Reflections

This is a book that addresses the history and science of dreams. The author uses his own dreams as examples, some of which are unique due to Elder's personal and medical history. The dreams include typical experiences, such as flying, but also extend to intriguing astral events, prophecies, and messages on the nature of existence. The author employs the first-person present tense perspective when describing his dreams, which makes them exciting and fast-paced. The narrative sections follow the typical academic style, although Elder has endeavored to make the material accessible to the widest possible audience. Unlike many mass-market books on this subject, it also examines dream science and history in considerable depth, providing readers with a wealth of unique insights into what dreams are and why we have them. For example, Elder relates some forms of dream prophecy to the workings of our episodic memory system, finding a persuasive basis of support in modern schema theory and neuropsychological research. Other dreams, such as those concerning God, humanity's future, and astral adventures occasionally defy the author's tendency to find rationalistic explanations, a fact that he both dislikes and admits. The historical review stretches back to Gilgamesh, and runs up to modern findings in the neurosciences. Of course, the ideas of Freud, Jung, and others are discussed along the way, with the reader getting a great deal of information on what dreams were thought to mean over the ages. Indeed, there are over 380 sources scattered throughout the text, and a quick review of the bibliography will reveal that this is a manuscript of considerable research and substance. Readers from high school to post-graduate levels will find items of interest in this fast-moving text, which leaves a message that is as much spiritual and moral as it is scientific.