今天甄芸要翻譯的是一篇取自高雄市立凱旋醫院成人精神科主任，陳偉任醫師的部落格文章。這篇文章之所以值得翻譯，是因為它以科學和人文的角度，帶領讀者探索每個人都熟悉卻神秘的夢境世界。文章透過生動的比喻，把大腦在夢中的運作具象化：從杏仁核釋放情感，到前額葉暫時放鬆，再到神經化學的微妙調控，每一個細節都展示了大腦的奇妙與精密。
最打動人的地方在於，夢境不再只是荒誕或虛幻的經驗，而是一個整理記憶、調整情緒、激發創意的心理過程。文章同時結合精神分析與神經科學，呈現夢的科學價值與人文意涵，使讀者在理解大腦運作的同時，也能感受到夢境帶來的啟發與共鳴。翻譯這篇文章，是希望將這份對夢的好奇與感動，分享給更多英文讀者。
Today, Zhenyun is translating a blog article written by Dr. Wei-Jen Chen, Director of the Adult Psychiatry Department at Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Hospital. This article is worth translating because it guides readers to explore the familiar yet mysterious world of dreams from both scientific and humanistic perspectives. Through vivid metaphors, it brings the brain’s activity during dreams to life: from the amygdala releasing emotions, to the prefrontal cortex taking a temporary rest, and to the subtle orchestration of neurochemicals — every detail reveals the brain’s incredible complexity and precision.
What makes the article particularly compelling is that dreams are portrayed not merely as absurd or illusory experiences, but as psychological processes that organize memories, regulate emotions, and spark creativity. By combining insights from psychoanalysis and neuroscience, the article highlights both the scientific value and the humanistic significance of dreams, allowing readers to understand the brain’s workings while also feeling the inspiration and resonance that dreams can bring. Translating this article aims to share this sense of curiosity and wonder about dreams with a wider English-speaking audience.
以下是作者介紹：
陳偉任 醫師
- 凱旋醫院成人精神科 主任
- 國立高雄師範大學諮商心理與復健諮商研究所 助理教授
- 中華團體心理治療學會 理事
- 台灣阿德勒心理學會 理事
- 阿德勒生涯教練/親師諮詢師/親子生活教練 講師暨督導
- 國立高雄師範大學諮商心理與復健諮商研究所 博士_________________________________________________________________
📚 原文出處：
陳偉任 (2025)。 為什麼我們做夢？神經科學告訴你背後的真相。 陳偉任醫師心晴小站https://chenweijen.blogspot.com/2025/06/blog-post.html。
✍️ 譯者：許甄芸（Calista Hsu）
⚖️ 版權聲明：本譯文僅作為學習與非商業用途。原文著作權歸原作者所有，翻譯已取得授權 / 或標註「僅為教育用途翻譯」。
🔍 譯者註：部分語句為了語意流暢略有改寫，非逐字直譯。
___________________________________________________________________
Why do we have a dream? Let the truth behind the neuroscience tells you.
Have you ever wondered why, every night, we drift into that wondrous, mysterious world of dreams? Long ago, dreams were seen as nothing more than **phantoms of chaos**, fleeting and meaningless. But with the breathtaking advances in neuroscience, we now understand that dreams are, in fact, a **beautifully orchestrated performance** of the mind. They are far more than moments of rest — within them, the brain quietly organizes memories, soothes emotions, and even rehearses for the challenges of tomorrow. In this piece, we’ll journey through the realm of science to uncover how the brain spins these fantastical adventures in our sleep — and what deep, life-shaping messages lie behind them.
1. The Birth of Dreams: A Symphony of the Brain
Most dreams are born during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep. In this phase, the brain becomes a grand carnival of activity — every region playing its part to create vivid, dramatic stories that unfold within our minds.
- Amygdala: The “emotional director,” releasing waves of feeling that make dreams unfold like films — sometimes tender and romantic, other times thrilling and intense.
- Prefrontal Cortex: Normally the strict, logical “executive,” it takes a rare night off, allowing imagination to roam free — wild, strange, and endlessly creative.
- Basal Ganglia, Thalamus, and Parietal Lobe: The quiet background musicians. They orchestrate the illusion of movement, weave sensory signals together, and shape the dream’s sense of space — crafting a world that feels whole, mysterious, and astonishingly real.
This seamless collaboration among brain regions is what makes our nightly dreams both absurd and deeply emotional.
2. The Neurochemical Palette of Dreams
The vividness of our dreams owes much to the brain’s internal alchemy of chemicals — a delicate balance of excitement and calm that paints our nightly visions with color and life:
- Acetylcholine: Like an energy booster for the brain, it sets off a surge of vivid imagery and imagination, turning dreams into dazzling, cinematic spectacles.
- GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid): The gentle peacemaker of the dream world, it quiets overactive brain regions, giving even the chaos of dreams a strange, poetic harmony.
- Serotonin and Norepinephrine: These two step back during dreaming, lowering the brain’s reality filters — freeing the mind from logic and letting it wander, soar, and create without boundaries.
