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Conference hydra::dejavu

Title:Psychic Phenomena
Notice:Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing
Moderator:JARETH::PAINTER
Created:Wed Jan 22 1986
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2143
Total number of notes:41773

1622.0. "Why can't I dream???" by WMOIS::SALVI_F () Thu Feb 20 1992 11:22

    
         Let me first me make formal apology for adding another DREAM
         question. Mr. Moderator please feel free to move this where ever
         you think it might belong.
    
         I just started reading this file and found approx. 27 different
         DREAM notes, and they are all interesting, some nice dreams
         and also some weird one's. 
         My question is why don't I dream?? One of the notes suggested
         that we all dream, maybe so, but why can't I remember any??
         I can't remember the last time I remembered any type of dream
         is this normal?? Someone also suggested that taking vitamin B-6
         helps to remember, does anyone have any suggestions??
    
    
          Fra
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1622.1cautionTNPUBS::PAINTERlet there be musicThu Feb 20 1992 15:557
    
    It is highly recommended by many sources that you not take more than
    50mg/day of B-6 unless you are under a doctor's supervision.  Taking
    more than this on a regular basis could potentially damage your nervous
    system.
    
    Cindy
1622.2(how to) kick the habit (of forgetting)GIAMEM::ROSESun Feb 23 1992 05:5453
    re: .0
    
    As far as scientists have been able to determine, all mammals dream
    and have dreamed for millions of years.  REM or rapid eye movement
    sleep (when most dreams occur) evolved about 130 million years ago,
    at the time when mammals began giving birth to live - as opposed to
    hatched - offsprings.  Non-REM sleep seems to have started about 180
    million years ago, when warm-blooded mammals evolved from cold-blooded
    reptiles.  
    
    The fact of dreaming has been well established by thousands of studies
    done in sleep research laboratories.  There's really no "maybe" about
    it - dreaming is a fact, not a speculation.  We all dream.  
    
    Not everyone remembers his or her dreams.  It's been estimated that,
    at best, we remember about 5% of them, and that most people remember
    less than 1%.  So, when you ask why you can't remember any of them,
    you're really referring to a very small percentage of your total
    dream output.   
    
    Why don't you recall any dreams?  First of all, you may not need to.
    Many of the dreams that are recalled depict emotionally charged experi-
    ences, conscious or unconscious, past or present (and sometimes future)
    that the dreamers are involved in.  Maybe life is all "smooth sailing"
    for you, at least for now.  It's normal not to remember dreams.  It's
    also normal to remember them.  Secondly, dreams have to be "caught" -
    they have to be attended to and held in short-term memory long enough
    to be copied into long-term memory.  If this isn't done, they'll just
    slip away and before you know it they'll be gone.  
    
    Dream recall can be enhanced and, as Cindy said in the previous reply,
    vitamin B-6 is not the answer.  In his book "Lucid Dreaming" LaBerge
    says, "...one of the most important determinants of dream recall is
    motivation.  For many people, simply having the intention to remember,
    reminding themselves of this intention just before bed, is enough."
    He recommends keeping a dream journal and recording in it whatever you
    can remember as soon as you wake up.
    
    Laberge continues with his "...infallible method" of dream recall.
    "...every time you wake up [ask yourself], "What was I dreaming?"
    This must be your first thought upon awakening...persist....  If
    you still cannot remember a dream, ask yourself what you were just
    thinking and how you were feeling.  [this] examining...can often
    provide the necessary cues for retrieving the entire dream.  As
    with any other skill, progress is sometimes slow.  But virtually
    everyone who stays with [this method] improves through practice."
    
    Virginia
    
    
      
    
    
1622.3I'll just keep tryingWMOIS::SALVI_FMon Feb 24 1992 07:1212
    
        Cindy and Virginia, thanks for the reply's, I never intended to
      try the B-6, it was just something I read in earlier notes. I'll
      just continue to try some of Virginia's recomendations, I've tried
      to remind myself when I first wake-up but was never successful, I
      guess I'll just keep trying...
    
