Understanding the Difference Between Daydreaming and Night Dreams
There is a big difference between daydreaming and dreams when you are sleeping, even though the physical state we enter when we daydream has much in common with the relaxed state we assume during sleep. However, when you are daydreaming, you are not actually asleep.
Psychological Vulnerability in Night Dreams
When you are asleep, your defense mechanisms are down, and you are psychologically more vulnerable. In other words, we shed the masks we wear in public.
Authenticity in Night Dreams
Therefore, what is expressed in night dreaming is probably a better representation of who we are, not just our waking hopes and fears. Feelings and thoughts we might be unwilling to acknowledge in waking life often surface boldly in dreams.
Symbols in Night Dreams vs. Tangibility in Daydreams
Night dreams also speak to us in the powerful language of symbols, whereas the language of daydreams tends to be more tangible, reflecting events that have a clearer reality to them.
See Also: Defense Mechanisms, Vulnerability, Symbols.
[1](See Also: Dream interpreter, Moon. See Also: Introduction)
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