Brainchild (2018) s01e04 Episode Script
Dreams
[birds chirping]
[school bell rings]
[Sahana] They say life doesn't
actually begin until high school.
That's what my bestie, Claire, says.
Hey! Oh my God.
We were just talking about prom.
-You guys-- Oh, my God
-[Sahana] But she says a lot of things.
Oh my God! Look who's here.
[boy band music]
[Sahana] At Obama High,
everyone's in love with five boys.
Leighton,
John,
Chase,
Tripp, and Bear,
otherwise known as The Dream Team.
It's because they're just so
dreamy, literally.
And I don't just mean how they look,
but how they act.
Oh, I'm late!
I'm late to take a test.
And I didn't study!
Farrrrrrt!
I gotta use the bathroom.
Where's the bathroom?!
[eerie strings[
Guys, they're chasing me!
You gotta help me! God!
Ugh!
I'm falling!
Yo, wow! I'm naked! Arrrrgh!
[laughter]
[cameras click]
Sahana, are you all right?
Wake up! Wake up!
[gasps]
[sighs]
It was just a dream.
But it makes you wonder,
what are dreams?
And why do we have them?
And what do they mean?
Most importantly,
why are they so weird?
Join us, as we journey into Dream Land
to find out the answers to those questions
and much more.
But you better strap in.
-It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
-Arrrgh!
[crash]
Aww!
Are you the substitute?
[tropical birds tweet]
[Sahana] To show you just how wild your
dreams can be, let's start with a game.
What animal would you say this is?
Got your answer? Remember it.
Let's try another one.
What about this animal?
How about this?
If you said, some kind of primate,
frog,
and chameleon, nice!
But take a look at this.
Whoa! What just happened?
Let's see that again.
Did you spot the two performers
who make up the chameleon?
Is it easier to see now that you know
it's not really an animal at all?
Here's the primate.
What about the frog?
Now that you know how it works, can you
spot how many performers there are?
It's actually made up of five people.
Pretty cool, right?
Like these animals,
dreams combine things, both real
and imagined, and can transform
in the blink of an eye.
But what exactly are dreams?
Whoa. Where are we now?
In a far-off galaxy?
In the deep ocean?
We're actually somewhere
much more strange and mysterious
the brain.
[snores]
[snoring continues]
[whispers] Guess what? You're watching
neurons, or brain cells,
sending electrical signals
back and forth to one another.
It's how they talk.
What are they talking about?
Why, they're dreaming.
When you sleep, many of your neurons
get busy with dreaming.
And this is what dreams are made of,
trillions of tiny arcs of electricity
making images, emotions, and dreams.
So, how does the brain
take a series of electric charges
and turn them into the crazy, complex,
confounding dreams you have every night?
Here to open your eyes
is our science friend, Alie Ward.
The question of why and how we dream
is one that has baffled scientists
for centuries.
The most likely reason is because
this is part of how you make memories.
As you sleep, your brain is choosing
which recent memories to save
and which to delete.
These selected memories then head down
the neural highways in your brain
to be stored in long-term memory.
But along the way, they collide
with other memories.
These mash-ups
become the dream imagery you see.
Owwwuff!
Dreams feel familiar because they come
from things you actually experienced.
Yet they're crazy because they involve
things that have no business together.
Like, why is my orthodontist
holding my pet turtle?
[turtle] Shweet dweams!
[Sahana] But just how much do you dream?
If you had to guess, how much of your life
will be spent in Dream Land?
Thirteen days,
365 days,
two and a half years,
or six years?
Got your answer?
If you said A, B or C
-[loser buzzer]
-dream on.
On average,
you'll spend six years dreaming
over the course of your life,
or two hours per night.
That's like streaming a movie every day
for the rest of your life,
but it's in your head
Party's over, fellas.
But how does your brain know when
to press play on your dream movies?
To find out, we need to understand
how dreaming fits into sleeping.
-[mom] Good night!
