Field Notes From Dreamland

I’ve always been fascinated by dreams. That’s why I’m excited to be writing a book on the science of dreaming. I’ll be exploring the connection between our waking and dreaming worlds, what our dreams reveal about our mental health, and how we can use our dreams to better our well-being.

We spend every night of our lives dreaming. We’re the director, screenwriter, and usually the protagonist of our dreams, yet we remain unaware of their power and possibility. There are so many questions to explore. Why do we need to dream? How does our dreaming brain choose from a lifelong album of experiences, emotions, and thoughts? How can we reclaim this other side of our existence?

During the day, our mind is constrained by our waking control. We focus on work, school or relationships. We spend a lot of mental energy avoiding difficult thoughts and emotions. Our dreaming brain operates in a different mode. Free from waking distractions, it explores new ideas, solves problems in unique ways and confronts conflicts with a different mindset. When we dream, our experiences are as real to us as our waking experiences. So why not reflect and learn from our dream life?

I’m spending the next year researching and writing about dreams, and I’ll be sharing what I learn along the way. Sign up for my blog below and follow @scienceofyouandme where I’ll be sharing my own dream experiments, tools to use our dreams, and stories of dream scientists who uncover many of the mysteries of dreams. When you think about your dreams, what are you curious to learn more about? I’m always looking for new questions to explore.