Function of Dreams: An Integrated Approach

Throughout history, the fascinating world of dreams has attracted the attention of humankind, who sought to understand its meaning. This interest in dreams also reflects the human experience that many dreams have come true and brought news of the future. Science, philosophy, and religion have contributed to this common human experience. In this work I have reviewed the different aspects of dreams from physiological, psychological, parapsychological, psychiatric, and Islamic points of view. An account of the definitions and classification of the different types of dreams was followed by a brief description of the dream scene. The reviewer paid special attention to the precognitive function of dreams on the basis of the available evidence gathered from the most important research in this area. The article ends with a discussion aiming to explore, analyse, and integrate the different aspects of the phenomena into a holistic comprehensive framework.