-[door clicks]
There are five stages of sleep.
Stage one is called light sleep.
It's when you're just starting to nod off,
and it's hard to get to sleep.
Next comes stage two, medium sleep.
Your heartbeat, breathing,
and blood pressure drop,
and you're no longer aware of being awake.
Next up, is stage three.
This is when super-slow brainwaves
release healing chemicals
that allow your brain and body
to recharge for the busy day ahead.
Stage four sleep is the deepest of all.
It's difficult to wake people up
in this stage.
You dream in stage four,
but seldom remember it.
Stage five is different
from the other sleep stages.
This stage is known as REM sleep.
And it's when you do
all your most vivid dreaming.
The whole cycle takes about 90 minutes
and then repeats, all night,
until you wake up in the morning.
That was a crazy dream!
[Sahana] Dreaming helps your brain
process your innermost memories,
thoughts, and feelings.
But just 'cause your dreams are based
on your personal experience,
does that mean your dreams are unique?
Let's play another game to find out
[announcers altogether] Wheel of dreeeams!
Take a look at these ten images.
Pick out any of the ones
you've dreamed about in the past.
Here, we'll give you a few seconds.
Have you chosen the things
you've dreamt about?
Let's see how your dreams
compare to other people.
So I want you to pick five images
that you've dreamt about.
Okay.
-[Sahana] Alright. Falling.
-[slide whistle]
-Someone's chasing you. That works.
-[footsteps drum]
-[school bell rings]
-[Sahana] Being in class? For sure.
I've had a dream about
-being in water.
-Being in water? Okay. That works.
[monster] Raarrh!
[Sahana] Scary monsters? Cool.
And what about you at home?
Were any of those ones you picked?
Let's try some other people.
-I've dreamed about falling from the sky.
-[slide whistle]
Oh, falling.
[woman] Falling, yeah.
Monsters.
[Sahana] Monster dreams are the worst.
-Lizard creatures.
-[Sahana] Ok, yeah.
-Being chased, definitely.
-[footsteps drum]
-[Sahana] Chased.
-People chasing me.
Being chased.
I have a recurring dream
of being back in school.
[Sahana] Forgetting your homework.
Taking a test.
-Pets. Okay.
-[dog barking]
Pets. The bathroom
[toilet flushes]
I know. I have, too.
I have dreamt about turning into a walrus.
[Sahana] Well, with the exception
of that last one,
does it seem a little strange
that all these people
have dreamt mostly about the same stuff?
We bet you've dreamed of some
of these things, too. Why is that?
Psychologists who study dreams
have found remarkably consistent trends
in what people tend to dream about.
For example,
have you ever dreamt of flying?
Flying can mean you feel free of something
that was worrying you,
while animals can represent
your wild instincts.
Dreaming of your parents
can represent protection.
But if you were paying attention earlier,
there's another side to dreams.
-Just, like, ten minutes late.
-I failed biology.
-I'm being chased.
-fall from space.
-There was this crazy monster.
-Raaarrr!
[Sahana] There's a whole other category
of dreams we all share,
bad dreams, or what we call
nightmares!
The more intense, weird,
or emotionally charged a dream is
the more likely you are to remember it,
which is why you tend to remember
your nightmares.
Scientists believe
the most common nightmare themes
reflect humanity's
most deep-seated anxieties.
[gasps]
[Sahana] Let's look at the most common
stress dreams.
Oh, I'm late!
Being late could be a sign
you're overworked.
I'm late to take a test!
And I didn't study!
And being unprepared for a test
could come from a fear of failure.
[hysterical] They're coming for me!
Being chased could signal a need
to confront a problem in your real life.
Somebody's chasing me!
The dreaded being-naked-in-public dream
Oh! I'm naked!
usually comes from the anxiety
of trying something new.
Where is the bathroom?
And if you're looking for a bathroom,
it probably means
you need to wake up and use the bathroom!
[toilet flushes]
Arrrghhh!
