Tigers and The Threat Simulation Theory of Dreams
So far I’ve blogged about many different kinds of dreams. I’ve talked about dreams that had religious significance. I’ve pondered the philosophical implications of the kinds of altered states of consciousness that are opened up to us in dreams. I’ve even talked about dreams that had some pretty sinister characters and some scary situations in them.
But it might seem surprising that this blog has been on-line for almost two months now and I have yet to write an account of that most frightening kind of dream that we all dread having–an out and out nightmare.
In my opinion, a nightmare goes beyond the simple occurrence of a frightening situation or two in a dream. Despite some scary situations, I wouldn’t classify any of the dreams I’ve discussed previously on this site as nightmares mostly because there was too much thinking going on. There is something, in my opinion, about my nightmares that is much more primal. Whether it’s being chased by a monster or unseen force, being attacked by strange people or animals, or whether it’s about falling from cliffs or being obliterated by nuclear weapons, a nightmare tends to produce, in me at least, a feeling of being hunted.
Date: September 14, 2009
Categories: Dream Narratives, Science of Dreaming
