imes in a symbolical
form; thus a dream of battle or sanguinary conflict may presage a
haemorrhage. The increased power of suggestion which is the normal
accompaniment of the hypnotic trance may make its appearance in dreams,
and exercise either a curative influence or act capriciously in
producing hysteria and the tropic changes known as "stigmata." We may
meet with various forms of hyperaesthesia in dreams; quite apart from
the recovery of sight by those who have lost it wholly or in part (see
below, Dreams of the Blind), we find that the powers of the senses may
undergo an intensification, and, e.g., the power of appreciating music
be enormously enhanced in persons usually indifferent to it. Mention
must also be made of the experience of R. L. Stevenson, who tells in
_Across the Plains_ how by self-suggestion he was able to secure from
his dreams the motives of some of his best romances.

_Voluntary Action in Dreams._--Connected with dreams voluntarily
influenced is the question of how far dreams once initiated are
modifiable at the will of the dreamer. Some few observers, like F. W. H.
Myers and Dr F. van Eeden, record that they can at longer or shorter
intervals control their actions in their dreams, though usually to a
less extent than their imagined actions in waking life. Dr van Eeden,
for example, tells us that he has what he calls a "clear dream" once a
month and is able to predetermine what he will do when he becomes aware
that he is dreaming.

_Dreams of Children._--Opinions differ widely as to the age at which
children begin to dream; G. Compayre maintains that dreaming has been
observed in the fourth month, but reflex action is always a possible
explanation of the observed facts. S. de Sanctis found that in boys of
eleven only one out of eight said that he dreamt seldom, as against four
out of seven at the age of six; but we cannot exclude the possibility
that dreams were frequent but forgotten. If correct, the observation
suggests that dreams appear comparatively late. Individual cases of
dreaming, or possibly of waking hallucination, are known as early as the
age of two and a half years; according to de Sanctis dreams occur before
the fifth year, but are seldom remembered; as a rule the conscious dream
age begins with the fourth year; speech or movement, however, in earlier
years, though they may be attributed to reflex action, are more probably
due to dreams.

_Dreams of the Old._--In normal individu