Dream Physiology - Now & Zen Zen Alarm Clock User Manual

Dreamwork
Dream analysis has played a crucial role in the development of
the field of psychology. Sigmund Freud maintained that dreams
were the "royal road to the unconscious." Carl Jung analyzed
common symbols in dreams which he called "archetypes." Jung's
approach to psychology relied heavily on dream interpretation.
Today "dreamwork," as it is called, is an important part of many
peoples' spiritual development. By becoming aware of the con-
tent of your dreams, you can establish a relationship with the
deepest reaches of your inner self.

2. Dream Physiology

Dream research has shown that most of our dreams occur during
periodic rapid eye movement ("REM") sleep cycles throughout
the night. Below is a chart showing the average frequency and
duration of REM sleep in healthy adults.
Notice that during a typical night's sleep of 8 hours, the longest
REM cycle (lasting between 30 and 50 minutes) occurs in the last
hour. Most of the dreams we remember––the dreams which
affect our lives and from which we can learn––occur in this last
REM cycle. Thus, if you wake up with the aid of an alarm clock,
the alarm will probably sound during your last REM sleep cycle,
while you are dreaming.
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Periods of Rapid Eye Movement
During Sleep
Awake
REM
Stages
of
Non-
REM
Sleep
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Hours of Sleep
Dreams are fragile. One concrete thought, or the movement nec-
essary to turn off an alarm or hit a snooze button, can demolish a
dream memory. When you don't have the luxury of waking up
when your body is naturally ready, the Zen Alarm Clock provides
a buffer space in which your dream state can be gently concluded.
In one famous dream research experiment, a small stream of
water was squirted on the bare backs of dreaming subjects. The
Dreamwork
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