Topical Blog Week #9 (Due Wednesday)

1a) The topic I chose to do more research on for this weeks topical blog was lucid dreaming.

1b) Lucid dreaming was directly brought up in this chapter on page 237. First there is an introductory part that introduces us to dreaming in general and how it relates to our unconscious minds, but then it takes things a little bit further in the last paragraph and briefly touches on lucid dreaming. The book says that those who can exert cognitive control in their dreams are experiencing lucid dreaming. It then goes on to say how this is when you know you are dreaming while you are dreaming and instead of feeling like a viewer of a dream, you can make decisions and be apart of the dream.

1c) I am interested in learning more about lucid dreaming because it seems so mystical and fantasy like, it is a very weird concept and I have some skepticism towards it so I want to find out more about it and see if there has been done any research on the topic. Also I want to find out more about what it is like to be in a lucid dream and how this differs from our regular dreams.

2) The definitions provided in all three of my sources are very similar to that provided by the book. Lucid dreaming is is the scientifically proven ability to become consciously aware while you’re dreaming. It is our chance to play around with different extraordinary abilities that we only wish we had. In a lucid dream, the dreamer has the ability to exert some control over their participation within the dream and they can manipulate their experiences and environment. Everything one can see, feel, taste, hear, and smell in one of these dreams can be as authentic as reality. There are no physical laws in these dreams and the possibilities are endless.

A woman by the name of Beverly has been apart of much research done on the topic of lucid dreams because she has them frequently. She says that the best technique for becoming lucid is to become more aware of the details in your environment during the day so then when you start dreaming you are able to notice when something is different and then once this happens you can begin controlling your dreams with practice. Beverly said that in one of her dreams she was playing in a campfire, picking up and throwing the flames, then she decided to taste the flames and they were salty. Next, she decided to fly to the sun like superman and once she got there she couldn’t see anything but she felt vibrations. This is just one example of how bizarre these dreams can be.

There have been two different types of experiments done to try and prove that these dreams are real. The first study is controlled rapid eye movements, where a scientist recorded a set of pre-determined eye movements from his volunteer who was in a lucid dream. My manipulating the volunteers REM, the scientist showed that he was consciously choosing to look in certain directions while dreaming. The next study was done on high frequency brainwaves. It has been shown that during a waking state our waves are at 12-38 Hz, during a normal dream state 4-8 Hz, and during lucid dreaming it has been as high as 40 Hz. The heightened activity has shown to take place in the frontal and fronto lateral areas of the brain which are linked to this type of dreaming and self awareness. There has also been research done to show how the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, the parahippocampal cortex, the pons, and the parieto-occipital junction all are involved in lucid dreaming.

There are many different benefits to having these types of dreams. One is that they can be used to treat sufferers of nightmares, depression, self-mutilation, and other problems during waking life. Also in some cases these dreams have been able to cure writers block, sex shyness, increased spiritual beliefs, and also increases a person's awareness of the environment around them.

There is some skepticism about this whole concept mainly because some say there is no scientific way to know if someone is actually dreaming other than to ask them. Some believe it is absurd and impossible. Others say that lucid dreaming is not a part of sleep, but rather a brief wakeful state, or micro-awakening. They argue that physiological brain activity during REM sleep is similar to wakefulness/consciousness so this is more so a state of meditation than dreaming.

3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream
This website was very useful because it provided a great amount of information on the definition of lucid dreams, the scientific history behind it, how it was discovered, skepticism that goes along with it, some of the neurobiological models that have been predicted using it, and some other details that I explained more in depth above.

http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/
This was a very useful website because it gave a clear definition of lucid dreaming, provided information on what they feel like, the different benefits to them, and it gave information on some of the experiments that have been done to try and prove that they are real.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201212/lucid-dreaming-and-self-realization
This website was very useful because it again gave a very clear definition of lucid dreaming, gave us some tips on how to become lucid in our dreams, and then provided an interview of a professional lucid dreamer to give us some insight as to what these types of dreams are all about.

