Understanding Dreams
By Bruce McKeithan
brucemckeithan@sbcglobal.net
August 23, 2026
In the past, people have thought of dreams as providing direction to their activities. Today different mental processes have come to the forefront. How about the idea of simply dealing with new energy?
The energy that arises from sleep is initially not sufficient to wake us up and must be built up to the point where it can awaken us. In the meantime, we must deal with it within the confines of the brain. This produces dreams which do not seem too mysterious after all when explained in this way.
First, there is an expansion of energy into the central part of the brain, the limbic system. This semi-conscious state allows us to undertake activities to exhaust energy and possibly to repair any damage that this energy causes. For this, we find ourselves away from home, either nearby or far away.
Still some further effort is necessary to alleviate the effects of internal energy. The mind does so by storing or containing energy in the form of large or numerous objects or people. As these images grow, they necessarily dominate and block our personal efforts. Once the storage reaches a maximum with a great deal of energy, it must release that energy. To avoid any further destruction, the mind expands energy further within the brain, producing consciousness.
A few examples of a dream’s inner activity and frustration are trying to hit a golf ball into a cup, but there are too many trees, hills, or rocks in the way. In tennis, the court is too large to hit a ball satisfactorily, or a crowd of people may watch us lose a tennis match after winning a few points. Another example is driving a car in heavy traffic and getting lost, or we may struggle with a problem at work or school. We may even be trying to escape an enemy. Also, imagine one ship colliding with a larger one at sea. Certainly, current concerns and interests may have a part in fueling our activities in a dream.
Latent desires such as those for food and sex are a primary source of action on our part. They may be used directly or have their energy redirected into other activities. Ultimately, they too are frustrated or negatively affected in some way, and we must wake up.
As for the expansion, we may find ourselves at a beach, a resort in the mountains, or another region of the country. We wish to return home to an undisturbed state presumably having taken care of internal energy, but this proves impossible. We cannot gather our belongings, our route out of the mountains is unclear, or we are unable to get an airplane flight or to find our room in a hotel that has suddenly become much larger, with many hallways and elevators.
At times we want to restore old memories that have been damaged or harmed by the new energy. For instance, we may recall affected people and things from the past. This may be a deceased parent who appears alive but ill or someone else from the past. Other examples include a formerly compatible couple now getting a divorce, an old car that needs repair, a coal-burning furnace that needs fixing, or an overgrown garden in an old location.
Occasionally, we may prolong a dream, e.g. by hitting a golf ball up a steep hill and having it fall into the cup. We may repair an item, such as putting out a fire or fixing an overheated computer. A large dog that has died is replaced by a small dog.
While we may persist in our efforts, eventually some hostile action disrupts sleep. Police, military forces, or enemies may even threaten us or our group with death, or a large enemy army may destroy what a friend has built to support sleep.
Various other examples of the large images containing energy are a closely packed crowd of people in an auditorium, stadium, bus, diner, or classroom. We may see a large body of water, multiple houses, a large building being built, rows of tables or desks, natural features like forests or hills, or many cars in a parking lot. A long line of people, a long wall, a long train of container cars, or a long list of items may occur as well.
Finally, the large images release their energy like a large waterfall spilling over a dam, a stream rushing down a mountain toward a town, water flowing rapidly through a culvert, or a flood. To avoid considerable disturbance, we must accept a greater expansion of energy. This time the expansion is into the outer layers of the brain, the cortex, which wakes us up.
Consciousness fulfils our inherent design. We can do those things that help us survive and thrive. We can be productive and rational. We can help others and admire others and things. In effect, dreams are a bridge between quietness and wakefulness. Consciousness allows us to exercise our abilities to carry out necessary tasks.
Neuroscience ought to be able to explain this theory in greater detail by referring to the various structures and functions of the brain.
Thanks to Dr. John P. Ralston, Professor of Physics at Kansas University, for helping me to understand some of these issues involved in writing this article. Thanks also to Nancy Hamilton at KU for her views.
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