What about falling?!
It's one of the most common
dream themes.
[shouting] But what does it mean?!
Have you ever noticed that falling dreams
typically happen just as you're starting
to nod off
and are accompanied
by a leg jerk that jolts you awake?
This instinct is called a hypnic jerk,
and some scientists believe it evolved
when we were monkeys living in trees.
Just as your muscles
are starting to relax for the night,
your brain will often dream
that you are falling.
This panicky nightmare
will startle you awake
causing you to readjust your position.
If you were a monkey, this would
give you a last chance
to stabilize yourself
on the branch, so you don't fall out
of the tree while you sleep.
And no, it's not true
that if you hit the ground in a dream
in which you're falling, you'll die.
But you might wake up.
It's pretty remarkable that we all have
roughly the same bad dreams,
and I think we can all agree
bad dreams are the worst.
If only there was a way
to prevent bad dreams from happening.
[Alie] Here's the thing about dreams.
The only time you remember your dreams
is when your REM sleep
is a little too light
and you're super close
to actually being awake.
[Sahana] The best thing to do
about bad dreams
is make sure you sleep so well that you
don't wake up in the middle of them,
and then you won't remember them.
So that means doing a few things
to make sure you sleep your best.
Can you think of any?
[announcer] Sleep hacks. Wachaa!
[Sahana] For starters, experts recommend
going to bed and waking up
-at the same time every night and day.
-Ahh!
Sleeping with a stuffed animal
can help put your mind at ease.
Reading a happy story before bed can
prepare your brain for pleasant thoughts.
And avoid eating right before bed.
Eating triggers your digestive system,
which can prevent you from deep sleep.
-[phone keys tap]
-And about all those devices.
Looking at screens can overstimulate
your brain, making it tough to relax.
Practicing healthy sleep habits like these
will help you keep bad dreams
to a minimum.
Arrrgh!
The most important thing to remember
about bad dreams
is they're just dreams
and they can't hurt you.
But let me ask you what may sound
like a ridiculous question.
Can bad dreams be good for you?
Is there a benefit to having a bad dream?
Arrrrgh!
Here is a nightmare scenario.
You're the target of a mean bully.
How do you handle it?
Is it possible your dreams
could help you prepare?
[announcer] Dream power!
[Sahana] To find out, we've brought in
two groups of kids
for a very special experiment.
The first group is made up of kids
who've dealt with bullying
in their everyday lives.
I was just walking home,
and then somebody would yell,
"Oh, you're stupid. You're ugly."
This happens every day.
And, like, it's pretty harsh.
The second group is our control group,
kids who haven't really dealt
with bullying.
Now lay down
and close your eyes.
[Sahana] For the past two weeks,
both groups of kids
have undergone dream training.
[hypnotist] Whatever you want to happen,
will happen.
[Sahana] As they drifted off to sleep,
the control group was told
to visualize anything they wanted.
[hypnotist] Imagine a situation
[Sahana] But the kids
who've been bullied before
were told to visualize
standing up to bullies.
[hypnotist]
Maybe they're mean to you,
maybe they're being mean to a friend,
and you're gonna stand up to this bully.
[Sahana] Then we had them
record their dreams in a journal.
We went inside the store.
There was a kid who was being bullied.
So we went to the manager of the store
and said he should kick out the bully.
-And yeah, he did.
-[teacher] All right.
I ran up to the bully,
and told her that that was unacceptable.
Excellent job.
[Sahana] Interesting. This group's
visualizations of standing up to bullies
filtered into their dreams.
Pretty cool, huh?
Now, what about group two,
our control group,
who have not been bullied
and were not asked to visualize bullies?
In my dream,
I was on a highway in a speeding car.
A pet dog came into our house.
I kicked the ball hard.
It flew in midair.
My dream was about
a planet named Sloop.
[Sahana] It looks like their dreams
ended up pretty random.
But now's when
the dream-training
experiment really starts.