1) This week for my topical blog I looked into why some people dream in color and why others dream in black and white. This relates back to the chapter by looking farther into dreams and what happens while we are dreaming. I wanted to look farther into this topic because I found it really interesting when we were talking about it in class I actually started to stop and think about if my dreams were in color or in black and white. I also asked some of the people around me what they dreamed and if they had ever dreamed in the opposite way. Dreams are something that I have always found interesting because we often see things from the past in our dreams.
2) Everyone dreams, men, women, and even babies even those who say they don’t dream. Studies show that we often dream several dreams an night. Each dream that we have throughout the night lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. Dreams are often controlled by our emotions throughout the day and the different events in our lives. We are actually paralyzed while we are dreaming and in our REM cycle of sleep. This is that all of our muscles prevent you from acting your dreams while you’re asleep. Basically, because motor neurons are not stimulated, your body will not be able to move.
Research shows that 70-80% of our dreams are in color, this is because we often perceive our dreams as we see the world on a daily basis. According for Freud, most dreams from the early 20th century was in black and white because that is what media perceived. Color in our dream is also another way for use to tell emotion and how we perceive and find out what our dreams really mean. It has been shown that we most of the time we dream in color but we can dream in black and white and also in sepia tone. Depending on the information and imagery the brain uses for the visual aspects of dreams us humans are capable of dreaming in any possible color and any combination of colors. Different drugs and medications can also alter or enhance the perception and dreams of the sleeper’s. Throughout research there have not been very many sleeper’s that can actually recall a black and white dream. The clarity of dream recall depends not only on the person’s sleeping conditions but also their waking conditions to be able to see how soon you are able to recall the dreams. I found that they a lot of research shows that when dreams are not recalled right away their dreams and the color fade fairly quickly into elusive memories. Dreams are often heavily influenced by our personal experiences, researchers have found that certain themes are common across the different cultures.
I think that dreams are really interesting and that they come from many different activities that we are going throughout our lives. There are so many things that influence our dreams and how we perceive our life often reflects it in our dreams.

http://www.sleepynews.com/2006/12/07/do-you-dream-in-color-or-in-black-and-white/ I chose this website to look at the difference in color and what factors might affect the change in our dream patterns. It also talked a lot about if we don’t wake up right away we are more likely to forget what we dreamt and the colors.

http://www.realmeaningofdreams.com/dream-in-color.html this website helped me to look at the difference and how researchers have seen that most people see that their dreams are in color. It also looked at the emotion behind the dreams.

http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/tp/facts-about-dreams.htm this website told me 10 different things that contributes into the dreams and what goes on in our process of what we actually dream about.

I chose to do my topic this week on lucid dreaming. I have been fascinated with this subject since it was brought up in class. Not only do I think it would be cool to control my dreams but I also know a few situations where it would be extremely helpful. I have a kid at work who complains of a terrible recurring nightmare. He says no matter what he does he still gets it every night and he hates sleeping because of it. If I could teach him to control his dreams it would be a huge step for him.

Lucid dreaming occurs when you are consciously aware that you are dreaming and can take control of your dreams. Lucid dreaming is something that almost everyone is capable of but it takes practice and there are certain steps you can take to help. It is always helpful to keep a dream journal. That makes you more aware of your dreams. A lucid dream is very tangible and real and your instincts are even sharper than when you are actually awake. The cool thing about lucid dreaming is that you have no limits. If you can think it, you can create it, and it will seem perfectly real. One way of explaining the experience of lucid dreaming is as your conscious and unconscious selves meeting each other. During your dream you can ask yourself anything and you might be surprised at how your unconscious self answers it.

Lucid dreaming has actually been around for a long time. Aristotle is thought to be one of the first people to actually write about it. But Tibetan Buddhists have been practicing dream yoga which is very similar. In modern day research, Stephen Laberge is the man most known for popularizing lucid dreaming. He believes that lucid dreaming can help you to be more creative and even help you deal with grief.

Lucid dreaming happens during the fifth stage of sleep, REM. This is the stage where our bodies are practically paralyzed except for our eyelids. The subjects of this particular study were able to signal to the experimenters when they were in a lucid dream by a prearranged signal of eye movements. It is still unknown what exactly goes on in people’s brains when they are lucid dreaming. One theory is that the lateral prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that deals with logic, is being used. Normally the lateral prefrontal cortex would be “asleep” while you are asleep, but there is a possibility that it is activated when lucid dreaming occurs so that dreaming and logic are both able to work at the same time. This is what could possibly help the lucid dreamer to understand and recognize the dream that they are having. The central idea behind lucid dreaming is of control. Being able to control your thoughts even when you sleep has opened the door to a lot of new ideas and potential treatment options. Studies have already shown that when people that get nightmares use lucid dreaming they have nightmares much less frequently. That study is particularly interesting to me because as I stated earlier I have a child where I work that continues to complain about his nightmares. He ends up crying before he goes to bed almost every night and often tries to refuse his meds because he doesn’t want to fall asleep. If he was shown how to start controlling his dreams a little better and possibly make them more positive he would suffer a lot less and sleep could become a comfort to him again.

