Theories Of Dreaming | dream studies portal

The Doppelgänger: facing the otherworldly mirror

Posted by Ryan Hurd on November 9, 2011 | 3 Comments

At night, the veil is thin. The spirits are marching. Cold air blankets their arrival. Through the mists, a figure emerges. He is a stranger, cloaked in dark spun wool, his face obscured. He stands next to your bed and you strain for recognition.
The light shifts, shadows warble, and then you see his face.

Filed Under: Nightmares & Dream Terrors, Theories of Dreaming

Is lucid dreaming unnatural?

Posted by Ryan Hurd on July 11, 2011 | 5 Comments

This is the second article in a series that starts with the question: Is lucid dreaming safe? One of most frequent arguments against lucid dreaming is the notion that lucidity disturbs the process—and the function—of dreaming.
It’s a strange critique, because the function of dreaming remains unknown. But for many clinical practitioners, dreams are thought to [...]

Filed Under: Lucid Dreaming, Theories of Dreaming

Do dreams have meaning? A quick tour of the dreaming brain

Posted by Ryan Hurd on March 31, 2011 | 7 Comments

Sigmund Freud is considered the father of dream science, even though most of his dream theory is largely discredited today. But from the get-go Freud assumed that dreaming was an expression of the mind-brain system, a premise still widely accepted by scientists, psychologists and philosophers today. Still, in popular culture, we still hear the question [...]

Filed Under: Dream Interpretation, Theories of Dreaming

A Marriage of Lucid Dreaming and Traditional Dream Analysis

Posted by Ryan Hurd on September 30, 2010 | 4 Comments

This is guest post by psychotherapist and author Scott Sparrow.

Filed Under: Theories of Dreaming

Allan Hobson and the Neuroscience of Dreams

Posted by Ryan Hurd on January 7, 2010 | 10 Comments

The neuroscience of dreaming is a relatively new enterprise but has quickly become the major paradigm of experimental dream research today. J. Allan Hobson, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus at Harvard University, is the undisputed celebrity of this scientific outlook, and the author of several popular books on the topic. Hobson, in his 30 years of [...]

Filed Under: Theories of Dreaming

Calvin Hall and the Cognitive Theory of Dreaming

Posted by Ryan Hurd on December 3, 2009 | 10 Comments

Any survey of modern dream research must include Calvin Hall (1909-1985). Hall was a behavioral psychologist who explored the cognitive dimensions of dreaming. His work began before the discovery of REM sleep, so little was known about the biology of sleep and dreams. Hall drew worldwide attention for his cognitive theory of dreaming, which was [...]