The video explores the deep connections between dreams, mystical experiences, and the neurochemical processes in the brain, particularly focusing on the roles of neuroreceptors and neurotransmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline. By examining the overlap between dream states and psychedelic experiences, the discussion uncovers how certain brain circuitry and chemical switches can create personal and cosmic experiences that seem ineffable and deeply meaningful to the individual. This personal resonance parallels the effects seen in mystical or psilocybin-induced states, leading to a unique interplay between universal and individual significance.

An important aspect discussed is the psychological landscape of dreams, specifically how approaching rather than fleeing from dream-monsters can diminish their power. The speakers draw connections between this and the hero myth, emphasizing how shifting from a prey response to an exploratory or heroic stance within dreams or therapy can help resolve recurring nightmares or fears. This is paralleled with the neurological dynamics of emotion and memory during REM sleep, and how cultural archetypes and narratives shape the manifestation of dream monsters, such as dragons, giants, or figures from popular culture.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. ineffable [ɪnˈɛfəbl] - (adjective) - Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words; indescribable. - Synonyms: (indescribable, inexpressible, unutterable)

That's hypercosmic in dreams that you can't. It's ineffable. You can't describe it in language and even.

2. paradoxical [ˌpærəˈdɑːksɪkəl] - (adjective) - Seemingly absurd or self-contradictory yet possibly true. - Synonyms: (contradictory, puzzling, enigmatic)

Okay, so what do you think? Account. Okay, so you said something paradoxical about that.

3. conjunction [kənˈdʒʌŋkʃn] - (noun) - The state of being joined together; a union or combination. - Synonyms: (combination, union, connection)

That's a strange conjunction because those two things are actually quite far apart.

4. inculcating [ˈɪnkʌlˌkeɪtɪŋ] - (verb) - Teaching and impressing by frequent repetitions or admonitions; instilling an idea, attitude, or habit by persistent instruction. - Synonyms: (instilling, implanting, indoctrinating)

If you transform that into voluntary explorers, then what you're doing is you're inculcating an element of the hero myth into the dream landscape.

5. archetype [ˈɑːrkɪtaɪp] - (noun) - A very typical example of a certain person or thing; in Jungian psychology, a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious. - Synonyms: (prototype, model, embodiment)

So you could imagine that with this interplay between the hippocampus and the amygdala, if the emotional systems are more active... you will see that manifest. Right. So those are categories of the monstrous. Those are your Carl Jung archetype figures appearing.

6. amalgam [əˈmælɡəm] - (noun) - A mixture or blend of different things. - Synonyms: (mixture, blend, combination)

So if it's a panoply of emotions, it would be an amalgam of emotion evoking stimuli.

7. panoply [ˈpænəpli] - (noun) - A complete or impressive collection of things; a splendid display. - Synonyms: (array, collection, display)

So if it's a panoply of emotions, it would be an amalgam of emotion evoking stimuli.

8. manifest [ˈmænɪˌfɛst] - (verb) - To display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate. - Synonyms: (display, show, exhibit)

Here's the emotion. Here's the thing that would be most likely to manifest that.

9. delineated [dɪˈlɪnieɪtɪd] - adjective (from verb 'delineate') - Clearly described or portrayed; marked out precisely. - Synonyms: (outlined, defined, detailed)

Because the more form it takes, the more delineated the strategy can be for dealing with it.

10. quells [kwɛlz] - verb (third person singular of quell) - Suppresses or puts an end to (a feeling, rebellion, or other disturbance). - Synonyms: (suppresses, subdues, alleviates)

But you want to lay out a behavioral strategy in relationship to that enemy that either quells the threat.

11. revelation [ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən] - (noun) - A surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way. - Synonyms: (disclosure, unveiling, exposure)

Okay, so let's say the core of the revelation is diffuse emotional activation, much of it negative emotion.

12. diffuse [dɪˈfjuz] - (adjective / verb) - To spread over a wide area or among many people; not concentrated. - Synonyms: (disperse, spread, scatter)

Okay, so let's say the core of the revelation is diffuse emotional activation, much of it negative emotion.

