Sunday, July 8, 2018

Dreams of Death by Plants


Have you ever dreamt you were being killed?  Or that someone or something was after you and trying to kill you?  This happened to me the other night. 

I woke up with a fear and anxiety like I usually do when I am having a nightmare.  This killer was different though.  This killer was a good killer... and I think the death was a good death too...  I was being hunted to the death ... by plants!

Seriously.  Plants.

Plants were inhabiting other humans, the buildings around me, technology... everything.  The plants were taking over the world.  They were growing and moving and taking over everything and everyone. 

The plants were doing their best to find me.  Of course, when you are being chased by a killer in your dream, you do everything you can to survive.  I was hiding and disguising myself.  The best survival tactic I could think of, of course, it was probably too late, was to eat meat.

I should have eaten more meat!  Why was I fooled into thinking that plants were good?  Why did I fall for it?  Now I know that I should eat meat and this would have never happened.

It was one of those moments where time doesn't really make sense: I was about to die and there was nothing I could do to change it but part of me still knew that I still had a chance to change my mind (in the real world). 

Looking back on this dream I think I was dreaming from the perspective of my gut biome! 

Brandy you are crazy... how can a gut biome (whatever that is) dream-- or have any perspective for that matter? 

Why did I have a dream like this?  It could be just a pure coincidence... some believe that all dreams are nothing but the brain organizing itself and doing work that can only be done during the REM portion of a sleep cycle.  This could be very true, but I have tasked myself to dig deeper and to use this nightmare as a spark into an inquiry. 

Before going to bed that night, I happened to be reading this study from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse on food addiction.  I was reading it because I have questions:


  • Why is it so hard for me to stick to a particular set of food (eat "healthy" good instead of "junk food")? And why does it seem easier for others?
  • Why do I "relapse" back to my what I call "bad food cycle" so easily after many months of eating well just because I let myself eat one donut?
  • Why do I have to battle with myself CONSTANTLY when choosing between "healthy" and "unhealthy" food?
  • Why is quitting sweets more difficult, if not more difficult, than quitting hard drugs? (I will elaborate more in the future)
  • Why do I go back and forth and back and forth and back and forth on what seems like a never-ending cycle of being "unhealthy" then deciding to change my life and become "healthy" then I eat a donut and its all over...
  • When will I be able to look back at my life and say that I am FREE from the bondage of "unhealthy" food?
  • How can I help others around me who seem to suffer from the same food issues that I suffer from?
  • Which "plan" or "diet" or "routine" will help me conquer this battle that I have been fighting basically my entire life?  
  • Why do I not seem able to use moderation as so many people tell me is "OK"?  
  • Why do I feel like I am the only one with this problem? 
I could go on, but I think there is more to the story of food and addiction then we have scientifically proven... and I think there is hope.  I think we are getting much closer to the truth... At least I am placing my faith in this belief. 

Ok Brandy, but you haven't explained how food addiction is related to a dream of killer plants and the gut biome.  

I first learned of the gut biome (part of the microbiome) while listening to a few Rich Roll podcasts: the first was with Robynne Chutkan and the second was with Zach Bush.  It turns out that our bodies are made up more of other living critters (bacteria, fungi, and viruses)-- our microbiome, than our own cells!  We are physically more of something else than we are of ourselves-- isn't this flabbergasting?  Isn't this just mind-blowing?  I think this is just crazy!  


Then I found out that the gut contains neurons in this article from the Scientific American by Adam Hadhazy.  

So our gut is a living-quarters for our gut biome (living creatures) and the gut itself offers a neural pathway from those creatures to our decision-making brain.   

There are different studies working to map the gut biome including The Human Microbiome Project and the ongoing American Gut.  

My hunch is that there is a link between food, gut neurons, and the gut biome.  Perhaps this is why addiction is so difficult to "overcome"... it isn't even always us who are craving certain foods.  Even if I am not "spot on" I think I am on the right track.  I think that this gut biome influences what we eat... probably more than we know...  

Let me know what your thoughts are on this topic!  I think it is an important conversation to start!