Q&A: What our dreams can tell us about ourselves and connection to the world
CBC
Do you ever wake up from a vivid dream and wonder what it means?
Western University Professor Sharon Sliwinski has been studying what dreams can tell us about ourselves, our relationships with other and the world around us. Sliwinski's work led to the creation of The Musuem of Dreams, which sparked the podcast series The Guardians of Sleep and a record deal for the musician who created soundscapes for the project.
Sliwinski talked about the significance of dreams with London Morning host Rebecca Zandbergen.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
RZ: Why are you so passionate about dreams?
SS: Dreams are important to me because they've always been at the centre of human culture. We're dreaming creatures, but that has gone away. At least in the Western world, we've lost our interest in dreams, I think.
RZ: What can our dreams teach us?
Well, they are a very important form of thought. You know, a lot of the great social innovations came from dreams. We think of it when we're awake as daydreaming or a wandering mind or reverie.
Teachers seem to hate when students are not paying attention, but, in fact, that's when some of the most important thinking happens. And researchers, in particular neuroscientists, are now starting to understand that dreaming is, in fact, a crucial mental process that helps emotional regulation. It helps in a whole host of things, and if we lose our dreaming, we lose our space for sleeping, and all kinds of bad things start to happen.
RZ: What is The Museum of Dreams project all about?
SS: The Museum of Dreams is a project that's got a social and political edge to it. It's trying to think through how dreams help our collective political lives together.
It began as just a simple archive. I was doing research on the social and political importance of dreams and I found all these amazing dreams and historical records, like Nelson Mandela, for example, had a recurring nightmare when he was in Robben Island. I wanted a place to put that so the public had access to it. If you're just looking up dreams, you know, like did Nelson Mandela have dreams, you'd be able to find it. You know, they're everywhere, but there's not a central place to find them.
RZ: Do dreams actually tell us what our minds, in some sort of subconscious way, are worried or anxious about?
SS: You can think of them as a way of working through emotional conflict, they're almost like a little bit of a therapist that happens to us at night. They help sort through whatever it is that we're anxious about.
Moubarak Bokhit Ali's memories of his home country of Sudan are punctuated by flashes of violence.
The man behind the Moose Jaw health centre that has claimed “a 100 per cent success rate in stopping the progression and in restoring function of people with ALS” says a recent CBC story about his company is evidence that he is seen as “a direct threat to the ALS drug industry.”
The Neighbour to Neighbour Centre’s trans and non-binary grocery program, which offers free food and household products to community members once a month, began with a simple question: how do we get free menstrual products to trans people without being awkward?
Bill Van Vugt is living a life that's unlike most other people his age, and one which has seen him turn a longtime hobby into championship gold.
The provincial government is taking steps toward improving Alberta's lucrative sand and gravel industry.
As medical labs across Ontario remain understaffed, one medical association is calling on the province to expand labs’ capacity for student placements by funding positions to train them.
The year wrapping up means it's getting closer to tax season, and the federal Community Volunteer Income Tax Program will once again be offering free filing services for Islanders with modest incomes.
It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada.
Natasha Martin-Mitchell says creating art gives her a sense of calmness that acts as a medicine during stressful times.
Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his first game back from injury to power the Jets to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg's three-game losing skid.
Alberta’s auditor general Doug Wylie says his office's budget will be $1.5 million short next fiscal year.
British Columbia has filed a civil claim against e-cigarette giant Juul Labs, alleging the company developed highly addictive nicotine products and fuelled youth nicotine addiction with “deceptive marketing practices.”
There's been positive reaction in Ottawa to news that the nation's capital could be home to Canada’s first high-speed rail line by the end of the decade.