XVI: Worlds of dreams

 

 

Not only objects and processes, persons, plans and ideas can be regarded as models, but also whole worlds.

For a tentative overwiew see:

Fig. 76: 25 worlds of models/ model worlds from dreams to science

 

 

 

Dreams: a world of their own

 

Dreams are a world of their own. Already in 1877 R. Körner published „Die Welt der Träume und deren Deutung“, in 1882 Paul-Max Simon „Le monde des rêves“ and in 1911 Henry Havelock Ellis „The world of dreams“.

In 1947 Ralph Louis Woods edited an nearly 1000pages-anthology: „The World of Dreams“, in 1964 the psychologist Detlev von Uslar speculateted on „The dream as world“ („Der Traum als Welt“).

The writer David Coxhead and the artist Susan Hiller speak of „Vision of the night“ (1975), the German historian Rudolf Hiestand of a „life experience“ („eine Lebenserfahrung“). The Jungian analyst and psychiatrist Anthony Stevens denotes dreams and dreaming as „private myths“ (1995).

 

In Antiquity the interpretation of dreams was very important as we see from records on dreams and dream readers.

 

We hear of dreams already in the Epic of Gilgamesh (2700 BC) and in the Epics of Homer (700 BC). Xenophanes (500 BC) and Antiphon (430 BC) critizised the opinion that dreams are sent by Gods. Platon (in „Republic“, 9, 1) and Aristotle (in the “parva naturalia”) theoretizised on dreams.

Descriptions we find on steles in Old Egypt and in a papyrus of the New Era as well as in the Babylonian Talmud (Axel Karenberg, Christian Leitz, 2000, Kasia Szpakowska, 2003).

In the Scripture we hear of dreams of Joseph and his son Joseph, Solomon and Daniel. The eldest dreambooks are of the library of Scribe Kenhirkhopeshef (1250 BC), preserved in fragments, and the five books by Artemidoros („Oneirokritika“; ca. 180 AD). In India Charaka (around 300 BC) explained the process of dreaming.

 

Already Descartes recognized that dreams cannot be distinguished from reality when the dreamer is dreaming. On the other side he fostered the deparation of dreams and reality (Stefan Niessen, 1993).

 

Improtant theories were developed by Sigmund Freud (1900) and Carl Gustav Jung (1928) at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1953 two researchers at the University of Chicago discovered that „Rapid Eye Movement“ (REM) sleep is associated with dreams. But the association is not very strong.

 

Until today, origins, purposes and contents of dreams are widely disputed.

 

 

Bibliography

Traumpsychologie – Traumforschung – Geschichte der Traumdeutung