Terminology: Lucid Dreaming, conscious, unconscious, REM, lateral prefrontal cortex, logic,

World of Lucid Dreaming: Developing Conscious Dream Control
http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/
This source really helped take me into the mind of someone that is lucid dreaming and get a better understanding of what you would experience.

How Lucid Dreaming Works
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/lucid-dreaming2.htm
This source went into detail about the origin of lucid dreaming, what parts of the brain are activated as well as the results of different studies that have been done regarding lucid dreaming.

The Science of Lucid Dreaming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYSX51xBkos
This short video helped me to understand different strategies that can help you to lucid dream yourself.

1a) State what your topic is.
This week I attempted to find out about the evolution of consciousness.
1b) Discuss how the topic relates to the chapter.
This chapter talked all about consciousness, and one section talked about levels of consciousness with relation to other animals, which raised my curiosity about how consciousness evolved.
1c) Discuss why you are interested in it.
This is interesting for every reason imaginable, because your consciousness somehow evolved to the point where imagination is possible. I am intrigued by the concept of consciousness and I have always enjoyed reading about evolution, so it is only reasonable that the evolution of consciousness is a topic that will interest me exceptionally.

2.
Consciousness is defined in our textbook as an awareness of events or stimuli in the environment and of cognitive phenomena such as memories, thoughts, and bodily sensations. The experience of consciousness is a concept that has puzzled the greatest minds as far back as great minds have existed. There have been many theories about consciousness that often relied on metaphysical principles to explain the complex phenomena. It is the one thing that seems to separate us from our animal relatives. However, it is known that we have evolved from a common ancestor and therefore, have evolved to be conscious. The puzzling questions then are how we became conscious, why we became conscious, and why we are conscious when other animals seemingly are not. Consciousness is understood to be related to the brain. Dualists believe that the brain and the mind (consciousness) are two separate things, but that the mind is not physical and must work with the brain. Reductionists believe that the mind arises from brain function. My belief is more in line with the latter, and that is what I will be looking more into. As we evolved from ever smaller organisms, it is known that the brain itself had to come along at some point along the evolutionary timeline. One common belief is that the brain evolved to help with the function and coordination of movement. This allowed for more complex movement, and in turn, the possibility to go more places. Some people don't like to think that the brain, capable of complex thought and imagination, originated for the sole purpose of movement. However, it is obvious, when looking at the structure of the brain, that it's original functions where incredibly more basic.

Everyone who has taken an intro to psych class knows that the brain can be divided into three sections: the reptilian brain (which consists of the brain stem and cerebellum), the mammalian brain (or limbic system), and the neomammalian brain (neocortex). The oldest part of our brain is the reptilian brain, which is responsible for homeostasis. This part of the brain allows for movement and controls many unconscious functions necessary for survival. The mammalian brain was the next to evolve and is largely responsible for emotions. The neomammalian brain was the most recent addition to our brain and is responsible for decision making and higher-order cognition. This shows that the brain most certainly evolved for more basic functions initially, but has grown to become the complicated mass of neurons responsible for our understanding that our brain is a complicated mass of neurons (among other things). Consciousness didn't just suddenly arise, but adapted alongside the evolution of these different brain systems. The Attention Schema Theory posits that consciousness evolved as a way of monitoring stimuli. It was crucial for our ancestors to be aware of their environmental stimuli to ensure that they would survive, so they must be able to see and comprehend the tiger in the bushes, they must be able to hear the rustling of the bushes that may indicate a present danger residing therein, etc.

