AQUILA
Dark H
ave you ever stopped and asked the question what is the difference between a bad dream and a nightmare? The answer is probably not. Not because it’s not interesting. Not because you’ve never thought about it. But because when you see what little difference there is, you’ll see how delicate the boundary is between dreams and nightmares, and how easily it is to discard the darkness of fear when really the shadows hide in the light. According to Michael J. Breus, the simple difference between a dream and a nightmare, is the intensity. A nightmare categorically should result in one waking up, feeling intense
“HOWEVER, IS IT ACCURATE TO SUGGEST DREAMS ARE BETTER THAN NIGHTMARES?” 6
emotions such as fear, anxiety, guilt, confusion and so on. A simple state of mind. That is all that differs between the adventures of dreams and the supposed shadows of nightmares. However, is it accurate to suggest dreams are better than nightmares? During a nightmare, the brain is in the third stage of your sleep, when REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is at its strongest. This means that your brain is wide awake, with high activity, rapid eye movement and inhibited motor activity. Therefore, because you are feeling emotions such as fear and guilt, your brain is much more likely to remember them. While this may seem undesirable, it is actually a good thing because
