The Curious Dream Blog

Artists Draw on Dreams for Inspiration

Nancy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:33:11 +0000

Did you know that the following artists created works based directly on dreams?

William Blake (1757-1827)
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989)
Man Ray
Max Magnus Norman
Elle Nicolai
Odilon Redon (1840-1916)
Jonathan Borofsky (1942-)
Jim Shaw (1952-)

Can Dreams Be Manipulated?

Nancy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:03:35 +0000

Paul Bignell furthers the cause of art and science by taking part in a unique experiment that involves sleeping with 20 strangers…What are dreams made of? This question has troubled the finest minds ever since people first woke up. Now, the ICA in London thinks it can shed some light on the matter. And, in the interests of science, I agreed to help by spending a night in an art gallery, sleeping with 20 people I had never met before.

We were part of what the ICA is calling the Dream Director, a sleepover experiment to see if our dreams could be manipulated.

Luke Jerram, an installation artist with an interest in science, created an experiment in which participants are played sounds during their sleep to see if, and how, their dreams are affected. “From my perspective I want to use it to investigate sleep space as a territory for potentially making art in dream space,” said Jerram….

Well, experts believe careful analysis of dreams can change people’s lives. Jennifer Parker, a dream research scientist from the University of the West of England, said the results could, for example, help people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

…”One of the statistically significant findings from our studies is that people’s moods in the morning were dramatically improved. For me it’s the benefits of how people react in the morning and the calming influence this experiment has on them.”

Full article at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-stuff-of-dreams-1031224.html

Participate in Planetary Dreaming During Winter Solstice

Nancy — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:24:46 +0000

Planetary Dream at Winter Solstice by ONIROS (French Associate for the Study of Dreams):

Each year, at the time of the winter solstice (in the northern hemisphere), the solar Christmas, the Oniros association is organizes a planetary dream in which you are invited to take part. This year’s planetary dream incubation is December 20-23, 2008.

INCUBATION THEME: BRING THE SOCIAL BEFORE THE EGO

To participate, follow the classical rules for dream incubation (voluntary induction of specific dream contents) during all three nights, December 20-23. Then send your dream in by mail or email by January 6. All the nominative dreams sent by email will be recorded on the net to form a specific dream journal which all the participants will be able to read on the site Oniros.

For more detailed instructions, visit:
http://www.oniros.fr/dreams08.html

Food and How it Affects Your Sleep

Nancy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:05:15 +0000

From www.sleepfoundation.org:

Before you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, check out these past posts on the different types of foods that can either help you sleep or keep you awake. You might learn something new. For instance, if you’re relying on a helping of turkey to induce a post-Thanksgiving dinner nap, you might be surprised to learn that some believe turkey doesn’t contain enough tryptophan — an amino acid that has sleep-inducing properties — to cause sleepiness.Food That Could Help You Sleep

We all know the myth behind turkey and sleepiness. Certain foods such as turkey contain an amino acid called tryptophan that causes sleepiness, potentially resulting in post-Thanksgiving dinner naps everywhere. There is some doubt over whether that is true. Some believe turkey doesn’t contain enough tryptophan to be effective. But were you aware that other foods, like popcorn, may have a similar effect? The Internet-based wellness company Real Age’s Food Bites blog has listed several foods that potentially increase sleepiness, such as a small slice of angel food cake topped with berries or half a cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce. The trick is to increase your carbohydrate intake. Carbs make tryptophan more available to the brain, which is why carbohydrate-heavy meals can make you drowsy. Proteins from the food we eat are the building blocks of tryptophan, which is why the best bedtime snack is one that contains both a carbohydrate and protein.

Food That Could Keep You Awake

Last week, we looked at different types of food that can cause sleepiness. On the flipside, there are plenty of foods and beverages that can keep you up at night, intentionally or not. The most widely known “pick me up” is caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that works by blocking the action of hormones in the brain that makes us feel sleepy. A strong dose of caffeine can stimulate the mind for a short time but also can cause an alertness crash as the effect wears off. The best way to benefit from the stimulating effect of caffeine is to consume small amounts frequently throughout the day. Certain foods can be associated with reflux events, which can cause coughing or choking while sleeping or attempting to sleep. These foods include citrus fruits, chocolate, fatty and fried foods, garlic and onions, mint flavorings, spicy foods, or tomato-based foods, such as spaghetti sauce, chili and pizza. So stay away from that five-alarm chili, and remember not to eat or drink too much close to bedtime.

Full text at:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4009115&ct=6364467

December Dream Events in Santa Fe

Nancy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:46:03 +0000

THE ART OF THE DREAM
With Victoria Rabinowe at the Dreaming Arts Studio in Santa Fe, NM

Tuesday, December 2, 2008
BOOK OF MIRRORS
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
POETRY IN MOTION
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
PERPETUAL LIGHT
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
EVERY END IS A BEGINNING

More information at: http://victoriadreams.com

December Events at the Dream Institute in Berkeley

Nancy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:05:11 +0000

December 2008 Events at the Dream Institute of Northern California in Berkeley, CA:

12/6: Culture Dreaming
12/7: Special Culture Dreaming Event: “Dreaming for a New Political Era” M. Sabini & Richard Russo
12/13: Cinema Dreaming: “Busby Berkeley Bliss Out” Terry Ebinger
12/21: Winter Solstice Celebration: Members Only

The Dream Institute is an experimental cultural center that offers public lectures and workshops, dream study groups, dream-based cultural events, professional dream consultation, and the innovative method “Culture DreamingSM.”

More details at:
http://dream-institute.org

Curious Dreamer Dream Dictionary Expanded

Nancy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:35:25 +0000

These symbols can now be found in the dream dictionary, bringing the total number of symbols to 15,415:

All the new symbols were taken from the list compiled by users. Every time you search for a symbol and it is not found, the symbol gets added to our suggestion list.

Monthly Dream Group in Washington, DC Area

Nancy — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:16:39 +0000

On the 3rd Saturday of each month, a dream group is held in Old Town Alexandria, VA from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. Each meeting begins with a short presentation (10 minutes) on some dream/dreaming/sleep topic. That is followed with plenty of time to do dream work using a combination of Delaney, Ullman/Taylor, and other dreamwork approaches.

Other dream related classes are also held. See more details at:
www.theinnerarts.com

November Events at the Dream Institute in Berkeley

Nancy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:23:10 +0000

November 2008 Events at the Dream Institute of Northern California in Berkeley, CA:

11/1: Culture Dreaming
11/5: Encountering the Sacred Feminine: Free talk by Lana Nasser
11/8-9: Engaging the Sacred Feminine: Workshop with L. Nasser & Jenny Badger Sultan
11/15: Cinema Dreaming: “Spirited Away” Terry Ebinger
11/16: Indigo Animal: Presentation by Rue Harrison Whittaker

More details at:
http://dream-institute.org

Bilingual Participants Needed for Dream Study

Nancy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:19:31 +0000

A doctoral student at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California is investigating dreams. The criteria are:

Have a language other than English as your primary language
Speak English as a second language
Have lived in the host country approximately 10 years
Are Aged 20 to 80
Have a dream where both languages were present and remember it well enough to talk about it

For more information, visit:
http://dreamtalk.hypermart.net/bb2005/viewtopic.php?t=2914