svapn ki prakriya aur faladesh sitaram sinh svapn mukhytah 'svapn nidra' ki avastha men ate hain. sushupti avastha men dekhe gaye svapn prayah subah tak yad nahin rahte. yah avashyak nahin ki svapn men dekha gaya sab kuch arthapurn ho. manas aur chikitsa shastriyon ke anusar jo vyakti anavashyak ichchaon, chanchal bhavnaon, uchch akankshaon aur bhut-bhavishya ki chinta se apne ko mukt rakhte hain, vahi gahri nidra le pate hain. gahri nidra svasth jivan ke lie param avashyak hai. hidu dharm shastron-atharvaved, yogsutra, puran, upnishdon ityadi men svapnon ka adhyatmik vishleshan milta hai, jiske anusar svapn ki kriya manushya ki atma se juri hai aur atma parmatma se. man ki kalpana shakti asim hai. maharshi vedavyas 'brahmasutra' men batate hain ki mastishk men pichle janmon ka gyan sushupt avastha men rahta hai. shuddh acharan vale dharmik aur shant chitt vyakti ke sapne, daivik sandeshvahak hone ke karan, satya hote hain.
parantu chintagrast, ya rogi vyakti ka man ashant hone ke karan uske svapn nishfal hote hain. svapn bhavi jivan yatra se jure shubh aur ashubh prasang, yahan takki vipatti, bimari aur mrityu ki purva suchna dete hain. gautam buddh ke janm se kuch din pahle unki mata rani maya ne svapn men ek surya sa chamkila, 6 danton vala safed hathi dekha tha, jiska arth rajya ke manishiyon ne ek uchch koti ke jagat prasiddh rajkumar ke janm ka suchak bataya, jo satya hua. pashchatya deshon men svapn par shodh karya sarvapratham sharirik aur fir mansik star par kiya gaya. unnisvin shatabdi ke ant men chikitsakon ke matanusar apriya svapnon ka karan asvasthata, sote samay sans lene men kathinai aur mastishk men auksijan ki kami hona tha. manovaigyanikon ke anusar talak, naukri chutna, vyapar men ghata, ya parivar men kisi sadasya ki achanak mrityu ke karan utpann mansik tanav bar-bar ane vale svapnon men parilakshit hote hain.
pashchatya shodh ke anusar jagrat avastha men sansarik vastuon aur ghatnaon ka manav mastishk par prabhav parta hai, jisse anek vicharon aur ichchaon ka janm hota hai. jo prasang man men apurn rahte hain, ve nidra ki avastha men, vyavasthit ya avyavasthit rup men, abhivyakt hote hain. prasiddh manovaigyanik sigmand froyad ne apni pustak 'thyori auf drimsa' men bataya ki manushya ki ichchaen (mukhytah kam vasnaen) jo samaj ke bhay se jagrat avastha men purn nahin ho patin, ve svapn men charitarth ho kar vyakti ko mansik tripti deti hain aur usko tanavmukt aur santulit rahne men sahayta karti hain. parantu yah siddhant andhe vyakti dvara dekhe gaye svapnon ko samjhane men asamarth tha. kuch samay bad froyad ne apne vicharon men parivartan kiya. 'drim telipaithi' ke lekhak da. stainli ke anusar svapnon ki punravritti ka sanbandh vartaman men hone vali samasyaon aur ghabrahat se hi nahin, apitu atit se bhi ho sakta hai.
bachapan men ghati koi bhayanak ghatna ka mastishk par gahra prabhav parne se usse sanbandhit svapn adhik dikhai dete hain. svapn ki prakriya par prakash dalte hue da. stainli ne bataya ki manushya ka mastishk choti-choti ghatnaon evan jankariyon ko sangthit rup de kar ek aise nishkarsh (svapna) par pahunchta hai, jo kabhi-kabhi bahut sahi hota hai. rom ke samrat juliyas sizar ki patni ne unki hatya ki pichli rat sapne men dekha tha ki vah apne bal bikhere pati ka lahuluhan sharir uthaye fir rahi hai. usne sizar ko sinet jane se mana kiya, par vah nahin mana aur sinet pahunchne par brutas ne uski hatya kar di. isi prakar ameriki rashtrapti abraham linkan ne apni hatya ko kuch din pahle svapn men dekha tha. pashchatya shodhakarta ab bhartiya vichardhara se sahamat ho rahe hain.
froyad ne naye anubhvon ke adhar par agli pustak 'intaraprateshan aunf drimsa' men svikar kiya ki svapn kabhi-kabhi manushya ki dabi ichchaon aur man ki uran se bahut age ki suchna dene men saksham hote hain. do. haivlok elais apni pustak 'di varld auf drimsa' men mante hain ki svapn men sushupt mastishk aur 'ekastra sensri parsepshana' ki bari bhumika hoti hai. 'buch sosaiti for saikik risarcha' holaind, ke shodhkarya ne yah pramanit kiya hai ki kuch svapn bhavishya ki ghatnaon ki sahi-sahi purvasuchna dete hain. prasiddh manovaigyanik do. haifanar mors ke anusar satat prayatn dvara sushupt mastishk ko jaga kar sapnon dvara 'divya drishti' prapt ki ja sakti hai. atyant vriddh aur kale sharir vali stri ka nach dekhna, athva nangdhdang fakir ko nachte, hanste, apni or krur drishtipat karte dekhna, kale vastra pahne, hath men lauh ka danda liye kisi ko dekhna mrityu ke suchak hote hain