Sleep and dreams

Self-knowledge and personal growth Relationships, work and leisure Values and ethical living

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Abstract image of a silhouette against blue light with blurred text in the background, digital art.

Sleep and dreams

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What dream characters reveal about the astonishing dreaming brain

Such stuff as dreams are made on: the characters who populate your dreams have their own minds, separate from yours

by Antonio Zadra

Silhouetted photo of a family on a wooden pier overlooking a serene lake at sunset.

Drugs and psychedelics

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To learn from a psychedelic trip, explore the dreams that follow

Psychedelic experiences, properly digested, offer opportunities for change – and the dreams that follow them can help

by Mackenzie Amara

Person’s legs visible sticking out of the boot of a yellow car parked near a green car. Vehicles are in a parking area with other cars nearby.

Sleep and dreams

guide

How to nap

Whether it’s to recover after a late night or to boost your learning abilities, there’s a science to napping effectively

by Ruth Leong & Michael Chee

A person with a head covering climbs a rope ladder surrounded by bees in a mountainous area with smoke in the background.

Values and beliefs

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A sacred dream sends one man on the perilous trail of toxic honey in Nepal

Directed by Ben Knight

Black-and-white photo of a person sleeping against a window on a train, head resting on a pillow, outside view blurred.

Sleep and dreams

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The brain’s twilight zone: when you’re neither awake nor asleep

Neuroscientists are demystifying this in-between state, uncovering its role in memory processing and its creative potential

by Célia Lacaux

Aerial view of a city with prominent castle in foreground, numerous buildings, and distant hills shrouded in mist under an overcast sky.

Sleep and dreams

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Five ways to take control of your dreams

Lucid dreaming lets you shape your dreamscape, whether your aims are practical or fantastical. These tips can get you started

by Christian Jarrett

A painting of a person in green and a white cat sitting at a round table with a plate of fish and some flowers, set against a reddish background.

Sleep and dreams

guide

How to embrace being a lark or an owl

Skip the advice about training yourself to rise early or burn the midnight oil. Your natural rhythms are your best guide

by Shayla Love

Black-and-white photo of lava running down a rocky landscape towards three blossoming white trees under a cloudy sky.

Sleep and dreams

film

From landscape to dreamscape, using the medium of Hawaiian lava

Directed by Kurtis Hough

Change and self-development

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Personal transformation can start with a whisper, not a bang

To understand personal transformation, we should listen to the incessant whispers in our stream of consciousness

by Jennifer Windt

Photo of hands handling betting tokens, coins and paper slips on a brick surface with grass in background.

Sports and games

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For players of fafi, dream interpretation is a vital skill

The fafi lottery game in South Africa requires the careful interpretation of dreams and the waking world around you

by Brittany Birberick

Seen through the windscreen a large bear is crossing a country road at night caught in the headlights of a car

Sleep problems

guide

How to calm your nightmares

Whether bad dreams stir you awake occasionally or routinely, these pre- and post-nightmare strategies can help alleviate them

by Katy Jakle

Photo collage of a surreal bedroom scene from the perspective of a person in bed, featuring floating books, striped bedsheets, wall art, a window, and a bedside lamp.

Altered states

film

A surreal ode to the wee hours when daily anxieties meet sleepless dreams

Directed by Christine Hooper