The first nervous systems were probably incredibly simple, similar to the nerve net of the modern jellyfish. As the nervous system evolved to take in more sensory stimuli, it had to develop a way of filtering out some of the less important information. The Attention Schema Theory suggests that a sort of top-down control network developed that would enhance the more salient signals, and from this control network came attention. From there, attention evolved. The example used in the article said that initially, the smell of food was very attention-worthy, but eventually, we became able to decide whether or not it was attention-worthy based on our state of hunger. This is kind of how a reptile's brain works. They operate on drives that take priority over one another, so that if a turtle is hungry, it will pay attention to stimuli associated with food, but if it is satiated, it may rather search for a mate. If a predator comes along, then the drive for safety takes over and the turtle ignores the quest for food and mates and then seeks protection and shelter. According to Michael Graziano, the man who developed the attention schema model, this internal model of attention is what constitutes self-awareness. Consciousness evolved so that we could relate information about ourselves to the outside world in order to make intelligent decisions.

As the text pointed out, there is no exact neural correlate of consciousness. The hard problem has still yet to be solved, and although we know that there is no specific brain region responsible for consciousness, we may find an interconnected set of neural pathways that are. We have found that mirror neurons and spindle cells are both fairly important to consciousness as we view it. Mirror neurons, of course, are the neurons that fire both when one engages in an action and when one witnesses another engage in an action. Spindle cells, or Von Economo Neurons (VENs), have been found to be implicated in social reasoning, empathy, and emotion, among other things. VENs can be found in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the frontoinsular cortex (FI), and in humans they can also be found in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The morphology of these neurons suggests that they are fast-projection neurons. Because of this, and the brain regions that they are associated with, it is speculated that VENs play an important role in intuition, which allows one to make quick decisions, overcome uncertainty and resolve cognitive dissonance. VENs can also be found in the brains of great apes, cetaceans (an order consisting of whales and various porpoises), and even elephants. As these are the animals thought to be of the highest level of consciousness, the importance of these VENs to consciousness should not be underestimated. Consciousness should be thought of as one's individual perspective, as it is dependent on internal mechanisms, and not as an objective account of reality. The disorder, autism, affects this aspect of consciousness, and interestingly enough, has been correlated with abnormal VEN development.

Because of the science of today, we can explore more hypothesis and find incredibly more fascinating things. The information presented in these articles shows a substantial framework and reasoning for the evolution of consciousness and its possible neurological correlates. It also shows implications for future research and the potential for artificial consciousness. Graziano suggests that a self-awareness algorithm is programmable, and he believes that it will be here sooner than later. His sights are set higher, with aspirations of an 'electronic afterlife'. He suggests that it will be possible to scan one's brain with enough detail to replicate it as data, like a file on a computer, and put it into a virtual world. The potential for virtual immortality is coming.

3.
http://neuroblog.stanford.edu/?p=4513

This link explained the attention schema theory, as proposed by Michael Graziano.

http://www.vice.com/read/sorry-religions-human-consciousness-is-just-a-consequence-of-evolution

This link explored the basics of consciousness being an evolutionary process.

http://neuronbank.org/wiki/index.php/Von_Economo_neuron

This link explained Von Economo Neurons and their implication on consciousness.

1. I chose to do blog about nightmare disorder. This ties into the section of the chapter that talked about sleep and dreaming. We got a basic understanding of what happen in our brains when we sleep and dream, but I wanted to learn if that process is different when a person has a nightmare and if there was anything that was known to bring about nightmares. The nightmares that occur in this disorder take place during REM sleep which we also learned about in this section. I wanted to learn more about this topic because I have experienced this first hand and wanted to learn more about what I was going through. Having a first hand experience allowed for me to get a good grasp and understanding as to why there are so many unknowns with this disease. I wanted to know if my experience was similar to what others tend to experience with this disease.

2. One important thing to note is the difference between occasional nightmares, nightmare disorder, and night terrors. The majority of people will experience nightmares in their life and should not be concerned that they may have this disease. Nightmare disorder, which is also known as dream anxiety disorder, is classified as having the occurrence of repeated dreams or dream themes that cause the person to feel threatened which causes them to awake in fear. This disease usually has symptoms such as increased heart rate when waking, sweating, waking with panic attacks, and other anxiety symptoms. This is similar to what is known as night terrors, but with night terrors the person does not fully awake and very commonly has the symptoms without being responsive to someone trying to calm them due to the fact they are still unconscious. These nightmares take place during the end of the sleep cycle in REM sleep. When a person awakens due to a nightmare, it is usually at a time in the dream right when the threat is reaching its climax. Once the person is awake the generally are able to recall the nightmare in great detail.

