Understanding DreamsDreams can be bizarre, one moment the dreamer is being chased by a killer in the jungle, when suddenly the dreamer finds himself in Paris sitting with friends having a cup of coffee. Most people dream every night while they sleep, but they have no idea why they are dreaming. Dreams are a fascinating and confusing subject because since ancient times people have been analyzing and researching dreams. Although much research has been gathered, no one has found enough concrete evidence on precisely why people dream what they dream and, in fact, why people dream at all. One of the main reasons is that only the dreamer can live and tell his dream. There are many theories that most scientists agree with. Additionally, dreams are visual images that usually occur during sleep; There are many theories about why people dream and the types of dreams, ranging from thoughts of the day, to fear, to a person's desires and emotions mixed without rational thoughts. The word dream has many meanings. Most people know dreams as events that play out. in people's minds that arise during sleep. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary describes it as "a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep." » In ancient times, many civilizations considered dreams to be omens of the future, while others believed that their souls would travel (Rathus 158). Dreams are like movies, they feature characters, the impossible can happen, and sometimes they are black and white or appear to be in slow motion. Dreams mainly occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep. During this stage...... middle of paper ...... he understood that dreams were unconscious wishes and urges, he also believed that dreams were a way to preserve sleep, but this was later debunked. The next theory is that people dream about the thoughts and activities of the day. This theory seems to be the most important theory about why people dream. The final theory is that dreaming is a biological process and nothing more than emotions combined without physical stimulation or rational thought. The last theory states that there is no reason or real meaning to what the person is dreaming of; However, many dream researchers disagree and believe that dreams reflect a person's personality and true desires. None of these theories are definitive though, only further research can tell. Although dreams are not fully understood, there are many types of dreams that people commonly share: nightmares, lucid dreams, normal dreams, and daydreams...