The Wild and Wonderful World of Dreams
By Mary Kennedy
Anything can happen in a dream. You can take on a new persona, explore lands both real and imaginary and have adventures worthy of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. Since dreams are not subject to time and space constraints, you can share a plate of marrons with Marie Antoinette (“Let them eat cake!”) one night and be part of the first space mission (“Houston, we have a problem.”) the following evening.
But what are we to make of the strange dream images that flit through our minds as we sleep? They seem so real while we’re experiencing them, and sleep studies reveal that our bodies react to dreams with real-life physical stress. Are you climbing a mountain in your dream or swinging from a zip line like Angelina Jolie? Your blood pressure may soar, your heartbeat may rachet up a notch and your chest may feel tight. If you awake and take a few deep breaths, everything will return to normal in a few minutes.
On the other hand, what if you’re dreaming of lounging in a meadow, taking in the sweet scent of honeysuckle as you thumb through a book of poetry? Your body will show signs that you are indeed, at rest. Your heart rate will rachet down and your breathing will become slower as your mind enjoys this respite from the cares of the day.
In any case, it’s fun to explore our dreams and what they really mean, as the characters in the Dream Club do. The members like to think that they are uncovering clues to solving murders in Savannah and they seem to have had some success. They combine intuition with solid sleuthing skills and some dream work. But do clues from their dreams really solve crimes? Is it luck, or coincidence or a combination of the two? I leave it to the reader to decide.
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Mary is offering a giveaway! One person can choose a copy of Nightmares can be Murder or a dream catcher. To be eligible simply leave a comment on this post about dreams. Do you remember yours? Do you have recurring themes? Leave your comment, along with your e-mail address no later than 11:59pm Tuesday, August 4, 2015.
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Mary Kennedy is the author of over forty novels and has made the BookScan, Barnes and Noble and Publisher’s Weekly best-seller list. She is a psychologist in private practice on the East Coast and lives with her husband and eight neurotic cats. Both husband and cats have resisted all her attempts to psychoanalyze them, but she remains optimistic. You can visit her at www.marykennedy.net or the Cozy Chicks, where she blogs every Saturday. www.cozychicksblog.com
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Nightmares Can Be Murder, the first in The Dream Club Mysteries, http://tinyurl.com/kloqok3
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Mary blogs every Saturday with the Cozy Chicks. http://www.cozychicksblog.com
Sounds intriguing! I don't usually remember my dreams, sometimes they are really strange! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteangelhwk68@yahoo.com
Hi Barbara, sometimes a word or a sound or a fragrance will bring the whole dream back to you the next day! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteDream Club? Another great series in which I am now very interested! Does it every stop? Great series, great books, great authors! I really like your blog, as it gives me insight into new reading adventures! kat8762@aol.com
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen, dream clubs are actually quite popular here in the northeast (but maybe not too common in other parts of the country.). They're fun...members meet once a week to talk about their dreams and analyze them. Of course, in the Dream Club, the ladies also eat some great desserts and try to uncover clues to solve a murder. Do their dreams really hold the clue, or is it just coincidence? I leave it up to the reader to decide. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm so pleased you're enjoying my blog and discovering wonderful new authors and books!
DeleteI do remember at least one dream each night. Reoccurring theme is looking for something: a friend, my purse, trying to find my way home, or my car in a parking lot...odd. jslbrown2009 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, happy to be here! Hope everyone is enjoying a great week-end. Lisa, the "lost object" is always an interesting dream. Usually comes at a time of stress. As always, the question to ask is: "What was I feeling during this dream? What is the emotion?" The "Lost Object" dream can be an anxiety dream. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteMary, I loved your first "dream" mystery and can't wait to read this one! I sometimes dream that I'm driving a car, but that I'm high, high up in the seat and can't really see where I'm going. I feel as if I'm losing control, and then (luckily) the dream ends.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda. so glad you enjoyed Nightmares! The "out of control" car is very common in dreams--and terrifying. People usually have it when things in their life are a bit rocky....
DeleteI do remember a lot of my dreams. I also keep a dream journal. I can't wait to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteMoonbay7399@gmail.com
I keep a dream journal as well, although I haven't been writing in it much. My dreams are usually quite long and complicated!
