dream

The word dream has four interrelated meanings that follow one from the other. First, a dream is a form of thinking during sleep that occurs when (a) there is a certain, as yet undetermined, minimal level of brain activation; (b) external stimuli are blocked from central processing at sensory gates; and (c) the "self-system" is shut down. Second, a dream is something people "experience" as an ongoing narrative because the thought patterns simulate waking reality. Third, a dream is what people remember in the morning, so it is a "memory" of the dreaming experience. Finally, a dream is the spoken or written "report" to researchers based on the memory of the dreaming experience.

- GWD