There are many types of dreams such as lucid dreams, nightmares, healing dreams, recurring dreams or false premonitions, among others. When we sleep we can have 5 to 6 dream episodes in a night and they can all be different. Dreams are manifestations of the subconscious mind when it tries to externalize memories, emotions and feelings that are experienced while awake.
It was the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud who first described dreams as “the royal path” to understanding the subconscious. Although it is not a proven science, dream interpretation can suggest the answer to many desires, goals or repressed feelings. In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you in detail the types of dreams and their characteristics.
What are dreams and how to classify them
dreams are mental and sensory experiences that occur during sleep, that is, when the body enters rest and abandons wakefulness. Generally, they are episodes associated with vivid images, sensations, emotions and thoughts. Dreams can vary widely in content, duration, and intensity, and are experienced by most people during different stages of sleep.
There are many types of dreams and different approaches to classifying them. There are studies from around the world that indicate that 65% of dream content has to do with experiences and emotions that people experience during waking hours, because the brain never turns off, and during sleep it continues processing data and information.
During the REM stage, or “rapid eye movements”, the brain processes all the sensations experienced during the day and dreams occur. What happens or is projected in dreams can involve everyday situations, past events, desires, fears, unconscious thoughts and personal symbols. Sometimes dreams may seem confusing or surrealsince the thought process during sleep is different from that during wakefulness.
Now that you know what dreams are, below we present the most common types of dreams and their characteristics.
recurring dreams
Recurring dreams are very common and, as their name indicates, are repeated over and over, either during the same night or on different days. Its main characteristic is that in dreaming the same scenario is presented, as well as the same plot or events, so it is a repetitive dream with almost no variations.
Some experts claim that these types of dreams occur because the sdreamer tries to evade some memories or circumstances experienced, or that it is the unconscious manifestation of fears or unresolved problems. If it happens to you, in this article you will find information about the .
Prophetic or precognitive dreams
This type of dreams is very particular because people see future events that have not yet occurred in real life. Although many believe that these are predictive dreams, other people argue that it is the brain that prepares to react to different scenarios which you can face.
Prophetic dreams can occur in different ways. We see them below:
- Shared dreams: two different people share the same dream at the same time
- Visitation dreams: Some deceased or distant person appears in the dream.
- Telepathic dreams: some information is received from another person.
False dreams or false awakenings
In false dreams, the person believes that they have woken up, but they are still asleep. Generally, se associated with sleep paralysis and occurs during REM sleep. The usual thing is that the dreamer believes that he has woken up and begins his usual routine, without realizing that he is still asleep. In this article, we tell you more about the.
Lucid dreaming
The is what the person is aware that they are dreaming and may have some degree of control over the content and development of the dream. It is one of the most common types of dreams and you can see how you are immersed in the dream and control it, as if it were real life.
Some scholars claim that lucid dreams are related to the functioning of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is associated with the state of consciousness.
Nightmares
Do you want to know another of the most common types of dreams? Nightmares are dreams that induce fear and terror. These episodes involve negative emotions and sensations that are usually caused by disturbing thoughts, painful memories, or other types of difficult situations that are poorly handled during wakefulness. In this article we talk about.
Common or conventional dreams
One of the most common types of dreams, in which the dreamer review what happened during the day. They can be dreams about what happened at work, about a call, a personal meeting, etc. They are oneirisms in which the person who dreams takes control of the context, although it is common for these types of dreams to be forgotten when they wake up.
In other words, they are those who reflect everyday life situationssuch as interacting with familiar people, facing everyday challenges, or doing regular activities.
Day dreams or daydreams
The American psychologist specializing in dreams, Dan Ford, assures that daydreams occurs during the day when part of the brain sleeps, while other parts remain in a state of vigil. It is one of the most complicated types of dreams to understand, and there are those who claim that they are not exactly dreamlike dreams.
Daytime dreams are like a kind of trance in which the person receives almost imperceptible images with a wave of very short duration.
creative dreams
Creative dreams are dreams that bring with them certain ideas or revelations that help the dreamer complete projects or implement new plans. They are a type of dreams that offer solutions to dilemmas that we have while awake. Researchers think that they are dreams that seek to respond to worries, since they arise when the brain is at rest, and during the waking state it is difficult to conceive some answers.
metaphorical dreams
Metaphorical dreams use images and symbols to represent ideas, emotions or conflicts underlying the dreamer’s mind. It is said that they are dreams in which the dreamer tries to respond to her emotions by considering that they are metaphors for her own memories. For example, dreaming about clean water is associated with purity and calm, while dreaming about stagnant water is related to anxiety and worries. Find more information about in this article.
Healing dreams
If we talk about types of dreams and meanings, the healers are those in which you dream about having powers to heal other people through telekinesis or telepathy. They are very vivid dreams and are a way of expressing desires to help other individuals heal. Although it also has to do with the need to heal ourselves on a mental or spiritual level.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of dreams and their characteristicswe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Aguirre-Navarrete, R. (2007). Anatomical and physiological bases of sleep. Rev. Ecuat. Neurol, 15(2). Madrid, La Paz University. Sleep study.