This Is Why You Dream

What Your Sleeping Brain Reveals About Your Waking Life

By: Rahul Jandial MD PhD

Narrated by: Rahul Jandial

AN AMAZON EDITORS' BEST BOOKS OF 2024 PICK

"Completely transformed my way of thinking about dreams."–Jay Shetty

Dreaming is one of the most underappreciated functions of the human brain, yet our very survival as a species depends on it. In This Is Why You Dream, dual-trained neuroscientist and neurosurgeon Dr. Rahul Jandial explores the landscape of our subconscious, tracing the latest cutting-edge dream research and brain science to show why humans have retained the ability to dream across millennia, and how we can now harness its wondrous powers to improve our sleeping and waking lives.

There's so much dreaming does for us. It fortifies our ability to regulate emotions. It stores memories, amplifies creativity, and promotes learning. It helps us process trauma and prepare for future upheaval. Dreams can even forecast future mental and physical ailments, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Dreams can also be put to use. Dr. Jandial walks you through how to use lucid dreaming to practice skills that translate into real-life improvements, how to rewrite nightmares, and what your dreams reveal about your deepest desires. Ultimately, This Is Why You Dream opens the door to one of our oldest and most vital functions, and unlocks its potential to radically transform our lives.

©2024 Rahul Jandial (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Dr. Jandial writes with verve and delivers powerful insights based on science, stories and his personal synthesis of big ideas. This book will change your life.”–Lewis Howes, author of The Greatness Mindset and host of The School of Greatness podcast

"We spend an enormous portion of our lives in the doppelgänger state of dreaming–but commonly with little insight into why and how. Jandial elegantly lifts the curtains on the dreamscape territory, beautifully illuminating this universally shared experience."–David Eagleman, neuroscientist at Standford, author of the New York Times bestseller Incognito and Livewired

“After several decades of reading and reviewing books on sleep and dreams, I think This Is Why You Dream is one of the best I’ve encountered. Rahul Jandial writes persuasively and with authority and imagination.”–Richard Restak, neurologist and author of The Complete Guide to Memory

Very informative and very interesting.

This book was very informative and interesting. Easy to understand and listen too. As an adult with anxiety and nightmares it helped me understand why this happens.
I would recommend to everyone, we all dream.

Fascinating

Excellent read. So insightful. A lot of new research beautifully woven into the story of dreams. I love all of Dr Jandial’s books.

Deeper understanding the dynamics of brain, mindfulness or other senses

Insight was interesting. It appears we are beginning the relationships of dreams and inputs from waking thoughts, troubles, worries and anxiety. Unresolved issues come forward as well as current issues may be temporarily paused and replaced. It appears it’s not all about troubles. Insights and creativity seem to be expressed also.
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Extraordinary Book

I am so grateful for this book, I learned so much and probably an eye opening experience. I strongly believe that this book gave me not only a clear understanding of why we dream but also answered questions I had for a long time and brought awareness to the wonderful signs our mind and brain's were and are giving us. I am so grateful for this book and may God bless the author Dr. Rahul Jandial with much more wisdom so that he can continue help us.

Dream on

The author wrote in a style that the majority of people can understand. I can't wait to read more about why we dream.

How Beautiful

I am a lucid dreamer. It never occurred to me this was unusual but the importance of the experience has never been in question. In my dreams, it is possible to explore ideas that would never surface otherwise. The depth of detail and intensity of texture both tactile and visual have given inspiration and resolution to personal and creative circumstances that had been intractable. This book gave me added tools to improve myself and reach further.

Awakening to the power of dreams

It is fortunate to have the narrator be the writer! Even though his delivery is at times flat, Dr. Jandial brings his own personal research, dream understandings, and personal passions to speak to the remarkable benefits of understanding dreaming and your dreams. It does add to the richness of having an "examined life." I can't recommend this book more highly

Brain Functioning While Dreaming

This topic has always been of interest for me as far back into my childhood I've had lucid dreams. Much of my life I wrote them down trying to unpuzzle them. Often it would make sense even occasionally see glimpses of the future. Thank you for sharing your research I appreciated it greatly.

The how and why of your dreams revealed

Over 50 years ago my mother and I learned how to interpret our own dreams, and the dreams of others we knew intimately. This book dovetails perfectly with what we learned about ourselves and what our dreams were attempting to communicate to us. What this book revealed to me is how and why. I do wish my mother, my teacher, was still alive to gain the insights presented in this book. Highly recommended.

Dream On

A motivating start to read more scientific studies about dreaming. This author presents scientific studies as well as his own theories about the dream state. It explains ideas of my own and opens up so many possibilities to consider. Easy to understand for the medical community as well as the lay person.