dream　themes　reported。　The　appearance　of　
celebrities　in　dreams　is　also　mon。　Many　dreams　involve　frustration：　trying　repeatedly　but　

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PSYCHOLOGY　AND　LIFE　

unsuccessfully　to　do　something；　finding　yourself　nude　in　public　places；　arriving　late　to　catch　a　
plane　or　to　take　an　exam；　and　losing　important　papers　or　treasured　objects。　Sex　is　not　among　the　
more　mon　dream　themes。　The　occurrence　of　penile　and　clitoral　erections　during　dreams　is　a　
conitant　of　the　REM　state；　and　is　apparently　unrelated　to　the　content　of　the　dream。　

CAN　PEOPLE　CONTROL　THE　CONTENTS　OF　THEIR　DREAMS？　

Research　shows　that　people　do　have　some　control　over　their　dreams；　and　that　this　ability　to　have　

“lucid　dreams”　can　be　taught。　Stephen　LaBerge；　the　leading　researcher　on　lucid　dreams；　relates　the　
experience　of　lucid　dreaming　to　the　“Holodeck”　on　Star　Trek　the　New　Generation。　Once　a　person　is　
lucid　in　a　dream；　they　can　take　control　of　it　and　direct　its　content　and　conclusion。　LaBerge　also　
suggests　that　lucid　dreaming　may　have　more　pragmatic　uses　than　just　entertainment。　The　
additional　time　of　consciousness　while　dreaming　can　be　used　to　work　through　personal　problems；　
planning；　and　reviewing　past　events。　Such　lucid　reflection　while　in　a　relaxed　sleep　state　may　in　the　
future　be　shown　to　enhance　psychological　health。　It　has　been　reported　that　the　Senoi　people　of　
Malaysia　teach　children　to　control　their　dreams　from　an　early　age。　Have　you　ever　had　a　“lucid”　
dream？　

One　simple　technique　used　to　teach　lucid　dreaming　is　to　bee　more　“mindful”　of　your　state　of　
consciousness　by　repeatedly　asking　yourself；　“Am　I　dreaming？”　during　the　day。　Once　in　the　habit　
of　asking　yourself　this　simple　question　while　awake；　you　may　ask　the　same　question　while　
dreaming。　Answering　the　question　“yes”　may　lead　to　the　onset　of　a　lucid　dream。　

WHY　DO　PEOPLE　DREAM？　

Several　explanations　for　dreaming　have　been　offered。　Freud　thought　dreams　preserved　our　sanity　
by　allowing　us　to　gratify　forbidden　or　unrealistic　wishes。　Information…processing　theorists　suggest　
that　the　function　of　dreams　is　to　assimilate　new　data　into　memory　and　to　jettison　mental　garbage。　
The　activation…synthesis　theory　says　that　dreams　result　when　the　brain　tries　to　make　sense　of　
random　neural　firing　that　occurs　during　sleep。　

DO　PEOPLE　NEED　TO　DREAM？　

A　number　of　studies　have　been　done　on　dream　deprivation。　Participants　are　awakened　as　soon　as　
rapid　eye　movements　begin　to　occur。　The　results　show　that　as　dream　deprivation　continues；　REM　
periods　occur　more　and　more　frequently；　and　participants　bee　harder　to　arouse。　In　addition；　
participants　who　have　been　dream　deprived　dream　more　than　usual　when　they　are　allowed　to　sleep　
normally。　Although　some　participants　have　bee　irritable　after　a　night　or　two　of　dream　
deprivation；　most　seem　to　adjust　to　it。　We　do　not　know　what　effect　it　would　have　on　a　person　if　
dream　deprivation　were　continued　over　an　extended　period。　

WHAT　SHOULD　YOU　DO　IF　YOU　WANT　TO　REMEMBER　YOUR　DREAMS？　

Dreams　are　fragile；　so　if　you　want　to　remember　them　you　will　need　to　be　able　to　record　them　with　a　
minimum　of　effort。　If　remembering　your　dreams　is　important　to　you；　try　the　following　tips：　