DeleteCandace, that's great that you keep a dream journal!
DeleteI just woke up from a weird one having to do with a person I knew in the dream but have no idea who he was in real life, who was doing some sort of research to breed Monarch butterflies. He was using several layers of clear plastic bags and waiting for them to "germanate". He gave the bag to me for my friend and after a lot of running around I finally found her and gave her the bag. Then a house up the street from me (I live in a 1050's Baltimore City row home) magically became a lovely, large house that backed onto a college campus field and I watched as a football came flying into the back door. That's when I woke up.
ReplyDeleteharbingerdc(at)gmail(dot)com
DeleteHarbinger, that is a very detailed dream (and very interesting!) It's interesting that the house up the street suddenly morphed into a mansion--my clients have reported something like that to me. No idea what the football means, but it's fascinating. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI normally don't remember my dreams. Sometimes I wake up worried so I think I've had a nightmare but it's rare that I can remember it.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, try keeping a pad and pen by your bed and jot down any ideas that come to you in the night. Even a word, a fragment, anything. It might job your memory the next day. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI am LOVING the Dream Club because my dreams have been ongoing, some, for YEARS! Like, a tv series. My favorite however is always in a house located up a winding path. It is a huge masion that only two older people live in. I visit and know there is something else in the house. It lives in the older, origiinal section that has not yet undergone repairs. I have seen this "spirit woman creature" only twice, but she is quite mean and VERY territorial. She won't let me into that section of thw house and I really want to go. I te sneaking, but her voice is terrifying...scratchy and low. I could go on for a long time, but that is the gist.
ReplyDeleteSome of my dreams would make great TV as well!
DeleteKatreader, be sure to write them down!!! I bet you have the makings of a book or a movie!!
DeleteSheryl, my clients often tell me that they return to a house in their dreams, a house they have visited before. They are always happy to recognize the house and can't wait to get inside. But it sounds like a negative presence is disrupting your visit to the house--there seems to be an obstacle in your path. It's interesting that you return to the same dream....but I wish it had a happier outcome for you!
DeleteThe best dream I've had was my deceased hubby telling me good bye!
ReplyDeleteConnie, it is so comforting to hear from a loved one who has passed. I am happy that you had that last conversation with him. I know you must treasure it...
DeleteThis is embarrassing to talk about but I occasionally have what I call the Bathroom dream. I am walking around looking for a rest room but each one I find is dirtier than the next. When I finally wake up, I realize I have to go to the bathroom, so I guess my body is sending me signals through my dreams? I sure hope that as I get older (I'm in my early 60's), I won't find clean restrooms in my dream! Kuzlin at AOL.com
ReplyDeleteKuzlin, don't be embarrassed--that's a pretty common dream! I think you interpreted it correctly. Nature calls--even in our dream world. Thanks so much for stopping by.
DeleteI've never tried to analyze my dreams. I know they often reflect something that has happened that day or that I'm anticipating. Some of them I remember and some are gone when I wake up. Last night I was dreaming about two of the guys from Justified - the bad guy whose name escapes me right now and I'm not sure who the other fellow was. Have no idea what that would mean. I do get a lot of paper crafting ideas during my sleep - usually I'm laying there awake and thinking rather than sleeping. The solution to what I want to do is worked out during those hours. Haven't read any of these books but would like to try one to see what the dream books are about. thanks. txmlhl@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteMary, that's very interesting that creative solutions come to you during dreams. I once had a university prof tell me that was impossible. Hah--he was so wrong! I told him that I often went to bed pondering a plot problem, and the answer magically came to me the next morning. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteThe dreams that I seem to remember most are those in which I have a thought that something is not quite right or out of place. In one of my dreams, I was walking near my home and the sign at the mobile home park I went past was not their regular sign, it was the sign for McDonald's out in front instead. In my dream, I thought, "That's not right".