    
           Thanks again,
    
             Frank
     
1622.4WLDWST::RICHARDS_SDark Angel Of SinTue Feb 25 1992 18:332
        Can b-6 ,even in low dosages, be harmful to certain people?
    
1622.5HOO78C::ANDERSONSt George and the Dragoon.Wed Feb 26 1992 01:469
    Re .4

    >Can b-6 ,even in low dosages, be harmful to certain people?
        
    Apparently it can cause restlessness and loss of sleep.

    Check out topic 945 in VMSZOO::MEDICAL. Press Kp7 or SELECT.

    Jamie.
1622.8replyTNPUBS::PAINTERlet there be musicWed Feb 26 1992 12:4118
    
    Re.4
    
    >Can b-6, even in low dosages, be harmful to certain people?
    
    According to my neurologist, yes.  He is against any kind of B-6
    supplements. 
    
    However, all other sources I've read on the subject (not including the
    topic that Jamie just referenced in the MEDICAL file which I'll read
    soon) are more liberal - somewhere in the 25-50mg range per day is OK.
    
    On the flip side, one of my aunts was developing numbness in her wrists
    (carpal tunnel syndrome), and her (holistic) doctor put her on 200mg. 
    of B-6 per day.  The numbness went away.
    
    Cindy
                                                                         
1622.9WLDWST::RICHARDS_SSearching with my good eye closedWed Feb 26 1992 13:368
      Thanks .5
     
    That might explain why I've had a terrible time getting to sleep
    lately. I've also been tossing and turning. I'm taking only 50mg
    a day, but i think i might want to read the file your refering to
    before I continue to take B-6.
    
    Shawna
1622.10Just one dream, honest!!!WMOIS::SALVI_FWed Feb 26 1992 13:3716
     
           Thanks again for all the recomendations, WATER?? Oh well, I
      guess I'll try that too.
           As far as stress goes, well there's not much, I'm usually
      quite mellow, there's not much that bother's me, even all the
      weird DEC rumor's, I think about them, but my attitude is " If it
      happens, it happens", thats the extent of my worries.
           Lack of sleep might be the key, I only require a few hours 
      of sleep, if I can get 5-6 hours a night I'm all set.
           Maybe I'm asking too much, all this stuff for a dream??
          
         Keep the suggestions comming, maybe I'll stumble upon a process
         that works, I hope!!!
    
    
            Fra
1622.11Caffeine might be the troubleESMAIL::ESOMSTrusting in the UniverseWed Feb 26 1992 13:499
    
    Another thing to take a look at is the caffeine you might
    be taking in.  It can really ruin your sleep and can have
    you tossing all night long.  
    
    I've recently given caffeine up and find a big difference
    in my sleep patterns and dreaming patterns.  
    
    Joanne
1622.12tuning inTNPUBS::STEINHARTWed Feb 26 1992 16:0714
    Remembering your dreams is just one aspect of tuning in and listening
    to your inner self.
    
    Another way to do it is to notice those persistent songs that run
    through your head.  Usually it's one predominant song, a pop song you
    might have heard recently on the radio.  Get away from all
    distraction;, maybe take a walk outside.  Sing the whole song to
    yourself.  Somewhere in the lyrics is a strong message about your
    thoughts or feelings, a message that you have perhaps been suppressing.
    
    Believe it or not, I learned this from a Doris Lessing novel.  It
    works!
    
    Laura
1622.14more on vitamin B-6GIAMEM::ROSEFri Feb 28 1992 04:278
    
    According to Andrew Weil, M.D. in his book "Natural Health, 
    Natural Medicine," vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine has been found
    to cause nerve damage in a few people taking more than 300 mgs.
    per day.  He recommends staying below this dose and not taking
    it at all if any unusual numbness appears.   
    
    Virginia
1622.15Anyone Else??WMOIS::SALVI_FFri Feb 28 1992 07:3815
    
          RE:13
               How old??  44
               Do I do drugs to induce sleep?? NO
               Am I tired ir refereshed when I wake up?? Refereshed
               Am I active?? Some what
               Do I Yoga??  No
               Do I meditate?? No
    
               Hope I answered all your questions.
    
