Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Are your dreams real?

Article sourced from times of india

Can dreams reveal clues to future events? Dreams have fascinated us for time immemorial. Many believe that dreams hold the key to hidden truths about their lives.

Two weeks before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, he dreamt of a funeral at the White House. American novelist Mark Twain dreamt of his brother's body in a metal coffin, shortly before he was killed in a boating mishap. After the Titanic sunk, hundreds of people came forward to report their dreams of disaster. So can dreams predict the future?

Psychologist Richard Wiseman, in his new book Paranormality, says, "You have lots of dreams and encounter lots of events. Most of the time, the dreams are unrelated to the events and so you forget about them. However, once in a while one of the dreams will correspond to one of the events. Once this happens, it is suddenly easy to remember the dream and convince yourself that it has magically predicted the future. In reality, it is just the laws of probability at work."

Dr Rajiv Anand, psychiatrist, maintains, "Most people are lost in the jungle of thoughts all the time and find themselves confused and concerned about various responsibilities concerning day-to-day life. When they go to sleep, this huge static becomes less. If it becomes sufficiently less, then they get sound sleep." But people who have disciplined their mind can transcend the boundaries of encapsulated awareness and get linked to infinite awareness and consciousness. Adds Dr Anand, "Most events are predestined. Our mind cannot access those events, except during sleep. That's when a few people can broaden their horizons and see or experience beyond all conceivable boundaries."
Article sourced from times of india

Author Lucinda Davis also feels that dreams can aid us in predicting the future. "Unfortunately, it requires learning how to interpret your own dreams and quite often the thing you were warned about happens before you understand what the dream was there to tell you. It takes a lot of patience, time and studying to learn what your dreams mean." Trying to determine which dreams are about the future and which ones are not can make you pull your hair out in frustration!

Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist, says, "Dreams are residues of day-to-day events and also stories of unfulfilled desires. Those who fantasise about Sheela ki jawani may get intimate with her in their dreams. Those who hate someone, kill them in their dreams. Past trauma may repeat itself in dreams and heal slowly. Those depressed may get gory dreams due to the illness. To say that dreams are predictors of future events is a far-fetched fantasy."

Article sourced from times of india