NOVA — S37E07 — What Are Dreams?

00:00:06 NARRATOR: Each night, as we close our eyes

00:02:18 and VIEWERS LIKE YOU

00:04:31 NARRATOR: They're eerie, impossible and often just plain weird.

00:06:52 sleeping brains were resting brains.

00:09:04 In fact, it's deep in REM sleep.

00:11:24 for the REM sleep behavior disorder.

00:13:25 some pattern, but they have no purpose,

00:15:41 NARRATOR: Project leader Patrick McNamara explains the challenge.

00:18:20 HARRIS: Right now what we can see is that he's in non-REM sleep,

00:20:55 like intense fear or intense anger or aggression.

00:23:10 going into the ones, stepping into the ones

00:25:29 in the maze explored by the rat.

00:27:36 and in REM, actually trying to experience the future,

00:29:56 We can see things much more clearly

00:31:58 And we have people trying to find a fourth word

00:34:13 NARRATOR: This ability to harness the creative power of dreams

00:36:41 particularly in those of children.

00:39:05 for similar events in the waking world.

00:41:14 is generated in that part of the brain,

00:43:34 NARRATOR: The belief that dreams mean something

00:46:54 so that we can then detect patterns that recur

00:48:53 in this particular man's life,

00:51:14 we have no idea we've been training all night.

00:54:23 Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org