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Is Freud’s theory neuroscientifically plausible?
DREAMS are perhaps older than civilization, but strangely, we know very little about them. Since the dreams are seen during sleep, scientific studies are difficult to make and therefore, certain definite scientific conclusions have yet to be achieved. However, like many unexplored fields of science efforts have been made to connect evidences and analyse many dreams to arrive at definite conclusions. Research in this regard is quite interesting and so is presented briefly for the reader.
Some of the most common questions about dreams include, why we have dreams, the mechanisms involved and the purpose they serve. Dream interpretation forms an integral part of Sigmund Freud’s work and the beginning of psychoanalysis at the turn of nineteenth century. Freud, in his book Interpretation of Dreams, said that dreams are a form of wish fulfillment during sleep. As such, his argument remains subjective. He established a connection between dreamers and the different elements of dreams, along with focusing on latent thoughts that he believed were causing dreams.
In 1953, two American scientists discovered a psychological state, which they called Rapid Eye Movement (REM), a phenomenon that occurs while one is asleep. During this state, we remain fast asleep but our brain is highly active just like when one is awake. REM occurs every 90 minutes during sleep and experiments have shown that 80 per cent of the people reported dreams during this phase. Only 10 per cent reported they had dreams during the “non-real sloop.” They concluded that sleep during REM was the physiological equivalent of dreaming.
During the seventies, Freud’s theory of wish fulfillment seemed to be losing credibility, as Hobson and McCarley discussed the mechanism causing REM sleep. They believed it was controlled by a switch located in the brain stem called pons which controls levels of wakefulness and established that dreams have no connection with any conscious or unconscious desires. Hobson further said that dreams are generated by random activation of the forebrain.
Mark Solms, a psychologist opines that the things seen during dreams are because of visual cortex excitation — you bear things because of auditory cortex excitation. The forebrain connects all images together in an attempt to make a story or an episode out of what is happening. Hobson’s “active synthesis theory” became the accepted explanation for dream generation. Later, both REM and non-REM theories were disregarded when Solm made the discovery that people with damaged pons were still having dreams. Structural damage should cause loss of REM sleep and subsequently, dreams. Solm, therefore, dissociated REM sleep from dreams.
The part of the brain causing dreams remains unknown to this day. Scientists also believe that there are brain structures, which, if damaged led to the cessation of dreaming. An interesting study revealed that dreaming could end due to damage to a part of brain that controlled motivation. Damage to this part (the ventromesial quadrant of the frontal lobe) loses the ability to dreams but also causes lack of motivation. Such people can perform any action no matter how complex it may be as long as they are instructed to do it, says Solm.
Till now, researchers have found that dreams are not controlled by automatic mechanisms as thought previously. The aspect of mind that is most critical for dreams was motivation. This is not proof that Freud’s theory is neuroscientifically plausible. One can say that dreams are generated by higher brain mechanisms. Another scientist, Dumhoff, expresses that both, the “activation synthesis theory” and Solms update of Freudian theory do not explain everything. During the nineties, he pointed out that the wish fulfilment aspect of dreaming should be prominent in children but this is impossible on the basis of certain experiments that proved inability of children dreaming under the age of 6 to 7 years. Children do not have adult-like dreaming till at least 10 years.
Dumhoff’s cognitive theory of dreaming suggests that the brain could be actively creating dreams the same way it creates thoughts, while one is awake.
The brain’s goal is to construct a reasonable image of the world based on the material it is receiving. In a situation where it is not receiving any information from outside, it starts to invent things. The cognitive theory says that dreaming is just a form of thinking with some subtle changes. It is because the brain is trying to construct a reasonable picture,of the world with the information that it has.
Another researcher, Antti Revonsuo is of the opinion that dreams do serve a function. If we look at dream reports which have been critically analysed for their content, certain features stand out. Various negative elements seem to be more prominent than corresponding positive elements. Negative emotions are more common than positive emotions. Similarly, aggressive interactions are more common as compared to friendly interactions.
Many people have dreams where they are attacked or chased. Revonsuo explains negative dreams as a sort of stimulation for real life. Revonsuo’s theory also explains why we may have recurrent nightmares. Dreams become repetitive because that is their function — to identify dangerous situations in our lives.
The dreaming brain constructs stimuli so that an individual is better prepared to handle such a situation (if it occurs in real life). If Revonsuo’s theory is correct, then nightmares would probably be the only way we would ever dream.
Solms believes that dreams are a key to bringing to psychoanalysis effectively, the study of subjective experience of brain, closer to neuroscience.
Dreams played such an important part in the development of psychoanalysis which was at least, a serious attempt to grapple with that aspect of the mind that neurosciences had tended to neglect, says Solms.
According to Jennie Parker (another theorist), dreams occur so often that we can not ignore the possibility of understanding why we do it. If we can figure out dreams, we can figure out all other forms of human conciousness, she says.
This scribe has experienced a number of dreams for an extended period which were often somehow or the other related to his life. Being a scientist, it was possible to analyse my dreams keeping my life experiences in mind. It appears that dreams provide a reference and reflection to one’s real life and so cannot be wish fulfilment all the time.
It is very true that negative aspects sof life are more prominently represented in dreams as has pointed out by Antti Revonsou. The fear, risk and danger that one has undergone are more dominanting in dreams. A few examples of my own dreams are quoted here. During some of my dreams, I experienced lightning and thunder when I was present in an unknown, vast and desolated area. Some old buildings and churches were present but no human being was seen. I wanted to find my way out which I was unable to do. This phase of my dream perhaps represented my migration from India to Pakistan alone, when I had no proper place to stay and was job-hunting. Once I was worried about my new car being stolen or damaged in the accident, so I often dreamt that my car was missing.
The evidence given above seems sufficient to link dreams with real-life situations. Antti Revonsou rightly says that because dreams are mostly dangerous and life-threatening, the dreaming brain constructs the stimulation in order for us to be better prepared to face such situations should they ever occur in one’s life.
The writer holds a doctorate and is former chief scientific officer, PCSIR
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