Momentum Moment: Vivid Dreams
By Mike Berland
April 28, 2020
A country of dreamers, literally.
We are remembering our dreams more clearly than ever… Now what?
Some of my best ideas have come from dreams. I used to sleep with a pen and pad next to my bed and write them down. (Now I use my phone which annoys my wife but that is for a different blog). In fact, I started writing my latest book Maximum Momentum in the middle of the night after one of those dreams.
What was important about that dream wasn’t just that I had it. It was that it woke me up, I wrote it down, I shared the idea with people I work with and then wrote a book proposal that changed my personal and professional trajectory.
I am not alone. Vivid Dreams have become a phenomenon with real momentum.
The momentum of Vivid Dreams is surging -- people all across the world, from the US to Australia, India, China and Japan are having very clear dreams and sharing them all over social media. In just the last 60 days, we have seen a 31% increase in our MFactor score of Vivid Dreams: from 55 to 72 since January 1.
Through our decode - we’ve discovered that Vivid Dreams have momentum because people are not only having them, but they are suddenly discussing them with their networks and the world. The implications of that could be huge.
5 REASONS WHY VIVID DREAMS HAVE MOMENTUM
Reason #1: The vivid dream phenomenon hits all five drivers of momentum
DISRUPTION: We typically keep our dreams to ourselves -- but as our data shows, we’re disrupting the norm. Everyone is now talking about and sharing their extremely vivid dreams online, which led them to find out that many of us are having similar dreams, at the same time.
INNOVATION: Going back to Biblical times, people have tried to understand their dreams. What’s different now is that social media allows us to get interpretations from a diverse range of people and to build a community by sharing them -- dedicated twitter accounts, niche Reddit threads and Instagram stories from dream psychologists are encouraging people to share their dreams.
POLARIZATION: Today’s dreams are tapping into our subconscious, amplifying feelings of guilt, anxiety, frustration, rage or even unrecognized inspiration / revelations about the future. They might make us feel uncomfortable, but they are definitely getting us to think about things in a new light and forcing us to deal with internal conflicts.
STICKY: The ability to remember our dreams is such an inexplicable phenomenon that if we can remember them upon waking up, it is often jarring enough that it’ll stick with us— especially if we talk about it or write it down. Dreams are also sticky because they aren’t just something we watch -- they are something we feel, which often leaves a lasting impact even if we can’t remember all the details.
SOCIAL IMPACT: Our dreams are here to help -- they can inspire us to make a difference -- for ourselves and for our community.
Reason #2: Experts say our lack of stimuli during the day is making our brains more active at night
According to Rebecca Renner, reporting in the National Geographic, some experts believe the rise in vivid dreams is due to the decline in stimuli we’re experiencing in our daily lives. This forces the subconscious mind to look for input from our pasts to fill our dream state.
Some experts say that with increased sleep, people are experiencing more REM, which is impacting their ability to remember their dreams with more clarity.
Reason #3: People are freaked out and looking to others for consolation - causing them to share their dreams
The phenomenon that most catches my attention is not the dreams themselves, but the way we’re reacting to them. We are all going through a monumental change together and are turning to others to cope / understand these changes. When people started realizing they were having unusually vivid / clear dreams, they turned to their online community to see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing. They found comfort in knowing that others were experiencing vivid dreams as well.
Reason #4: Curious by nature and searching for answers
When something happens that we don’t understand, like when we have an unusual dream that seems like it could have a deeper meaning / purpose, we turn to experts for explanations. People are more curious than ever to understand what their dreams mean, so they are posting publicly in the hopes people will share some insight.
Reason #5: Something new to talk about
With every happy hour, dinner conversation and newsfeed dominated by COVID-19 updates, we want something else to talk about. Our dreams are so clear, top of mind and mysterious, they make for good conversation.
So What?
Interesting things can happen when we pay attention to our dreams, the good, the bad and the scary. History is full of examples of dreams leading to greatness. Some of the greatest inventions, songs, trends and ideas have come from dreams: Paul McCartney says he dreamed the lyrics to Yesterday, and then woke up and rushed to write them down. Larry Paige claims that the idea for Google came to him in a dream.
The momentum mindset means you are always living in the future - thinking about where you want to be 18-24 months out, taking actions today to get to your future state. If you pay attention, your dreams might give you hints on how to get there, how to have an impact on society today, or how to get through this weird and unusual time. Don’t take your ability to remember your unusually clear dreams for granted.