Fragmented dreams

Christoph Gassmann, 2005

Puzzle

Some dreams fail to exhibit any linear sequence of events and are therefore difficult to remember. Sometimes the dream jumps from one theme to another and back. Sometimes we get the impression that several dream themes are being treated all at the same time. Ever so often it is not even possible to recognize any direct relationship among the various dream segments. It can well be, then, that we gain the impression that dreams are pure nonsense and that it does not pay to remember such fragments or to write them down. There is even the opinion that all dreams consist of such unrelated nonsense and some scientists hold them to be the gibberish of a badly functioning, sleeping brain. This is the reason that it must be first shown that there are many dreams which exhibit linear sequences and that can be understood. It could be that our waking consciousness is more involved in the construction of such dreams. We do not wish to treat such dreams here, though.

Teilchen in Blasenkammer

It is my opinion that dream fragments, which are difficult to understand, are worth remembering and even putting down on paper. They show us, namely, how our consciousness can also function - that there is a nighttime mode of consciousness. From our day consciousness we are used to having linear sequences. Even during the day, though, we can watch a thriller on the TV or read a novel that is constructed differently. Either one can consist of fragments and only slowly come to a complete picture that is understandable. We like looking at video clips that don't relate true stories but rather show images in rapid sequence and thereby evoke a mood and/or establish a rhythm. In exactly the same way dream fragments can be organized in accordance with certain points of view that are not obviously recognizable. Recently, I dreamt quickly - one right after the other - of two ropes. One fragment involved a stop signal and a rope to an emergency brake that lay close and parallel to one another in a tram. In the other fragment, two parallel strands formed a rope ladder that hung on the facade of a house. I noticed this relationship only later as I was writing the fragments down and reading the accounts through. As I awoke, I only perceived non-understandable snippets and had a lot of trouble recalling them since they did not show any recognizable relationship and told no linear story.

Thus I believe that such fragments are worth remembering. We can thereby train our day consciousness to be better aligned with our nighttime consciousness and this will improve dream recall. This can be very valuable for beginners that struggle with remembering their dreams. Such fragments can provide more advanced dreamers with knowledge about how far away our unconscious soul is organized from our day consciousness.

Christoph Gassmann, Horgen, Switzerland

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