Science of Dreams

How do dreams work? We dream because... How are they used by our bodies and minds? This groundbreaking investigation of the function and importance of this phenomena begins with these questions. An extensive research, it integrates literature, anthropology, religion, and science to explain the central role dreams play in human civilization and how they acted as the impetus for us to change our natural home on Earth into a human world. From the earliest cave paintings, where Sidarta Ribeiro discovers a key to humankind's earliest dreams and how they helped us develop the ability to perceive the past and future as well as the concept of the existence of souls and spirits, to the most recent cutting-edge scientific research, Ribeiro reaches ground-breaking conclusions about the function of dreams in human existence and evolution. He examines the developments in modern neuroscience, biochemistry, and psychology about the relationships between learning, dreams, and sleep. He explores what research on dreams has revealed about the brain underpinnings of memory and how memory is transformed into recall. And he makes it obvious that modern research has clarified the first understanding of dreams as oracular. CHAPTER: Types of Dreams CHAPTER: Lucid Dreaming CHAPTER: The First Case of Lucid Dreaming Ever Recorded CHAPTER: Myths About Dreams CHAPTER: Dreams And How They Relate To Reality CHAPTER: How To Interpret Your Dreams CHAPTER: The Purpose of Dreaming CHAPTER: What Causes Your Nightmares? CHAPTER: How To Get Over Having Nightmares