There is not a specific cause that has been pinned for nightmare disorder. Usually this is diagnosed by the process of elimination from other possibilities such as a different psychiatric disease, drugs use, or some physiological problem. There are no specific tests that have been developed that are used to diagnose nightmare disorder. Nightmare are seen to be much more common in children and they tend to grow out of them by the time they reach middle childhood. There isn't a specific reason for this, but one theory is that children at that age are begging to fully grasp normal fears and their imaginations are very active. Among those adults that do show to have this disorder, it is seen that women are twice as likely suffer from it than men are.

Of those that are diagnosed with this disorder, about half of them are seen to have a separate psychiatric disorder which brings about this disorder as a symptom. With these cases the focus of treatment is to focus on the other psychiatric disorder with hopes that getting that under control will allow for the nightmares to stop occurring. A common instance of this is with those who suffer from PTSD. The dreams tend to reflect the event or period or trauma that they went through and force them to relive the situation. This disorder is found in those that do not show any other disorder as well. Commonly those that experience this are going through a time of great anxiety or stress. It is seen that these increased levels can bring about the nightmares. The most common treatment for this instance is behavioral therapy and meeting with someone to talk about their situations in order to get them straightened out. During the therapy people are taught how to relax themselves and techniques that allow for them to carry around less anxiety in which they can use to get rid of the nightmares. Many times it may be that during these sessions people can talk out what exactly it is that is causing the anxiety and it may be something that they did not realize was taking such a toll on their life. Some of the websites that I saw while researching this topic briefly mentioned some medications that are out there which are used to attempt to help treat the disorder, but all of the research has shown that the therapy is a much better option. Many of the times the medication is just used to attempt to help the person sleep or to take one once awakened to help calm themselves down. These do not take care of the actual problem of the nightmares, but rather attempt to ease the symptoms.

http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Nightmare-disorder.html
This website gave information about the demographics of nightmare disorder, a general background what it is, as well as what can be done about it.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2037.html
This website explains nightmare disorder in the different contexts that it is seen to come in. It also lays a general framework of the disorder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_disorder
This website gave me a basic framework that I used to better narrow my search. This was my first website that I used to build on to the information given here.

My topic for this week is dissociative identity disorder (DID) and the case of Billy Milligan. DID is not directly mentioned in the textbook but I think it is a great topic to be discussed when talking about consciousness. How can so much consciousness be held in one brain? How exactly does it work? I am interested in this topic is because when looking at the theatre metaphor for experiencing consciousness, I thought about the case of Billy Milligan that I had read about many years ago.

Dissociative identity disorder was formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Most of the time this disorder is severe, characterized by two or more identities presented in an individual. The average number of identities of people who suffer from this disorder is fifteen, with as little as four and a many as more than one hundred identities. Rather than growing separately, these identities are better described as fragments and shattered pieces (alters) of the original identity the “host” was born with. It is the most controversial diagnoses because there is no clear agreement on the diagnosis or the treatment. Research mostly looks into case studies since the diagnosis is very rare.

Every alter can be distinctively different regarding personality, age, or even gender. In the case of Kim Noble, one of her alter even has an eating disorder. Because of the vast difference and little understanding regarding the diagnosis, treatment can be challenging and lengthy. However, if not treated, alters can be present for the rest of the host’s life (in some cases, old alters die out when new alters emerge). The onset of DID is in early childhood, and suffers have endured some kind of constant abuse. DID can be explained as a defense mechanisms, where sufferers create an alter or many alters to protect her from memories of being abused. Thus, in some aspect, these sufferers can fair better than the normal population because they are not held back by traumatic memories (although the traumatized alters can vividly recall the abuse).

One of the most famous (although very little people nowadays know about) cases of DID is Billy Milligan. He was brutally abused at a young age, and it is believed that a few of his alters were first presented when he was five years old. In his 20’s, he was arrested for rape, armed robbery, and kidnapping, although he did not commit the crimes himself. In fact, Billy, the host, had never come to consciousness since the age of sixteen until more than a decade later when he was receiving treatments.
He has a total of twenty-four personalities, one of which is called Teacher, represents all personalities. He can recall other personalities’ actions and thoughts, and is a great help in Billy’s treatment. Except for Teacher, other personalities fall into two categories; ten of the personalities are neutral, and the other thirteen are called the Undesirables because they have broken rules in the past.

