Oh, wait: it was just a dream.
The power of dreams
Dreams can mortify us, embarrass us, even frighten – or delight! – us. Many people believe they're a way for our subconscious mind to work through issues and stress, while others may even see hints of premonitions or omens in them.
"There are many valuable ways that dreams can be of practical benefit," says Craig Webb, executive director of the Montreal-based DREAMS Foundation, which raises awareness about dreams, nightmares and sleep disorders. "They offer opportunities for fun, adventure, wish fulfillment, creativity, problem solving, skill rehearsal, healing, spiritual exploration – and much more."
Webb points out that many successful individuals have tapped into their dreams to improve performance in their waking lives.
"After a terrible extended slump, golfer Jack Nicklaus recovered his winning game literally overnight due to a dream where he saw that he had been holding his club incorrectly since his slump began," says Webb, who also says that Nobel-prize winning scientists have reported finding research inspiration in their dreams. Ideas that come to you in dreams can be further developed in waking life.
The upside of nightmares
Even nightmares can have practical benefit. "Nightmares and recurring dreams are like the engine light on our car – they serve to alert us to something out of balance, or can warn us of impending trouble unless we change something in our lives," says Webb.
Maybe that recurring nightmare where you're sinking in quicksand is about your waking-life feeling of being trapped by choices you've made. Maybe your decisions seemed sound at the time but now you feel like the ground is less firm. Maybe it's time to rethink some of these choices so you feel less likely to be buried by their fallout.
Page 1 of 2 – On page 2, find dream interpretations and learn what your nightly dreams mean.
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