What do your dreams mean to you?
Why do we dream? Are there any hidden or underlying messages in our dreams? Do all people think about dreams in the same way? How does our culture affect the way we talk about dreams?
Najuma Abadir, Adar Abdi, and Jennifer Nguyen asked around in this dreamy episode of the RadioActive podcast.
[RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW's radio journalism and audio storytelling program for young people. This story was entirely youth-produced, from the writing to the audio editing.]
Transcript:
[Dreamy music and birds chirping. An alarm clock rings.]
Najuma Abadir: Dreams. Why do we dream? Are there any hidden or underlying messages in our dreams? Do all people think about dreams in the same way? I’m Najuma.
Jennifer Nguyen: I’m Jennifer.
Adar Abdi: I’m Adar. And you’re listening to a podcast from RadioActive, the place where young people make radio at KUOW. On this podcast, we’re trying to figure out the meaning of dreams.
Jennifer: I’ve been thinking about dreams lately, and I was curious to see what other people think of them. There’s this guy, Tyson, that sits next to me in class. And when I asked him what he thought about dreams, his answer was really interesting to me.
Tyson Dong (on tape): Uh, I don't like dreams mostly because it shows you something you don't really have or that doesn't really exist. It's sort of weird. I just find it a bit annoying.
Adar: I actually really agree with Tyson's thoughts about dreams. Sometimes it feels like dreams make things out of reach. But I grew up with family saying dreams were sacred, so that kind of plays into what I think.
Jennifer: Woah, can you say more about that?
Adar: Yeah. I remember this one time when I was 13 or 14, I told my mom about this dream I kept having. And she cut me off and told me not to tell people your dreams or nightmares because you can manifest them into reality. So now I’m super secretive about my nightmares or dreams that really affect me.
Najuma: Yeah, I had a similar experience. I didn't care for the meaning of dreams until I asked a religious teacher about it. And she said that you shouldn’t share your bad dreams or they might come true.
Adar: That’s exactly what my mom said!
Najuma: Yeah, and that’s why I believe culture influences ideas about dreams. My friend Hadil also has similar thoughts about this.
Hadil Owda (on tape): My culture usually promotes that it’s a sign that something is gonna happen. If it’s like a bad thing, you usually don’t tell anyone about it and just keep it for yourself.
Najuma: She also said that culture tells us what our dreams represent, and that will obviously differ from culture to culture. This really made me think about how people view dreams, and why everyone has different thoughts about them. She also told me about a dream her mother had, which was really cool, but also really adds to this idea of how people think about dreams.
[Sounds of waves crashing on a beach]
Hadil: My mom, the morning of this day, came to me and said that she dreamed that I was on a beach, in her dream I was on a beach, and a lot of fish came to me. Fish, in our culture and in our society, means happiness and joy and success in life.
Najuma: Hadil is Palestinian, so for her and her mom, fish gave them a sign that good things were to come. But for me, if I ever dreamed of fish, I would be so disgusted and would probably wake up with a stomach ache.
Adar: I think if I was dreaming of fish, I either would be craving fish or be actually disgusted with fish for the rest of my life.
Jennifer: If I dreamt of fish, I wonder if that would change how I feel about them. I guess I would have to dream it to find out.
Adar: Okay, call me crazy, but I think dreams reflect how your day went or like a reflection of something you really want. I also think when Hadil was saying how you’re not supposed to talk about your dreams, I kinda understand. In a way, it is supposed to keep the good vibes in.
Najuma: Yeah, or like when you feel anxious, your dreams show that.
Jennifer: I totally get what you mean. Personally, I think dreams have a way of showing what you’re subconsciously fearing. I'm an overthinker and I'm always scared about what will happen next, and I think my dreams reflect that.
[Train sounds]
Recently, I had a dream where I was waiting at the train station, but the train kept passing me. One after another, I saw the train pass and leave without me. I guess in a way, it made me think that I’m somehow scared to take the next steps in my life because I don’t know what the future holds for me.
[Abrupt transition to running, heavy breathing, screaming, and nightmarish sounds playing]
Najuma: But what about nightmares?
[Dramatic sound effects]
Najuma: I mean it’s like dreams, but scarier!
Jennifer: And they’re really intense for some people.
Adar: Nightmares for me are just alright. I think this is because I know I am in a nightmare, and when I wake up, I pretty much forget about what happened. But Jennifer, what do you think? I know that you have some specific thoughts about nightmares.
Jennifer: I love having nightmares. They make me feel something. They’re fun, exciting, and nerve-racking, but in a good way. It’s like watching an exclusive scary movie and I’m the main character.
Najuma: I couldn’t disagree with you more.
As someone who has had some really frightening nightmares, I absolutely hate them. I used to be too scared to fall asleep, so I searched the best way to sleep to avoid nightmares. I don’t know, it’s kind of like an irrational fear for me at this point.
Jennifer: Woah, what kind of nightmares do you have?
[Heartbeat pounding]
Najuma: I don’t really wanna say, but it gets bad. There are several times that I was overthinking something bad that happened and it came up in my dreams that night. And if I say it out loud, I feel like something bad might happen or it will cause me to overthink it even more.
Jennifer: Yeah, I totally understand where you’re coming from. I never really thought about it like that. For me, nightmares are fun little episodes me and my friends like to share with each other. Like my friend Marco had a nightmare where he was getting chased in the woods by his friends, but his friends were all werewolves.
[Wolf howl]
Najuma: I can see that. I mean, it’s fun to be scared sometimes. But my nightmares are more terrifying than thrilling. I wish I had nightmares like that.
Adar: Wow, these feelings about nightmares are interesting. My little sister, who is 7, actually has some thoughts. And I think it’s pretty cool to hear about a 7-year-old's experience.
Najuma: Yeah, it's important to hear all perspectives.
Jennifer: Yeah I agree, I'm excited to hear her opinion.
Adar (on tape): So Maryama, what do you think about nightmares?
Maryama Abdi (on tape): I think they have no meaning.
Adar: What do you mean by that?
Maryama: I don’t know what it means at all. I mean I definitely have a lot more nightmares than dreams.
[Adar, Jennifer, and Najuma laughing]
Jennifer: Well — didn't think she’d say that.
Adar: She says they don't mean anything, and that's exactly what we're trying to figure out!
[Calm music fades in]
Najuma: I think this process of trying to find the meaning of dreams just made us realize that there are so many different opinions and views on it. Dreams are universal and everyone has come across dreams in some way. But just like everything else, we all have our own approach to it.
Adar: Yeah, dreams can be anything you want them to be. It’s all based on your imagination. Just like those childhood movies like "Peter Pan" and "Alice in Wonderland," dreams can cause you to open your mind and think of all the possibilities.
Jennifer: You can believe it’s your subconscious speaking to you, or maybe it’s a sign that something is going to happen. Or maybe, it literally means nothing. There is no right answer.
Najuma: Maybe instead of trying to find out the meaning of dreams or why they exist, we can just enjoy them in the process.
Someone told me that there is beauty in living in the unknown and appreciating the mysteries of this world, without needing every little answer.
Adar: Yeah, I agree — that’s something to live by.
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This story was produced in RadioActive Youth Media's Advanced Producers Workshop for high school and college-age youth. Production assistance by Dayana Capulong and Iz Ortiz. Edited by Lila Lakehart. Prepared for the web by Kelsey Kupferer.
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