Dr Rahul Jandial MD PhD bestselling author, neurosurgeon and neuroscientist holds out the promise by delving "into the dreaming brain and shares stories from his own practice to show the astonishing impact that dreams having on our waking life. He explains how dreaming of an exam might help you score up to 20% higher, why taking a long nap could make you better at problem-solving, and even that certain dream disorders can warn you of serious diseases like Parkinson's years ahead of other symptoms" .

It is a beautifully written book with pages of research references and further reading which confirms its scholarly foundation and evidence base. What is even more valuable is his practice experiences and views weaved into the wide range of topics that he covers. If you are interested in a mystical or spiritual take on dreams you may be disappointed but Dr Jandial also provides guidance on lucid dreaming: He "offers clear and compelling advice, backed by new research, to become a lucid dreamer," In a nutshell the subtitle of the book sums up what it is all about: What your sleeping brain reveals about your waking life. Everyone can benefit from knowing more about this vital part of our lives, certainly a book I will treasure.

Dr WJAlladin, Founding Editor in Chief, Counselling Psychology Quarterly: An International Journal of Theory Research and Practice‹

Book Review: This Is Why You Dream by Rahul Jandial

This intriguing book is 100% worth the read. Written by a brain surgeon, it examines dreams in a way that’s backed by neuroscience, but loses none of dreams’ mystery and wonder.

The book begins as it means to go on, with Jandial saying that “We have evolved to dream…We don’t choose to dream. We need to dream.”

First of all, it’s so refreshing to read a book on dreaming that somehow simultaneously values dreaming and its process, but also unravels the science behind it at the same time. And he conveys the science with an ease and style that anyone can understand.

Janidel of course talks about which neural networks (brain circuits) are activated and not activated during dreaming, and which neurotransmitter systems are implicated.

He talks about the many benefits of dreaming. How it can be a form of therapy, helping you to feel and accept your emotions. How it can be a means of testing social strategies, while not losing friends in real life. Even how your dreams can be an early warning sign of disorder.

Jandiel discusses which dreams are the most common across the globe, and how certain themes are predominant across different cultures. There are also chapters on the need for nightmares, dreaming and creativity, and erotic dreams.

The book also explains why you needn’t bother with the likes of dream dictionaries, and it has a how-to element where it explains several methods to induce lucid dreaming.

But where things become even more interesting is where Jandiel talks about the future of dreaming. This begins with discussion about shocking methods already used to make people dream about particular brands. The two examples were from Coors beer and Burger King.

This calls into question fundamental human rights, such as freedom of thought. And it raises questions about whether, at some point, we’ll have to pay extra for streaming services that promise ad-free dreaming.

Jandial also broaches the subject of brain-tech and other devices that could be used to, for example, induce lucid dreaming, or encourage particular dream content. This makes it a very timely book, given that tycoon Elon Musk is already recruiting applicants for human testing of Neuralink, a brain-computer interface.

Even if you’re not a neuroscience enthusiast like myself, you can gain real value from this book, and learn to view your dreaming world in a new light.

I was expecting this to be another dream analysis book but I was very pleasantly surprised. I found it intriguing and informative and it explained the science around how your brain works and how it processes information in a user friendly way that even a novice could understand. I feel I know a lot more now about how the brain works and how we can infiltrate our dreams and use them to our advantage. Highly recommended.

This book is fascinating! I really enjoyed all the scientific studies behind the dreams and brain surgeries and everything was explained well. I particularly enjoy the lucid dreaming and PTSD sections.

This book offers an informative, interesting insight into dreams, the brain and why we dream.

The author is a credible expert and although at times I didn’t find it an easy read, it’s overall an interesting book that made me want to explore more of the subject matter.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to preview.

Interesting and well written account of the latest neuroscience on dreaming. There are lots of practical and simple tips on how to prime oneself for certain types of dreams and especially how to improve dream recall. The links between mental health and dreaming were surprising and particularly interesting, as were the historical sources on dreams, The only slight drawback of the book is that it reveals all too clearly how shockingly little we actually do know about the realm of dreams. But Rahul Jandial entertainingly and instructively covers as much of what we do currently know as possible. Special thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for a no obligation advance review copy.

Not a book for telling you what your dreams mean but understanding how and why we dream.
The complex nature of our brain . Interesting and fascinating.

A fascinating exploration of why we dream. This is a very scientific read which, not being from a science background, I found to be heavy going in places. Some interesting points for the layman though.

