Interpretation of word dream

«Dream analysis» redirects here. For the book by Carl Jung, see Dream Analysis.

Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams. Although associated with some forms of psychotherapy, there is no reliable evidence that understanding or interpreting dreams has a positive impact on one’s mental health.^[1][2][3]

In many ancient societies, such as those of Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be interpreted by people with these associated spiritual powers. In modern times, various schools of psychology and neurobiology have offered theories about the meaning and purpose of dreams. Most people currently appear to interpret dream content according to Freudian psychoanalysis in the United States, India, and South Korea, according to one study conducted in those countries.^[4]

People appear to believe dreams are particularly meaningful: they assign more meaning to dreams than to similar waking thoughts. For example, people report they would be more likely to cancel a trip they had planned that involved a plane flight if they dreamt of their plane crashing the night before than if the Department of Homeland Security issued a federal warning.^[4]

However, people do not attribute equal importance to all dreams. People appear to use motivated reasoning when interpreting their dreams. They are more likely to view dreams confirming their waking beliefs and desires to be more meaningful than dreams that contradict their waking beliefs and desires.^[4]

History[edit]

Early civilizations[edit]

The ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia have left evidence of dream interpretation dating back to at least 3100 BC in Mesopotamia.^[6][5] Throughout Mesopotamian history, dreams were always held to be extremely important for divination^[5][7] and Mesopotamian kings paid close attention to them.^[5][6] Gudea, the king of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash (reigned c. 2144–2124 BC), rebuilt the temple of Ningirsu as the result of a dream in which he was told to do so.^[5] The standard Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh contains numerous accounts of the prophetic power of dreams.^[5][8][9] First, Gilgamesh himself has two dreams foretelling the arrival of Enkidu.^[5] In one of these dreams, Gilgamesh sees an axe fall from the sky. The people gather around it in admiration and worship. Gilgamesh throws the axe in front of his mother Ninsun and then embraces it like a wife. Ninsun interprets the dream to mean that someone powerful will soon appear. Gilgamesh will struggle with him and try to overpower him, but he will not succeed. Eventually, they will become close friends and accomplish great things. She concludes, «That you embraced him like a wife means he will never forsake you. Thus your dream is solved.»^[10] Later in the epic, Enkidu dreams about the heroes’ encounter with the giant Humbaba.^[5] Dreams were also sometimes seen as a means of seeing into other worlds^[5] and it was thought that the soul, or some part of it, moved out of the body of the sleeping person and actually visited the places and persons the dreamer saw in his or her sleep.^[11] In Tablet VII of the epic, Enkidu recounts to Gilgamesh a dream in which he saw the gods Anu, Enlil, and Shamash condemn him to death.^[5] He also has a dream in which he visits the Underworld.^[5]

The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883–859 BC) built a temple to Mamu, possibly the god of dreams, at Imgur-Enlil, near Kalhu.^[5] The later Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (reigned 668–c. 627 BC) had a dream during a desperate military situation in which his divine patron, the goddess Ishtar, appeared to him and promised that she would lead him to victory.^[5] The Babylonians and Assyrians divided dreams into «good,» which were sent by the gods, and «bad,» sent by demons.^[7] A surviving collection of dream omens entitled Iškar Zaqīqu records various dream scenarios as well as prognostications of what will happen to the person who experiences each dream, apparently based on previous cases.^[5][12] Some list different possible outcomes, based on occasions in which people experienced similar dreams with different results.^[5] Dream scenarios mentioned include a variety of daily work events, journeys to different locations, family matters, sex acts, and encounters with human individuals, animals, and deities.^[5]

In ancient Egypt, priests acted as dream interpreters. Hieroglyphics depicting dreams and their interpretations are evident. Dreams have been held in considerable importance through history by most cultures.

