We spend a third of our lives sleeping, with much of the night filled with dreams. Peculiarly vivid, disturbing dreams leave behind impressions that are hard to dismiss. But what are nightmares? And what significance do they have for the dreamer? Questions like these have been asked and answered in all time periods in all of the world's cultures. The Nightmare Encyclopedia examines ideas about bad dreams found in different parts of the world, in different periods of Western history, in recent clinical research, in current theories of the occult, and in popular films. Most of the world's traditional societies are taught that our souls leave our bodies and travel to other realms when we dream, so maybe nightmares are the result of getting lost in one of dreamland's bad neighborhoods. In medieval Europe, it was thought that demons could attack and rape human beings in their sleep. In contrast, modern psychologists tend to view nightmares as repressed conflicts that return from our unconscious to haunt us in our dreams. This book also includes interpretations of dream symbols found in nightmares.
History, belief, and folklore combine to create paranormal legends that challenge what we know about how the universe works. But are these legends more than just stories? What can we learn about ourselves in exploring the unexplained? Meet Jeff Belanger, the ultimate paranormal insider.
There's a relationship between ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot, strange monsters, ancient mysteries, and other bizarre phenomena. These concepts offer us a path to our past, a connection with our fellow human beings in our present, and a way to ponder our own inevitable future. Though no one can explain exactly how it all works, few can match Jeff's ability to bring the odd out of the fringe and into our living rooms and near our office water coolers.
Belanger's approach is fun and informative. He brings a lot of personality and knowledge to his work. He's the author of a dozen books that have been published in six languages, he's the writer and researcher for the Ghost Adventures show on the Travel Channel, the host of the widely popular Web and cable talk show 30 Odd Minutes, he's a sought-after lecturer who speaks at dozens of events per year for audiences big and small, and he's a recognized media personality appearing on over 200 radio and television programs worldwide including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, PBS, Living TV (UK), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, National Public Radio, The BBC, Australian Radio Network, Coast to Coast AM, and The 'X' Zone.
