Put simply, dreams are mental experiences occurring during our sleeping state which often include vivid visual images. They are often disorganised and highly unrealistic, their content is usually unpredictable and 'unreal'. They are not constrained but seem to run by themselves in directions which can be totally irrational and absurd. Their sometimes bazaar nature can leave us confused, anxious or simply dismissive. But frequently they have enough 'reality' embedded in them for us to make connections and draw conclusions.

Most people realise that events in the real world can affect their dreams, but there are great differences of opinion as to whether dreams hold any significance for our waking lives. The ancient cultures often took them very seriously, believing that spirits, angels and messengers were visiting them through their dreams with important messages. This is certainly the view of the Bible.

Freud and Jung developed their psycho-analysis around the dream state. Freud saw dreams as "wish fulfillment", where the unsatisfied unconscious needs we all have, find their expression in our dreams. Carl Jung saw dreams disclosingthe subconscious in symbolic ways and although their content may be bazaar,a powerful message is nevertheless being disclosed. The interpretation of the symbolic elements of dreams is still widespread today, many people believing it is a valid approach providing us with important insights.

Rosalind Cartwright has recently suggested that the function of dreams is to try and restore our sense of control and competence, particularly when under stress. At such times dreams have more work to do in resolving our problems and often become significant and memorable. I would agree with this, having experienced in my own life the power of dreams to bring clarity and perspective to real life situations.

Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley argue that dreams are simply the by-product of haphazard brain wave activity which stimulates the brain and produces our dreams. Take away the stimulation and the dreaming stops. Some researches would go further and conclude that dreams are an unwanted and meaningless brain activity which have no real value and contain nothing significant.

Dreams are often powerful and intense and at times can be directly linked to our real life experiences. As interior dramas, they are drawing upon the events, people and places in our lives. Even when strange and ridiculous, our brain in its sleeping state accepts our dreams as if they are actually happening and we experience them as "real-life" events, at least till we wake. The purpose of our dreams is still not certain. But it seems they should neither be overrated or ignored.