I find Solms’ conclusion that the brainstem might play a crucial role in dreaming to be particularly intriguing. Given that the brain stem is one of the oldest and most primitive components of the neurological system in human beings, it is possible to envision dreams often having quite primitive origins. Solms’ findings also reinforce the assumption that dreaming (or at least a dream state) is to be found at virtually all levels of the vertebrate subphylum.
I have noted that it seems to be much more attractive to study the physiology of dreams, and even more broadly, the physiology of sleep, rather than studying the psychology of dreams. We obviously have no way of knowing if someone has actually dreamed when they report their dreams. There is no way to discover the “actual” dreams by somehow directly accessing the content produced by this dreamer’s neuro-firings.
During my nights watching the wave patterns on the EEG machine, I often wanted to discern when these patterns are telling me. Does that big delta pattern tell me that my dreamer has seen something big and menacing? Does a quick switching up and down of the pen indicate that my dreamer is running or frightened? I will never know, but will patiently await the moment to wake the dreamer up and ask: “What has been going through your mind?” I must rely on subjective rather than objective information. That is the curse (and opportunity) of dream research.
As we nudge a bit closer to the middle of the spectrum, we find a soft naturalist approach being taken when attention is directed to the adaptive evolutionary function(s) played by dreams. If dreams are common among humans in all societies, then we might conclude that they serve some important role in the evolution (and survival) of our species. While other vertebrates might be dreaming, there might be something unique about the role played by dreams in the flourishing of human cultures throughout the world. I have identified some of these potential adaptive functions in an earlier essay in this series (Bergquist, 2022). These functions range from the entertainment value of dreams (that would be of particular value prior to the introduction of modern media) to the role that dreams might play in providing us with important lessons to be learned for the sake of our survival (especially lessons regarding interpersonal cooperation).
For most analysts of dreams, an approach is taken that resides somewhere between the two extremes. The dream is clearly a product of the dreamer’s biology. No God has been observed handing the dream to someone participating in the sleep lab. However, the dream is also something quite special. When we dream, it is not only our creativity that is brought forth; the exceptionality of dreams is also to be found in our remarkable capacity to place ourselves in the middle of the action.
We become not just playwrights but also the director and actor. We are “embodied” in the thoughts and feelings aroused in the dream. Our motives are vividly exposed, our insights about interpersonal relationships are keenly present, and our hopes and fears about the future are displayed in “full technicolor, wide-screen and stereophonic sound.” Who needs Hollywood when we have dreams? Who needs Broadway when we can create our own extravagant production? Dreams might not be the gift of the Gods, but they certainly are a blessing for which we can all be thankful – even when the dream is scaring the bejesus out of us.