               Out-of-Body galavanting in other deminsions?? Interesting
    
    
              Fra
1622.17Thats why I dont talk during ...DWOVAX::STARKUse your imaginationFri Feb 28 1992 08:577
>   Upon seeing a beautiful blonde
>    haired nurse, in full nurse-white regalia, we proceeded to enter a
>    room where we could indulge in sex. As the petting started I replied,
>    "You know, I do have my body sleeping at home..." Whereupon my
>    consciousness flowed back to a picture of me sleeping in bed (astral
    
    aaarrrggghhhh ....  I hate when that happens !!!  :-)
1622.18Physiology 101WBC::BAKERJoy and fierceness...Fri Feb 28 1992 12:1014
re: 1622.16 
HAMER::MONTALVO 

    
>    the reason for the drinking of the water is that when your bladder gets
>    full, the ensuing pressure will 'rub' against the sex charka. That's
>    why most men get an erection in the morning. The pressure against the
>    sex center will activate it, 'hopefully' starting the kundalini flow.

	Sleep researchers have found that almost all men get erections
	once during every 90 minute sleep cycle, regardless of the
	state of the bladder.

	-Art
1622.19What a ...THRUST::KALLISPumpkins -- Nature's greatest giftFri Feb 28 1992 13:1610
Re .18 (Art):


	>Sleep researchers have found that almost all men get erections
	>once during every 90 minute sleep cycle, regardless of the
	>state of the bladder.

Hardly what you'd call conservation of resources.   :-)

Steve Kallis, Jr.
1622.20ScarcityDWOVAX::STARKUse your imaginationFri Feb 28 1992 13:329
   re: Note 1622.19 by THRUST::KALLIS 
    
>Hardly what you'd call conservation of resources.   :-)
    
    	Does the resource seem endangered from where you stand ?
    
    						;-)
    
    							todd
1622.21THRUST::KALLISPumpkins -- Nature's greatest giftFri Feb 28 1992 13:417
Re .20 (Todd):

    	>Does the resource seem endangered from where you stand ?

That's nearly an oxymoron. ;-D

Steve Kallis, Jr.
1622.22(;^)TNPUBS::PAINTERlet there be musicFri Feb 28 1992 13:524
         
    One can learn the most interesting things in this file...
    
    Cindy
1622.23...another viewpoint...BTOVT::HARAMUNDANISFri Feb 28 1992 15:0613
    Re: .18
    
    Would it be safe to conclude then that Women experience similar
    phenomena during the sleep cycle, only that it is not manifested the
    same way? This could also mean that some people experience this more
    than once every 90 minute sleep cycle, as this is only an average.
    
    It would make more sense to me, as relating to the chakras, that on
    some level, both women and men would be affected by the same phenomena,
    only that their experience would be different because of their
    manifestation. I think that Women would experience this closer on the
    spiritual level, and men on the physical level because of this, but I
    have no way to tell because I am a man.
1622.24Wet dream..WITKA::WANBLEFri Feb 28 1992 15:355
    re -.2,.3 ...and of course most of your dreams are of bursting
    damns, fire hoses, or crowded bathrooms...
    Ron
    
     
1622.25Some dreamy comments.CADSYS::COOPERTopher CooperFri Feb 28 1992 15:4518
    Yes, I believe I have read that there is a similar, though more subtle
    phenomenon in women.

    The timing relates to the basic 90 minute sleep cycle -- one tends to
    dream, for example, every 90 minutes (though you will only remember it
    if you wake up during or immediately after the dream).  This is only an
    average for a typical person for a typical night.  The cycle varies
    somewhat with the time of night (though the principal effect is
    percentage of time spent dreaming, as I remember it, rather than the
    time between dreams).

    I doubt if a full bladder causes more dreams -- though it is common
    experience for it to "color" their content.  It might make the dreams
    more vivid and therefore easier to remember.  It does make it more
    likely that you will awaken during the dream and therefore remember
    some or all of it.

