From: nick.argall@aplaceof.removedotcom.info.com   
      
   "Alexander"  wrote in message   
   news:YTcXc.12325$zq.6552@newssvr29.news.prodigy.com...   
   > Hello all.   
   > I recently listened a radio program from England discussing brain   
   > chemical issues, and, naturally, certain brain activities were mentioned   
   > as well. In the first part of the series of programs the topic was a   
   > specific chemical which is released during the REM periods.   
      
   Do you remember the name of the program?  If it was from the BBC, it might   
   be possible to get at a transcript from their website - I'd be interested in   
   doing that.   
      
   > Supposedly,   
   > it is used to organize and re-rearrange information in our memory, to be   
   > most crude while describing the complicated and still unknown processes   
   > taking place in real time. Basically, the argument was supported by   
   > studies, describing people having memorized or achieved certain thing   
   > just by "sleeping-on-it", alas the phrase.   
   > What I wonder, on the other hand is...   
   > Is it possible, the brain has a built-in mechanism which prevents us   
   > from disturbing it while it is performing those operations? In other   
   > words, when the memorizing, learning, reorganizing of memory is taking   
   > place, is it possible, that dreams are actually the visual by-products   
   > of this process, taking place in accordance with a pre-programmed   
   > chemical and neurological pattern, which is a part of our natural   
   > abilities, and by trying to control it (or gain any amount of   
   > consciousness), we are intervening with it. Is it possible, than, that   
   > the brain has a built-in protection mechanism, which renders us   
   > powerlessly asleep and idle, allowing the brain to perform the necessary   
   > functions, while we are idly "knocked out"? If so, furthermore, is it   
   > reasonable to assume, that the amount of "new" material, or material   
   > learned during the day, and not yet organized in the forms in which it   
   > has to be stored - actually directly related to the "ease" of entering   
   > the state of lucidity? Because in this model, the lucidity state is a   
   > rather contrived state of visual associations with the use of brain   
   > only, with conveniently turned off senses to prevent distraction?   
      
   Interesting thinking!   
      
   I'd rather say 'dominant sense' rather than 'visual', because my sense of   
   touch is actually my strongest dream-sense.  My vision in dreams is often   
   black and white or indistinct.   
      
   I certainly regard the process of lucidity in dreaming as a 'turning off the   
   safety mechanisms', as I argued in the 'dangers of lucid dreaming' thread   
   several months ago.  (Please use google, a lot was said, and arguments   
   presented by various parties.)  The capacity to intervene can be very   
   beneficial, but I believe that 'power' and 'danger level' are correlated to   
   each other.  Most here would agree that lucid dreaming can be powerful.   
      
   Thinking about your question leads me to the following thoughts:   
      
   - Most actions that we take are based on repetitions of habits, very little   
   of our behaviour is new in any genuine sense.   
   - Hypnotherapy works (in one of its forms) by creating memories of habits.   
   These memories of habits can take over from the habits that are enacted   
   physically if the hypnotherapy takes hold.   
   - Hypnotherapy makes use of the same brainwave configuration as that   
   achieved in meditation, which is the same as the configuration in REM sleep.   
   - Perhaps, when the brain is in the alpha state, it is in a 'programming   
   mode'.  Dreams, therefore, would be the bodymind's way of translating the   
   experience during the day into a mode that can be used by the habit and   
   reflex based deeper systems that are responsible for day-to-day operations.   
   - Given that the historical (evolution-based) uses of new information would   
   have been to find better ways to deal with predators, prey, shelter, and   
   other physical-world issues, the behaviour part of the brain would need to   
   run through the simulation of the new data without causing the body to move   
   around - moving around would create a whole bunch of serious dangers.   
   - Malfunction of the 'body off-switch' while in 'programming mode' is a   
   reasonably sensible explanation for sleepwalking (body fails to turn off   
   when dream begins) and sleep paralysis (body fails to turn on after waking).   
      
   This would suggest that the dream is like a virtual reality.  Just as the   
   military uses vr and simulation technology to train soldiers, the 'dream   
   constructing' brain trains the 'behaving' brain by running it through   
   simulations and measuring the observed behaviours against the data that has   
   been gathered by the 'observing and analysing' brain.   
      
   HTH,   
      
      
      
   Nick   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)