Recap

Dreams & Nightmares

Craig Webb of the Dreams Foundation discussed various types of dreams as well as nightmares. His interest in the subject was sparked after he nearly drowned on a rafting trip, and he began experiencing intense dream recall. Often with nightmares and recurring dreams, the subconscious is trying to teach a lesson or get us to pay attention to a particular issue, he explained--- and if we don't listen, the issue can show up in the waking state, taking the form of physical accidents and illnesses.

Lucid dreaming can be utilized to put an end to nightmares, he noted, citing the case of a California woman, who turned to the person who was repeatedly chasing her and said "this is my dream, and you can't hurt me." The man told her that he loved her and was only chasing her because she was running from him, and then he dissolved into her. Lucid dreaming can also be used to have fun experiences such as flying, and to request messages from dream characters.

People can choose to meet in "mutual dreams" or sometimes share similar dream themes on the same night, said Webb. He also presented an interesting bit of research which indicated that waking events or "day residue" that shows up in dream content is more likely to come from 5-7 days ago, rather than 2-3 days ago.