Dreams Meaning

History of Dreaming:

In the ancient times, dreams were used for healing purposes and for communication with the Gods. It was used as a rite of passage in certain tribes where they would carry out spiritual activities in order to receive a guiding dream and then share it with the rest of the tribe after it was received.  During the beginning of the 19th Century the way we analysed and interpreted dreams where now taken to the next level.  It was only recent when two influential psychiatrists Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud decided to take dreaming to the next level.  Even though they had there own personal theories on what dreaming meant they both concluded that dreams where in fact an interaction between the unconscious and the conscious

During the late 19^th and 20^th centuries brought a new revolution for dreaming. Jung and Freud believed that the unconscious was the main part of the mind which worked in dreaming.  They did, however, have differing views in terms of the understanding and meanings of dreams. Freud believed that there was a dynamic restriction which countered the unconscious during sleep while Jung disputed that dreams provided a resourceful language although very bizarre, a dream is able to reveal its underlying meaning. Jung believed that there was a subjective approach to dreaming in which every person in a dream was a representation of different characteristics of the dreamer. Fritz Perls theory was similar but different to this since he argued that the rejected and suppressed parts of the self form projections which are our dreams. Fitiz however went on to a further state stating that objects within the dream which are lifeless serve to symbolize traits and features of the dreamer. Therefore in order to understand the context of the dream in relations to Perls’ theory, the dreamer is asked to imagine being the objects in the dream in order to relate it to his/her individuality. When you consider the application of each person’s personality and differing life situations you would realize that no two different people with the same dream will come out with the same meaning. Therefore although Sigmund Freud was the inventor of the analysis of dream symbols and the three neurologists who studied dreams all thought differently about what dreams meant, they all agreed that the meaning relied on the dreamer.

Aspects of Dreams to Consider the Meaning:

Visuals/Dream Symbols

Dreams are highly phantasmagorical in nature, which means that the images in dreams are a combination and blending of different places and things. There is a part in our brain which actually stores every person, character, object, location and language. These memories or experiences are generally what make the visuals and dreams symbols which appear in very embellished and peculiar forms.

Emotions

People do not realize the importance of emotions in their dreams.A single emotion or feeling that you posses in your dream can change what the symbols represents. Although the most frequent and recurrent emotion in dreams is anxiety that is brought on by nightmares. Also negative emotions are more present in dreaming rather than positive ones. Dreams also can include emotions like, but not limited to, fear, happiness, rejection, excitement and even orgasmic feelings. Sexual dreams do not happen regularly but it occurs about 10% of the time in mostly young adults and teenagers.  Adults have sexual dreams in about 8% of the time and sometimes result in orgasms and are known as wet dreams.

Colour vs. black and white

Although a marginal amount of people say that they dream in only black and white, it is actually quite the opposite. We think we dream in color but in fact we only remember our dreams in color because of how we visualize things.  Try to remember and differentiate the difference between colors in your dreams because they do have a meaning.

Recurring dreams  are reported mostly in females, as 70% of females have experienced recurring dreams while 65% of males.  Although it would not be the same exact dream, as in the content being the same, the dream will follow the same form in different periods of sleeping.

Why look for meaning to your Dreams?

When you learn to understand and interpret your dreams you will have a more open and clearer view of your life, relationships, feelings and a clearer view of issues in your waking life. Once you know that your dreams are unique and no other person can have your life experiences, your dreams represent your individuality.  When you see the clear view of your dreams and then you would understand your reality and know that getting to know the meaning of your dreams will give you a better perspective on life.

Although sometimes our waking mind are not ready to face the meanings, our unconscious sees that it is imperative that we face the problems in our life.  When you understand the complicated plots and puns of your dreams, your life in the present, past and future would be easier to understand. Who knows maybe you’d even understand the connections you have with certain people even better and their lives as well.

Dream Quotes:

“Dreams are not meaningless they are a completely valid psychological phenomenon, the fulfillment of wishes. constructed through highly complicated intellectual activity.” ~ Sigmund Freud.

“A dream is a disguised fulfilment of a repressed wish. The interpretation of dreams has as its object the removal of the disguise to which the dreamer’s thoughts have been subjected. It is, moreover, a highly valuable aid to psycho-analytic technique, for it constitutes the most convenient method of obtaining insight into unconscious psychical life.” ~ Sigmund Freud

“Since dreams provide information about the hidden inner life and reveal to the patient those components of his personality which, in his daily behaviour, appear merely as neurotic symptoms, it follows that we cannot effectively treat him from the side of consciousness alone, but must bring about a change in and through the unconscious. In the light of our present knowledge this can be achieved only by the thorough and conscious assimilation of unconscious contents.” ~Carl Jung