Psychology and Brain-Mind Science Archives | Kelly Bulkeley https://bulkeley.org/research/psychology-brain-mind-science/ Dream Research & Education Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:26:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://bulkeley.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/kb-100x100.png Psychology and Brain-Mind Science Archives | Kelly Bulkeley https://bulkeley.org/research/psychology-brain-mind-science/ 32 32 Dreaming and Technologies of the Sacred https://bulkeley.org/dreaming-and-technologies-of-the-sacred/ https://bulkeley.org/dreaming-and-technologies-of-the-sacred/#respond Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:26:27 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4681 This is the written version of the presentation (with a 7-minute time limit) I made on Sunday, January 11, to the attendees of the Dream x Engineering Symposium at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thanks to Adam Horowitz, Michelle Carr, Karen Konkoly, and all the others who organized and participated in the symposium. …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/dreaming-and-technologies-of-the-sacred/feed/ 0 Why the Elsewhere Dream Journaling App Is the Best https://bulkeley.org/why-the-elsewhere-dream-journaling-app-is-the-best/ https://bulkeley.org/why-the-elsewhere-dream-journaling-app-is-the-best/#respond Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:59:33 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4671 As both a dreamer and a researcher, I find myself completely enchanted by the Elsewhere.to dream journaling app. Amazed. Smitten. Blown away. Impressed beyond all reckoning. And very excited about the future for dreamers all around the world.  For the longest time, I wondered what it would take to create a dreamer’s playground: a private, …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/why-the-elsewhere-dream-journaling-app-is-the-best/feed/ 0 The Importance of Dreaming for Memory https://bulkeley.org/the-importance-of-dreaming-for-memory/ https://bulkeley.org/the-importance-of-dreaming-for-memory/#respond Sun, 24 Aug 2025 20:15:28 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4668 It may seem hard to believe for those who rarely remember their dreams, but psychologists have found strong evidence that sleep and dreaming are closely intertwined with the dynamics of memory. Whether or not the dreams are consciously recalled in waking, the dreaming process seems to play a valuable role in the underlying system by …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/the-importance-of-dreaming-for-memory/feed/ 0 Reflections on An Introduction to the Psychology of Dreaming (1997) https://bulkeley.org/reflections-on-an-introduction-to-the-psychology-of-dreaming-1997/ https://bulkeley.org/reflections-on-an-introduction-to-the-psychology-of-dreaming-1997/#respond Mon, 05 May 2025 22:10:11 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4657 Early in my career, I had attitude about writing “secondary” texts. I didn’t want to write about what other people thought, I wanted to write about my own ideas. That’s why when the opportunity arose to write a book intended as an introductory textbook for college students, I hesitated. The offer came by way of …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/reflections-on-an-introduction-to-the-psychology-of-dreaming-1997/feed/ 0 The Meanings of Houses in Dreams https://bulkeley.org/the-meanings-of-houses-in-dreams/ https://bulkeley.org/the-meanings-of-houses-in-dreams/#respond Sun, 12 Jan 2025 19:51:21 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4605 Houses and homes are among the most frequent elements appearing in dreams, with a wide range of literal and symbolic meanings. According to the Baseline frequencies of the Sleep and Dream Database, 47% of women’s dreams and 42% of men’s dreams include at least one architectural reference, with house, room, and home being mentioned the …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/the-meanings-of-houses-in-dreams/feed/ 0 Bizarreness, Nightmares, and Play https://bulkeley.org/bizarreness-nightmares-and-play/ https://bulkeley.org/bizarreness-nightmares-and-play/#respond Sun, 18 Aug 2024 20:15:38 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4593 The bizarre contents of dreaming can easily seem like the products of mental deficiency. “Children of an idle brain” is what Mercutio calls them in Romeo & Juliet (I.iv.102). Many scientists today essentially agree with Mercutio that the weird absurdities of dreams are evidence of diminished cognitive functioning during sleep. But what if the “bizarreness” …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/bizarreness-nightmares-and-play/feed/ 0 Dreaming as Play and as Mind-Wandering https://bulkeley.org/dreaming-as-play-and-as-mind-wandering/ https://bulkeley.org/dreaming-as-play-and-as-mind-wandering/#respond Sun, 18 Aug 2024 19:59:32 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4590 The neuroscience of dreams has shifted in recent years toward the idea that dreaming can be conceived as a kind of mind-wandering in sleep. According to current evidence, mind-wandering (also known as day-dreaming, or drifting thought) is a product of the “default mode network,” a system of neural regions that remains active in the absence …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/dreaming-as-play-and-as-mind-wandering/feed/ 0 Immoral Behaviors in Dreaming and What They Mean https://bulkeley.org/immoral-behaviors-in-dreaming-and-what-they-mean/ https://bulkeley.org/immoral-behaviors-in-dreaming-and-what-they-mean/#respond Sat, 05 Aug 2023 00:06:58 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4531 Recently wrote a post for Psychology Today about “Taboo Dreams,” meaning dreams that involve activities or behavior that violate the moral standards of the dreamer’s community in waking life. Over the years, several people have asked me questions about these kinds of dreams, and I get the sense that many more people would like to …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/immoral-behaviors-in-dreaming-and-what-they-mean/feed/ 0 The Elsewhere Dream Journaling App https://bulkeley.org/the-elsewhere-dream-journaling-app/ https://bulkeley.org/the-elsewhere-dream-journaling-app/#respond Thu, 20 Jul 2023 01:14:47 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4516 Elsewhere is a new dream journaling app, created by an international team of people who are avid dream journal-keepers themselves. Available for both iOS and Android systems, it’s a safe, private space to record your dreams, track them over time, and learn about their unfolding patterns of meaning. Elsewhere offers a variety of analytic tools …

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]]> https://bulkeley.org/the-elsewhere-dream-journaling-app/feed/ 0 Recurring Dreams https://bulkeley.org/recurring-dreams/ https://bulkeley.org/recurring-dreams/#respond Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:15:11 +0000 https://bulkeley.org/?p=4497 Many dreams contain recurrent elements that have appeared in previous dreams. These elements include characters you have encountered before, in settings where you have been before, doing things you have done before. The long-term consistency of your dreaming offers a unique window into the nature of your personality and the foundational realities of your waking …

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