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Why you keep having a same dream?

Reason of recurring dream

By KiaraPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
Why you keep having a same dream?
Photo by Gregory Pappas on Unsplash

April 11, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln sat with his friend and bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon, feeling despondent. He confided in Lamon about a disturbing dream he had recently experienced.

In the dream, he saw a corpse lying on a catafalque in the East Room of the White House while the sound of mourners' subdued sobs filled his ears. When he inquired about the identity of the deceased, a soldier informed him that it was the President himself, killed by an assassin.

Little did Lincoln know that this dream would foreshadow his own tragic fate. A few days later, while watching the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater, Lincoln was shot by an assassin and succumbed to his injuries the following day.

In this article, we will delve into the enigmatic realm of dreams, an age-old mystery that continues to captivate our curiosity. To unravel its secrets, we will explore several real-life cases of individuals who experienced recurring dreams.

And what better place to start than with Lincoln, a man who held a deep fascination with his own dream life? Despite his esteemed intellectual stature, Lincoln openly shared his dreams with others, even though some might have considered such an interest superstitious.

One recurring dream that Lincoln frequently shared with his cabinet occurred during the Civil War. He recounted dreaming of being on an indescribable vessel hurtling rapidly toward a dark and uncertain shore.

Remarkably, he experienced this dream before nearly every significant event during the war, including major Union victories like Gettysburg and Antietam. For Lincoln, this dream signaled imminent change, but modern psychologists might interpret it differently.

In the context of 2023, it might seem peculiar that the President of the United States would discuss his dreams with his cabinet. However, during Lincoln's era, dreams held great fascination. Newspapers often featured dreams of well-known individuals, including Lincoln himself.

People believed dreams had the power to unlock the future, serving as omens or messages about forthcoming events. Lincoln possessed a remarkable ability to recall his dreams, a phenomenon experienced by all of us, albeit to a lesser degree.

On average, a person dreams four to six times per night, with each dream lasting approximately ten to twenty minutes. However, because dreams occur during the REM stage of sleep, they can subjectively feel much longer.

Some theories propose that this distortion stems from the absence of logical faculties during dreaming or the lower temperature of the sleeping brain. Additionally, the body undergoes temporary paralysis during sleep, preventing us from physically acting out dream scenarios.

Sleep paralysis, a condition where individuals wake up but remain temporarily paralyzed, can be a terrifying experience. It involves the inability to move or speak while being aware of one's surroundings, often accompanied by vivid hallucinations.

Those who have encountered sleep paralysis can attest to its frightening nature, as they struggle to break free from their immobile state.

The sleep cycle consists of four stages, with each cycle lasting approximately 90 minutes. The REM stage, during which dreams are most vivid, lengthens as the night progresses.

The dreams we remember most clearly are those that occur just before awakening. However, due to various neurochemical factors, our ability to retain dream memories diminishes throughout the day.

Nevertheless, significant dreams can leave a lasting impression on our minds. Lincoln wisely recorded his dreams upon waking, a practice we will explore further.

Lincoln was not the only person who regarded his dreams as glimpses into the future. Throughout history, dreams have been perceived as prophetic messages.

Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederacy during the Civil War, shared Lincoln's belief in the prescient nature of dreams. While imprisoned at Fort Warren toward the end of the war, Stephens documented numerous recurring dreams.

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About the Creator

Kiara

I observe natural occurring phenomenon and express them in words. Art is my passion. I want to become an Arabic Calligrapher.

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