Which character from Kafka's The Metamorphosis are you?
Quiz by: Purple Butterfly
Everyone dreams, every sleep cycle. Lucy's problem is that she does not remember her dreams. She does, indeed, dream but is not remembering the dreams. Many things interfere with our ability to remember our dreams. The Dream Doctor provides some helpful hints. Dr. McPhee (reminds me of Nanny McPhee .. LOVED that flick) has a fun website that delves into dream interpretation. He reminds us that dreams are often "fragments" or "remnants" that we "dream away" so as not to hinder the physical/chemical function of the brain. We process "out" the random flotsam, jetsam, and debris in order to filter "in" the important stuff. So, in other words, not every dream has some deeper or significant meaning. May I introduce, Charles McPhee - "The Dream Doctor:"
First, here are some questions/answers about dreams:
"Q. Is there a certain time in the sleep cycle when people dream?
A. Yes. People dream during REM sleep, which occurs about every 90 minutes throughout the night, for progressively longer periods. For example, we may only dream 5 or 10 minutes in our first REM period, but by morning we all dream for about 30-40 minutes—right before we wake up!"
"Q. Can a person affect what they dream about by food, drugs, or alcohol? Or by any other method?
Waking up S L O W L Y means that we lie still in bed, without talking, keeping our eyes closed, and working diligently to try to remember what it was we were just dreaming about—because we always dream just before we wake up in the morning.
Charles McPhee is the former Director of the Sleep Apnea Patient Treatment Program at the Sleep Disorders Center of Santa Barbara, California; the former coordinator of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA , and the former coordinator of the sleep research laboratory at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD.
First, here are some questions/answers about dreams:
"Q. Is there a certain time in the sleep cycle when people dream?
A. Yes. People dream during REM sleep, which occurs about every 90 minutes throughout the night, for progressively longer periods. For example, we may only dream 5 or 10 minutes in our first REM period, but by morning we all dream for about 30-40 minutes—right before we wake up!"
"Q. Does everyone dream?
A. Everyone dreams about 100 minutes per night; we just have difficulty remembering our dreams. One hundred minutes is over an hour and a half per night of dreams—longer than most movies we see at the theater, or on TV!"
"Q. Can a person affect what they dream about by food, drugs, or alcohol? Or by any other method?
A. Some people say pineapple pizza and chocolate gives them wild dreams, but no one has really been able to prove this! Most drugs—sleeping pills, marijuana, alcohol—decrease our dream recall. If you want to influence what you dream about, write down a question or goal for your dream in a dream journal—just before you go to bed. You will usually dream about your question or goal within a week."
...How to remember dreams... The key to having a rich dream life—is to learn how to wake up slowly—so that we can prolong contact with our subconscious minds.
...How to remember dreams... The key to having a rich dream life—is to learn how to wake up slowly—so that we can prolong contact with our subconscious minds.
Most of us, as soon as we awaken in the morning, allow our minds to wander off—to worrying about work, or school, or getting the kids ready—or we begin talking with our spouse or bed partner about our schedules for the day. If we do not work to recall our dreams immediately upon awakening, we will have missed a crucial opportunity.
Waking up S L O W L Y means that we lie still in bed, without talking, keeping our eyes closed, and working diligently to try to remember what it was we were just dreaming about—because we always dream just before we wake up in the morning.
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28 comments:
Hi Tink!
Interesting little article here. I rarely rmember my dreams at all. I only remember nightmares it seems. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe because the nightmares wake me immediately after they happen while a good dream doesn't wake me up and by the time I do awaken, hours have passed. Does that make sense?
Actually, I don't think I dream too much at all. Maybe once a month...I guess I don't know. I do subconsciously hear things though...that's for sure. I always fall asleep with either Howard Stern or Phil Hendrie on my stereo. It plays all night as I sleep. Maybe that's why I'm so weird! LOL!
Rob
Hiya Rob!
The Dream Doctor writes that we have a tendency to remember our nightmares for two reasons. One is that the emotions are so much higher and vivid; and two, exactly correct, Rob! You generally wake up from a nightmare and continue to think about it.
