Dream Incubation
Present within most of these sleep temples were elaborate systems of fasting, dedication, lustration, purification, ritual drama, sensory deprivation or over-stimulation, invocation and dream interpretation. These institutions prevailed for thousands of years, so clearly the sleep temple methods were fruitful for many (there are countless testimonies and votive offerings proclaiming successful treatment) but how did they work? Would these old methods of dream incubation work today?
The practice of ‘Temple Sleep’ is well-evidenced in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman archaeology and literature. I believe the practice of ‘dream incubation’ reveals many secrets regarding the journey of human consciousness, the evolution of memory and language, the mind-body connection, the placebo effect and the unconscious mind’s potent response to imagination, story and symbolism.
God speaks to Moses through a burning bush in this 15th-century German manuscript. According to the controversial theory of psychologist Julian Jaynes, every human tradition that entails prayer or divine voices is an echo of a time in which our bicameral brains simply worked that way. Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images
What is consciousness and how did it emerge in human beings?
Great thinkers have pondered these questions for ages – and the subject continues to intrigue us. We know that our mental state sets us apart from other animals. We also know we re a product of evolution. Gradual changes occurred over time to make us what we are today. One of those changes is the emergence of consciousness.