Why The Monster In Your Dreams Is Chasing You - Dr. Baland Jalal

Right, Yeah, I think. And I think what is also interesting about dreams in that whole thing is that it seems to tap into a circuitry that's more mystical than the circuitry that we normally tap into. By mystical, I mean, it seems like some of the receptors involved in mystical experiences, when you take psilocybin and things like mescaline and DMT and stuff like that, the serotonin 2A receptors. So one theory actually talks about how. So obviously serotonin is another neurochemical in the brain that the part of the brain that produces that, the dorsal Rapha nucleus, also shuts down its production of serotonin. So you don't have serotonin in your dreams either in REM sleep. And so you end up in this space without noradrenaline and without serotonin. But it seems like for some reason that the serotonin 2a receptors become dialed up. So that part of the serotonin 2 receptors become tickled for some reasons. And the, you know, sometimes. And that is also happening in a psilocybin experience. It also happened in psilocybin experiences. Right. So that accounts in part for the overlap between the mystical experience and the dream experience, the mystical experiences and the dream experiences. So there's something there that is. That's hypercosmic in dreams that you can't. It's ineffable. You can't describe it in language and even. And it's highly personal and it has salience for you. So one thing that I notice about dream is a lot of people come and talk to me about their dreams all the time. They'll go, baland. You know, I had this dream. I saw this and that. And they're. They're very emotional about it. And it's highly personal and cosmic. Right. But, you know, I kind of go, oh, that's interesting. But it's not really that interesting, but it has that significance for you as a person. And that's kind of about the dream thing. It's, It's. It has personal salience, kind of the type of personal salience. Salience you can get from a certain psilocybin experience. What do you think? Okay, so what do you think? Account. Okay, so you said something paradoxical about that. Right. That it's a weird combination of intensely personal and cosmic. Yeah. Which means intensely universal. It brings those two things together. Absolutely right. That's a strange conjunction because those two things are actually quite far apart. Right. The more personal something is, in some ways, the less cosmic, the less universal it is. Yeah. But the dream unites those two things. It kind of unites them. Yeah. There's something. So I wonder. See, an archetype, in some ways bridges the gap between the personal and the cosmic. So, well, here's an example of something you can do with a dream that's very effective. So imagine that you have a client who's chased by something awful in a dream, and that repeats. And then you ask them what they do, and they say, well, I run away or I try to hide. Yeah. Okay. So then you say to them, well, here's what we're going to do instead. I want you to sit there, close your eyes, then make them relax so that they get into a state where they can visualize. Right. Say, now bring that dream to mind. Yeah. Okay. Now close your eyes, Bring the dream to mind. Now tell me what's happening. So they'll replay the dream and say, now. Okay. Now, at the end, instead of running, tell me what happens if you turn around and ask the criminal or the sadist or the monster. Yeah. What it's up to? Or what happens if you approach it instead of running. Right. Well, and then the dream will continue in their imagination most of the time. Time. And generally, what occurs in a consequence of that is that dream goes away. Now, I think the reason for that, and I think this is akin to this bridging of the gap between the personal and the cosmic, is because their personal response to being chased is to run. Right. And hide. So they're prey animals. Yeah. Now, if you. If you transform that into voluntary explorers, then what you're doing is you're inculcating an element of the hero myth into the dream landscape. It's like. No, the right strategy when you're threatened isn't to run. The right strategy is to turn voluntarily and to commence the process of exploration. That is what a hero myth is. That's very interesting. So let's go on that whole thing. Right, so the monster in your dream represents your hyperactive amygdala and the limbic centers of the brain being hyperactive up to 30% more active in the dream landscape. Right. Okay. So that's that overplay of emotion. That's the overplay of the emotion. And by the way, the hippocampus. It also turns out the memory part of the brain is also hyperactive in the dream REM world. So you have the memory spilling in, into this narrative about a monster chasing you. Right. So you give it identity, you give it name, you give it all these negative features. It's very. Okay, so you're contextualizing emotion. You're contextualizing based on the hyperactive hippocampus. Then it's chasing you. And you can't run away because we said the motor. Central motor generator of your brain stem is making it very hard for you to move, so you don't have them. So movement normally occurs in the motor cortex of your brain that gives you voluntary movement, but because that part of the brain can compete with the central motor, automatic part of the brain, firing and making your behaviors all, you know, sporadic and automatic, so you can't get away. Now, what you said was interesting. You said if you turn around and approach the monster, the monster will be. It will become diminished in strength. And that's interesting because we know in the real world, if you walk, simply