oneirology
Oneirology is the scientific study of dreams and dreaming, encompassing the physiological processes of sleep, the phenomenology of dream experience, and the potential functions of dreaming. The term derives from the Greek oneiros, dream, and logos, study or discourse. In practice, oneirology spans neuroscience, psychology, sleep medicine, and cognitive science, employing dream reports, sleep lab measurements, and neuroimaging to investigate dream genesis, content, and consequences.
Historical overview: Ancient and classical writers speculated about dreams; in the 19th and 20th centuries Freud
Methods and scope: Researchers collect dream reports, dream diaries, and conduct laboratory sleep studies using polysomnography
Applications and findings: Oneirology investigates dream recall, emotional processing, memory consolidation, and problem-solving. Clinically, nightmares and
Challenges: Dream reports are subjective, making replication and cross-cultural comparison difficult. The field integrates phenomenology with