This Is Why You Dream: What your sleeping brain reveals about your waking life

Author(s): Rahul Jandial

Health & Wellbeing

AN AMAZON EDITORS' BEST BOOKS OF 2024 PICK


"Completely transformed my way of thinking about dreams." -Jay Shetty


Dreaming is one of the most underappreciated functions of the human brain, yet our very survival as a species depends on it. In This Is Why You Dream, dual-trained neuroscientist and neurosurgeon Dr. Rahul Jandial explores the landscape of our subconscious, tracing the latest cutting-edge dream research and brain science to show why humans have retained the ability to dream across millennia, and how we can now harness its wondrous powers to improve our sleeping and waking lives.


There's so much dreaming does for us. It fortifies our ability to regulate emotions. It stores memories, amplifies creativity, and promotes learning. It helps us process trauma and prepare for future upheaval. Dreams can even forecast future mental and physical ailments, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.


Dreams can also be put to use. Dr. Jandial walks you through how to use lucid dreaming to practice skills that translate into real-life improvements, how to rewrite nightmares, and what your dreams reveal about your deepest desires. Ultimately, This Is Why You Dream opens the door to one of our oldest and most vital functions, and unlocks its potential to radically transform our lives.

General Information

  • : 9781804945131
  • : Random House UK
  • : PEN Cornerstone Press Physical
  • : 204.0
  • : 05 August 2025
  • : 05 August 2025
  • : books

Other Specifications

  • : Rahul Jandial
  • : Paperback
  • : English
  • : 288

More About The Product

This book will change your life. Rahul Jandial dares to explain dreaming and I can think of no one better to take on this challenge. Dr Jandial writes with verve and delivers powerful insights based on science, stories and his personal synthesis of big ideas. * Lewis Howes, author and host of The School of Greatness *
A profound and riveting exploration into how and why we dream. Rahul Jandial has done the seemingly impossible - offering deep and bold insights founded on the discoveries of modern neuroscience - and in doing so has written a book that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. Professor Jandial is our poet laureate of neuroscience. * GREG WHYTE, Olympian and author of Achieve the Impossible *
In This is Why You Dream, Rahul Jandial does what all brilliant storytellers do - he articulates the unique, complex beauty of being human, in this case while we sleep. * LIZ KILGARRIFF, Emmy-nominated CEO & Founder Firebird Pictures, former Head of BBC Drama *
In This Is Why You Dream, author and neurosurgeon Rahul Jandial demystifies and skillfully explains why dreams occur and the marvelous things we can learn from them. After several decades of reading and reviewing books on sleep and dreams, I think This Is Why You Dream is one of the best I've encountered. Rahul Jandial writes persuasively and with authority and imagination. * DR RICHARD RESTAK, neurologist and author of The Complete Guide to Memory *
This is an important book. The writing is beautiful, the explanations are graspable, and the stories are revealing. The idea that dreaming can help us cope with loss and grief is transformational and reassuring. * JULIA SAMUEL, author of Grief Works *
In This is Why You Dream, Rahul Jandial looks inside our head to find purpose and inspiration in work and life. * SOPHIE DEVONSHIRE, CEO The Marketing Society and author of Superfast *
How inspiring that dreaming keeps our imagination boundless. For anyone in the arts and creative spaces this is a must-read book and an instant classic. * BRYAN FOGEL, Oscar-nominated filmmaker *
A generous guide into the bizarre world of the dreamscape. Rahul is a reassuring companion on this quest to fathom the seemingly unfathomable; he makes complicated neuroscience effortless to understand, kindles our curiosity and rewards us with dizzying revelations. Mind-blowing. -- Jackie Higgins, author of SENTIENT

Dr Rahul Jandial, MD, PhD, is a dual-trained neurosurgeon and neurobiologist. He is known for undertaking complex cancer operations and overseeing groundbreaking science at the Jandial Lab in Los Angeles. Through his non-profit International Neurosurgical Children's Association (INCA) he travels around the world performing and teaching brain surgery in under-served hospitals. His first book, Life Lessons from a Brain Surgeon, was a Sunday Times bestseller.