1。　Keep　writing　material　or　a　tape　recorder　next　to　your　bed；　and　be　sure　that　you　can　turn　on　
a　light　to　write　by　without　getting　out　of　bed。　
2。　Before　going　to　bed；　tell　yourself　that　you　are　going　to　wake　up　after　a　dream。　If　you　are　
unable　to　obey　your　mand；　try　setting　a　gentle　alarm　for　two　hours　after　retirement　and　
every　two　hours　thereafter。　
3。　When　you　wake　up；　keep　your　eyes　closed；　and　review　the　dream　before　you　record　it。　
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CHAPTER　6：　MIND；　CONSCIOUSNESS；　AND　ALTERED　STATES　

4。　Make　a　questionnaire　or　checklist　to　remind　you　of　the　information　you　want　to　record。　
This　might　include　such　things　as　the　setting；　actors；　activities；　outes；　and；　perhaps　
most　important；　the　emotional　tone　of　the　dream。　
THE　PARADOXICAL　NATURE　OF　REM　

REM　sleep　has　been　referred　to　as　paradoxical　sleep；　meaning　that　during　REM　sleep；　the　activity　of　
the　brain　closely　approximates　that　of　waking　state　activity。　We　know　that　we　dream　during　REM；　
and　that　we　have　rapid　eye　movements　for　which　this　state　is　named；　but　what　other　things　are　
happening　that　make　this　state　“approximately”　that　of　the　waking　state？　Several　manifestations　of　
this　sleep　state　insofar　as　we　are　able　to　determine；　are　unique　to　REM。　These　things　apparently　
happen　during　REM　and　at　no　other　time　during　the　sleep　cycle。　What　are　they？　

ATONIA　

During　REM　sleep；　we　experience　atonia—we　lose　muscle　tone；　our　muscles　bee　flaccid；　and　we　
are　virtually　paralyzed。　This　manifestation　disappears　within　a　fraction　of　a　second　following　
waking；　but　can　be　a　bit　scary　if　we　try　to　get　out　of　bed　immediately　on　waking；　only　to　find　that　we　
cannot　do　so；　at　least　instantaneously。　The　reason　for　atonia　is　that　neural　messages　from　the　brain　
stem　going　to　the　major　muscle　groups　are　inhibited　during　REM。　These　messages　originate　in　the　
pons；　a　structure　that　sits　just　at　the　top　of　the　brain　stem；　and　the　inhibition　of　these　neural　
impulses　has　probably　kept　many　of　us　from　injuring　ourselves　if　we　were　to　wander　around　in　a　
not　quite　conscious　state。　

SEXUAL　AROUSAL　

Both　males　and　females　experience　sexual　arousal—evinced　by　tumescence　in　males　and　
lubrication　and　engorgement　of　genital　tissues　in　females—during　REM　sleep。　

OTHER　PHYSIOLOGICAL　CHANGES　

Increases　in　both　blood　pressure　and　heart　rate　occur　during　REM。　These　functions　increase　from　
the　low　levels　seen　during　Stage　4　sleep　to　levels　that　closely　approximate　those　of　a　waking　state　of　
consciousness。　

MEMORY　PROCESSES　

Thought　and　memory　organization　also　occur　during　REM；　as　housekeeping　type　of　functions。　
Most　of　us　have　awakened　to　discover　that　a　problem　that　was　vexing　us　the　night　before　suddenly　
seems　to　have　“solved　itself”　over　the　course　of　the　night；　and　we　wonder　why　we　did　not　see　the　
solution　yesterday。　Perhaps　this　aspect　of　REM　explains　why　our　mothers　told　us　not　to　worry　
because　“everything　will　be　better　in　the　morning。”　

INCORPORATION　OF　ENVIRONMENTAL　STIMULUS　

Environmental　sounds　are　frequently　incorporated　into　dreams。　The　sound　of　a　car　backfiring　in　
the　street　outside　may　be　incorporated　into　one’s　dreams　as　a　gunshot；　or　a　slamming　of　a　door；　
while　the　thunderclap　in　a　thunderstorm　may　be　incorporated　into　the　dream