Classical Antiquity[edit]

The ancient Greeks constructed temples they called Asclepieions, where sick people were sent to be cured. It was believed that cures would be effected through divine grace by incubating dreams within the confines of the temple. Dreams were also considered prophetic or omens of particular significance. Artemidorus of Daldis, who lived in the 2nd century AD, wrote a comprehensive text Oneirocritica (The Interpretation of Dreams).^[13] Although Artemidorus believed that dreams can predict the future, he presaged many contemporary approaches to dreams. He thought that the meaning of a dream image could involve puns and could be understood by decoding the image into its component words. For example, Alexander, while waging war against the Tyrians, dreamt that a satyr was dancing on his shield. Artemidorus reports that this dream was interpreted as follows: satyr = sa tyros («Tyre will be thine»), predicting that Alexander would be triumphant. Freud acknowledged this example of Artemidorus when he proposed that dreams be interpreted like a rebus.^[14]

Middle Ages[edit]

In medieval Islamic psychology, certain hadiths indicate that dreams consist of three parts, and early Muslim scholars recognized three kinds of dreams: false, pathogenic, and true.^[15] Ibn Sirin (654–728) was renowned for his Ta’bir al-Ru’ya and Muntakhab al-Kalam fi Tabir al-Ahlam, a book on dreams. The work is divided into 25 sections on dream interpretation, from the etiquette of interpreting dreams to the interpretation of reciting certain Surahs of the Qur’an in one’s dream. He writes that it is important for a layperson to seek assistance from an alim (Muslim scholar) who could guide in the interpretation of dreams with a proper understanding of the cultural context and other such causes and interpretations.^[16] Al-Kindi (Alkindus) (801–873) also wrote a treatise on dream interpretation: On Sleep and Dreams.^[17] In consciousness studies, Al-Farabi (872–951) wrote the On the Cause of Dreams, which appeared as chapter 24 of his Book of Opinions of the people of the Ideal City. It was a treatise on dreams, in which he was the first to distinguish between dream interpretation and the nature and causes of dreams.^[18] In The Canon of Medicine, Avicenna extended the theory of temperaments to encompass «emotional aspects, mental capacity, moral attitudes, self-awareness, movements and dreams.»^[19] Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah (1377) states that «confused dreams» are «pictures of the imagination that are stored inside by perception and to which the ability to think is applied, after (man) has retired from sense perception.»^[20]

Ibn Shaheen states: «Interpretations change their foundations according to the different conditions of the seer (of the vision), so seeing handcuffs during sleep is disliked but if a righteous person sees them it can mean stopping the hands from evil». Ibn Sirin said about a man who saw himself giving a sermon from the mimbar: «He will achieve authority and if he is not from the people who have any kind of authority it means that he will be crucified».

China[edit]

A standard traditional Chinese book on dream-interpretation is the Lofty Principles of Dream Interpretation (夢占逸旨) compiled in the 16th century by Chen Shiyuan (particularly the «Inner Chapters» of that opus).^{[21][22][23][24]} Chinese thinkers also raised profound ideas about dream interpretation, such as the question of how we know we are dreaming and how we know we are awake. It is written in the Chuang-tzu: «Once Chuang Chou dreamed that he was a butterfly. He fluttered about happily, quite pleased with the state that he was in, and knew nothing about Chuang Chou. Presently he awoke and found that he was very much Chuang Chou again. Now, did Chou dream that he was a butterfly or was the butterfly now dreaming that he was Chou?» This raises the question^{[according to whom?]} of reality monitoring in dreams, a topic of intense interest in modern cognitive neuroscience.^[25][26]

Modern Europe[edit]

In the 17th century, the English physician and writer Sir Thomas Browne wrote a short tract upon the interpretation of dreams. Dream interpretation was taken up as part of psychoanalysis at the end of the 19th century; the perceived, manifest content of a dream is analyzed to reveal its latent meaning to the psyche of the dreamer. One of the seminal works on the subject is The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud.

The present[edit]

A paper^[4] in 2009 by Carey Morewedge and Michael Norton in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that most people believe that «their dreams reveal meaningful hidden truths.» In one study conducted in the United States, South Korea and India, they found that 74% of Indians, 65% of South Koreans and 56% of Americans believed their dream content provided them with meaningful insight into their unconscious beliefs and desires. This Freudian view of dreaming was endorsed significantly more than theories of dreaming that attribute dream content to memory consolidation, problem solving, or random brain activity. This belief appears to lead people to attribute more importance to dream content than to similar thought content that occurs while they are awake. In one study in the paper, Americans were more likely to report that they would miss their flight if they dreamt of their plane crashing than if they thought of their plane crashing the night before flying (while awake), and that they would be as likely to miss their flight if they dreamt of their plane crashing the night before their flight as if there was an actual plane crash on the route they intended to take.^[11] Not all dream content was considered equally important. Participants in their studies were more likely to perceive dreams to be meaningful when the content of dreams was in accordance with their beliefs and desires while awake. People were more likely to view a positive dream about a friend to be meaningful than a positive dream about someone they disliked, for example, and were more likely to view a negative dream about a person they disliked as meaningful than a negative dream about a person they liked.