					    Topher
1622.26I must be going through those 90 minute cycles again...MISERY::WARD_FRMaking life a mystical adventureFri Feb 28 1992 16:3910
    re: .23
    
        Where do you get the idea that women are somehow more spiritual?
    Women are every bit as physical as men...just because they do it with
    a slight twist (compared to men ;-) ) doesn't mean that they are
    either less than or more than...
        
    
    Frederick
    
1622.28Was it a dream????WMOIS::SALVI_FMon Mar 02 1992 14:0011
    
             Well it finally happened, I think, all I remember is a 
         nice-looking, well-built, female with red hair.
             Nothing was very clear at all, almost like looking thru
         a mist, or a haze. I can't remember anything that happened
         only this red-head. Dam.....I wish I could remember more, I
         probably had a GREAT time but I can't remember anything!!!!!
    
            Just my luck,
    
            Fra
1622.30significant to the physiologist onlyTNPUBS::STEINHARTMon Mar 02 1992 16:0714
    Everybody's normal body temperature varies.  98.6 is some sort of
    average or standard, but people range above and below.  I would not
    interpret this unless you do phrenology too -;)
    
    The temperature may very well vary during phases of sleep, that is,
    vary from an individual's normal temperature.  If so, it relates to the
    general physiological state at that time.  Sleep states affect the
    whole body.
    
    A woman's temperature varies during the phases of her menstrual cycle. 
    This is how the rhythm method works.  Again, I wouldn't interpret this
    beyond signifying her reproductive state.
    
    Laura
1622.31blood flow and gravityTNPUBS::STEINHARTMon Mar 02 1992 16:149
    RE:  .29
    
    I would think that if you raised your head on a pillow, you would get
    less blood flow rather than more.
    
    Of course, if it makes you feel more comfortable, that might help you
    dream.
    
    Laura
1622.32HOO78C::ANDERSONZaker is dat niets zaker is.Tue Mar 03 1992 01:1115
    Re .31

    >I would think that if you raised your head on a pillow, you would get
    >less blood flow rather than more.
    
    I think that your blood pressure, even at rest, is more than sufficient
    to pump an adequate supply of blood the few inches that a pillow will
    make.

    I dream normally, however if I am too hot, that is too many blankets on
    the bed or the bedroom too hot then I have nightmares, which usually
    wake me. This condition however does not occur if I have a high
    temperature from a fever.

    Jamie.
1622.33It was an invited guest.GIAMEM::ROSETue Mar 03 1992 06:4031
    re: .28 (Was it a dream????)
    
    About how long after you fell asleep did you have your dream?
    If it happened within the first few minutes, it was probably 
    a hypnagogic image.  If you had it in about 90 minutes or a
    multiple thereof, it was probably a dream from one of the REM
    or rapid eye movement cycles, which is where most dreams occur.
    
    You've been telling yourself for several weeks now that you'd
    like to remember your dreams.  Before that, you thought that
    you probably didn't dream at all.  Assuming that this was a REM
    dream, it could be interpreted as follows:  The red-head is your
    brain's way of depicting what you've been asking for - a read-head,
    a remembered dream.  Your brain is acknowledging that it dreams,
    just as we acknowledge a presence and a request when we say, "I 
    read you."
    
    Why are you depicted as a woman instead of as a man?  What appears
    to be a major slip-up is usually no accident.  It's often the way
    in which the brain presents additional information - in this instance,
    probably the fact that you've been unhappy, a woe-man (woman) because
    you haven't remembered your dreams.  It's as though your brain is say-
    ing, "You've missed (mist) me, but now you're beginning to see through
    the mist.  You see me.  And you also see the mist, the part of yourself
    that caused me to vanish temporarily.  You told yourself that I wasn't
    there, and now that you've stopped doing that, I'm able to get through
    to you."
    
