by Victoria Plummer

Some people remember vivid[生動的] dreams； some swear they cannot remember dreaming at all. Some dream in black and white； most people dream in color. However， one thing is for sure， everyone dreams. From the time we are babies until the day we die， our minds constantly[不斷地] produce dreams while our bodies and brains are at rest. But， what exactly are dreams， and why do we have them？

Dreaming is a symbolic[象征的] language designed to communicate your inner wisdom to you while you are asleep. The part of your subconscious[潛意識的] that processes[加工，處理] dreams—your dream self—sends messages as symbols and images， which in turn conveys[傳達] ideas or situations in a visual[視覺的] language.

有些人能回憶起生動的夢境，有些人則宣稱他們根本不記得自己做過夢；有些人的夢是黑白的，大多數(shù)人的夢則是彩色的。不過，有一件事是肯定的——每個人都會做夢。從我們還是小寶寶時起，直到死去的那天，在我們的身體與大腦休息時，我們的意識都在不斷地制造夢境。但夢到底是什么，我們又為什么會做夢呢？

夢是一種符號語言，讓你得以在睡眠時與自己的內(nèi)在智慧進行交流。在你的潛意識當中，負責處理夢境的那一部分——也就是你的“夢中自我”——利用象征符號和圖像傳遞信息，依次將各種想法或情況轉(zhuǎn)化為可視化語言。

While many agree about what dreams are， there is still debate over why we actually dream. Most experts believe we dream to assist the body with rest， repair and rejuvenation[更新恢復]. Others speculate[推測] that we dream for psychological[心理的] reasons： to re-examine the days events， to reduce and relieve stress， and to provide an outlet[出口] for pent-up[被壓抑的] emotions. Keep reading to see the five most widely accepted reasons why we dream.

5. Compensation[補償]

Although we might have fantastical[空想的] dreams of flying， or getting pleasantly lost in a land called Oz注1， these beautiful dreams really are not as abstract[抽象的] as one might think. Famed psychologist[心理學家] Carl Jung注2 believed that even our most fanciful[奇異的] dreams are methods of compensation for events that occur in our waking lives. For example， a person who experiences unhappiness in their waking life may have fantastically blissful[有福的] dreams as compensation， so their spirits wont plummet[垂直落下] into complete despair[失望]. On the other hand， a person who is largely successful may also have dreams of failure or defeat to compensate for feelings of invincibility[無敵] and power.

Jung also suggests that dreams may also reflect underdeveloped parts of our personalities[個性]. This may explain the reason why the dream behavior of some people is very different from the actions and conditions in their waking lives.

盡管很多人對夢的定義有一個普遍共識，不過對于我們做夢的真正原因，人們至今依然爭論不休。大多數(shù)專家認為，我們做夢是為了讓自身歇息修復，重煥活力。其他人則猜測我們做夢有心理學上的原因：重新檢視當天發(fā)生的事情、減輕和緩解壓力，并為被壓抑的情緒提供一個宣泄口。繼續(xù)讀下去吧，看看做夢的五個最受認可的原因是什么—

5. 補償作用

盡管我們也許會做一些很神奇的夢，比如翱翔天際，又或是在一個叫奧茲國的地方愉快地迷了路，這些美夢其實并不像我們想象的那么抽象。著名心理學家卡爾·榮格認為，即便是最稀奇古怪的夢境，也不過是對在我們清醒時發(fā)生的事情的補償。打個比方，一個人在清醒時遇到不開心的事情，他/她也許會做一些奇妙的幸福美夢作為補償，這樣他/她的心情就不會徹底跌到低谷。另一方面，一個非常成功的人也有可能做一些失手或者落敗的惡夢，從而抵消那種戰(zhàn)無不勝、充滿力量的感覺。

榮格同時指出，夢境還能反映出我們性格中沒有得到充分發(fā)展的部分。這也許就能解釋為什么有些人的夢中行為與他們清醒時的行動和情形會有非常大的差異。

4. Coping M echanism[機制]

When dealing with stressful situations， your dreams become very different， and sometimes reflect your inner feelings. By displaying significant symbols and issues[問題] relating to your waking life， your dreams are trying to establish[建立] connections as an effort to cope with your inner stress.

Psychiatry[精神病學] professor Ernest Hartmann suggests that dreams are directed by particular emotions， like stress and worry. Varying emotions cause new material to be constantly “weaved” into the memory of the dreamer in ways that help him or her cope with stress， trauma[創(chuàng)傷] and other types of psychological anxiety[憂慮].

3. Inf ormat ion Processing and M emory

Research already supports the claim that sleep is fundamental[基本的] to a well functioning mind and memory. However， some suggest that the key to memory consolidation[鞏固] lies not within a few hours of rest， but in the dreams we have instead.

Most dreams incorporate[合并] recent events weve experienced. Perhaps you dreamt of that traffic accident you saw last week， or you might have reflected on your weekly trip to the grocery store. These kinds of dreams might actually be your brain processing and organizing the conscious[有意識的] and unconscious[無意識的] stimuli[刺激物] it receives throughout the day. After your daily memories have been consolidated by your dreams， your brain gets a chance to refresh itself， in a sense[在某種意義上]； dreams are the brains way of “rebooting[重新啟動] the system.”