According to the biography, Billy’s personalities work as a group to keep the body functioning. The personalities can come together like friends, or a society. They talk one another out of bad decisions, teach the young ones how to read and write, or punish others for breaking rules. It is truly amazing to think about how abstract but yet realistic this disorder can be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Milligan

this is a Wikipedia site, providing basic information regarding Billy Milligan. I used this site to refresh my memory of the book I read “The Minds of Billy”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder#Signs_and_symptoms

this Wikipedia site provides information regarding dissociative identity disorder in details.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder

this site provides a glimpse into the disorder. although not detailed at all, it gives a good general understanding into this controversial disorder.

Once you have completed your search and explorations we would like you to:
1a) State what your topic is on
I have chosen to do more research on the meaning of dreams and how different cultures view dreams.
1b) Discuss how the topic relates to the chapter.
There was a small section in the chapter that was on dreaming.
1c) Discuss why you are interested in it.
I am interested in this because the chapter did not go into much detail about it. I am also interested in this because I would like to know different ways that I could interpret my dreams
2) Next, we would like you to take the information you read or viewed related to your topic, integrate/synthesize it, and then write about the topic in a knowledgeable manner.
There have been numerous explanations that have been suggested. The context of dreams varies culturally because in some cases people dream about their everyday experiences which are different in each culture. For example, the Americans and the Japanese have anxiety filled dreams about taking tests and the Massai herders of Kenya and the dairy ranchers of Wyoming have dreams about cattle. It is obvious that those dreams are most likely about everyday events because cattle are a huge part of herders and taking tests are a huge part of the American and Japanese culture. There are also elements of dreams that express basic human needs and dilemmas that are experienced in every culture. Those elements include sex, aggression, and death. However, there are certain cultures that are more likely to have these dreams. One example is that Japanese women are more likely to dream of killing someone but in the U.S. men were more likely to have these types of dreams.
The emphasis on dreams is different across cultures. In certain cultures, dreams are considered a means of communication with other people or with the supernatural. In many cultures, dreams hold knowledge to the future. It has also been found that different cultures have different recall of their dream. In modern western cultures, people rarely remember their dreams. However, in some cultures there are people who remember multiples dreams a night. Reports from many cultures suggest the possibility of learning to control our own dreams.
Ancient cultures have been fascinated with dreams before dream interpretation became popular by Freud. Some cultures regarded dreams as messages from the gods while some saw dreams and warnings and omens. One culture even used dreams in order to cure illnesses and diseases. Dream interpretation during ancient times was centered on gods and omens. This is because man wanted to better himself and wanted guidance from higher powers. That is still true today. Certain individuals think of dreams as signs or communications from our subconscious.
3) At the end of your post, please include working URLs for the three websites. For each URL you have listed indicate why you chose the site and the extent to which it contributed to your post.

https://www.sinclair.edu/academics/lcs/departments/soc/pub/casilab/dreams/dreams_from_culture_to_culture.pdf
This source was great because it explained what people from different cultures dreamed about.

http://www.dreamresearch.ca/pdf/cultural.pdf
This source gave me good information about different aspects of dreams, such as what cultures recall their dreams.

http://www.dreamsemantics.com/2010/02/dreams-and-cultures/
I liked this source because it didn’t just talk about the different interpretations of dreams in our culture today but it talked about the different interpretations of dreams in cultures in ancient times.

This week I decided to research the topic of sleepwalking. Sleepwalking relates to the chapter because it is a sleep disorder and sleep was discussed as one of the primary states of consciousness this week. I'm interested in the topic because sleep, sleep disorders and dreaming are all really interesting topics to me and sleepwalking is something that I wanted to know more about, as I didn't know what caused the disorder or how it could be dealt with. I've only ever really encountered the topic of sleepwalking through popular media until know and I though it would be a good idea to learn more about the topic.

Sleepwalking is a behavioral disorder that occurs when a person is sleeping. It is also formally referred to as somnambulism. In an episode of sleepwalking, the person gets up while sleeping, moves about and performs complex actions such as talking before eventually falling back to sleep with no recollection of the event. Other symptoms can include repeating movements, such as rubbing eyes or tugging on pajamas, looking dazed and being clumsy, not responding when spoken to, being difficult to wake up, and possibly urinating in undesirable places. Sleepwalking generally occurs during the first third of the night, during the slow wave NREM sleep stage. It will also typically only occur once in a night.