We're setting-up our hidden cameras
and bringing in this guy.
-Meet our bully.
-Grrrrr!
He's actually a super nice guy.
But today, we need him
to be a jerk to this guy
[bully growls]
But don't worry. They're actually
brothers who get along just fine
[man] Phew!
What we wanna know is how will our kids
handle seeing a bully in action?
[hypnotist] Do you stand up
to this person?
[Sahana] Will there be a difference
between the group that had dream training
and the group that didn't?
-Hey, Michelle.
-Hi.
-[woman] Kayleigh, your mom's here.
-[Michelle] Take care.
[Sahana] First up are the kids
who didn't dream about bullying.
-Your haircut is so stupid.
-No, it's not.
-I want to punch your face.
-Stop it.
[Sahana] She sees what's going on
but still leaves.
Why didn't you let me copy
off your test, nerd?
[victim] Cut it out!
-[Sahana] He thinks about it but no.
-[bully] I hate you.
You're a little, weak, dumb baby.
[Sahana] Maybe?
Nope
[bully] C'mon. Fight back.
He really wanted to get outta there
[victim] Leave me alone.
It looks like the kids in the control
group want no part of our bully.
-Is that what you would do?
-[Michelle speaking indistinctly]
But what about our kids
who've been bullied in the past?
[woman] Naeer, your mom's here.
Will their dream training
cause them to take action in real life?
-You're such a pathetic baby!
-Cut it out.
-Come on. Fight back.
-I don't feel like it.
I wanna punch your face.
[victim] Stop it.
It looks like
he's ready to get outta here.
[bully] Fight back.
-[victim] Cut it out.
-[Sahana] Wait!
This kid faces his fears
and decides to take action
What?
making sure the bully knows
he's on camera.
-Do my homework for me, nerd!
-Leave me alone.
"Oh, I'm a crybaby." Such a loser.
-Whooa!
-Is this girl running away?
Nope. She goes to get an adult
helping with the experiment.
-Your haircut is so stupid.
-[victim] Cut it out.
Are you gonna cry? You a crybaby?
[Sahana] And this boy
Aha.
Stupid baby!
Well, you can't expect everyone
to stand up to a scary bully.
You're a little, weak, dumb baby!
-Leave me alone.
-I want to punch your face. Hooa!
Come on. Fight back.
-What are you, three-feet tall?
-Hey!
-You okay?
-Yes, thank you.
This girl lets the smaller kid know
she's got his back
and enters into a staring contest
with the bully.
"I'm watching you!"
Three out of four kids
stood up to our bully. Not bad!
Oh, wait. Turns out this kid came back,
with his mom.
But our bully had moved on.
Amazing. It looks like
dreaming about something
can actually help you
handle it in real life.
Hey, Alie, what's the deal?
Some scientists believe you dream
as a form of social rehearsal.
It's called the Threat Simulation Theory.
Basically, dreaming
allows your brain to imagine
a situation that's uncomfortable,
embarrassing, or hard
-to deal with
-[bully] Such a loser.
and then shows you how to handle it.
Dreams help you prepare for danger
from the safety of your bed.
Like a dress rehearsal
but you're drooling, and in pajamas.
[school bell rings]
You know, I was a little bit upset
that the red-- Hey!
-[unheard chat]
-[tannoy] Jerry Colbert, your mother is
[electricity squeals and buzzes]
Here we go again.
[Sahana] Wait!
This is my dream.
You're not late to class.
-You already used the restroom.
-Mm-hm.
You're not getting chased.
-You're not falling.
-Woaaa!
-And you're wearing clothes!
-Oh!
Now all there's left to do is
dance.
[boy band music]
In my dreams, these are the best moves.
[music continues]
[laughing and cheering]
[grunts]
I’m falling!
Arrrgh!
OHHHhhhhhh!
Ehhhhhhhhhh!
Falling!
Hey, ladies.
Ehhhhhhhhhh
ehhhhhhhhhh!
