If Dreams are Messages from the Soul What are Nightmares and Night Terrors?

If dreams are messages from the soul, what are nightmares and night terrors trying to tell us? Are these experiences some kind of non-ordinary reality or just the playground of imagination?

Several people can witness the same event but give different accounts. Our senses don’t record what happens; they provide input into the process of perception that takes place in the mind. That’s why people often find witness statements to be inaccurate.

What does this tell us about our perception of reality and our experiences in the dream state? Before we get to dreams, we need to see if we can define non-ordinary and ordinary reality.

What is Non-Ordinary Reality?

The cultural narrative wants us to believe that ordinary is what is obvious to the senses, but is this a good way to define ordinary or normal reality? No, we don’t think so, either. We already discussed how our senses yield different results for the same experience.

Guess what? The dominant cultural narrative gets to make the rules. Ordinary reality is whatever the cultural narrative tells us is acceptable and normal. Everything outside the range of what is considered normal is an extraordinary or non-ordinary reality. Whoever controls the cultural narrative gets to decide what is normal. (1)

Does the cultural narrative accurately represent reality? No, it does not. However, most people don’t question it. Does it do any good to question it? Yes! It’s time to ask the questions: What is non-ordinary reality, and what is ordinary reality?

Psychology calls non-ordinary reality the experience of an altered state of consciousness. However, altered states deal with the mechanism of perception, not the object of perception. All of our experiences are no different from dreams.

The famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud was curious about dreams. We can trace modern psychoanalysis to his fascination with this state of consciousness. He wasn’t the only researcher to look at this state as a key to understanding the mind.

In the 1600s, the French philosopher Rene Descartes wrote the Dream Argument paper. He argues our dreams provide evidence that reality isn’t objective. He makes two excellent observations.

First, when you dream, you create an imaginary landscape of the mind, and it’s tangible and as vivid as any experience in the waking state. Because of this, our waking senses may also create an illusion world. How can we trust the judgment of our senses to determine what is real? Second, most people never recognize they are dreaming. This is like our waking view of reality. We simply prioritize the waking state over the dream state.

What if Dreams are Messages from the Soul?

Carlos Castaneda describes non-ordinary states from a shaman’s point of view. The shaman’s worldview has three characteristics. First, it is stable, and its experiences feel similar to ordinary reality. Second, it can be controlled if the shaman possesses the power to do so. It is possible to alter or stop time to examine or alter events. Third, it lacks ordinary consensus because the observer acts independently.

Many people get glimpses of non-ordinary reality. Déjà vu, synchronicity, omens, and eureka moments are windows of non-ordinary reality. The experience of aliens and cryptozoological creatures is the overlap of these realities.

Since everything we experience happens in the mind, it is like a dream. If dreams are messages from the soul, then is our imagination creating this dream we call life?

Some believe our perception of reality represents a greater cosmic consciousness, making us singularities in some grand experiment. Religions call this experiment a divinely inspired creation, but is this a way to avoid the truth? We can answer these questions if we interpret the soul as consciousness.

What are Dreams?

Dreams are a partition of consciousness that creates an imaginary landscape. Does this partition prove that non-ordinary reality is real? The symbolism in dreams comes from many sources. Some, like Sigmund Freud, theorized that dreams represented repressed desires. However, many other things influence our dreams besides repressed desires. Our fears seem to be reflected to a large degree in nightmares.

Others think dreams are not only messages from the subconscious mind but from a greater universal consciousness. Are these messages from our soul, our spiritual self, or is this the same as universal consciousness?

So, what is a dream, or what is non-ordinary reality? We know it is a doorway to a separate state of consciousness. Exactly where it opens is a mystery. Scholars see dreams as reflections of thoughts, emotions, and daily activities. Some sages talk about them as an otherworldly mystical realm, as concrete as our waking consciousness experience. Not all dreams are pleasant, and some are nightmares.

Are Nightmares Non-Ordinary Reality?

“The Land of Dreams, that mystical realm, where the oddest of visions appear, come wander through scenes of a joyful peace, or stampeded through nightmares of fear.  Dare we open those secret doors, down dusty paths of mind, in long-forgotten corners, what memories we’ll find?  Who rules over the Kingdom of Night, where all is not what it seems? ‘Tis I, the Weaver of Tales, for I am the Dreamer of Dreams!” ― Brian Jacques, The Rogue Crew

We assume everything we experience in the mind is real. But what we experience is simply an imaginary landscape of the mind. This terrain includes dreams, nightmares, and what we know as normal reality. Eek! This means everything is non-ordinary, and we can prove this by the doorways that let us escape what we call ordinary reality.

