dream

(drēm)

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The occurrence of ideas, emotions, visual imagery, and other sensations during sleep. Some dreams may be recalled on awakening; others may not be.
SEE: REM; SEE: sleep; SEE: sleep disorder; SEE: wet dream
Interpretation of the meaning of dreams has been of interest to humans for millennia and to psychoanalysts for more than a century. The idea that a dream conceals a meaning buried deep in the subconscious is probably mistaken and is difficult to confirm scientifically although it is still accepted by many psychoanalysts. Less controversial are the research results correlating changes in the electroencephalogram and rapid eye movements (REM) during sleep with dream activity.

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