[laughs]
[school bell rings]
[Sahana] They say life doesn't
actually begin until high school.
That's what my bestie, Claire, says.
Hey! Oh my God.
We were just talking about prom.
-You guys-- Oh, my God
-[Sahana] But she says a lot of things.
Oh my God! Look who's here.
[boy band music]
[Sahana] At Obama High,
everyone's in love with five boys.
Leighton,
John,
Chase,
Tripp, and Bear,
otherwise known as The Dream Team.
It's because they're just so
dreamy, literally.
And I don't just mean how they look,
but how they act.
Oh, I'm late!
I'm late to take a test.
And I didn't study!
Farrrrrrt!
I gotta use the bathroom.
Where's the bathroom?!
[eerie strings[
Guys, they're chasing me!
You gotta help me! God!
Ugh!
I'm falling!
Yo, wow! I'm naked! Arrrrgh!
[laughter]
[cameras click]
Sahana, are you all right?
Wake up! Wake up!
[gasps]
[sighs]
It was just a dream.
But it makes you wonder,
what are dreams?
And why do we have them?
And what do they mean?
Most importantly,
why are they so weird?
Join us, as we journey into Dream Land
to find out the answers to those questions
and much more.
But you better strap in.
-It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
-Arrrgh!
[crash]
Aww!
Are you the substitute?
[tropical birds tweet]
[Sahana] To show you just how wild your
dreams can be, let's start with a game.
What animal would you say this is?
Got your answer? Remember it.
Let's try another one.
What about this animal?
How about this?
If you said, some kind of primate,
frog,
and chameleon, nice!
But take a look at this.
Whoa! What just happened?
Let's see that again.
Did you spot the two performers
who make up the chameleon?
Is it easier to see now that you know
it's not really an animal at all?
Here's the primate.
What about the frog?
Now that you know how it works, can you
spot how many performers there are?
It's actually made up of five people.
Pretty cool, right?
Like these animals,
dreams combine things, both real
and imagined, and can transform
in the blink of an eye.
But what exactly are dreams?
Whoa. Where are we now?
In a far-off galaxy?
In the deep ocean?
We're actually somewhere
much more strange and mysterious
the brain.
[snores]
[snoring continues]
[whispers] Guess what? You're watching
neurons, or brain cells,
sending electrical signals
back and forth to one another.
It's how they talk.
What are they talking about?
Why, they're dreaming.
When you sleep, many of your neurons
get busy with dreaming.
And this is what dreams are made of,
trillions of tiny arcs of electricity
making images, emotions, and dreams.
So, how does the brain
take a series of electric charges
and turn them into the crazy, complex,
confounding dreams you have every night?
Here to open your eyes
is our science friend, Alie Ward.
The question of why and how we dream
is one that has baffled scientists
for centuries.
The most likely reason is because
this is part of how you make memories.
As you sleep, your brain is choosing
which recent memories to save
and which to delete.
These selected memories then head down
the neural highways in your brain
to be stored in long-term memory.
But along the way, they collide
with other memories.
These mash-ups
become the dream imagery you see.
Owwwuff!
Dreams feel familiar because they come
from things you actually experienced.
Yet they're crazy because they involve
things that have no business together.
Like, why is my orthodontist
holding my pet turtle?
[turtle] Shweet dweams!
[Sahana] But just how much do you dream?
If you had to guess, how much of your life
will be spent in Dream Land?
Thirteen days,
365 days,
two and a half years,
or six years?
Got your answer?
If you said A, B or C
-[loser buzzer]
-dream on.
On average,
you'll spend six years dreaming
over the course of your life,
or two hours per night.
That's like streaming a movie every day
for the rest of your life,
but it's in your head
Party's over, fellas.
But how does your brain know when
to press play on your dream movies?
To find out, we need to understand
how dreaming fits into sleeping.
-[mom] Good night!
-[door clicks]
There are five stages of sleep.