I tried the trick this morning by setting my alarm 10 minutes early. I laid there with my eyes closed and sure enough ... I remembered not one, but a series of about 5 dreams. Partly interconnected. It was amazing how that little bit of advice worked. What's interesting is that there was a snake featured in one of the dreams. Normally, a snake would mean a screaming nightmare for me. This time, it was rather benign and non-poisonous. I wasn't scared in the least. Cool. :o)
Hm ... nightmares ... Hendrie .... Stern ... listening all night ... I'd say you have the answer to the nightmare problem. :o)
You're not weird. You are creatively maladjusted - according to MLK. ha! But according to Paul McCartney ... everyone has a little bit of "weird." :o)
I dream for sure. I dream when I sleep, I dream when I'm awake. Though I do not remember most of my dreams, the ones I do remember are either terribly frightening, or unbelievably blissful. The ones that seem to linger in my brain are the ones I can never talk about.
But a hint...they are wonderful dreams.
Have a wonderful weekend Tink!!
XO
Zoe
Awwww Zoe... you are so sweet. I know .. the blissful ones .. :::sigh::: Did you ever have a dream that came later came true? Some of my best daydreams have sprung from remnants of night dreams.
Hope your weekend is filled with sunshine and baby turtles! :o)
xo
turtles? I'll have to visit GZ's blog....
Thanks for the informative post, tink.
The thing with me that I just don't get is .. I used to dream a LOT. I mean, it was normal for me to remember my dreams MOST mornings. Then, I'd say in the past 1-2 years or so I've simply been waking up remembering nothing. Almost consistently. I'm not sure what's different.
More later... got some housework to do.
Hope you and the kids are enjoying your weekend. (I'll check out the Kafka thing later. I read that book in college, btw. In GERMAN!)
Hi Tink, you know, it's odd, I posted a long response to your dream post, on Thursday, but I don't see it here??!! I don't know if it was me, or blogger? hmm? Did you get it?
Anyway, I am so looking forward to Amazing Journey on VH1 tonite, only a 3hr 25 minutes away!! Classic Vh1 has it scheduled for 30 minutes longer than reg. VH1, I don't know if that is commercials or extra?
Hope your weekend is going well.
And thank you for the cyberchicken soup :)
Hey Lucy and Grace !
I saw your turtle post there Lucy. It was adorable. ;o) I know ... on the dreams ... the year or so that problem was the same for me. Rarely if ever remembering anything other than nightmares or significant emotional dreams. In 2 days of trying this waking up slowly hint, I've been able to remember a number of dreams each night! Prolly like you ... my sleep quality and actual time of sleeping hours has drastically been reduced in the last 12-18 months. This may well have to do with not remembering.
Kafka in German. Man ... it was tough enough in English. :o)
Grace I did not receive your post. Sorry :o( You prolly had a long, involved dream to write about? Bummer. If you can remember any of it, please try to post it up again. We can dissect you. Mroohahahahaha. (kidding) :o)
Yes, I am really excited about this VH1 show. It is so rare for me to have TV time ... mainly because there is not much I want to watch and we're generally so busy. I did catch Cheaper By The Dozen last night! The newer one with Steve Martin. Loved the original and I like this one a lot.
Again, too bad that we can't all be together in some intimate venue to share the watching of this video tonight. That would have been SO much fun! Maybe some day in some way ... somehow and somewhere. hehe!
ENJOY the show!
Apparently I'm Gregor...
Whoever he is and whatever the story is about. I'm not familiar with it at all.
I'm also a dreamer - there are times when I go to bed wondering what adventure lies in wait behind my eyelids!
It was great! Maybe someday us bloggers can get together?
I really enjoyed Amazing Journey, very well done, I broke up at the parts about Keith and John, and seeing Pete and Roger breaking up, it was very touching. Good movie. Great footage I had not seen. What an amazing life of Pete, Roger, John and Keith. I thought that Pete went back and forth, of being bitter and being happy about The Who 'life'. In the end he's happy about it all, I think?!
Guess what TInk? I'm Mrs. Samsa too. Is it any surprise? I'm just a big copycat.