4. 應對機制

當面對充滿壓力的情況，你的夢境會變得很不一樣，有時還能反映出你內(nèi)心的想法。通過一些有重大意義的符號，以及一些與清醒時有所聯(lián)系的事情，夢境試圖建立起各種關(guān)聯(lián)，以應對你的內(nèi)在壓力。

精神病學教授歐內(nèi)斯特·哈特曼認為夢境由特定的情緒“執(zhí)導”，比如壓力以及擔憂。不同的情緒將新素材不斷地“編織”成做夢者的記憶，從而幫助他/她面對壓力、創(chuàng)傷，以及其他心理焦慮。

3. 信息處理與記憶

已有研究證實睡眠對大腦與記憶的良好運作至關(guān)重要。不過，有人認為鞏固記憶的關(guān)鍵并不在于那幾小時的休息，而在于我們所做的夢。

大多數(shù)夢境會包含我們最近的經(jīng)歷。你也許夢見了上周目睹的那場交通事故，又或者回憶起每周都要去雜貨店的經(jīng)歷。這樣的夢可能其實是你的大腦正在分析整理它這一天下來接收到的各種刺激元素——無論是有意識的還是無意識的。在某種意義上，等夢境對你的日常記憶進行鞏固之后，你的大腦就可以提提神；夢境就是大腦“重啟系統(tǒng)”的方式。

2. Resolution[分解，解決]

If youre puzzled over a particularly difficult problem， the last thing youll want to do is lose sleep over it. In fact， you just might want to get more. We already know the positive[積極的] effects of sleep and dreams on memory， but dreams can also help us tackle everyday problems in life.

When approached with obstacles[障礙]， we primarily pull on information we already know—our memories—to resolve[解決] them. This makes dreaming especially helpful because it helps organize and consolidate memories， making them easier to get to when were problem solving. Some scientists also propose[建議] that while we sleep， our brains continue to process issues of concern in our waking lives and constantly attempt to come up with[想出，提出] answers and solutions. So if youre facing a particularly difficult situation， go ahead and sleep on it. It might actually help.

1. W ish Fulf illment

Have you ever noticed that your dreams always involve[包括] you？ Dont worry； dreams are naturally egocentric[自我中心的] because they typically reflect one of your deep desires or concerns. In Sigmund Freuds注3 influential[有影響力的] book， The Interpretation[解釋] of Dreams， he suggests that dreams are the direct result of repressed[被壓抑的] emotions and they might represent unconscious thoughts， wishes or desires.

In dreams， your subconscious can uncover the wishes that your conscious mind has learned to repress. Maybe that dream about you driving a racecar made of cheese wasnt so foolish after all； it could just be your subconscious desire to be the best NASCAR注4 driver ever sponsored[贊助] by Kraft.

2. 分析情況

如果一個特別難辦的問題讓你迷惑不解，你最不想做的事情就是為之輾轉(zhuǎn)難眠。事實上，你也許還想睡久一點呢。我們已經(jīng)知道睡眠和做夢對記憶有積極作用，而夢境還可以幫助我們解決日常生活中會遇到的問題。

遇到困難時，我們首先會提取出已知的信息——也就是我們的記憶來解決問題。這就讓做夢顯得尤為有益，因為夢境能幫助我們整理及鞏固記憶，讓我們在解決問題時更容易找到這些信息。還有些科學家指出，我們睡覺時，大腦仍然在處理我們清醒時所關(guān)注的事情，并不斷嘗試找出問題答案以及解決辦法。所以如果你面臨一個特別棘手的困境，不妨先睡一覺，明天再說吧——可能真有幫助呢。

1. 滿足愿望

你留意到了嗎，你的夢總是和自己有關(guān)吧？別擔心，夢境本來就是以自我為中心的，因為它們反映的是你的深層欲望或關(guān)注點。西格蒙德·弗洛伊德寫了一本影響深遠的《夢的解析》，他在書中指出，夢境由被壓抑的情緒直接導致，可能代表著無意識的想法、愿望或欲望。

在夢中，顯意識壓制的愿望會被潛意識揭露出來。也許你夢見自己駕駛著一輛奶酪做的賽車并不是什么蠢事——這可能是你在潛意識里渴望成為卡夫食品公司贊助的、史上最棒的納斯卡賽車手呢。

注1：小說《綠野仙蹤》中一個虛構(gòu)的國度。

注2：卡爾·榮格（1875-1961），瑞士心理學家、精神科醫(yī)生，分析心理學的創(chuàng)始者。

注3：西格蒙德·弗洛伊德（1856-1939），猶太人，奧地利精神分析學家，精神分析學的創(chuàng)始人。著有《夢的解析》、《精神分析引論》、《圖騰與禁忌》等。

注4：全國運動汽車競賽協(xié)會（National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing）的簡稱，是美國最大、最受認可的賽車競速團體。