Stage one is called light sleep.
It's when you're just starting to nod off,
and it's hard to get to sleep.
Next comes stage two, medium sleep.
Your heartbeat, breathing,
and blood pressure drop,
and you're no longer aware of being awake.
Next up, is stage three.
This is when super-slow brainwaves
release healing chemicals
that allow your brain and body
to recharge for the busy day ahead.
Stage four sleep is the deepest of all.
It's difficult to wake people up
in this stage.
You dream in stage four,
but seldom remember it.
Stage five is different
from the other sleep stages.
This stage is known as REM sleep.
And it's when you do
all your most vivid dreaming.
The whole cycle takes about 90 minutes
and then repeats, all night,
until you wake up in the morning.
That was a crazy dream!
[Sahana] Dreaming helps your brain
process your innermost memories,
thoughts, and feelings.
But just 'cause your dreams are based
on your personal experience,
does that mean your dreams are unique?
Let's play another game to find out
[announcers altogether] Wheel of dreeeams!
Take a look at these ten images.
Pick out any of the ones
you've dreamed about in the past.
Here, we'll give you a few seconds.
Have you chosen the things
you've dreamt about?
Let's see how your dreams
compare to other people.
So I want you to pick five images
that you've dreamt about.
Okay.
-[Sahana] Alright. Falling.
-[slide whistle]
-Someone's chasing you. That works.
-[footsteps drum]
-[school bell rings]
-[Sahana] Being in class? For sure.
I've had a dream about
-being in water.
-Being in water? Okay. That works.
[monster] Raarrh!
[Sahana] Scary monsters? Cool.
And what about you at home?
Were any of those ones you picked?
Let's try some other people.
-I've dreamed about falling from the sky.
-[slide whistle]
Oh, falling.
[woman] Falling, yeah.
Monsters.
[Sahana] Monster dreams are the worst.
-Lizard creatures.
-[Sahana] Ok, yeah.
-Being chased, definitely.
-[footsteps drum]
-[Sahana] Chased.
-People chasing me.
Being chased.
I have a recurring dream
of being back in school.
[Sahana] Forgetting your homework.
Taking a test.
-Pets. Okay.
-[dog barking]
Pets. The bathroom
[toilet flushes]
I know. I have, too.
I have dreamt about turning into a walrus.
[Sahana] Well, with the exception
of that last one,
does it seem a little strange
that all these people
have dreamt mostly about the same stuff?
We bet you've dreamed of some
of these things, too. Why is that?
Psychologists who study dreams
have found remarkably consistent trends
in what people tend to dream about.
For example,
have you ever dreamt of flying?
Flying can mean you feel free of something
that was worrying you,
while animals can represent
your wild instincts.
Dreaming of your parents
can represent protection.
But if you were paying attention earlier,
there's another side to dreams.
-Just, like, ten minutes late.
-I failed biology.
-I'm being chased.
-fall from space.
-There was this crazy monster.
-Raaarrr!
[Sahana] There's a whole other category
of dreams we all share,
bad dreams, or what we call
nightmares!
The more intense, weird,
or emotionally charged a dream is
the more likely you are to remember it,
which is why you tend to remember
your nightmares.
Scientists believe
the most common nightmare themes
reflect humanity's
most deep-seated anxieties.
[gasps]
[Sahana] Let's look at the most common
stress dreams.
Oh, I'm late!
Being late could be a sign
you're overworked.
I'm late to take a test!
And I didn't study!
And being unprepared for a test
could come from a fear of failure.
[hysterical] They're coming for me!
Being chased could signal a need
to confront a problem in your real life.
Somebody's chasing me!
The dreaded being-naked-in-public dream
Oh! I'm naked!
usually comes from the anxiety
of trying something new.
Where is the bathroom?
And if you're looking for a bathroom,
it probably means
you need to wake up and use the bathroom!
[toilet flushes]
Arrrghhh!
What about falling?!