ANd guess what else? I had a huge dream this morning! (I slept WAY late -- woke up at 12:30 (actually now 11:30 with the time change). Man!! (I think cuz I was "up" most of the night listening to Coast-to-Coast and somehow it must've fed into my dreams (they had a REALLY good topic last night, on "luck").
Anyway, as for my dream ... I could only recall bits and pieces but it had something to do with me (and possibly the Girl Scouts?) being in NYC in some huge hotel or other famous landmark (like possibly the Dakota (?) .. I dunno. And there was a best seller out that I was reading and it was SCARY. And I was in the hotel (?) and I saw some strange "people" from the novel in there. A couple were cyclops! With a blue eye! Then a minute later I was back in my house and my "phone" rang. I picked it up to talk on it, but it was actually a Bic pen so I could hardly get it to work. I kept saying "hello?" "hello?" It was my sister. I also could hardly hear her because I was blaring a Pink Floyd album from my computer. I think it was Brick in the Wall although it wasn't.
LOL!!
(hope you enjoyed it!)
P.S.
I really would love for us (as many as possible) to get together someday. Don't we (me, tink & Grace) live somewhat in close proximity?) I'm in Toledo. Aren't you in or around Chicago, Grace? and you too, tink? I'm a bit fuzzy on that.
Oh, it would be GREAT!
- Lucy (xo)
Well Dale you are the lead character in Franz Kafka's short story "The Metamorphosis." :o) I should have provided a link to the online version. It's here:
http://www.writewords.org.uk/library/8223.asp
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was lying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his dome-like brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes.
Now that I've followed the Dream Doctor's hints on remembering dreams again, I'm going to try his approach for answers to "problems." He says that if you write out a problem and ask for the answer/solution to come in a dream, that it usually will. Often that night, more often within a week.
I like to dream, too! Grace Who was it that said something about dreams in the Amazing Journey? I can't remember today! There were so many emotional moments in that story. I cried more than twice, for certain.
Lucy Copycat? lol no way. No one knows what it's like to be the woman in the dream with the Girl Scouts who look for John Lennon to tell him that Pete's eye is on us and it's a WIDE eye that sees much. But getting distracted, she couldn't communicate what she wanted, because she was using the wrong tool to project her enormous and vivid inner life out onto the wall for all to see. It's hard to get started. Okay, get that accordian, a spray paint can, and get going on the dreary city walls somewhere in Ohio.
Wasn't that a horrible interpretation? lol ... I'll do much better after I've thought about it.
YES! We can all meet somewhere, somehow, some way! Doesn't matter if we're near or far.
more later!
xo
OMG, Tink, my eyes are watering from laughing so hard! (esp. about the "shout" you left on my shoutbox!) (nice dance too -- very right-to-left and back again)...
About those cyclops eyes. The color was VERY much the hue of Pete's eyes. Very crystal light blue. Very pretty.
So weird!
(wierd?)
I like your interpretation though ('xcept I don't believe in graffiti)...
And yes, like Candid Camera, maybe somehow, someway... when we least expect it, we can meet up!
:o)
The Cyclops eyes. That is truly weird. But ... it also reminded me of the "Mike" character from Monsters, Inc., one of the perennial favorites here. Mike Wasnowski. Voiced by Billy Crystal. "I'm just a punky little eyeball!" And he was. A giant eyeball! :o)
That dream did make me feel like my old self again, truthfully. Phones shaped like Bic pens, cyclops eyes as normal, me in New York with God knows who... it's all normal in a dream.
Why are dreams almost always BIZARRE? I mean, it seems par for the course for nothing to make sense in a dream. I wonder why this is. Yet in the dream it usually makes perfect sense. LOL! (are we perhaps accessing another universe? hmmmm.... )
p.s. LOVE today's authentication word: kianksto !
Whoa. Almost missed this one Lucy! But just the other day, I happened upon that Lennon quote and haven't read it in a while. A good place for it:
I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?
John Lennon
Kianksto! Proust! Drink up! Through the lips, over the gums, look out stomach, here it comes!
:o)
Well if John Lennon's right (or at least not proven wrong ;-)) then get a load of this:
I HAD A DREAM last night that Pete kissed me!
