Sunday, February 14, 2010

had too much to dream last night

I don't recall the cub being there

The other night I dreamt about a tiger that was pursuing me.  It was warm out, there wasn't any snow.  I was running around trying to hide between houses and behind trees.  At times, there were others with me.  I don't clearly remember but I think they were some of my kids.

I was very worried about this hungry tiger.  He never caught anyone but nobody likes a tiger on your ass.

Why should you care?

You probably don't but this was my scary dream (not really nightmare intensity) and this is my blog, so you get tigers and read about a place where the shadows run from themselves.

Yellow tigers crouched in jungle in her dark eyes.

Ok maybe I need to turn the Ipod off hours before sleeping.

I can still remember learning about dreams.  I did a report in high school about dreaming and the brain.  I believe researchers had only recently discovered the importance of REM sleep which is the period when you dream.

Did you know, during REM, the activity of the brain's neurons is similar to that during waking hours, but the body is paralyzed.   Occasionally, a person can wake up before the paralysis is gone and just can't move.  

A few months ago I watched a PBS show about theories explaining why we dream.  Very interesting stuff.  Some believe dreaming helps us prepare for the future.  One thing is very clear - dreaming is essential for normal daily activity.

Most of us have had those deja vu moments.  Maybe you dreamt something like that moment before?

So if there is a tiger following me, I'll be prepared.  Yeah right.
as the talking heads told us
"...This ain't no party this ain't no disco this ain't no fooling around...."

Just in case you need to refresh your Electic Prune memories:

19 comments:

OneStonedCrow said...

Aha ... I get the connection - you ate too many Electric Prunes in a White Room on the Chinese New Year - or not?

... I love dreaming, even when they're bad, then trying to analyze them to find the connection to recent events or thoughts ...

dave hambidge said...

It is rare that both Hazel and I don't dream, more usually full blown nightmares which leave one exhausted! Tigers mean big trouble IMHO.

Ocean Girl said...

I rushed over for this? :)

You can't blame me, after all it is Valentine's Day. But then again it is also the new Year of the Tiger. Oh well..

secretagentwoman said...

That is great synchronicity. You're being pursued by the coming of the year of the Tiger! A year traditionally thought to be one of turmoil and upheaval. Perfect.

lisleman said...

That's a great connection that ties the post together.

lisleman said...

My understanding is you need to somewhat wake up at the end of the dream to remember it. We don't remember most of our dreams.

lisleman said...

I didn't even know this year of the Tiger thing until after I posted this. I don't use the Chinese calendar.

lisleman said...

Synchronicity, every breathe you take, great police music. I think that song is the theme song of all stalkers.
Well I could certainly skip on the turmoil and upheaval. Why would leaders ( I don't know who among the Chinese started this predictive calendar thing) put scary fearsome ideas in the year's forecast? Oh, wait a minute didn't the last administration here do that with us?

unknownmami said...

I really like the title of this post. I'm sure I will be using the phrase in the near future.

Joanna Jenkins said...

A tiger on my ass would be a nightmare in my book!

I like the deja vu moments concept about dreaming. I never thought about it that way but it makes a lot of sense.

I've been on the run a lot lately and not around much so I'm off to catch up on your other posts. Hope your week is good.

jj

lisleman said...

jj - thanks for dropping a comment. Deja vu is kinda weird and interesting at the same time.

lisleman said...

Marcia, I don't know how you stumbled onto my blog but your comment is one of the most informative ones I've received. Not to knock other comments. All comments are welcomed ways of sharing but you certainly added to the discussion of dreaming which while I find interesting, I don't treat it very seriously. Thanks.
BTW any other readers interested in dreams should check out Marcia's website:
http://www.meaningofdreams.org/dream_theory/theevolutionarytheoryofdreams.htm

TechnoBabe said...

I usually remember my dreams and proceed to tell hubby all about them, and I remember details. I don't know that he is anxious to hear all about my dreams but he listens politely and comments in all the right places. I for one like dreaming. If I wake up in the night with a bad dream, sometimes I get up and read or blog until I can go back to sleep and not right back to the continuation of the dream. Most of the time I have interesting dreams, like having another adventure.

lisleman said...

I've had dreams that I didn't want to share with anyone. Since I posted this I was reading a little more about dreams and came across "lucid dreaming". It's the term for being aware you are dreaming while dreaming. I've had this experience. I recall thinking about changing the direction of the dream, like I was directing it.
Have you ever had that experience?
thanks for the comment.

Spencer L. Casey said...

Yikes! Last night I had a great dream where a guy was telling me I had gained back all the weight I recently lost. What a jerk.

Thanks for stopping by Naked Toes.

Cheers,

SLC

TechnoBabe said...

Yes I have. I thought it was that I was still in a half sleep state and
didn't want to wake up but didn't like the direction of what was happening.
Most of the time it is amazing how I can still picture all the details and
nuances after I am up. This is really interesting isn't it?

Spencer L. Casey said...

I listen politely as well. You and my wife could attend a lucid dream expo together.

Mrs4444 said...

Sounds like you were feeling pressure/stress about something in your life.

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered the I Survived series on Bio.com and ended up glued to episode after episode. That night, Mr.4444 tells me I had several nightmares and woke up yelling. Thankfully, I have no memory of it.

Marcia Dreamer said...

Dreams about being chased by large, wild animals are, indeed explained by the theory that dreams help you prepare for the future. More specifically, this is an evolutionary-biology-based theory that was originally developed by Antti Revonsuo, who said that our earliest ancestors, the hunter-gatherers who lived in the Pleistocene era, evolved the ability to dream to help them learn how to deal with dangers. That's why we dream about things like being chased by tigers even though it is unlikely that we will ever be chased by a tiger in waking life, and why statistical studies of dreams show that dreams tend to be more negative (frightening and anxiety-provoking) than waking life.

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