The Emergence of Dreaming: Mind-Wandering, Embodied Simulation, and the Default Network

G. William Domhoff presents a new neurocognitive theory of dreams in his book The Emergence of Dreaming. His theory stresses the similarities between dreaming and drifting waking thought, based on laboratory and non-laboratory studies that show as many as 70 to 80 percent of dreams are dramatized enactments of significant waking personal concerns about the past, present, and future. Domhoff discusses a developmental dimension of dreaming based on the unexpected laboratory discovery that young children dream infrequently and with less complexity until ages 9-11-supported by new findings with children who are awake that demonstrate the gradual emergence of cognitive skills necessary for dreaming. Domhoff's theory locates the neural substrate for dreaming in the same brain network now known to be most active during mind-wandering, and explains the transition into dreaming. Various strands of evidence lead to the conclusion that dreaming does not have any adaptive function, and is best viewed as an accidental by-product of adaptive waking cognitive abilities. However, cross-cultural and historical studies reveal that human inventiveness has made dreams an essential part of healing and religious ceremonies in many societies. Three chapters present detailed critiques of other current theories of dreams. The final chapter suggests how new and better studies of dreaming and its neurocognitive basis can be carried out using recent technological developments in both communications (e.g., smartphone apps) and neuroimaging (e.g., near infrared spectroscopy). As one of the first empirical and scientific treatments on dream research, The Emergence of Dreaming will be of interest to psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, sleep researchers, and psychiatrists.

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 Dream Reports From Sleep Laboratories CHAPTER 2 Dream Reports Collected in Non-Laboratory Settings CHAPTER 3 Findings From Studies Of Individual Dream Series CHAPTER 4 The Emergence of Dreaming in Children and Adolescents CHAPTER 5 The Cognitive Neuroscience of Dreaming CHAPTER 6 The Activation-Synthesis Theory of Dreaming CHAPTER 7 The Failed Freudian Revival CHAPTER 8 Does Dreaming Have Any Adaptive Function(s)? CHAPTER 9 A Promising Agenda Acknowledgements REFERENCES INDEX

About the Author :
G. William Domhoff, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus and Research Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has published numerous articles on dreams in academic journals, as well as three previous books: The Mystique of Dreams: The Search For Utopia Through Senoi Dream Theory (1985), Finding Meaning in Dreams: A Quantitative Approach (1996), and The Scientific Study of Dreams: Neural Networks, Cognitive Development, and Content Analysis (2003).

Review :
"Dreaming is the simplest form of imagination. Its vivid and sometimes bizarre nature continues to attract attention of scientists and lay people alike. The new book by G. William Domhoff, one of the founders of quantitative dream analysis, will undoubtedly attract interest in people from all ways of life." -- Andrey Vyshedskiy, Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture "Domhoff reviews in wonderful detail the history of scientific research into dreams over the last 65 years, showing the rigour of lab and non-lab studies. . . . [He] provides a comprehensive and captivating account of experiments and theories in the field, including his own content analysis work and neurocognitive account of dreaming."--Mark Blagrove, PhD, FBPsS, Director of Research and Professor of Psychology, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University "At a time when numerous disciplines are witnessing a renewed and burgeoning interest in dreams, Domhoff offers the reader a lucid and eye-opening analysis of the literature, from foundational studies of dreaming and dream content to recent discoveries in the neurosciences. Domhoff has produced an exciting, insightful book that brilliantly pulls decades of accumulated findings and ideas together into a compelling and state-of-the-art neurocognitive theory of dreams. Erudite, groundbreaking, and utterly fascinating, Domhoff's The Emergence of Dreaming is a 'tour de force' of original thinking and sets a new standard in the field. A must-read for anyone interested in dreams."--Antonio Zadra, PhD, Professor, Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal "Domhoff treats us to a fascinating book about a fascinating topic. A tour by a master through the science of dreams, from the discovery of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep to the latest research. An easy to read introduction for anyone, yet so comprehensive and detailed that every researcher will learn something."--Richard Schweickert, PhD, Professor, Psychological Sciences, Purdue University