Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, interpretation, philosophical and religious interest throughout recorded history. The scientific study of dreams is called oneirology. Science has proven that all mammals dream.

Dreams mainly occur in the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep—when brain activity is high and resembles that of being awake. REM sleep is revealed by continuous movements of the eyes during sleep. A person is more likely to remember the dream if he or she is awakened during the REM phase. A dream can last for a few seconds, or as long as twenty minutes. Dreams are a connection to the human subconscious.

Dreams range from normal and ordinary to overly surreal and unrealistic. Dreams can have varying natures, such as frightening, exciting, magical, melancholic, adventurous, or sexual. The events in dreams are generally outside the control of the dreamer, with the exception of lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is self-aware. Dreams can at times make a creative thought occur to the person or give a sense of inspiration.

The earliest recorded dreams were acquired from materials dating back approximately 5000 years, in Mesopotamia, where they were documented on clay tablets. In the Greek and Roman periods, the people believed that dreams were direct messages from the gods, or from the dead and that they predicted the future. Some cultures practised dream incubation with the intention of cultivating dreams that are prophetic.

The most prolific dream theories and interpretations were developed by Sigmund Freud, the Austrian neurologist who developed the discipline of psychoanalysis. He explained dreams were manifestations of our deepest desires and anxieties. During sleep, dreams would manifest childhood repressed memories and obsessions. In The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud developed a psychological technique to interpret dreams and devised a series of guidelines to understand the symbols and motifs that appear in our dreams.

Noun

drēam m. (nominative plural drēamas)

1. joy, pleasure, ecstasy

   Ðær biþ drincendra dream se micla: there is the great joy of drinkers.

2. music, song

   Iohannes gehyrde swylce bymena dream: John heard, as it were, the sound of trumpets.

• Dream Art (4)
• Dream Journals (28)
• Dream Sharing (16)

• Interpretation (51)
• Lucid Dreams (28)
• Theories and Research (17)

• Personal Pages (21)
• Products and Services (23)

• Health: Conditions and Diseases: Sleep Disorders (251)
• Science: Social Sciences: Psychology: Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic (232)

• The Dream Tree
  dreamtree.com
  A resource directory which includes a calendar of events for dreamers, discussion groups, and pointers to projects and artwork.
• CEO
  ceoniric.cl
  Educational organization dedicated to research, teaching and dissemination of everything related to dreams.
• Dreams Interpretation
  dreams-interpretation.net
  Dreams interpretation, dreams dictionary, dreams sharing, email courses.