There are a variety of different explanations for why dreams exist. Dreams are defined as a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. They occur only during a period of sleep called REM sleep. The frontal lobe is active during such sleep, as apposed to the visual cortex. As a result, dreams aren't actually 'watched ', they are 'perceived'. Some psychologists say that the dreams are messages from our subconscious. Others say that dreams are the result of the brain's attempt to make sense involuntary brain activity.
             Sigmund Freud described dreams as a safety valve. He said that dreams cleverly subvert the censorship of the conscious mind and allow us to contemplate taboo or forbidden desires. Carl Jung, 1875 - 1961, argued that every individual has a collective subconscious. In contrast to reptiles, all mammals experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Alan Hobsom and Robert McCarley felt differently about dreams.
             During REM sleep, certain brainstem cells are activated. REM sleep begins with signals from an area at the base of the brain called the pons. These signals travel to a brain region called the thalamus, which relays them to the cerebral cortex which is the outer layer of the brain that is responsible for learning, thinking, and organizing information. Hobsom and McCarley said that when the cerebral cortex receives the information, it develops a story (makes sense of the information), consequently causing a dream. In short, images are developed first and following, the brain makes sense of the information. Dreams sometimes move from one situation, place, or time to the next very rapidly because of the fact that neurons fire randomly in the brain.
             Dreams have also been described by psychologists as an overnight cleanup system. Sir Francis Crick said that during REM sleep, the brain evaluates content, determines wh
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