State Continuum

A hypothesis that we have a range of processes of waking thoughts such as analytical thinking to an unbound freer though process of daydream and wonder and that of a dream process. This idea is proposed by Hartmann, and he attempts to adapt the thin and thick boundaries into less this or that distinctions. He proposes that while are awake we engage in more thick boundaried functions (Thinking, Planning, Analytical processing) and that when we dream we give up our analytical reasoning and just experience our thoughts, images and feelings.

This idea is basically saying that we all live in the cycles of the continuum of analytical, daydream and dream states, but that those who tend to be more thin boundaried will not distinguish between reality and imagery as easily. Hartmann described it as "A person that can be thought of as functioning in a more "dreamlike" fashion even while awake, relative to the solid, serial, well delineated, focused waking thought of a person with thick boundaries." While we all live through these cycles each day some of us spend more time or are more oriented to certain mental activities. Much like how people are described as right or left brained, people fall into certain strengths and oreintations on the mental continuum. Thses different Hypothesis can help us to better serve ourselves and work to ending the nightmare experience.