Ever heard of a “personalized dream simulator?” Do you ever wonder if you can control your dreams? Well, if you do, then this article will interest you.

Go ahead, read it!

Introduction

We are living in a technologically advanced world. Every day, there is snew innovation. We constantly hear about research on a new phenomenon. The human mind is always seeking answers. It seems like we are on a journey.

It is a journey to achieve our dreams!

What Exactly is a Dream?

“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”

This quote by J.R.R Tolkien gives some idea about the meaning of the word. Dreams are not realities. According to Merriam-Webster, to have a dream means “to have a series of thoughts, emotions or images while sleeping”. This definition though, does not explain much.

If dreams are just some images we see in sleep, why are they given so much importance? Why is there a constant conversation about them? What does one mean when they say they have fulfilled their dreams? What then, are daydreams or nightmares? There are too many questions, left unanswered here.

This is because the word has various other definitions too. Let us dissect some of them here.

 “Something that you want to happen very much, but it is not very likely”

This means that a dream could be something, impossible or improbable. So, if suppose you think that tomorrow an owl will deliver your Hogwarts letter to you, we can call it a dream.

“The word is used before a noun to say that something is almost perfect”

Various times we use this word as an adjective to describe an ideal situation. So, when you talk about your dream house, your dream car, or your dream job, it describes something you want to have. It describes what would be the perfect scenario for you.

“To imagine something that you would like to happen”

This means that you think of something that you want to achieve. You would likely have the skills, abilities, and resources to achieve that as well. It is a possibility that you want to transform into a reality.

So, when we talk about wanting to achieve something, maybe getting into a college or starting a company, it’s something we would like to happen. It is a dream that we want to achieve and there is a possibility that we can.

 Why this Discussion?

You might be wondering, what’s the point of this entire discussion? Why are we discussing different definitions of dreams? It brings us to the main thing that I want to talk about today. So, the definitions that we discussed above, there exists similarity in all of them (except the first one). Dreams mean something that YOU want.

Now what if I tell you that the first definition can also gain this similarity? What if the series of thoughts, emotions, and images that you see while sleeping could be controlled? Sounds intriguing? Well, that’s because it is.

What if I tell you that you can control your dreams with the help of a personalized dream simulator?

 What is a Personalized Dream Simulator?

A simulator can help portray specific conditions and real-life situations with the help of a machine. It is generally used  of research.

There are various simulators that we have come across in our everyday lives.

So, let’s suppose you are shopping online. Today, there are a lot of websites that allow you to virtually try out the products and see how they will look on you. It uses artificial intelligence to do so. That’s an example of a simulator.

We have various simulation games available as well. They essentially transport you to another world.

So, a personalized dream simulator will allow you to control your dreams. You can modify them and see what you want.

Before we understand, or more accurately try to understand how a personalized dream simulator might work, we need to understand how dreams work.

Why Do We Dream?

Research suggests that we dream at various stages of our sleep. However, during the REM stage, the peak is at its highest. This stage is achieved after almost 90 minutes of falling asleep. 

Eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing speed up. In this stage the brain dreams, processes information, and stores memories. Our brain tends to be equally active during this stage, as it would be while we are awake. 

A lot of factors when we are awake can also influence dreams like:

1. Health conditions: How much we are sleeping can affect dreams. If you are sleep deprived for a day or two, there is a chance that you would have more vivid dreams when you finally sleep.
2. Food choices: It is said that some food can help you remember your dreams better. Also, if our food choices are affecting our actions during the daythe same mood will likelyll be carried out when we sleep as well.
3. Everyday Activities: Actions like doing physical exercise can lead you to sleep better and thus ultimately affect the quality of your dreams.
4. Current Situations: Some instances in your life can also affect your dreams. For example, we all might have, at some point in our life experienced a dream where we failed our exams. This usually happens near the exam time too.

So, even though there is no clear reason as to why you’re dreaming what you are dreaming, the above-mentioned points could contribute.

How Would a Personalized Dream Simulator Work?

Let us now try to think about how a personalized dream simulator would work. So, as we spoke about before, when we are dreaming the brain waves are approximately as active as when we are awake. A dream simulator would likely make use of this fact.

It would require the development of technologies that can manipulate your brain waves. The inspiration can be taken from Artificial intelligence games, which make you feel transported to a different place.

The issue with that is that such games and experiences are generalized to everyone. Making the dream experience personalized would be a much more difficult thing. Each person will have different requirements which need to be met.

But here we will assume that humans are capable of developing such a technology. With the improving research and development of artificial intelligence, this is not a loosely made assumption.

So now that we have a personalized dream simulator, a person can probably put in certain requirements. These could be things like setting, people, or just a situation and enjoying their own unique dreaming experience.

Benefits of a Personalized Dream Simulator

So, we discussed what are dreams, how they happen, and how a dream simulator would work. Now, the next question of concern is, what is the need for dream simulators? How are they gonna make a difference? 