But I made the mistake of getting up too quickly and not letting the details of the dream crystalize in my memory. I woke up knowing we had kissed but couldn't remember any details. Then later, in the shower, I began to recall more bits. But like I said, I should've stayed in bed, coz most of it disintegrated. The further bits of it that I remembered were as such: I was at someone's house (?) possibly (or maybe it was a more public buidling of some sort) and Pete was there. The Pete of today. I think he had that shoulder bag on him. And a sweater, possibly. He was very professor-like, art-teacherish. Don't recall the details, just that apparently he was looking for me, or I was looking for him (more likely the former, I think) and then he grabbed me and kissed me. Without going into detail, I'll just say it was what one would consider a *good kiss* ;-). But for some odd reason I remember feeling something negative at that moment. Coz you know what? It wasn't Pete. Yet it was. There was just something that was turn-offish about it. Isn't that weird?? (you're probably thinking, LUCY!! HOW COULD YOU??)
You know how dreams make no sense whatsoever?!!
On balance though, it was a GREAT dream!!
Let me try to tell you about that truly weird dream I had about 5 years ago. Well, one of them, anyway.
I really can only recall part of it, and that was THIS: I was walking down a path and there was a fence to my side with strange animals behind. Like mythical animals that don't really exist. Like spotted ponies and striped giraffes. Stuff like that. They were trying to get at me, but luckily the fence separated us. I had this dream a couple of weeks after having smoked a joint (which I haven't done since)... (and this was the first time in EONS I had done this. So it was a very isolated incident.)
The other weirdest dream I can recall (and man, I should've written it down somewhere coz now I've forgotten most of the details, and it was epical) was a couple of years ago and involved me traveling high and low over fields and through valleys and over hills, and through tunnels, only to reach a place called "Elvisville." But I don't think Elvis actually lived there, or that it had to do with Elvis at all. In fact, I think it was some sort of Cat Stevens' fan hangout.
Though I haven't dreamt much in the past couple of years, when I HAVE dreamt, I've tended to have a couple of themes repeat more often than others: tornados/storms approaching, and MOST often: FLYING. I'll tell you more about my flying dreams in my next post.
So, tink... anyway.... it seems if the Pete dream is any indicator, it just may be that I've found my way back to dreaming again. I hope so!
Lucy and Pete sittin' in a tree. K I S S I N G ... heh. In all fairness .. he did the kissing. :o) (see what happens when Rachel goes to work?) lol j/k.
Now seriously, this is a true Magical Mystery Tour ... to your own soul. I think this dream is all about *you* Eternal Lucy .. so Come On Down! and see what's behind that shoulder bag!
From the rock star kiss to the mythical creatures and the hills & tunnels of Elvisville ... you are lookin' for you! Something to spark your passion ... maybe to even find your passion, in all its mythical glory. But, you have to stop avoiding it and find comfort in yourself. You like to share what you can do and what you have done, but you're still not in a comfy zone of confidence - which would correlate with the fact that while the kiss was nice ... it was also uncomfortable in some way.
In this particular dream, I believe that Pete is yourself. So, look at it this way as you probe. It's quite possible that it's your time to have a spiritual awakening and Pete representing that is a good one. He's a dynamic spiritual and inspirational presence. When the student is ready, the Teacher appears. In this case, he may be serving as the symbolic springboard for an important inspirational level in your life. He's an inspired songwriter. What have you been wishing to do lately? Being confident in your own ability for you to lead you where you need to go. Creatively, personally, emotionally. Of course, I could be a blathering dodo, but feeling that some of this is true for you.
Now for my whacky interpretation of the part of your Journey involving Elvisville. You mentioned the almost "mythical" animals you were separated from (and glad to be so.) I think, they too, represent a part of you. The more primal, creative, passionate being that sometimes eludes you or maybe you are fearful to express. It's okay, tho, if this is so. Break down the word. El/Vis/Ville. The Island Village (Vis being island.) An escape to a place inhabited by Cat Stevens fans. Idol, hero to some, inspired to genius. Again, maybe representing that aspect of yourself that eluded you. Of course, Elvis/Ville could be a whole 'nother story. lol Elvis may be this:
Elvis may be derived from "Alvis":
Usage: Norse Mythology
Means "all wise" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf who was to marry Thor's daughter Thrud. Thor was not pleased with this so he tricked Alvis by asking him questions until the sun rose, at which time the dwarf was turned into stone.
