American Scientists Have Explained Why The Dead Are Alive In A Dream - Alternative View

Table of contents:

American Scientists Have Explained Why The Dead Are Alive In A Dream - Alternative View
American Scientists Have Explained Why The Dead Are Alive In A Dream - Alternative View

Video: American Scientists Have Explained Why The Dead Are Alive In A Dream - Alternative View

Video: American Scientists Have Explained Why The Dead Are Alive In A Dream - Alternative View
Video: Using Science To Study The 'Afterlife': Closer To An Answer | TODAY 2024, March
Anonim

In the course of American studies, it turned out that 60% of women and 40% of men often dream about deceased relatives who come to living people. In a dream, the living and the dead embrace, talk and come to understanding. American scientists are trying to find out if these dreams have patterns that can explain the unexplained

However, say the researchers, Americans are more withdrawn. Our way of life - lack of sleep, late sitting in front of the TV, alarm clocks - limit the possibilities of dreams: only deep sleep leads to memorable dreams. In addition, many of us reject anything that defies scientific proof. "The tradition of scientific skepticism in the United States is that dreams are random nonsense," says Kelly Bulkeley, former president of the International Dream Research Association and visiting researcher at the Theological Graduate School in Berkeley, California.

It's a "tragedy" because people who have these dreams feel embarrassed about it, says Jeffrey Long, an oncologist who founded the Foundation for the Study of Communication after Death. He collected testimonies from over a thousand people.

Imaging studies of the brain suggest that the prefrontal cortex - the brain that controls logical thinking - shuts down when we sleep. The parts of the brain that are then activated are more associated with imagination and emotions, and this may explain the visitation dreams.

In 1999, Glen Lord's four-year-old son died of complications from tonsillectomy. Soon after, the Lord began to dream that his Noah had grown up and become a healthy young man. The Lord was comforted by these "visits." But in 2002, he had a dream in which Noah introduced him to two boys. “He explained that he had to leave, but these boys would stay with me,” Lord recalls. - When I woke up, I told my wife that I know that I will no longer dream of him. And so it happened. " The Lord, who runs a manufacturing firm in New Hampshire, believes the last dream was an assurance from Noah that he was doing well and a reminder that there are other children who need love. In late 2002, Lord and his wife adopted two brothers under the Russian adoption program, the newspaper said. Michigan hosts annual Compassionate Friends conferences,self-help groups for parents whose children have died. This July, about 1,100 parents attended the conference.

Participants learned that typical "sad dreams" are often fragmentary and full of symbols. They have common stories, for example, a trip: the sleeper gets out of the plane or train, and the deceased loved one goes on without him. The session was moderated by Carla Blowey from Colorado. In 1991, her five-year-old son, Kevin, was hit by a truck while riding a bicycle. He died in her arms. Since then, she has kept a dream diary, and it seems to her to be healing. Dreams about Kevin brought relief from the sadness of being awake, and even painful dreams were light. One day she dreamed that she was entering the house and saw Kevin, who was standing on the stairs and crying because he was left alone. She sat down on the stairs and reassured him. She asked the participants what words came to their minds about this dream. They answered: "guilt", "love", "helplessness." She offered her interpretation:it was the house of death, and she had to die earlier so that Kevin wouldn't be there alone. The dream made her realize how much it was pressing on her.

On the other hand, "visiting dreams" are usually more vivid and need less interpretation. In these dreams, those who have died of a serious illness are often healthy; if they moved in a wheelchair, in a dream they walk. These dreams may seem "prophetic" to those who see them, says Bill Guggenheim, co-founder of the independent research group After Death Communication Project. Women are more open to potential sleep cues, while men are less likely to talk about it, the researchers say. The Guggenheim suggests that men are afraid of being seen as eccentric or overly consumed with grief. “They care what their bosses and friends think of them,” he says. Some of the members said they couldn't see their loved ones. Sarah Brummel, 26, from California, gave this advice. After her brother Gregory died in his sleep in 2003,he often dreams of her. And her mother really wanted to see Gregory in her dream, but she could not. Brummel advised her mother to stop watching TV before going to bed, and instead spend a few minutes in quiet reflection. “After that, dreams began to come,” said Brummel.

Scientists cannot answer the question of whether these dreams are visits or simply “an expression of our deepest desires,” says Bulkely. "This is a controversy where no answer can be found." But as Blowey told grieving parents, dreaming about a loved one who died is often a gift. “Don't go deep into his analysis. Accept it with gratitude."