The cause of sleepwalking isn't entirely understood but suggested causes have included fatigue, stress or anxiety, noisy sleep environment/different sleep environment, going to bed with full bladder, certain medications, and also a genetic component as well as many others. The disorder can occur at any age but it is more prevalent in children with the most common occurences around age 12. Between 10 and 30% of children have had at least one episode of sleepwalking, with 1-5% having actual, frequent sleepwalking disorder. It also seems to be slightly more common in boys of that age as well. Adults on the other hand tend to be those who experienced sleepwalking as a child and it occurs in approximately 1–7% of adults while sleepwalking disorder occurs in about 0.5%.

Treatment for sleepwalking disorders isn't typically necessary unless there is a risk of harm or the disorder causes excessive fatigue in daily life. If treatment is made, it typically involves a low dose of benzodiazepines and antidepressants. More commonly, preventative safety measures are taken instead of medication being utilized. This involves locking doors and putting away dangerous objects such as knives.

Overall, sleepwalking isn't very dangerous or much of a cause for concern. It helps to understand the nature of sleep and is a very interesting topic as well though. I even read that some people commit crimes while sleepwalking, although these are very extreme cases. I'm glad that researched the topic more and now wonder if I will ever encounter someone who has experienced sleepwalking or suffers from the disorder.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/sleepwalking
This was a decent source for information and gave a good definition and list of possible treatments for the disorder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepwalking
This is also a good overview of the subject and I used it to fill in the gaps from the other two sources. It is also the source that primarily mentioned people who commit crimes while sleepwalking.
http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Sleepwalking-disorder.html
This was my main source and gives a good amount of detail about the disorder.

1a) State what your topic is.
Lucid Dreaming and tips for achieving it.
1b) Discuss how the topic relates to the chapter.
There are many levels of consciousness and awareness, our understanding of consciousness is described in the book as our awareness of environmental and cognitive events like sights and sounds as well as memories, thoughts or emotions. While our mind/brain is able to many extraordinary things while we are awake, the mind never actually sleeps. Within the chapter we discuss many different forms of consciousness but the clearest distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness is seen when we are awake or asleep. Through EEG readings scientists are able to see how just how active our brains are during sleep, not only that but we can also learn to control those dreams to a certain extent.
1c) Discuss why you are interested in it.
When I was younger I was troubled with terrible nightmares at least once or twice a week, I would wake up in a cold sweat terrified not knowing if it was real or just a dream. Around ten years old I began realizing they were only dreams and sometimes I could manipulate them to my desire, my nightmares became much easier to manage because I was in control. After I learned to control my dreams I would experience this about once every couple weeks never really knowing if it was normal or not. When the film Inception came out in 2010 I became much more interested in lucid dreaming and learned it was much more normal than I had ever thought. This sparked an interest to know as much about my dreams as I could.
2)
Throughout a night of sleep an average individual will experience four stages of sleep all culminating into the final product for dreaming, REM sleep or rapid eye movement sleep. One scientific approach to why we dream is called the activation synthesis hypothesis, which explains the brain activity during REM is very similar to our awake brain activity. These vivid dreams are internally generated, the brain taps into memories, utilizes the way we talk and feel and can organize it into something similar to a movie.
While there is no clear answer to why we dream or how, some people have the ability to take control within their dreams, this is known as lucid dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden , who used the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually starts in the middle of a dream when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream. This can be triggered by the dreamer noticing some incredible or unlikely incidence in the dream, such as flying or meeting someone who is deceased. A minority of lucid dreamers have the ability of returning to REM sleep directly from an awakened state with unbroken consciousness. This is a skill that many can achieve through proper practice. Keeping a dream journal is a good start for anyone who is interested in lucid dreaming. This is perhaps the most important step towards lucid dreaming. It is good to keep the journal close to your bed and write about your dreams immediately after waking. This will help you recognize your common dream elements and also help you to recognize things that are unique to your dreams. Another helpful tip to lucid dreaming is knowing your sleep schedule, lucid dreams are strongly associated with REM sleep. REM sleep is more abundant just before you finally wake up in the morning. If you are aware of your sleep cycles you can set an alarm to wake you 4-7 hours after falling asleep, after being awakened try to remember everything about the dream and you may induce a lucid dream. One of the more advanced methods for lucid dreaming is known as WILD (wake initiated lucid dream) technique. Basically what it means is that when you fall asleep you carry your awareness from when you were awake directly into REM sleep and you start out as a lucid dream. Only about 10% of lucid dreams are able to achieve this and the best known way is through meditation.
As we can see lucid dreaming can be achieved through many various methods. If you consider that once you know you are dreaming, you are restricted only by your ability to imagine and conceive, not by laws of our nature world like physics or society, then the answer to what lucid dreaming is good for is either extremely simple or amazingly complex. Dreams have always been a topic of great fascination for humans and I have no doubt they will continue to mesmerize us until we understand them more fully.

