Back in 1983, the Eurythmics insisted that “sweet dreams are made of this”, while in 1988, Billy Ocean demanded we get outta his dreams and into his car.
While these make sense to us on a literal level, dreams themselves remain much more of a mystery.
Science provides some compelling theories on why we dream, yet there’s not one simple answer. Dreams serve multiple purposes and while we don’t always remember them, we all have them.
“Many people are surprised to learn that they’re likely to dream four or five times every night,” says psychotherapist Ilana Laps. “Over an average lifetime, we spend up to six years in a dream state.”
Dreaming allows us to engage with the experiences, thoughts and feelings that are stored in our unconscious memory.
“Our unconscious mind is an immense resource that pushes up
