Science and Spirituality: Dreams — Junction of the Physical & Sublime Dimensions of Existence
Dreams appear as expressions of a world at the junction of the perceivable and the extrasensory or subtle worlds. Quest for deciphering the origin and expansion of dreams and their relation with the state of mind has been a prominent area of research in the science of spirituality and yoga. Modern psychologists and neuroscientists too have been attracted towards this rather esoteric field of research.
The name of Sigmund Freud is often referred to as the modern psychologist who carried out extensive analysis of dreams with respect to the role of suppressed emotions and aspirations. His interpretations and inferences advocated dreams as reflections of unfulfilled desires — especially those of sensual pleasure, which might have been restrained because of social norms, fear of law, or circumstantial compulsions.
To some extent Freud's hypothesis sounds logical and appropriate. Because, often the dreams of most people are realized in a subconscious state when the conscious mind and its perceptions are not totally dormant. In such cases, the dreams reflect variegated expressions of what the body experiences or what is assimilated in the outer layer of the subconscious mind. However, as many of the dreams cited by Freud indicate, the roots of dreams could lie much deeper in the higher realms of consciousness.
How would Dr. Freud explain the dreams that led to great scientific discoveries — for instance, the dreams of Albert Einstein, Elias Howe, and Niels Bohr, which led to trend-setting discoveries and inventions? Dr. F. A. Kekulé's unique dream unfolded the 'elegant' atomic structure of carbon. The advancement of research in biochemistry and molecular biology would not have been possible without his history-making dream.
Dreams associated with clairvoyance and premonition also reveal the internal linkage of the unconscious mind with the deeper cores of the inner self and the soul. The Indian Philosophy affirms eternal linkage of mind with the soul. Its four subtle layers — mana, buddhi, citta, ahaṁkāra — connect the soul with the expression of individual self in a living form. Dreams are described here as the bridge between the visible and the invisible worlds of human mind.
The Brahdaranyak Upnishad (4/3/9) states:
Sa Hi Swapno Bhutvemaṁ Lokamatikrāmati, Tasya Vā Etasya PurusHasya Dwe Eva Sthāne Bhavataḥ Idaṁ Ca, Parloka Sthānaṁ Ca Sandhyaṁ Tratīyaṁ Swapna Sthānaṁ, Tasmin Sandhe Sthāne TishÚhannete Ubhe Sthāne, Païyatidaṁ Ca Parloka Sthānaṁ Ca.
Meaning: The soul can move beyond the periphery of this world. It can express itself in this physical world, in the invisible world beyond, and also in the Junction State. The Junction State is the state of a dream in which the individual self can experience either or both the worlds.
The greater the purity and depth of emotions and strength of mind, the more is it likely to experience the sublime world. The mind of a yogi is conditioned to sense the subtle vibrations. In the state of trance, yogis can experience the omniscient consciousness and also view the past and future with ease. Their dreams happen to be the reflections of reality.
In scientific terms, we may conceptualize the individual self as a sublime 'wave' of universal consciousness force; and the mind as a medium of its active expression. As the electrical charge of a transistor can make the instrument catch the radio waves of specific frequency, the currents of prāṇa in the mind can also be used to link the individual self with the flow of universal force in the omnipresent expansion of the eternal Consciousness Force.
Spiritual refinement and transmutation of mental potentials elevate the mind's vital charge, which can be linked with the deeper depths of the subtle world and which can enable supernatural experiences as well. The incidents of precognition and clairvoyance in dreams indicate these extrasensory faculties of the human mind and open up new horizons of scientific research.
The science of dreams is not merely a subject matter of psychology. It incorporates the philosophy and science of consciousness and the inner domains of mind beyond the known laws of Nature. Research on the Indian Philosophy of continuity of life and on the supernormal potentials of clairvoyance, telepathy and premonition might become possible by deeper understanding of the science of dreams.
References:
- Sigmund Freud: The Interpretation of Dreams, Barnes & Noble (1994)
- C.G. Jung, Aniela Jaffé: Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Vintage Books (1989)
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