3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream
This site was helpful in giving me a lot of background information on lucid dream and who first began studying it.
http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#LD
This site was very helpful in explaining the processes and different methods for lucid dreaming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYSX51xBkos
This is a fun video to explain how we lucid dream and how easy it can be.

1) I chose to talk about dreaming and people who dream in color versus those who dream in black and white. I chose this topic, because we had an interesting discussion about dreaming in class and I wanted to learn more about theories of why this may be.
2) Dreams happen in the REM stage of sleep. Past researchers believed that people normally dreamed in black and white, but now there is research and theories of why some people may dream in color. I myself cannot recall dreaming in black and white. Most of the memories of the dreams that I have are in color. Researchers believe that 83 % of our dreams are in color now and the rest in black and white. It is thought that people over the age of 55 tend to dream more in black and white, because that is what they grew up with so to speak, because the television shows were all black and white. Now days people are growing up with so much colorful social media, that this could have an effect on a person’s dreams. Experts believe that people who are also more aware of color and detail may dream more in color than a person who isn’t as artistic or doesn’t pay attention to much physical detail. People who also keep dream diaries may also be more likely to dream in color, because they are paying close attention to the details in their dream and write them down to help them remember. Another theory is that those who feel they dream in black and white may in fact be dreaming in color, but because they do not pay close as attention to colors they may not remember it.
There have been studies done where people are woken up when they have a dream and are shown a color chart to show what colors they are seeing when they are dreaming. Much of the time the study showed that it is more pastel colors that people have picked out from the chart. The percentages that were given in each of these websites were all in the 80%’s that people dream in color most of the time, and the rest of our dreams can be black and white. It is hard to determine for sure, because we have multiple dreams a night, and often don’t remember a lot of our dreams, so there is much that is being left out of the study, because we are unable to recall.
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/dream-in-color
talked about percentage and some theories behind this study.
http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-studies-on-black-and-white-vs.html
talked about more theories as to why people are different in dreaming.
http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/tp/facts-about-dreams.htm
talked about studies that were done and colors that people see.
REM, recall, dreaming, memories,

My topic is dreams and lucid dreaming. One of the reasons that I chose to look at this cause there isn’t a lot it the psychology world about it is, some think that there are resons and others don’t. I think that lucid dreaming is neat cause if you can control your dreams it would just be awesome you can do whatever you want consciousness and dreaming is a level of consciousness. I want to see why we have them. Physiological stimulations and psychological necessity are two parts or theories of dreams. Physiological views see dreaming as a way to exercise the brain dreaming kind of gives the brain a way to reset its self also a way to maybe catch up on things that it had going on and a way of or your neural connections to get a workout. Psychological theories view dreams as a way to solve problems or organize the various bits of information obtained throughout the day. There are numerous psychological theories. Freud suggested that dreams are a way for the unconscious mind to act out repressed desires. Jung said that dreams allow for reflection on the waking self and problem solving. Hobson and McCarley said the activation synthesis hypothesis which states that dreams are the brain’s way of making sense of the random stuff. Lucid dreaming is knowing that you are dreaming. When you have a lucid dream or are lucid dreaming doesn’t mean that you have control over your dream but you do know that you are dreaming and some people try to control them. So to have lucid dreams you need to pay attention to the environment that you are in when you wake up. They say that if you are familiar with you environment you know when you are dreaming and when you aren’t. You can tell the differences this will help you know that you are dreaming in the first place. This helps you practice noticing details which is needed in lucid dreaming. This will let you know what is real and what isn’t. Your body can reactions or effects while you are dreaming in a lucid state. One study showed that your heart rate increases respiration can also change. The study showed evidence the actual physiological changes happened cause of lucid dreaming this could be beneficial for doing stuff while you are sleeping every day.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/dream.htm
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201212/lucid-dreaming-and-self-realization
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/drm/18/2/112.pdf