Although I had many intriguing dreams during my childhood, including fantastic flying dreams, the idea of becoming a sleep scientist never crossed my mind. All that changed during my first year in college. It was then that I experienced an exceptionally long and vivid lucid dream that changed my life; it was because of this dream that I decided to become a dream researcher. Today, I’m a professor of psychology at the University of Montreal, director of the department’s Dream Research Laboratory, and have published over 100 scientific articles and book chapters on sleep and dreams. I don’t have as many flying dreams as I once did, but I do have a really cool job while awake.
I wrote...
When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep
By
Antonio Zadra,
Robert Stickgold
What is my book about?
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 covering the most up-to-date science in the field. Co-written with my long-time friend and fellow sleep and dream researcher, Robert Stickgold, this book debunks common myths about dreams, reveals recent discoveries about the sleeping brain, explains the many ways in which dreams are psychologically and neurologically meaningful, and details how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight. Making an engaging case for why the human brain needs to dream When Brains Dream offers compelling answers to age-old questions about the mysteries of dreams.
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The Books I Picked & Why
Dreams And How To Guide Them: Practical Observations
By
Léon d'Hervey de Saint-Denys
Why this book?
Have you ever wondered what happens to our mind as we fall asleep? Or whether we can experience things in dreams that we never experienced in waking life? Jean Marie Léon d’Hervey de Saint-Denys tackled these and other questions like them in his remarkable 1867 book, Dreams and How to Guide Them. Saint-Denys used his finely-honed skills as a lucid dreamer (knowing that you are dreaming while still in the dream) to investigate dreams from within, exploring their images, memory sources, and inner logic as they unfolded before (or, rather, behind) his eyes. More amazing still, some 150 years later, many of his Saint-Denys’s ideas can still be found in modern clinical and scientific theories of dreams.
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The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
By
C. G. Jung,
Gerhard Adler
Why this book?
Jung proposed many fascinating ideas about the inner workings of the mind. His concept of the archetypes and of the collective unconscious are two of his best-known contributions, and both are intimately tied to his conceptualization of dreams. The idea that dreams not only emanate from our personal unconscious, but also from our collective unconscious (a deep stratum of the unconscious common to all humankind) and contain universal patterns, images, and dispositions, has helped countless people develop a deeper understanding of their dreams.
What’s more, this book exposes Jung’s view of dreaming as a wholesome, natural process that can give rise to creative—even transcendent—experiences featuring personal challenges, unmapped potentials, and elements of one’s personality. Not always the easiest of reads, but highly rewarding.
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Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming
By
Stephen LaBerge,
Howard Rheingold
Why this book?
Considered by many as a classic in the field, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming presents a practical and insightful approach to lucid dreaming (knowing that you are dreaming while still in the dream) and its applications. Blending dream science, personal experiences, and non-traditional approaches to dream exploration, Laberge, who earned his PhD studying the psychophysiology of lucid dreams while at Stanford University, weaves a broad and captivating account of how to train yourself to have lucid dreams, how to use dream lucidity to explore your dreams, and how these experiences can give rise to creative problem solving and personal growth. A must-read for anyone interested in lucid dreaming.
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The Psychology of Dreaming
By
Josie Malinowski
Why this book?
This book, written by an actual dream researcher, presents a smart and easy-to-read introduction to the psychology of dreams. Covering topics like the history of dreaming, how dreams are scientifically studied, how to work with dreams for personal insight, the possible functions of dreams, lucid dreaming, nightmares, and what the future of dream research may hold, Malinowski does a commendable job of introducing the reader to a wealth of information about dreams. Complete with personal examples, eye-opening insights, and a thoughtful discussion of ethical questions surrounding emerging dream-related technologies, this delightful book is sure to please those looking for an engaging introduction to dreams.
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The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams
By
Patrick McNamara
Why this book?
Written by a well-known sleep and dream scientist, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the neuroscience of sleep and dreams. In addition to covering a wide range of neuroscientific ideas and discoveries, this well-organized and easy to follow book discusses many of these sleep and dream-related findings within larger social as well as evolutionary contexts. The end result is a stimulating and enriching take on our current understanding of the science of sleep and dreams.
