In the weeks after Sept. 11, an air traffic controller who monitored the Pentagon crash had a recurring dream. For many nights, she replayed the horror and its tragic outcome. Then one night the dream changed. She dreamed that she could reach inside the radar screen, her hand pressing into a green gel, and cradle the airplane. She dreamed she could change things, save all of those lives.
“Eventually, the plot changed for the better,” said Andrea Rock, journalist and author of the new book “The Mind at Night: The New Science of How and Why We Dream” (Basic Books, $26).
Rock has long wondered why the brain develops so many plots and characters during sleep rather than, say, resting or “just doing routine maintenance.” She set out to answer the question–and uncovered many more answers.
She talked with leading researchers in the field, which has opened up full throttle thanks to brain imaging techniques that allow scientists to monitor which parts of the brain are most active during the sleep cycle.
“What’s in charge of the dream show is the emotional part of the brain,” said Rock. “It contextualizes your day and your life.”
Our dreams are fueled by emotional memory, Rock found.They are most vivid during the REM (rapid-eye movement) portion of the sleep cycle. Early in the night, the REM dreams work off more recent memories.
“Your dreams get more vivid and longer during the second half of the night,” said Rock. “The memories are older and older as the night goes on. They can go deep into your childhood about things you can’t remember during the day.”
Rock said just imagining an action trips the brain’s motor command, and your body’s muscles will react.
Some researchers hypothesize that mammals developed REM sleep as a way to process survival information such as “climbing up a tree to escape the tiger,” said Rock. She added that behavioral scientists are not surprised when an athlete or entertainer reports having dreamed a successful outcome. The body, in a way, has “rehearsed” success.
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Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus is an example from “The Mind at Night.” During one of his rare periods when he struggled on the pro tour, Nicklaus had recurring dreams about a different way to hold his club. After a few more mediocre tournament finishes, Nicklaus decided to try the new grip as he dreamed it. He went on to regain his championship form in short order.
Scientists told Rock they, too, sometimes solved difficult problems in their dreams. It helps explain why we sometimes get good ideas or a solution “pops” in our heads when we are doing something decidedly not cerebral. Albert Einstein, for instance, worked out theories while pedaling a bike.
A favorite editor of mine repeatedly showed up in the morning with a “shower headline” for her Sunday feature section because the relaxation of a shower provided her some thinking space. Maybe there’s hope for us daydreamers yet.
More from Rock: Studies show that people who are clinically depressed dream less therapeutically than the normal sleeper. The depressed person dreams so intensely with the emotional memory that it activates the problem-solving portion of the brain. Rather than wake up happier than when you went to sleep–the expected result of dreaming and unloading emotional baggage–a depressed individual wakes up more agitated.
“The emotional REM system and problem-solving function are in high gear,” said Rock. “Scientists call it a ruminating pattern. There is no break for the depressed person.”
As she does radio shows for the book, Rock expects plenty of questioning callers who wonder about the deep history of interpreting dreams for symbolism. Dreams can help guide our life and decisions, she said, but a “one-size-fits-all dream dictionary” is not valid.
Rock pays special attention to Sigmund Freud, who insisted that the bizarre nature of dreams stems from the mind’s attempt to censor taboo wishes, many sexual, stemming as far back as early childhood.
“Current scientific evidence indicates Freud was wrong about censorship and that no elaborate decoding of symbols is required,” said Rock. “Sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar, and sexual themes are far less prominent in dreams than Freudian theory suggested.
But Freud is vindicated on other important points: Dreams are driven by strong emotions and instincts. Paying attention to our dreams can provide clues about overlooked emotional issues in our waking behavior.”
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E-mail Bob Condor at [email protected]. Send health and fitness news to [email protected].