Chivs86 Philosophies - Oneirology {The Study of Dreaming)
Chivs86 Philosophies -
Oneirology
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a.) How do we dream.
To explain how we dream in the simplest way, you need not think about anything else other than a grain of rice. A tiny part of our brain's called the Pineal Gland. A small segment of our anatomy responsible for the release of Melatonin, a chemical that upon it's secretion - sends us to sleep at night and wakes us up in the morning; regulates our behaviour patterns (most notably our emotions), and it's basically the thing that makes us the Human beings we all are. No matter whether that be the good or the bad ones, or for that matter if this is how they truly feel - the ugly ones. It's effect on our brains is tremendous, and when it comes to dreaming, even more. A process triggered by it's increased release, the chemical that programs fantasy and discerns reality. The reason behind our creation and the milk of our destiny. The link between Melatonin and who we are remains not be seen, but is a very real part of the people that we will all one day become, and at present whom we already are.
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b.) What are dreams?
As the levels of Melatonin rise in our brains, throughout the day we become more tired until it at some point it triggers our body into the stage of sleep. During this stage Melatonin continues to be released, and at high levels is responsible for vivid dreams and nightmares. At lower levels though also it is still the cause of many of our more forgettable dreams and chiefly what begins the whole process of dreaming in the first place, by triggering the stage of R.E.M (Rapid Eye Movement). Which I suppose in a way of explaining it is like a shaking hand with a paintbrush - coating the insides of our eyelids with images created by our thoughts. So clear it would seem that although unconscious we are still aware also of ideas, sensations and emotions. The biggest mystery though is maybe the experience of movement, but I suppose in line with the shaking hand theory you can imagine it being like a set of cartoon sketches that flicked in the right order start to animate the pictures in a constant stream.
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The Dream Argument -
The postulation that the act of dreaming provides preliminary evidence that the senses we trust to distinguish reality from illusion should not be fully trusted, and therefore any state that is dependant on our senses should be carefully examined and rigorously tested whether to determine it is in fact reality -
Sigmund Freud.
C.) The Melatonin Connection - The Manifestation of our deepest desires & anxieties.
Q. i.) Are our dreams key to realising our own destinies?
ii.) Could they be a window where we can glimpse or own future?
iii.) And is there a connection between our unconscious Melatonin levels and our pursuit of happiness.
A. i.) Dreams can make us realise our own destiny's by projecting how our ideas might play out, how we feel about certain people or situations and in some cases can help us to evaluate the right course of action.
ii.) They can give us a glimpse of the future yes, but only if we choose to follow their projected ideas. For example if you fall in love with someone in a dream, to manifest this into reality you can only really do this by making whatever this is clear to the material world. Otherwise it will only remain as a dream, hence the phrase 'follow your dreams' or in a term that it makes more sense 'follow up your dreams'.
iii.) The link between our unconscious melatonin levels and our pursuit of happiness is a measure of our Serotonin (the pleasure chemical). Our melatonin can perhaps be considered in our unconscious state as an indicator of our serotonin releases, and what makes us happy, so when we figure out what these things are, what trigger these releases, we can then pursue the situations that might respond to our future happiness.
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Conclussion -
As human beings it can be considered that as life forms we are all dreamers. Dreamers however we might like to look at it. In any perception, the obvious truth is that when we go to sleep whether we realise it or not we all have dreams. An unconscious refection of reality, and a state it can be considered by some as a whole separate dimension in itself. A place where we can find our destiny's, emulate our mistakes and live inside our fantasies. The study of dreams is called oneirology, but as a science might this be considered as the final frontier of both philosophy & Meta-physics? Only time... as it it draws its last mighty breath will really tell.
