In: Psychology
Sleep and Dream Journal
STEP 1: For this assignment, you’ll be keeping track of your sleep habits and your dreams in order to analyze your sleep habits and examine dream theories.To begin, make a copy of this sleep log (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
STEP 2: Keep track of your sleep habits and dreams for a MINIMUM of 3 days.
STEP 3: While it’s not guaranteed you will remember your dreams, you can take some steps to help. Begin by telling yourself you want to remember your dream, then print off the sleep/dream journal and have paper and a pen (or your phone) next to your bed right when you wake up. Try to review the dream in your head as soon as you wake up, and consider specifics such as the people involved, the location and setting, the storyline, or how you felt.
STEP 4: Submit your sleep journal and sleep essay based on the following prompt: Based on your sleep/dream journal and what you have learned about the purpose for dreaming, write a 1-2 page essay (between 250-500 words) about your own sleep habits. Your essay should include:
An analysis of your sleep habits.
Do you go to bed at the same time every night?
How many hours a night do you normally sleep?
How could you be a better sleeper?
Do you notice any patterns?
What concepts from your text might apply to your sleep habits?
An analysis of your dreams. Why do you usually dream?
Are there any patterns or re-occurring themes?
Is there any consistency between the things you do during the day and the dreams you have? *If you cannot remember your dreams, you can skip this part and spend more time focusing on the steps above and below.
Dreams are the royal road to unconscious , as it lowers the ego defences and represents it in characters and content of the dream. The dreams holds a latent meaning of the repressed desires, traumas, pain, pleasure etc that a person has unconsciously buried in his psyche , to avoid distress on a conscious surface. My sleep pattern and the dream structures are fascinating. I usually sleep by 10 each night. I religiously follow a routine of not consuming anything heavy before I sleep, as it disrupts my state of sleep pattern. Although, I sleep at around the mentioned time, I usually don't dream often and even if I do, I can barely retain it in the morning. However, there is one constant dream that I often see. It involves my looking my tooth on the day of my final examination. I see myself getting ready for school in the morning.My mother has made apple pie for breakfast, and as I start to take the first bite, my front tooth falls on the plate. I see myself panicking and trying to pick up the tooth from the plate but i see my hands become immobile(as if it has been paralysed ). The dream itself is so anxiety provoking that i wake up in sweat.This dream is reoccurring and each time I see myself getting paralysed, I wake up abruptly. An analysis of this dream have revealed alot about my own fears and anxiety that I have repressed and never acknowledged to begin with. I have noticed that in the time of examination or any event that puts a pressure on me to perform well, this dream appears. I believe, my tooth falling on the plate is symbolic of my unprocessed and unacknowledged anxiety of under achievement. The Apple pie is symbolic of my space that I feel safe in. The tooth falling on the apple pie , perhaps represent a distortion or potential distess in my comfort area of life. Although, this dream can be analysed in multiple ways using Jungian analysis, but the first natural understanding of my own dream is the revelation of my excessive use of defence mechanism to avoid any situation that might categorise me as a under achiever. There are still alot of revelation and understanding that needs to be understood to examine my own state of internal affairs. The components of my psyche is reflected in my dreams with latent symbolism , and I hope that with time I would be able to understand the depth of my own psyche.
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