All that tornadic activity! Only from knowing some of the turmoil in your life, based on relationship .... those dreams may simply represent the turmoil. Could be other things, depending on what was happening in your life at the time.
I'm SO happy for you that you are remembering your dreams again! They can be great teachers, provide solutions, and sometimes are just plain fun to have and remember. :o)
Especially those celebrity kisses and the comfy supportive "shoulders" they can represent. :o)
Thanks dear Tink. Between laughs (out loud) I was touched to read your interpretations (and touched that you went to the trouble), coz the truth is, I feel like a lost, empty, sad and grasping (at straws) soul.
I don't know why I've always ahd this huge need for hero/idol worship that my sisters don't seem to share. I can't figure it out. Maybe my mother neglected me when my sister came along (at 18 mos.)?
It's got me thinking though. Thanks, you're a dear friend.
P.S. It's almost frightening how close you came to hitting the nail on the head. I think I AM afraid. It's not a lack of inspiration .. it's a lack of confidence. And inhibition (in keeping with "getting the accordion" as an instrument). This inhibition seems to be my biggest roadblock. A fear of success, I think. I often, often have dreams of flying... and strangely, part of the nightmare is that I CAN'T GET BACK DOWN once I'm up there. I'm holding onto a huge balloon (for dear life) and I can't get down, without falling 100s of feet. I also often traverse tall, winding, scary and narrow bridges over water in dreams.
OK.. off to bed now... wonder if Pete's waiting for me. ;-)
(at first I didn't get want you meant by "Rachel goes to work" -- I thought you meant it as in, when someone "goes to work on someone.")
Thanks again Tink. I thoroughly enjoy your writing style. You're HILARIOUS and brilliant.
Awwwwww Lucy Sorry .. didn't mean to leave your words and feelings hanging here. Had to go to bed last night and today was crazy busy. Sorry that you're feeling all this existential angst. It really sucks when it rears its monster head. Can't say if your Mom did or did not neglect you at that time. But, it seems like you viewed it that way as a child. Not unusual. But, I don't think that's the real problem. Not everyone shares the same view of celebrities as you do. Probably what's more important is to look at those you idolize and see what their similarities would be. Then, apply the things you love about them toward yourself and see what you think might be "missing" from you or from the things you'd like to do or have in your life. Not to compare yourself to them, because you just cannot *be* someone else. You won't gain confidence in your own abilities when you compare yourself. However, what do you admire, what do you seek from that relationship?
Maybe it's less fear of success than fear of not being "good enough" ... but "good enough" for 1. what 2. whom 3. at what.
Here's a dream exercise if you'd ever want to try it. Write in a journal or just a piece of paper that you'd like to dream about that balloon again and flying with it; but in this dream, you'd like the air to leak out very s l o w l y, letting you down nice and easy. When you land nicely on your feet, you will look at the highest mountain now in the background, and on the mountain top will sit your biggest fear. Give it a week or so to work in your subconscious. What you end up seeing will more than likely be symbolic, but it could be a real thing. I hope it's not a pickle ornament.
:o)
xo sweet, productive dreams!
Thanks Tink. Glad I checked in. I WILL give it a try.
You're a good friend.
(darn link error...)
Take 2:
Tink, here's a I think you'll be tickled pink with!
I got it through a mega-cool new mag I subscribe to.
Thought you might like it. :-)
OK, I'm stepping it up a notch. DAMN link error!
AGAIN!
I'm not re-doin' it this time! (just try your luck clicking on different parts of the sentences)
lol ... Lucy Thanks for your persistent effort there. I did get to the link on dreams. What a cool place! The fact I was not aware of had to do with how any/all faces in our dreams --- even when we dream of 100s of people --- are faces we have seen at some point in our lives. I've never heard or read that one. It got me thinking about the "mystery" face from the "Who This" post. If the fact listed at your link is true, that would mean this is a person I have seen in real-time at some point. I'm going to try the "dream request" plan and write down that I will remember who this is or at least remember *why* he was in my dream in my teens.
Thanks so much!
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