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- Steps you should take toward interpreting your dreams
- The meaning behind common kinds of dreams
- Why certain symbols may pop up in your dreams
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The Facts About Dreams
The phenomenon of dreaming has been discussed since ancient times. Despite a spate of research in recent decades, our knowledge of the origin and purpose of dreams is still inconclusive. Understanding the current theories for the physical process and role of dreaming is the first step to interpreting your dreams and applying their lessons to your waking life.
What Is a Dream?
A dream is a story revealed through images that your brain creates while you’re asleep. Many believe that dreams are an expression of your unconscious mind, which runs free only when you’re sleeping. Because a dream comes from you, you can probably learn something about yourself when you examine a dream closely.
It’s important to note that there’s a difference between an actual dream that you have and your recollection of it. Because all you have of a particular dream is your own perception of it, the way you remember a dream is significant and can help you to interpret your dream.
How Often Do We Dream?
Everyone dreams every night, but not everyone remembers his dreams all the time. In fact, the average person has several dreams over the course of the night. Substances such as alcohol and antibiotics can interfere with your dreaming, as can lack of sleep. Moreover, some psychologists suggest that people who report not dreaming may unconsciously fear their dreams and repress any memories of them.
Why Do We Dream?
Scientists still have not reached a consensus explaining why we dream. Some researchers believe that dreaming has no purpose or function, but others believe that our dreams are important, both to the process of rest and also to our personal psychology. There are two main kinds of explanations for why people dream:
- Physical explanations: Physical explanations for dreaming are varied. One theory suggests that dreaming helps the brain to incorporate memories, thereby increasing the brain’s ability to learn. Another theory proposes that dreams are simply random physiological responses to electric impulses in the brain and that they don’t actually carry the deeper meaning we often attribute to them.
- Psychological explanations: The most common psychological theory for dreams explains that they help us to sort through the events and feelings of the day. According to this theory, we dream about events and feelings that are most important to us, which allows our unconscious minds to make sense of crucial information while disregarding the rest. Another psychological explanation holds that our dreams allow us to express fears or anxieties we weren’t aware we had, thereby letting us learn more about ourselves.
History of Dream Interpretation
Dreams have played an important role in human spirituality, psychology, and philosophy for thousands of years. By understanding the evolution of thought on the topic of dreams, you can better understand the different theories about dream interpretation today. The following are some of the most influential figures in dream interpretation.
- Heraclitus: The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans were all concerned with dream interpretation. In the fifth century BCE, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus made the first major contribution to dream interpretation when he suggested that an individual’s dream was particular to her and was not influenced by outside sources, such as the gods.
- Sigmund Freud: The legendary Austrian psychiatrist paved the way for modern dream interpretation in 1900 with The Interpretation of Dreams. Still the most commonly cited dream theorist, Freud believed that a dream was the unconscious mind’s way of expressing itself. He thought dreams expressed a person’s deepest desires, including those that were previously unknown or repressed. For Freud, dreams were always serious and frequently had erotic overtones.
- Carl Jung: A Swiss psychiatrist whom Freud at one time regarded as a disciple, Jung disagreed with the importance Freud placed on dreams’ sexual meanings. Whereas Freud believed that dreams continued a cycle of repressing desire, Jung asserted that dreams helped individuals realize unconscious desires and then fulfill them.
- Frederick “Fritz” Perls: The founder of Gestalt therapy, this German psychiatrist advocated a more holistic approach to dream interpretation. In German, the word Gestalt translates to shape or form. According to the Gestalt method, every element of a dream is important.
Most recently, scientists have become more and more involved in investigating the phenomenon of dreaming. The sleep labs that started in the 1950s led to the discovery of REM sleep and its affects on the sleep cycle. (For more information on the sleep cycle, see the Quamut guide to Sleep & Sleep Disorders.) Understanding the hard science behind dreaming may one day give more insight into the psychological and philosophical meaning of dreams.
Why Interpret Your Dreams?
People choose to examine their dreams for many reasons but most commonly to learn more about themselves. Interpreting dreams can often give you insight into your subconscious and innermost thoughts. If you look more closely at your dreams, you may start to discover patterns, such as certain themes and symbols that arise frequently. By interpreting your dreams, you’ll be able to learn what these themes and symbols mean, giving you more insight into yourself.
Interpreting your dreams can also help you make sense of frightening dreams, or nightmares, which can help you put your mind at ease. For example, certain recurring dreams in which the same terrible thing happens over and over again can be unsettling. By delving into the meaning behind these dreams, you may learn that the underlying cause for this dream is something positive, such as a career change.
Through dreams, your unconscious mind not only replays the day’s events but also offers useful advice to your conscious mind. Ultimately, you may even be able to ask your dreams questions before going to sleep. By more consciously bringing your dreams into your waking life, you will begin a process of self-discovery uniquely informed by your unconscious mind.
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