"A truly comprehensive, scientifically rigorous and utterly fascinating account of when, how, and why we dream. Put simply, When Brains Dream is the essential guide to dreaming." —Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep Questions on the origins and meaning of dreams are as old as humankind, and as confounding and exciting today as when nineteenth-century scientists first attempted to unravel them. Why do we dream? Do dreams hold psychological meaning or are they merely the reflection of random brain activity? What purpose do dreams serve? When Brains Dream addresses these core questions about dreams while illuminating the most up-to-date science in the field. Written by two world-renowned sleep and dream researchers, it debunks common myths that we only dream in REM sleep, for example—while acknowledging the mysteries that persist around both the science and experience of dreaming. Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold bring together state-of-the-art neuroscientific ideas and findings to propose a new and innovative model of dream function called NEXTUP—Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. By detailing this model’s workings, they help readers understand key features of several types of dreams, from prophetic dreams to nightmares and lucid dreams. When Brains Dream reveals recent discoveries about the sleeping brain and the many ways in which dreams are psychologically, and neurologically, meaningful experiences; explores a host of dream-related disorders; and explains how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight. Making an eloquent and engaging case for why the human brain needs to dream, When Brains Dream offers compelling answers to age-old questions about the mysteries of sleep.

"Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity ... An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now ... neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming"--Amazon.com.

Why we dream: the definitive answer tells the remarkable story of how Joe Griffin discovered how and why dreaming evolved in mammals and helped us unravel what our dreams actually mean. Thanks to Griffin's work we now know what dreams are doing for us: they keep us sane, or, in certain circumstances, can drive us mad (psychotic). And this knowledge opens up wonderful new possibilities for humanity: greater creativity; improved mental health and deeper understanding of who we are. Griffin and Tyrrell convincingly show that dreaming is vital for mental health and that the brain state we associate with dreaming (the REM state) also has crucial importance for when we are awake. This understanding of the REM state explains not only how our brains construct a model of reality, but also explains hypnosis, how creative behaviour works, and why we develop mental illnesses such as depression and psychosis.

Science journalist and lucid dreamer Alice Robb explores fresh, revelatory research to uncover why we dream and how we can improve our dream life.

What will you dream of tonight? This dreamy, sumptuously illustrated tale travels through deserts and waterfalls to shipwrecks and dragon-filled caves as a parent wonders where their child's dreams will take them. What will you dream of tonight? Will it be a midnight balloon ride, sailing on the tail of a whale, or swinging through the leaves on a jungle trapeze? This dreamy, sumptuously illustrated tale travels through deserts and waterfalls to shipwrecks and dragon-filled caves as a parent wonders where their child's dreams will take them. But no matter what adventures may unfold, the reassuring ending reminds every little one that when they wake, they will find safety and love.

What if you could trust in getting the health care you need in ways that felt good and helped you thrive? What if the health system honored and valued queer and trans people’s lives, bodies and expertise? What if LGBTQ+ communities led and organized our own health care as a form of mutual aid? What if every aspect of our health care was rooted in a commitment to our healing, pleasure and liberation? LGBTQ+ health care doesn’t look like this today, but it could. This is the care we dream of. Through a series of essays (by the author and others) and interviews, this book by the editor of the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology The Remedy offers possibilities—grounded in historical examples, present-day experiments, and dreams of the future – for more liberatory and transformative approaches to LGBTQ+ health and healing. It challenges readers to think differently about LGBTQ+ health and asks what it would look if our health care was rooted in a commitment to the flourishing and liberation of all LGBTQ+ people. This book is a calling out, a calling in and a call to action. It is a spell of healing and transformation, rooted in love.

The Complete Dream Book is the only dream interpretation book based on concrete data about real people's dreams and how the real events in their lives relate to their nighttime visions.

Your dreams hold the key to a better, fuller life. There is a reason we dream at night. It's not random nonsense. When we are dreaming, we are thinking on a much deeper, more insightful level than when we're awake. When we're dreaming, we're actually problem solving...it's just in a different language. Our minds are speaking to us in codes: warning, helping, and guiding us through our constantly evolving situations in life. The mind, through dreams, is trying to alert us to problems it wants fixed. The truth is, our best thinking isn't done in the shower, it's done while we dream. In fact, when we say, "Let me sleep on it," what we're really saying is, "Let me dream on it." In this easy-to-use guide, renowned dream analyst Lauri Quinn Loewenberg gives you the tools to interpret the often confounding language of dreams. You will learn how to: * unlock the hidden dream communications your mind wants you to know * understand commonly occurring people, places and animals as extensions of your personality * decipher the real meaning behind nightmares like falling, drowning, and being chased * discover the big messages in seemingly small dream elements as Lauri guides you through dozens of real-life dreams * use your dreams as a tool to solve your everyday problems and effect real change in your life and relationships * reference the most important dream symbols with a comprehensive dream dictionary

Psychological and mystical meanings of symbols in dreams.