It's one of the most common
dream themes.
[shouting] But what does it mean?!
Have you ever noticed that falling dreams
typically happen just as you're starting
to nod off
and are accompanied
by a leg jerk that jolts you awake?
This instinct is called a hypnic jerk,
and some scientists believe it evolved
when we were monkeys living in trees.
Just as your muscles
are starting to relax for the night,
your brain will often dream
that you are falling.
This panicky nightmare
will startle you awake
causing you to readjust your position.
If you were a monkey, this would
give you a last chance
to stabilize yourself
on the branch, so you don't fall out
of the tree while you sleep.
And no, it's not true
that if you hit the ground in a dream
in which you're falling, you'll die.
But you might wake up.
It's pretty remarkable that we all have
roughly the same bad dreams,
and I think we can all agree
bad dreams are the worst.
If only there was a way
to prevent bad dreams from happening.
[Alie] Here's the thing about dreams.
The only time you remember your dreams
is when your REM sleep
is a little too light
and you're super close
to actually being awake.
[Sahana] The best thing to do
about bad dreams
is make sure you sleep so well that you
don't wake up in the middle of them,
and then you won't remember them.
So that means doing a few things
to make sure you sleep your best.
Can you think of any?
[announcer] Sleep hacks. Wachaa!
[Sahana] For starters, experts recommend
going to bed and waking up
-at the same time every night and day.
-Ahh!
Sleeping with a stuffed animal
can help put your mind at ease.
Reading a happy story before bed can
prepare your brain for pleasant thoughts.
And avoid eating right before bed.
Eating triggers your digestive system,
which can prevent you from deep sleep.
-[phone keys tap]
-And about all those devices.
Looking at screens can overstimulate
your brain, making it tough to relax.
Practicing healthy sleep habits like these
will help you keep bad dreams
to a minimum.
Arrrgh!
The most important thing to remember
about bad dreams
is they're just dreams
and they can't hurt you.
But let me ask you what may sound
like a ridiculous question.
Can bad dreams be good for you?
Is there a benefit to having a bad dream?
Arrrrgh!
Here is a nightmare scenario.
You're the target of a mean bully.
How do you handle it?
Is it possible your dreams
could help you prepare?
[announcer] Dream power!
[Sahana] To find out, we've brought in
two groups of kids
for a very special experiment.
The first group is made up of kids
who've dealt with bullying
in their everyday lives.
I was just walking home,
and then somebody would yell,
"Oh, you're stupid. You're ugly."
This happens every day.
And, like, it's pretty harsh.
The second group is our control group,
kids who haven't really dealt
with bullying.
Now lay down
and close your eyes.
[Sahana] For the past two weeks,
both groups of kids
have undergone dream training.
[hypnotist] Whatever you want to happen,
will happen.
[Sahana] As they drifted off to sleep,
the control group was told
to visualize anything they wanted.
[hypnotist] Imagine a situation
[Sahana] But the kids
who've been bullied before
were told to visualize
standing up to bullies.
[hypnotist]
Maybe they're mean to you,
maybe they're being mean to a friend,
and you're gonna stand up to this bully.
[Sahana] Then we had them
record their dreams in a journal.
We went inside the store.
There was a kid who was being bullied.
So we went to the manager of the store
and said he should kick out the bully.
-And yeah, he did.
-[teacher] All right.
I ran up to the bully,
and told her that that was unacceptable.
Excellent job.
[Sahana] Interesting. This group's
visualizations of standing up to bullies
filtered into their dreams.
Pretty cool, huh?
Now, what about group two,
our control group,
who have not been bullied
and were not asked to visualize bullies?
In my dream,
I was on a highway in a speeding car.
A pet dog came into our house.
I kicked the ball hard.
It flew in midair.
My dream was about
a planet named Sloop.
[Sahana] It looks like their dreams
ended up pretty random.
But now's when
the dream-training
experiment really starts.
We're setting-up our hidden cameras
and bringing in this guy.