by walking, you will turn down the activity of the amygdala because you're telling your. You're telling your brain or your. Yourself that. That you are approaching. You are engaging in approach behavior instead of withdrawing behavior, which puts you see that shift your identity in relationship to the thing that's chasing you, you're changing it, saying, now, I'm no longer the prey here. I'm the predator. I am the one that is being, that is doing the haunting, you know, and so in that sense, it would make sense that the monster would vanish. So that's very interesting. But I also want to touch on that whole on monsters, since we are on the topic of monsters. So this condition called sleep paralysis, and I talk about it in my. My Peterson Academy course, there's a whole lecture on sleep paralysis. So are you familiar with sleep paralysis? I experience sleep paralysis repeatedly. Is that right? For years, yeah. Especially if I slept on my back. That doesn't happen anymore. But. Okay. But I'm very familiar with sleep paralysis. Do you see any monsters? Can you explain? I'm curious. Most of my experience was being unable to move. And no, I knew what sleep paralysis was. So even when it happened to me in my dreams, usually my experience was that something was happening to me and I was frozen and unable to speak. And I knew I had to wake myself up. Like, I tried to throw myself off the bed. Sometimes I could yell to my wife. I mean, literally in my life, I would yell, and she'd have to come and shake me, and then I'd wake up. But no, I didn't have the monster, monster element to it. It. Okay, but I had clients who did. In sleep paralysis, I think the reason that didn't happen is because I knew what was happening. Yeah, right. So the mo. The monster, too, Just out of curiosity. So you could imagine that with this interplay between the hippocampus and the amygdala, if the emotional systems are more active, okay, so now there's lots of emotions being triggered. Now the memory systems are interacting with those emotions. They're going to flesh them out. Yeah, right. So here's the emotion. Here's the thing that would be most likely to manifest that. So if it's a panoply of emotions, it would be an amalgam of emotion evoking stimuli. And there's no difference between an amalgam of emotion eliciting stimuli and a monster. Right. Those are the same thing. That's what a monster is. Right. So a monster is your worst nightmare come to life. It's your worst nightmare. Right. It's whatever you dread, whatever is lurking in your unconscious mind that's coming to the. To the fore. Right. And so during sleep paralysis, interestingly, you didn't have any of the monsters, but it turns out about 40% of people will see monsters. Sleep paralysis is a terrifying experience. So you have this REM paralysis. Obviously, you're paralyzed from head to toe. During REM sleep, you're dreaming away. Occasionally, for some people, they might start feeling like they can, you know, they can see their surroundings. So they might open their eyes and then they realize, my God, I'm paralyzed. I can't move, I can't speak. And it's terrifying at this point. And then they look around and I had one of these experiences, so let me tell you by my own experience. So I was sleeping in my room as a teenager in Copenhagen, and I grew up in a ghetto like neighborhood in Copenhagen. And I was lying there sleeping, and then I woke up paralyzed, unable to move or speak. And then I had this creepy feeling of a monster from the corner of my room approaching me. And it came closer and closer until it was on my chest, strangling me. And I saw my legs flying up and down. And mind you, at this point, I was like, is this real? It was as crisp as this conversation you and I are having right now. What did the monster look like? Well, I'll tell you, okay? So at this point, I just saw my legs flying up and down, and it was choking me, and I couldn't do anything. I was literally trying to kill me. Now, on this occasion, I didn't see a monster. I didn't see a mantra on this occasion. But I've had sleep paralysis since then on many occasions. And I've had various Monsters. So I've seen. Like, one was Colonel Gaddafi. You know him, eccentric figure. He was hovering over me when I was in. I was living in Egypt for a period of time in my early undergraduate years. I was a little bit out there. And I saw during the Libyan revolution, of all people, Gaddafi was in my bedroom hovering over me, you know, attacking me. So that can happen during sleep paralysis. And that was. So he's the monster of the oppressive patriarchy. Yes, absolutely. I had a wife. My wife had a dream like that about Richard Nixon dressed in a general's outfit. So he was another figure. Like, you could think about him as the monstrous form of the patriarchy. Yeah, my wife kissed him. Okay, Right, right. So that was how she reconciled that conflict. Oh, yeah. Well, you can think about. It's a funny move, right, because the monstrous element of the patriarchy is. It's the negative side of the social order. It's something everyone has to contend with. That is. That's a class of monster, right. Like giant. It's the same thing as giant. And in hero mythology, of course, one of the categories of monster that the hero fights is giant. There's dragon. There's very. And dragon is a different. That's more like a representation of the terrible aspect of nature. That's a good way to think about a dragon. Okay. So you said you were in Libya. Well, I was in Egypt. Egypt, yeah. What was happening around you around that time? There was a spring, the Arab Spring and the Libyan revolution. All that was going on. Going on. And I was watching