
Our dreams are like a lab where our brain tests out emotions and enables us to process them in a healthy way. This is called the “The Emotional Regulation Theory,” and researchers claim that this is the main function of dreams—to support us in coping with our feelings and, most importantly, the really difficult ones such as loss, grief, trauma, sadness, and those *feels* that are an unavoidable part of life. Your dreaming mind is a safe space where you can “practice” for what you might encounter in real life. I am sure you have had emotionally charged dreams in your REM sleep and woke up thinking it was all real. These vivid dreams are your brain at work.
Do you share your dreams with others and talk about them? I suggest you do, as neuroscientists, those who specialize in how our brains work, discovered a high degree of empathy in those who discuss their dreams with family and friends. This is yet another way in which dreams are really good for us!