Why would we spend so much money to develop a technology that simulates dreams?

1. Dealing with PTSD

According to the national institute of mental health “PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that develops in people who have experienced a shocking, scary or a dangerous event”. Its symptoms include severe anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, or uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

A dream simulator can help deal with the severe nightmares that are a result of PTSD. A nightmare is a frightening or unpleasant dream.

If we can manipulate the dreams of people experiencing such a disorder it would be therapeutic for them. A dream simulator can help to do the same. Situations, where they feel at ease or happy, can be programmed.

This would help in giving them a comfortable sleep. It wouly not solve all the issues caused by the post-traumatic stress disorder. This process, though wouly help prepare the body for the oncoming mental battle in a much better way.

 2. Achieving Milestones

There are various books written and research done on the effects, the subconscious mind can have. The subconscious mind influences our thoughts and behaviors. It drives the automatic responses that our brain delivers. This means that activities, that you don’t constantly think of when performing them. For example, riding a bicycle.

The book, power of your subconscious mind talks about how we can harness the powers of our subconscious.

It is said that if you think that you have achieved something you want, there is a chance you wouly end up achieving it. What this means is, if you can visualize properly what you want your subconscious would treat it as true.

The law of attraction is then put to use here athe thing will likelyill come true. There are various instances where this thing has worked for people in real life.

Using a personalized dream simulator, people can put the situation they want to be in as their dream. Visualizing yourself in your dream college or buying your dream car, could be some such situations.

We know that since the brain waves are active and the information is saved, this can help. We will probably be able to research more on such claims and if they are true then itly a win for us all.

3. To Deal With Irregular Sleep

A lot of people face problems with their sleeping patterns. We talk each day about the messed up sleep schedules, especially of the current generation. Studies suggest that not getting enough sleep (at least 6 hours each day) could lead to fatal health conditions such as stroke, heart failure, or congestive heart failure.

It is then very important to get proper sleep. Using a personalized dream simulator cly help to do this. People use ASMR music or calming noises to fall asleep. A comfortable sleep can continue if the dreams are pleasant as well.

 4. Use in Hospitals

A dream simulator can be used on patients. It can have various benefits. Firstly, like could help people with PTSD, it can also help other patients who are going through painful treatments. This is because at least the sleep can be peaceful.

Even people who need some brain stimulation, such as comatose patients can benefit from the use of a dream simulator.

 There can be various benefits of a dream simulator as mentioned above. It can help us gain clarity on situations that were maybe not as lucid before. It can help in achieving greater heights in medical science. It can even provide enjoyment to people after a tough day. 

4. Deal with Caution

What we need to understand is that with advancements in technology, there is always some caution that needs to be taken. We can’t overexploit the resources that are available to us. Overusing a dream simulator can have negative effects as well.

It’s a well-known saying that “Don’t be so caught up in your dreams, that you forget to live in reality”. This needs to be kept in mind. Since a dream simulator would provide relief and calmness to a person it is obvious that they would want to continue to use it.

This can’t happen. Everything should be used in a limited quantity. It would induce people to just be in their dream world. This would lead to inhibition of creativity and waste of time that could be otherwise productive.

It might also lead to extreme dependence on artificial intelligence and technology. We humans are already enough ruled by technology and letting that continue is not beneficial for the future of our existence. It needs to be remembered that we are controlling the technology and steps should be taken so that it remains that way.

Thus, we can say that although a dream simulator comes with multiple benefits, it can have certain limitations too. If the technology is developed proper care should be taken to utilize it in the best way possible.

Do Your Dreams Mean Anything?

We are almost to the end of this discussion and there is an interesting thing that I would like to discuss here. Do our dreams mean anything? We are not talking about the aspirations of your heart here.

We mean, that whatever you see while you are sleeping, however fantastical that might be.

There are a lot of theories and research that have taken place on this matter. Sigmund Freud’s work is instrumental in this debate about the significance of dreams. According to Freud dreams are made of two things. The first part is a wish for something and the second is something that distorts the wish. This, according to him, is the reason why most of our dreams make so little sense.

The one thing most researchers agree on is that dreams often tell us something critical about ourselves. Understanding our dreams can thus help us understand ourselves better. At the end of the day, what more can a person want?

Final Thoughts

The entire discussion on dreams and dream simulators ultimately raises more questions than it answers. It’s a field where most of the results are theories and assumptions. It is very difficult to ascertain something with complete confidence.

So, we can talk about the reality of dreams and the uses of dream simulators but there is only so much that we currently knowToto understand all this, we require more research and more development. 

But we have taken the first step. The only way we can find answers is by discovering questions. Human beings are a curious species and once we start asking the right questions, discovering answers to them would not be much difficult.

Till we do that, dream on!

Last Updated on November 20, 2023 by ayeshayusuf