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, my clients often tell me they feel "unsettled" when they run into something unfamiliar in their dream. They walk down a street they've been down 100 times, but suddenly it's different. The coffee shop is gone, the nice park with the winding lane is gone, etc. They feel uncomfortable that things have changed...it's interesting! Sometimes there is something "unsettling" going on in their own life. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteMany of my dreams are disturbing nightmares which took place in my life many years ago and are upsetting. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeletePetite, nightmares are awful. When they do sleep studies, they hook the patient up to monitors and they discover what a toll nightmares take on our bodies. Our blood pressure soars, our pulse goes up etc etc. It's a relief to wake up and be free from the dream. So sorry you are suffer from them, wish there was a cure. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI dream about my late mother and this bothers me terribly since I still grieve and miss her badly. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeletetraveler, so sorry for you loss. It's so hard to lose someone we love, the pain lingers on for a long time. I hope you can take some comfort in your dreams about her. Wishing you the best and sending you good thoughts..
DeleteI have several dream books to look up the meaning of my dreams. Sometimes my dreams are so vivid that I can tell you exactly what a person looks like. Several times I have had a dream and a few weeks later it has happened, my mom used to have those too.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Vivid dreaming seems to run in families and so do nightmares, I always find that interesting. Also, women tend to have nightmares more than men do...another interesting fact. Are our lives more complicated? Not sure what the reason is...thanks for stopping by, Rita.
DeleteDreams can be pleasant and then there are those that can keep you awake at night. People laugh and say it's all in what you ate before bed but I think it happens because your mind is still restless. Thanks for the review. robeader53@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteRobin, I think you're right--a restless mind is what's going on with nightmares...thanks for stopping by!
DeleteNight Terrors are the worst. I usually thrash around so much and have trouble waking up. Usually remember them in detail. Had one in the hospital and would not let go of the poor nurses hand. When I finally did made him promise to come back in the room. Remember many of my dreams.
ReplyDeleteNight terrors are the worst!! You have my sympathy, Liz. Wish they could find a cure...people with night terrors are literally "afraid to go to sleep." It's awful.
DeleteI have very vivid and weird dreams. I can recall them long after. No nightmares ever though.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
My dreams are very vivid and I usually remember them. Some of them have even came true. poohwine1217@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, it's always nice when the good ones come true! Thanks for stopping b!y
DeleteI dream frequently, but one that sticks out as a recurring dream is one in which I discover a secret room in my house with lots of extra space. If only that one would come true - lol! I have also experienced sleep paralysis, which is very scary while it's happening! nicolev.girldetective@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteSometimes I remember my dreams. Some are really weird. Some I hope don't come true! jawdance@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteMy dreams are like they belong to someone else ..I keep dreaming someone steals my car ...what's up with that ..Makes me remember to keep my alarm on whenever I leave it . jchizmar01@windstream.net
ReplyDeleteI do not always remember my dreams. Sometimes I think if I am exhausted when I go to bed I just can't remember them. Other times I remember them. I dreamed I was pregnant the other night, even in my dream I kept saying "No way I am too old for this!" LOL
ReplyDeleteThat would certainly be a nightmare for me!!! lol
DeleteMy best dream has to be sitting and talking to my Dad months after he passed away. It really helped me accept his death. I don't remember most of my dreams.
ReplyDeleteJoan (somersethouse.me)
Joan, I'm glad you had that dream, it's very comforting.
DeleteI used to have work dreams where anything that could go wrong did, and it was always my fault.
ReplyDeletekaye dot killgore at comcast dot net
I have multiple dream cycles every night, and usually remember the dreams for a while, at least. One that recurs features all my teeth falling out...
ReplyDeleteI lost my husband of over 30 years 3 years ago. I dream of him often and wake up remembering the dream with tears on my face
ReplyDeleteI usually have some recall of the last dream before I awaken, but it fades fast. If I jot it down or relate it to my husband, it stays with me much longer. I used to have that recurring dream about my teeth falling out. I don't have it anymore. I figured it meant I was concerned about aging...conflicted. Or losing my ability to cope well. No "bite" left in me. BTW, I have 5 cats at home. :-) jmarnz@aol.com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations candace knight! Random.org chose your comment to win. Be on the look out for an e-mail from me!
ReplyDelete