Hughes, Pearce, Walsh

Hughes, Chapter 4

There are a lot of theories on what dreams mean and where they come from. They are all kind of confusing, but interesting. I tend to agree with Hobson's theory of "activation synthesis." I think often the brain does create meaning out of virtually nothing. I did not like Freuds id and super ego analogy of dreams, because I don't think dreams are always a result of sex and aggressiveness. I did think that lucid dreaming and near death experiences were neat to read about. I think a lot of people can relate to lucid dreaming, because they have experienced it. I also think that near death experiences do result in a lot of unusual events. I never had a near death experience, but I know a lot of people who did. I have also heard a lot of stories of near death experiences, which I tend to believe. I would really like to read more then just theories about dreaming. I want to know a definite answer that explains everything.

Pearce, Chapter 4

I found what Blake said to be very true. "Blake noted that only by long and intensive training and discipline, getting beyond the mechanics of technique, could the mind utilize its imagination." This shows that the mind is extremely complex and only certain individuals with a great deal of training can begin to understand it. I also think that most people can't utilize the imagination, because they never relax from serious work. I enjoyed reading the portion about common sense, because it tells readers that crazy incidents do happen. There have been a lot of things that have happened to a lot of different people, which shows that certain phenomenas must be true, to an extent. Also, I found hypnosis to be intriguing. I don't understand how a hypnotist can have so much power and control over the individual that they are trying to hypnotize. I found all of these theories and rare incidents very difficult to read and understand, but I feel like there has to be some sense to everything.

Walsh, Chapter 5

I guess people need to change their way of thinking and embrace new ones. There are so many religions out there that anyone has the freedom to follow. It really shows that religion and happiness comes from within. Everyone must find themselves in order to obtain awareness and wisdom. So I suppose the more self-awareness and internal understanding a person has, then the more likely they are to be happy and open to other possibilities. Therefore, these people are most likely the first people who will be able to reach altered states of consciousness and have religious experiences. I feel like all of the different authors are trying to say that dreams, hallucinations, religious experiences, and other phenomenas do occur, but an individual must first understand them, before they can begin to explain them to other people.