The Fourth State of Consciousness

Millions of people meditate daily, using a mantra to reach the fourth state of pure consciousness. This unique partition produces physiological changes that differ from waking, dreaming, and sleeping. This state is a personal experience of non-ordinary reality. It is significant for the absence of thought while remaining fully aware.

People who meditate can fall into the dreaming state from the 4th state of consciousness. Test subjects at Maharishi International University confirm this ability. Those who practice the Shamanic Journey and enter SSC are also prone to transition from SSC into the dreaming state. It seems the mind naturally goes to this state. (2)

The Shamanic State of Consciousness

The Shamanic Journey is likely the first method of consciousness exploration developed by man. It opens a doorway to another partition of awareness, The Shamanic State of Consciousness (SSC). Mr. Harner, an anthropologist, author, and modern-day shaman, is the first to use this term to describe this state.

The Factors that Define Reality and Non-Ordinary Reality

How you define reality and what is non-ordinary reality depends on several factors.

— The level of harmful religious indoctrination
— Your mental and physical health
— The diversity of your life experiences
— Your level of awareness
— The level of your intelligence
— Your beliefs and values

When you mix all these ever-changing factors, you create a unique concoction that defines our worldview. It sounds like a rather messy process. and it is. Let’s start our investigation of these factors by unraveling our experience within our dreams.

What are Nightmares and Night Terrors?

Dreams and nightmares are an imaginary landscape of the mind, and we don’t need a special technique to reach this partition of awareness. Some think it’s more than a link to the subconscious mind. Is it possible this is a window to some level of existence? So, are nightmares a non-ordinary reality? (3)

Dreaming is one of the three primary states of consciousness. Waking and sleeping are the other two default states of awareness. Science tells us we have dreams during the stage of sleep where we have rapid eye movements and REM sleep.

We can dream outside of the normal sleep stage. Daydreaming can be just as intense and authentic to the mind. Many people jump straight into the REM stage when they first fall asleep.

Real events or fears often trigger nightmares. For example, in a nightmare, you may find yourself in a high place, a tower, or a pole that is falling. It feels like you are falling, and this is a scary, life-threatening fear. Night terrors take this one step further. This is when you react physically to the nightmare. This may cause you to flail, thrash about, scream, or sweat.

Indigenous traditions that involve shamans explain nightmares as spiritual confrontations. So, your task is to take a shamanic journey and face this terror to find out what it is and how to overcome it. This process is not dissimilar to modern psychoanalysis.

When you ask a shaman, What nightmares and night terrors are in these cultures? A shaman will answer by asking you questions. They understand that what you are dealing with is the intersection between the boundaries of experience, consciousness, imagination, beliefs, and memory. A good shaman will ask questions to probe all of these areas to understand what might be triggering these events and how to handle them.

“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?” — John Lennon

Notice how he qualifies his belief by proof. He accepts everything possible, including fairies, myths, and dreams. However, he rejects those things that are not proven. Dreams and nightmares are imaginary landscapes of the mind, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t real. It all depends on how you categorize experience.

The fact is, everything we experience happens within the mind. Dreams and nightmares produce similar measurable physiological changes, so they are a shared experiential element of our consciousness.

Night Terrors Could Be PTSD

So, what are nightmares and night terrors? Are they just a product of our psyche? Yes, because everything we experience is a product of the mind. Night terrors often result from reliving traumatic events, which is what psychologists call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If dreams are messages from the soul, then night terrors are warning signs that there is an emotional trauma we need to deal with.

Directing Our Dreams with Lucid Dreaming Techniques

Most people don’t remember all of their dreams. However, we can recount the details if we have a nightmare and wake up. If we wake up shortly after dreaming, even if the dream isn’t unpleasant or significant, we may still remember it. It’s why expanding our awareness is so important and helps us be aware of more of our dreams.

Lucid dreaming is the easiest way to expand awareness. We use the natural elements of dreaming and a sutra to achieve greater levels.

“All you have to do is remember your dreams in the first place and write it down.”
— Joseph Campbell

Recording your dreams is essential for building awareness. Writing solidifies your memories and can open your recollection to other related memories and dreams. Once you have a history of dreams recorded, you can take one or two of the main images or ideas and brainstorm. Write what comes to your mind. It will open doors to other memories and dreams you’ve forgotten. It’s a very interesting investigation.

You’ll find that your dreams come from a body of significant experiences. You may not be aware of how they influence your thinking and choices. Soon, the next dream opportunity will come along. Take the images and move your interpretation further.   The key is recording your dreams immediately after waking up.

In Conclusion