These chemical reactions make our dreams not only a visual feast, but also a celebration of the soul — a midnight carnival where emotion and imagination dance hand in hand.
3. The Purpose of Dreams: Why Does the Brain Dream?
Dreams are far from random noise; they serve profound purposes that quietly shape our waking lives:
- Memory Consolidation: Dreams act like the brain’s cloud drive, sorting and backing up the day’s experiences, making important memories stronger and more stable.
- Emotional Regulation: The brain’s way of detoxing stress and emotional residue — through dreaming, the mind releases tension so we awaken lighter, clearer, and renewed.
- The Creative Factory: Many artists and scientists have found inspiration in dreams. August Kekulé’s vision of a snake biting its tail led him to discover the ring structure of benzene. In this sense, dreams are the brain’s testing ground for imagination, a secret workshop where creativity knows no limits.
These functions turn dreams into our nightly lessons of the mind, recharging us for the challenges of a brand-new day.
4. Seeing Dreams Through the Lens of Technology: Where Science Meets the Subconscious
With the power of fMRI, PET, and EEG, scientists can now “livestream” the brain’s dazzling activity during dreams — revealing the hidden symphony within our sleeping minds:
- Amygdala: Its bursts of activity mirror the intense emotions we experience within our dreams.
- Thalamus: The brain’s editing studio, weaving together fragments of memory and sensation to produce vivid dream scenes.
- Visual Association Areas and Parietal Lobes: They build the spatial depth and immersive feeling of dreams, making us believe — if only for a moment — that we are truly there.
These discoveries remind us that dreams are far from nothingness — they are the brain’s own “internal documentary,” reflecting our emotions, memories, and creativity in motion.
5. Why Are Dreams So Strange?
The bizarre nature of dreams arises from the brain’s special operating mode while we sleep:
- Prefrontal Cortex at Rest: With our inner “logic filter” switched off, rationality takes a back seat — and imagination takes flight without limits.
- A Collage of Random Signals: The vivid scenes and wild storylines of dreams are actually patchworks of memory and emotion fragments, assembled into a boundless psychological mosaic — surreal, chaotic, and strangely meaningful.
This explains why we might find ourselves eating ice cream on a cloud or running through an unfamiliar city — the brain is freely remixing our memories and subconscious, painting reality with the colors of imagination.
6. A Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue: Where Psychoanalysis Meets Neuroscience
- Psychoanalysis: Views dreams as the symbolic language of the soul, mirroring our deepest desires, fears, and inner conflicts.
- Neuroscience: Brings in the evidence of science, revealing how dreams are born from the intricate dance of neural networks — and affirming that our dreams hold genuine meaning and value.
The two perspectives are not in conflict — they are, in fact, beautifully complementary. In the future, with the rise of AI and big data, we may one day create a dream interpretation model that is both scientific and deeply humanistic — a bridge between neurons and narratives — empowering everyone to become the interpreter of their own dreams.
Epilogue: Dreams, Our Everyday Inspiration
Dreams are far more than fleeting fireworks in the night. They are the brain’s behind-the-scenes workshop — organizing memories, balancing emotions, and nurturing creativity. Each night, when you close your eyes, your private voyage into the inner world begins. So the next time you wake from a curious dream, pause for a moment — perhaps hidden within it lies a new direction, a spark of insight, quietly waiting to be found.
Before we end, here’s something meaningful to share: Dr. Wei-Jen Chen will be hosting an online workshop through the Taichung “Teacher Chang” Center on October 25–26, titled“Understanding and Supporting Mental Illness: A DSM-5 Interpretation and Practical Application Workshop.”
(Workshop link: https://shorturl.at/UbuYd)
Who can join: Whether you’re a clinical practitioner (such as a physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or occupational therapist), a student, graduate student, or educator in helping-related fields (like medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, education, or counseling), or simply someone interested in learning more about mental health, you’re warmly invited to participate. This workshop offers a rich opportunity for exchange and growth — helping you unlock your professional potential and deepen your understanding of the human mind.
___________________________________________________________________
📝 譯者手記
在翻譯這篇文章時，我特別注意「dream」一詞在不同語境中的意涵。英文原文同時指向「夢境」與「理想」，為了保持文意的雙重性，我選擇在前半段譯為「夢境」，而在討論創造力時改為「理想」。此外，原文中大量使用比喻句，為了保留節奏感，我在中文中運用了更具詩意的句式。
📝 Translator's Note
While translating this piece, I found the word “dream” particularly challenging because it carries both the meanings of “sleeping dream” and “aspiration.” I decided to use “夢境” in the context of neuroscience, but “理想” when discussing creativity. To preserve the lyrical tone of the original, I also adapted several metaphors into rhythmic Chinese expressions.
___________________________________________________________________
思考問題 | Reflection Questions
- 你最近有沒有做過讓你印象深刻的夢？試著思考它和你當下的情緒或壓力有何關聯。
- 如果夢境是大腦整合情緒的過程，那你認為「日間的創作」是不是也能看作是一種清醒的夢？
延伸閱讀 | Further Reading
