Understanding Dreams
By Bruce McKeithan
brucemckeithan@sbcglobal.net
August 8, 2026
In the past, people have thought of dreams as providing direction to their activities. Today the workings of the mind in one way or another have become a prominent theme. Let us discuss a theory that is physics oriented.
The energy that is generated during sleep is initially not sufficient to wake us up. It must be built up to the point where it can awaken us. In the meantime, we must deal with it like any system does. This produces dreams which do not seem too mysterious after all when explained in this way.
In dreams, we respond to the new energy in several ways: We undertake activities to try to exhaust energy, and we try to offset harmful effects by repairing damaged items or organizing something. At times, we also find ourselves away from home, either nearby or far away. This reflects an expansion which reduces internal energy per unit of volume.
Still some further effort is necessary to alleviate the problem. The mind does this by storing or containing energy in the form of large or numerous objects or people. As these images grow, they necessarily become predominant 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.
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.
In opposition to the new energy, we may recall people and things from long ago, although the disturbance from the new energy still affects them. 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. We are evidently trying to preserve the current state without full success.
At times, 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.
As for the expansion within a dream, we may find ourselves at a beach, a resort in the mountains, or another region of the country. We wish to return home 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.
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 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 our needed tasks.
The limbic system with its various parts in the central area of the brain can handle a certain amount of internal energy as described here, and the outer layers of the brain, the cortex, provides for consciousness. Neuroscience ought to be able to explain the theory here comprehensively in terms of the 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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