    Virginia
    
    
1622.35"INCREDIBLE"WMOIS::SALVI_FTue Mar 03 1992 09:1116
    
             You guy's are unbeliveable, How many Pillow's??
       Room color, headboard's, diet's, blood pressure, water
       T.V., radio's, cassette's, too many blanket's, normal
       body temp!!
             Have I missed any?? All I want to do is dream, not have
       a complete physical. I appreciate all the suggestions, really,
       but the bottom line is "all I want is a dream". I came close
       to what I thought was a dream but it was only a red-head in
       a cloud, I don't even know what she looked like, other then
       the outline of a great body. I thought for sure that I would
       have a similar dream last night, I kept thinking about dreaming
       and red-heads, but all I remember was the alarm.
    
    
              Fra
1622.36HOO78C::ANDERSONZaker is dat niets zaker is.Tue Mar 03 1992 09:5221
    Obviously the solution is to place a degaussing coil round the bed and
    run an alternating current through it. Then the particular direction of
    the bed is irrelevant.

    Re .35

    Well Fra it is not all nonsense, when I was a kid in the Boy Scouts we
    had some who were extremely suggestive when asleep, and giving them
    nightmares was really easy. 
    
    As an example, one lad had a phobia about ants. If you waited until he
    was asleep, then whispered in his ears the message that ants were
    crawling over him, repeat it a few times, leave him alone after a few
    minutes he would start start twitching and  scratching. He would then
    wake up yelling that ants were everywhere, leap out of his sleeping bag
    and start shaking it.

    The sleeping mind is an interesting subject.

    Jamie.
                         
1622.37Too Much T.V.???WMOIS::SALVI_FTue Mar 03 1992 12:5711
    Jamie, good point, but how can I get my wife (a blonde) to put
    suggestions of a well-built red-head into my head while i'm 
    sleeping??
        One thing comes to mind, when we go to bed the first thing I
    do is turn on the T.V. and the first thing in the morning is to 
    shut it off, it's on all night long. Maybe that's a problem.....
    
            any red-heads out there?? maybe it was you that I saw???
    
    
               Fra
1622.39?????WMOIS::SALVI_FWed Mar 04 1992 07:2813
    
             wal, at 3:00am there is programming, and not white noise
             on T.V.
     
             My wife is just the opposite, she dreams all the time!!!
    
             Maybe it's just me, but i'll keep reminding myself to
             remember.
     
             Maybe one of these days.....
    
              Fra
             
1622.43THANKSWMOIS::SALVI_FThu Mar 19 1992 09:5011
    
             That's true, as strange as it may seem, i've remembered the
        last few that I had, they were kinds weird but I DID remember.
             I guess I owe you guy's a Thanks, I appreciate all the
        suggestions that I got. 
             Wal, I'll be in touch and let you know how it's going.
    
    
              Thanks again to everyone,
    
                      Fra
1622.44How many trips to the bath room did you make? :^)ESMAIL::ESOMSTrusting in the UniverseThu Mar 19 1992 13:336
    Fra,
    
    What suggestions did you use and which ones do you feel helped in
    remembering the dreams?
    
    Joanne
1622.45the "weirder" the betterGIAMEM::ROSEFri Mar 20 1992 03:0015
    
    Re: .43 (Fra)
    
    I'm glad to hear that you've rediscovered your dreams.  Don't be
    put off by the fact that you perceive the dreams as kind of "weird."
    Did you ever play Charades?  The players dream up all sorts of "crazy"
    actions to present information without speaking - it's not easy to do;
    and sometimes the most outrageous postures convey the messages the 
    best.  What Charades players do laboriously, often one letter or one
    word at a time, your brain does instantaneously with much larger wholes
    of information.  See those "weird" dreams for what they are - visual
    masterpieces, original creations, pictures that are indeed "...worth a
    thousand words."
    
    Virginia
1622.46Maybe??WMOIS::SALVI_FFri Mar 20 1992 05:4510
    
       Re: .44
    
             I'm not so sure I can pin-point anything that I may have 
        done differently. The one difference I think might have helped
        was sleeping in a different bed. We're hosue sitting this week
        and that's when I noticed that I was dreaming, or actually
        remembering.
    
               Fra