CNN all the time, you know, and then. You should never do that. That I should never do. Right. So I was doing that. I was sort of watching the news and, you know, I was influenced in some way. So that's really interesting. So our research now in about seven countries has shown that, you know, whenever you have a cultural narrative for it, like stories of witches, of space aliens or whatever, you will have those lurking into your unconscious and you will see that manifest. Right. So we show. So those are categories of the monstrous. Those are your Carl Jung archetype figures appearing. So, for example, in Egypt, we showed that the evil genius of Aladdin, you know, Aladdin, the cartoon, you will have that appear in front of you. So, you know, they will have bloody fangs and everything will be creepy. Very, you know, scary monsters you will see in Egypt. In Italy, for example, in the panda region of Italy, you will see these giant cats or witches. So that's very common. And in the US Space, alien abduction is. Right. It's very Common in the US So you might see that. Okay, so what that would imply is that you could imagine that the cultural. Okay, so let's say the core of the revelation is diffuse emotional activation, much of it negative emotion. Yeah. Okay. Now the question is, what's the most basic form in which that could take perceptual shape? Okay, so the cultural narrative would be like a first order elaboration of the core of that fear. So then it's not surprising at all that that's what your mind would latch onto when it was trying to clothe that emotion in perceptual reality. It's very interesting, actually. So it turns out if you go first order and the basic level, most people will just see shapes and shadows. So they won't even see the monster clothed and have all these details. So it turns out all of the truly unknowable monster. That's the V1. That's the. That's the. You know, the occipital lobes in the visual cortex responds to lines and basic shapes. And as we move, I see and. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah. So the first order. Is it first order. It's simply the brain says, look, I don't even care about the details. I feel fear right now. I just want to hallucinate the basic. Just the sketch. The sketch, Right. So you have the sketch. And then. Okay, so then as you explore, does it move up the visual. Then it moves up the visual hierarchy. Right, so we know then that you have a part of the brain called the mt. The motor part of the brain has to do with movement. So that's the next in the hierarchy. Then you have a part of the brain that has to do with, as we said, putting faces and depth and color. And so that comes as we move along the visual hierarchy. And then finally you reach the wernica and the meaning part of the brain and the hippocampus, and you go, my God, this is Freddy Krueger from Elm Street. He's attacking me right now. And he has this agenda and intentions. So. But most of the time, people will see these shadows and shapes. And that's it. And that's it. Are they most terrified at that level? It's very terrifying. Usually the one reason for this is that usually when you don't have an identity, it's even more scary. Yes. Because you don't know what to do. Exactly. Yeah. So, okay, so then you imagine that. Oh, that's so cool. So then you imagine that adaptation would proceed in this manner. So when it's Only shapeless form. Right? You have no idea what to do because there's. There's no concrete action you can take against a shapeless form. Okay, so now you. You could imagine using this in behavior therapy to deal with fears. It's like, okay, first of all, because you're trying to get it to take form. Well, why? Because the more form it takes, the more delineated the strategy can be for dealing with it. So you're saying, okay, so first of all, you're doing a walk through the visual hierarchy. You got just the shadows and the basic. And then you get the basic motion. And then what's the next level? You get depth. For example, you get color.v4 area in the brain with color. So you buy. Add color. That could be another. Okay, and then it takes a face. Yeah, and then it takes. And an identity. It takes a face identity. And then you hook up the emotional part of the brain, so it gets emotions. Okay. The next thing you'd need above that would be a behavioral strategy. So if this named and faced figure now makes itself manifest, what do you need to do it? So, see, this is partly what you do if you're trying to treat someone from post traumatic stress disorder is you help them specify very clearly, right? So give form to the nature of the fear. But that's not enough. It isn't enough to know your enemy, Right? That's better than not knowing your enemy, because that's even more terrifying. But you want to lay out a behavioral strategy in relationship to that enemy that either quells the threat. So how do you deal with a criminal, let's say. Or like, the optimal strategy would be to take the enemy and to transform him into an ally, right? That's like. That's the highest possible level of adaptation. Because who needs an enemy? And partly what you're doing, like, in therapy, you can go through someone's history and you can see where they might have had a repeated traumatic experience, like in a relationship. Then you have to find out what is it that's absent in their representation of relationship that's exposing them time and time again to that threat? Because it means there's something in their perception and their strategy. Because imagine this. Imagine that you were.

SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY, EDUCATION, DREAMS, SLEEP PARALYSIS, THERAPY, JORDAN B PETERSON