A very in-depth book. Lots of science involved. I was fascinated to read it as I dream so much constantly

Engagingly written and informative, but longer than I felt it needed to be. Some of the messages were a little repetitive but still an enjoyable read!

What an amazing book. It gives real food for thought of the dreaming world. I had no idea there was so much study of this subject and that the very real possibility exists of being able to manipulate your dreams to those of your choosing. It’s actually a little bit of a scary thought though, that our dreams could possibly be manipulated in this way by external means. Very 1984!
If you’re someone who, like me, has vivid and bizarre dreams - this book’s a good read.

I’m not alone in being fascinated in the reasons for dreams. I don’t particularly want to understand my dreams per se, but the reason for our brains being so active when, physically, our bodies aren’t was my reason for asking for this book. However….

This is so much a scientific study with little else I found it really difficult to get into. Whilst I realise that scientific research has to be at the forefront of this topic I found it all too heavy and confusing. I’m afraid I have given up already, having only managed aout 20% on my kindle. Maybe I’lll go ack to it when my mind is more alert and attuned.

I found this very intriguing! It gives the reader an insight into why we may dream the dreams we have. I knew that our subconscious played a huge part in our dreams but oh my it’s so involved. I find it incredible that the human mind is apparently incapable of making up human faces with no prompts so the faces we see in our dreams are of people that have crossed our paths at some time.
The book is quite a heavy read and there’s a lot of information to take in. I found it easier to read in small chunks when I wasn’t too tired. It’s a fascinating read and I’d recommend it. The author did a great job of explaining things in layman terms. A great bedside book.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have an interest in dreams and have interpreted dreams as a hobby since being a teenager. I am naturally drawn to books about dreams although I was a little worried this might be a bit too scientific for me. The author is a neurosurgeon and as such goes into detail as to what is happening to our brains whilst we sleep. He does this in quite an accessible way. For myself I am more interested in dreams from a psychological perspective but I would think that if you are more interested in the science of dreaming then you will enjoy this book.

Absolutely fascinating book and so absorbing. For me this was a real page turner as I've always wondered about dreams and if they are a reflection of your deeper thoughts about what is going on in your life. This contained a few surprises and has answered many questions. A great read, especially if you are interested in dreams

The subject of dreams has always fascinated me, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I wasn’t disappointed! Written by a brain surgeon, this book examines dreams and their purpose in a much more scientific way than a lot of the dream books out there, yet is very accessible to non-scientists such as myself. Rahul Jandial’s explanations about the roles of the Executive Network and the Imagination network in the brain made a lot of sense and I found the chapters linking dreaming with our sense of identity, problem solving, creativity, health and potentially our primal selves really fascinating. The book draws on a lot of research and, while some of the more practical experiments cited come to (in my mind) very obvious conclusions, Jandial’s knowledge of the neuroscience behind these conclusions was insightful. A satisfying and enjoyable read.

I found the opening chapters of this book fascinating. The idea that the brain could react to electrical prompts when under anaesthetic is extraordinary. I also found the distinction between the Executive Network and the Imagination Network helpful and the associated explanation that we are physically paralysed in our sleep and so can safely dream about situations that are impossible or dangerous in life.
When it came to the interpretation of dreams I felt the author was less convincing. There is a long history of the importance of dreams in Judeo-Christian and other religious texts. The inspiration for some divine scripture is attributed to revelation through dreams and this prophetic aspect of dreams was not touched on at all.
The concept of controlling lucid dreaming is alarming. I can see how it is very useful in a research context, and perhaps justifiable but to explain to the general public how to control their dreams, without any investigation into the long term psychological effects of this is dangerous. People who have nightmares due to trauma need support to uncover the cause, and to be healed. To tamper with nature's natural processes in order to interrupt this healing process could cause even deeper trauma in the long term. People often do not know the cause of their nightmares because their trauma is overwhelming and so is hidden from their conscious minds. This unconscious trauma needs to be uncovered and dealt with so that they can move on. To prevent or change the course of these dreams without counselling support strikes me as potentially very damaging. I suggest that more research is done on this topic before this book goes before the general public.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It had lots of interesting ideas and theories in it. Worth picking up if this is an area of interest to you.

An interesting non-fiction read. I found sometimes the book went a bit too existential for my preference, but it was very informative and well-written.

I found this book to be entirely not for me, I liked his previous book a lot but found this one hard to get a long with and for me it went beyond science and psychology and was just too nebulous