Last night I had a dream having sex one my female cousins while my sister watched. I can remember really being turned on by my cousin in the dream.

Seems sort of sick to me.

LG I really feel bad. Why would I have a dream like that and wake up to remember it ?

Dear OMG_not_MyCousin,

Like with so many scientific phenomena, various disciplines have their own temporal way of explaining them. Freud used to call dreams "the royal road to understanding the unconscious." Now, with our capacity to carry out MRI and PET scans in sleep labs, we know that there's little neuroscientific evidence for Freud's argument that dreams carry hidden agendas or that their superficial content represents some real meaning.

What I do believe is that some people dream more and some less, depending on their genetic makeup, their eating/drinking habits, the temperature of the room, etc. In addition, people under stress seem to dream more, or certainly have "weird" or unpleasant dreams. Rather than imagine that there's some underlying wish on your part to have sex with your female cousin, you may want to ask yourself if there's something stressful or unusual going on in your life at the moment.

In any event, I see dreams more as byproducts of thinking-while-sleeping. It's the same as when you're awake - your brain processes zillions of impulses and thoughts, but the activity slows down to..a dream. And at the same time you're sleeping, so how can you be entirely rational?

I've had the most bizarre dreams on this planet. Have I had sex with people, animals, aliens, relatives, even parents!?! in my dreams? The answer is YES. Do I remember them when I wake up? Well, if they are weird enough, actually YES! Do I berate myself or pay any attention to these dreams beyond being amazed at what the old noggin' can cook up when under the influence of REM sleep? NO, not one iota. What's interesting to note is that during sleep, areas of the prefrontal cortex which sustain working memory, attention, logic and self-monitoring, are inactive. So how could I possibly be rational in my dreams? It's like having part of your judgment completely disconnected and letting the most bizarre thoughts flow through your mind - like being completely thought-disordered for a few minutes each day. It's like we're all nutcases when we're asleep!

As long as the nuttiness doesn't carry over in your awakened state, I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, if you think about it, it's kind of neat what an otherwise rational brain can cook up when sanity goes into hibernation - it's like "what will my crazy mind cook up next?"

Don't fret, my friend. Instead, remain curious and fascinated. Dreams are part of our wondrous human brain activity, about which we know so little. I feel sorry for people who profess never to dream, or even remember their dreams - they really are missing out on some wild mental scenery.

Next time you dream a bad dream, just breathe a sigh of relief. After all, it's only a dream,
The Love Goddess

As usual great advice from you LG. BTW, hope your survey came out well...seemed like you had quite a few participants and encouragement.

Back to topic. I too have had a few incest dreams (sister). Thought i was a wacko. Good to hear your advice and know that i am somewhat normal lol Take care, and thanks for all you do. XO, Belle.

I find it theraputic, but I still don't understand them that well.

Sometimes others, with the advantage of distance, can understand them better.

They do tell you about yourself to some extent, but they are often not all that significant.  Sometimes they are just an unraveling of the day's events couched in symbolism.

I also think that the mind can connect to other planes of existence, and tap into great knowledge.

Recall how the discoverer of DNA (Watson or Crick, I forget which.) realized the double helix shape of the molecule from a dream, and thus unraveled its secret.

Don't worry about dreams, but don't ignore them either.

It is only your mind playing with itself.  Trying to make new connections between data, memories, ideas, etc.  It doesn't mean you will do something or you won't do something.  It is just an imaginary playground with no rules and no repercusions.

It is only your ACTIONS that should be up for review.

-- Modified on 10/10/2009 7:11:52 PM

and various creative acts are associated with dreams.

now i don't keep a diary anymore but i used to. once upon a time i had an interest in Jungian things. so i kept a journal and did formal analysis. i have an idea what the recurring characters represent. with mine much of the material is about necessary adjustments in my erotic life, although the stray analytical puzzle gets solved too.

for about a year now the texture of the dreams has been difficult. but now.... it looks like there is a break in the weather coming... moving on to a happier adjustment.