By Ramesh Kulkarni 

Human beings start dreaming from the age of 2 and continue throughout their life till death.
From the 1940s to 1985, Calvin S. Hall collected more than 50,000 dream reports at Western Reserve University.
In 1966, Hall and Robert Van de Castle published ‘The Content Analysis of Dreams’, in which they outlined a coding system to study 1,000 dream reports from college students.
The most common emotion experienced in dreams are - anxiety.
Other emotions include - abandonment, anger, fear, joy, and happiness.

Negative emotions were much more common than positive ones.

Importantly - People who are blind from birth do not have visual dreams.
Their dream contents are related to other senses, such as hearing, touch, smell, and taste, whichever are present since birth.

A Universal Perspective

Gender
Dreams are gender independent ie Men, women, transgender, non-binary, agender et all…
Everyone dreams.

Nationality
Dreams are not restricted to any nationality or geographical area.
People from all the 195 countries across the world dream every night..

Race
Dreams are ‘Race neutral”.
From the Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander or the Caucasian white of europe.
They all dream everyday…

Languages
Dreams are language independent.
The 7.5 billion people on this planet speak more than 2000 different languages across the world.
And most of the population speak just one language !!
Yet they all dream.

Economic status
Dreams are independent of economic status.
From the kings & emperors to their slaves thru the ages.
From billionaires in their luxurious beds to the homeless on the street.
Everyone dreams...

Religion
Most prophets and saints claim ‘revelations’ in their dreams. !!
Followers of all religions dream.
From the most religious & spiritual to the agnostics and the atheist.
They all dream.

Location & Timings
Dreams are independent of locations.
People dream when sleeping - in their bedroom, on a bench in the park, in a moving train, bus/car and even in planes 10,000 feet in the sky..
Dreams occur everywhere.
And during night as well as in broad daytime.

Animals Dream
BTW its not just human beings - Even Animals dream too.
From domesticated animals like Cats, dogs, horses to Lions, tigers..

Dream Phases
Till date (2024) Scientists thru research & observation have been able to identify & conclude as under.
That during sleep state the human brain goes thru 3 phases

Phase 1 - Deep sleep state.
In this phase the Heart beat, Breathing, Blood pressure etc is normal.
Delta wave activity, correlating with slow-wave (deep) sleep, in particular shows regular oscillations throughout a good night's sleep.
Secretions of various hormones, including renin, growth hormone, and prolactin, correlate positively with delta-wave activity.
Homeostatic functions, especially thermoregulation, occur normally during non-REM sleep,
But notice that the brain itself is relaxed and there is no activity.

Phase 2 – REM (Rapid eye movement)
After 3-4 hrs in deep sleep state the entire system becomes active.
During REM phase, breathing becomes heavy, BP increases, heart beat increases etc
There is a state of muscle atonia (paralysis), resulting in an absence of signals in the EMG.(Electromyography )
REM sleep, as the name indicates, is characterized by a rapid eye movement pattern (Eyeballs rotate rapidly in the socket), visible thanks to the EOG (Electroocoulogram)
It is worth specially noting - There is no Homeostatic functions or thermoregulation during REM sleep.
The brain is active and with flashing signals.
This phase last for 25-30 min.
Dreams occur during this phase.

Phase 3 – Deep sleep state
After the REM phase the brain goes back again into a deep sleep state.
The heart beat, BP& breathing becomes normal etc.
The body is back to normalcy executing Homeostatic functions & thermoregulation..
The brain is relaxed with no activity.

Observation
I. Thus, during REM sleep, body temperature tends to drift away from its mean level, and during non-REM sleep, to return to normal.
II. Alternation between the stages therefore maintains body temperature within an acceptable range.
III. In humans, the transition between non-REM and REM is abrupt. In other animals, it is less so.

Modern day science
Researchers have proposed different models to elucidate the undoubtedly complex rhythm of electrochemical processes that result in the regular alternation of REM and NREM sleep.
Monoamines are active during NREMS, but not REMS, whereas acetylcholine is more active during REMS.
The reciprocal interaction model proposed in the 1970s suggested a cyclic give-and-take between these two systems.
More recent theories such as the "flip-flop" model, proposed in the 2000s, include the regulatory role of an inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Sigmund Freud flight of Fancy!
Freud’s theory of dreams and his dream analysis is just colorful literature.
From his analysis of dreams as wish-fulfillments - to his models including the clinical analysis of symptom formation, the mechanisms of repression, model of Psychic structure ( Id, ego & super ego, libido ), sexualised energy, death drive etc - is just one grand colorful figment of imagination.
Sigmund’s entire hypothesis has no scientific basis.
But Freud’s ignoramus is understandable given the nascent stage of Science at the time (1856-1939)

Conclusion
The MRI scans during REM phase only indicates a fully active brain – A state similar to the one in conscious state.
Beyond this discovery - Science (Oneirology) is stuck in a labyrinth.

So what can you conclude from the all the above data?
What have the scientists concluded?
Nothing. No clue !

Note
The 1st thing we notice is that all dreams have static images as well as dynamic running film.
All dreams have 5 Dimensional aspect – ie visual, touch, smell, sound & taste.
A live experience of real life.

Questions for which science nor religious scriptures have any answers

1. What exactly are these dreams?
2. How do you ‘see’ dreams when you are fast asleep?
3. How do you vividly ‘remember’ in your conscious state - dreams that you Saw when you were in deep sleep?
4. How is it that all the 7.5 billon people - (a) go thru the same 3 phases of sleep? (b) And yet have dreams that are unique to each individual?
5. How are dreams formed?
6. Where do they originate?
7. Where are they stored in the brain?
8. What happens to all the ‘Dreams’ after you get up from your sleep state?
9. How are they so easily retrieved from the stored area of the brain?
11. Do dreams have a deeper and more profound meaning & are they associated with the nocturnal journey of the soul etc?
12. Do Dreams have a meaning & purpose?
13. Or are they just random brain misfire?
14. Most importantly - Why do we dream everyday?

And dozens of such questions….

So - What exactly is happening in the brain?

Our Revolutionary new Theory of everything - Evolutionary Biology ...
Scientifically decodes all the mysteries of life that has baffled & eluded science for centuries ....

Everything is one
(Science documentary by Ramesh Kulkarni)
A fascinating scientific journey into the human brain.
A treatise on 'Evolutionary Biology' - From Atoms to Cells to Multicellular organisms to the complex Human body/Brain system.

By Center for introspection & enlightenment - Canada

Links to the documentaries - email - ciecanada20@gmail.com

Ramesh Kulkarni Linked

Center for introspection & enlightenment
(Initiatives for a Utopian world based on Science…)
BC Canada - www.ci-e.com