Dream weaver

Sleep guru advocates manipulating the
mind to quash nightmares and get lucid

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Philippe Stenstrom

Age: 32

Occupation: Research assistant

Bio: After this assiduous Côte-des-Neiges resident finished off his BA in psychology at Concordia, he started looking to do a Masters degree specializing in a subject near and dear to his heart: dreaming, and what actually goes on in our brains while sleeping. Researching his options, he soon found himself particularly impressed by the work of one Danish academic by the name of Tore Neilson and, upon learning that Neilson was actually in Montreal doing his work at UdeM, well, he got a borderline priapic boner and immediately rushed off to study under him. Now, seven years later, Philippe is finishing off his doctorate investigating “virtual reality, dreaming and memory, where we use virtual reality to create memory in people.” If you feel like being one of Philippe’s lab rats, contact him via p.stenstrom@umontreal.ca

Is there anything one can do to stop having nasty recurring nightmares? “Sure, one thing is imagery rehearsal therapy. It involves being in a relaxing environment and consciously replaying the nightmare, working with a therapist to make changes to the dream. You see, when people are having these nightmares, it’s because their minds aren’t doing what dreams are normally supposed to do, instead they’re caught in a loop. So, through this visualization, you kind of un-loop it, and it usually works. Also, not to encourage anyone to smoke copious amounts of weed, but many people who have nightmare disorders use marijuana—although, like most drugs, it’s a band-aid solution, it doesn’t address the root problem. From my personal observations—and I smoke pot sometimes as well—for most people, pot reduces the amount of dreams they remember, though it’s still unanswered as to whether they actually dream less, or simply remember them less.”

Is there any way a person can steer their dreams towards fun things like, say, paying regular visits to Anne of Green Gables’ snatch? “Yes, they call it dream incubation. It’s a little tricky though, a lot of work and a lot of hassle, but anyone can learn to have lucid dreams. There’s quite a bit of information on the subject on the Internet, although I can’t really say how efficient any of it is. I do know, with lucid dreaming, it’s possible for woman to have physiological signs of arousal and orgasm.”

Has anybody he’s been observing in his sleep lab ever had a wet dream, and if so, is it safe to say that’s a slightly awkward situation? “It’s never happened.”

If one keeps involuntarily dreaming of Anne’s sweet spot at night, is it safe to assume they really need to dig up a sex partner—and soon? “Freud would certainly say that.”

Speaking of Freud, as often as not, isn’t a ridiculous, nonsensical dream just that and not worthy of interpretation? “Yes. Most dreams are meaningful, but not always in an interesting or important way.”

Last book read: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami.

Musical preferences: Melt Banana, Third Eye Foundation, Bach’s organ works.

Words of wisdom: “Every night, our mind puts us in the middle of far-out situations that take place in environments woven from disparate bits and pieces of our memories; and often all it takes is a bit of effort to remember and enjoy them.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net