-Meet our bully.
-Grrrrr!
He's actually a super nice guy.
But today, we need him
to be a jerk to this guy
[bully growls]
But don't worry. They're actually
brothers who get along just fine
[man] Phew!
What we wanna know is how will our kids
handle seeing a bully in action?
[hypnotist] Do you stand up
to this person?
[Sahana] Will there be a difference
between the group that had dream training
and the group that didn't?
-Hey, Michelle.
-Hi.
-[woman] Kayleigh, your mom's here.
-[Michelle] Take care.
[Sahana] First up are the kids
who didn't dream about bullying.
-Your haircut is so stupid.
-No, it's not.
-I want to punch your face.
-Stop it.
[Sahana] She sees what's going on
but still leaves.
Why didn't you let me copy
off your test, nerd?
[victim] Cut it out!
-[Sahana] He thinks about it but no.
-[bully] I hate you.
You're a little, weak, dumb baby.
[Sahana] Maybe?
Nope
[bully] C'mon. Fight back.
He really wanted to get outta there
[victim] Leave me alone.
It looks like the kids in the control
group want no part of our bully.
-Is that what you would do?
-[Michelle speaking indistinctly]
But what about our kids
who've been bullied in the past?
[woman] Naeer, your mom's here.
Will their dream training
cause them to take action in real life?
-You're such a pathetic baby!
-Cut it out.
-Come on. Fight back.
-I don't feel like it.
I wanna punch your face.
[victim] Stop it.
It looks like
he's ready to get outta here.
[bully] Fight back.
-[victim] Cut it out.
-[Sahana] Wait!
This kid faces his fears
and decides to take action
What?
making sure the bully knows
he's on camera.
-Do my homework for me, nerd!
-Leave me alone.
"Oh, I'm a crybaby." Such a loser.
-Whooa!
-Is this girl running away?
Nope. She goes to get an adult
helping with the experiment.
-Your haircut is so stupid.
-[victim] Cut it out.
Are you gonna cry? You a crybaby?
[Sahana] And this boy
Aha.
Stupid baby!
Well, you can't expect everyone
to stand up to a scary bully.
You're a little, weak, dumb baby!
-Leave me alone.
-I want to punch your face. Hooa!
Come on. Fight back.
-What are you, three-feet tall?
-Hey!
-You okay?
-Yes, thank you.
This girl lets the smaller kid know
she's got his back
and enters into a staring contest
with the bully.
"I'm watching you!"
Three out of four kids
stood up to our bully. Not bad!
Oh, wait. Turns out this kid came back,
with his mom.
But our bully had moved on.
Amazing. It looks like
dreaming about something
can actually help you
handle it in real life.
Hey, Alie, what's the deal?
Some scientists believe you dream
as a form of social rehearsal.
It's called the Threat Simulation Theory.
Basically, dreaming
allows your brain to imagine
a situation that's uncomfortable,
embarrassing, or hard
-to deal with
-[bully] Such a loser.
and then shows you how to handle it.
Dreams help you prepare for danger
from the safety of your bed.
Like a dress rehearsal
but you're drooling, and in pajamas.
[school bell rings]
You know, I was a little bit upset
that the red-- Hey!
-[unheard chat]
-[tannoy] Jerry Colbert, your mother is
[electricity squeals and buzzes]
Here we go again.
[Sahana] Wait!
This is my dream.
You're not late to class.
-You already used the restroom.
-Mm-hm.
You're not getting chased.
-You're not falling.
-Woaaa!
-And you're wearing clothes!
-Oh!
Now all there's left to do is
dance.
[boy band music]
In my dreams, these are the best moves.
[music continues]
[laughing and cheering]
[grunts]
I’m falling!
Arrrgh!
OHHHhhhhhh!
Ehhhhhhhhhh!
Falling!
Hey, ladies.
Ehhhhhhhhhh
ehhhhhhhhhh!
[laughs]