People all over the country are packing into movie theaters to see Inception, the Sci-Fi blockbuster about a man who extracts secrets from the subconscious of people while asleep in the dream state. But the movie is also sparking a flurry of media attention around the topic of dreams and what we know (and don't know) about them, and two real experts in current dream science are joining the conversation. Professors Deirdre Barrett and Patrick McNamara are the editors of The New Science of Dreaming (2007), a 3-volume set from Praeger and the most authoritative source that exists regarding the biology and psychology of dreaming. And now ABC-CLIO is inviting all of our faithful readers and first-time blog visitors to get involved in the discussion, have some fun, and generate even more thought on the topic of dreams, by taking part in this contest.
Please share with us your most remarkable dream--one that brought you to an "inception," or the beginning of a new personal path or idea. Perhaps it was a dream that made you recognize a problem or set you on the road to a solution. Maybe it was a dream that initiated a later action that changed your life, for better or worse. Or possibly it was a dream that simply moved you to an important insight that nothing in your waking state had--or could have--ever revealed so effectively. Tell us about your dream and what kind of inception it launched for you! Psychologists Barrett and McNamara will choose one winner to receive a free copy of The New Science of Dreaming set AND one single-volume book of your choosing from the collections of ABC-CLIO.
Click here for the link to the contest.
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Rules: All entries must be submitted by Midnight on Friday, July 30. Please submit only one entry per valid email address. One winner will receive a free copy of The New Science of Dreaming and one single-volume title of your choosing from any of ABC-CLIO's imprints (ABC-CLIO, Greenwood, Praeger, Libraries Unlimited, and Linworth). The contest is open to all librarians, teachers, high school and college students, and general readers.
Further Reading on Inception and Dreams
Wall Street Journal article w/Deirdre Barrett: "How to Tame Your Nightmares"
New York Times article w/Patrick McNamara: "Take a Look Inside My Dream"
New York Times article w/Deirdre Barrett: "Winding Through 'Big Dreams' Are the Threads of Our Lives"
Inception review for the International Association for the Study of Dreams by Deirdre Barrett
CNN interview w/Deirdre Barrett: "Can Your Dreams Be Manipulated?"
ABC News article w/Deirdre Barrett: "Inside 'Inception'"
USA Today article w/Deirdre Barrett: "With 'Inception,' Christopher Nolan's Head Games Continue"
I don't think I've ever had a dream that pushed me to make changes to my life, but lately I've been dreaming about a family member that passed away at about this time last year. I miss her terribly, and I always feel happy after I have a conversation with her in my dreams.
ReplyDelete@ABC-CLIO Blogger - have you seen "Inception?" If so, I'd like to know what you thought of it.
Cheers, Liz
I did see 'Inception' and found it visually breathtaking and extremely stimulating. The concept of implanting an idea into someone's subconscious while they are asleep and what the consequences are if you play with the mind is an interesting one. Also, the movie allows room for your own interpretation. It is one of my favorite movies of the year, by far. -- Rachel N., ABC-CLIO Publicity
ReplyDeleteI haven't had many dreams that have directed me to a new path in my life, but I have dreams all the time that make me appreciate the path that I'm on. Frequently I dream that I'm still working at a clothing department store and I wake up so grateful knowing that it was all just a dream.
ReplyDelete~DT
I wish I could control my dreams, as they often serve as a platform for working through things I don't always want to process in my sleep. But perhaps the lack of choice forces one to face what's necessary!
ReplyDeleteHow do we really know for sure when we're dreaming and when we're not? And what about the ideas that people plant in our minds when we're awake, and then when we're asleep the ideas take root and grow?
ReplyDeleteI'm with "DT" above... no epiphanic dreams that I can remember, but I do suffer from what I refer to as "stress dreams"—dreams where I'm in some sort of uneasy situation, typically a setting from my past: I'm back in college, or at an old job, or with a group of friends I no longer associate with. It's frustrating because I'm certainly trying not to live in the past! I'd love to be able to "change the channel" on my dreams.
ReplyDelete– HC
My dreams mostly have to do with anxiety: being late and trying to catch up, being stuck somewhere I don't want to be and trying to get away, and so on. I wish I had dreams that gave me new directions/new ideas. I sure could use them.
ReplyDeleteI don't wake up remembering my dreams much anymore, but when I do, I almost always have had a "guest star" hanging out for no apparent reason in teh background. What? Who was that playing piano in my living room? Jeff Goldblum??! Huh?
ReplyDeleteI actually have really vivid, sometimes completely crazy dreams. (My mom used to say if you ate ice cream before bedtime, it affected your dreams. Not sure if there is any research to prove that theory!) Usually, mine feature a mix of real people in my life, often I was just thinking about them earlier that day, and of random unknown people or famous celebrities. They are like mini movies in my head and I wake up the next morning completely confused. The more I think about them though, the 'plots' make sense, and I truly think they represent something that is buried deep down that I might be worried or stressed about. But I haven't changed my path in life (at least, not directly) because of a dream.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've had a new path dream, either, but I've had a closure dream—the morning my grandfather died, I half heard the phone ring at 4 a.m., went back to sleep, and dreamed about him. One of the few dreams I can picture vividly (maybe because most of them are so randomly confusing =).
ReplyDeleteI like to believe that when I have a dream that includes someone in my life (whether they are alive or not, or whether we are in contact or not), for whatever reason, we were both thinking of each other at that precise moment. There's something reassuring of this thought that we are not bound only by physical/verbal contact, but on a subconscious level as well. Perhaps this is crazy talk, but then again most of my dreams are crazy too!
ReplyDelete