Psychology[edit]

Freud[edit]

It was in his book The Interpretation of Dreams^[14] (Die Traumdeutung; literally «dream-interpretation»), first published in 1899 (but dated 1900), that Sigmund Freud first argued that the motivation of all dream content is wish-fulfillment (later in Beyond the Pleasure Principle, Freud would discuss dreams which do not appear to be wish-fulfillment), and that the instigation of a dream is often to be found in the events of the day preceding the dream, which he called the «day residue.» In the case of very young children, Freud claimed, this can be easily seen, as small children dream quite straightforwardly of the fulfillment of wishes that were aroused in them the previous day (the «dream day»). In adults, however, the situation is more complicated—since in Freud’s submission, the dreams of adults have been subjected to distortion, with the dream’s so-called «manifest content»^[27] being a heavily disguised derivative of the «latent dream-thoughts»^[28] present in the unconscious.^[29] As a result of this distortion and disguise, the dream’s real significance is concealed: dreamers are no more capable of recognizing the actual meaning of their dreams than hysterics are able to understand the connection and significance of their neurotic symptoms.

In Freud’s original formulation, the latent dream-thought was described as having been subject to an intra-psychic force referred to as «the censor»; in the more refined terminology of his later years, however, discussion was in terms of the super-ego and «the work of the ego’s forces of defense.» In waking life, he asserted, these so-called «resistances» altogether prevented the repressed wishes of the unconscious from entering consciousness; and though these wishes were to some extent able to emerge during the lowered state of sleep, the resistances were still strong enough to produce «a veil of disguise» sufficient to hide their true nature. Freud’s view was that dreams are compromises which ensure that sleep is not interrupted: as «a disguised fulfilment of repressed wishes,» they succeed in representing wishes as fulfilled which might otherwise disturb and waken the dreamer.^[30]

Freud’s «classic» early dream analysis is that of «Irma’s injection»: in that dream, a former patient of Freud’s complains of pains. The dream portrays Freud’s colleague giving Irma an unsterile injection. Freud provides us with pages of associations to the elements in his dream, using it to demonstrate his technique of decoding the latent dream thought from the manifest content of the dream.

Freud described the actual technique of psychoanalytic dream-analysis in the following terms, suggesting that the true meaning of a dream must be «weeded out» from dream:^[31]

You entirely disregard the apparent connections between the elements in the manifest dream and collect the ideas that occur to you in connection with each separate element of the dream by free association according to the psychoanalytic rule of procedure. From this material you arrive at the latent dream-thoughts, just as you arrived at the patient’s hidden complexes from his associations to his symptoms and memories… The true meaning of the dream, which has now replaced the manifest content, is always clearly intelligible. [Freud, Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (1909); Lecture Three]

Freud listed the distorting operations that he claimed were applied to repressed wishes in forming the dream as recollected: it is because of these distortions (the so-called «dream-work») that the manifest content of the dream differs so greatly from the latent dream thought reached through analysis—and it is by reversing these distortions that the latent content is approached.

The operations included:^[32]

• Condensation – one dream object stands for several associations and ideas; thus «dreams are brief, meagre and laconic in comparison with the range and wealth of the dream-thoughts.»
• Displacement – a dream object’s emotional significance is separated from its real object or content and attached to an entirely different one that does not raise the censor’s suspicions.
• Visualization – a thought is translated to visual images.
• Symbolism – a symbol replaces an action, person, or idea.

To these might be added «secondary elaboration»—the outcome of the dreamer’s natural tendency to make some sort of «sense» or «story» out of the various elements of the manifest content as recollected. (Freud, in fact, was wont to stress that it was not merely futile but actually misleading to attempt to «explain» one part of the manifest content with reference to another part as if the manifest dream somehow constituted some unified or coherent conception).

Freud considered that the experience of anxiety dreams and nightmares was the result of failures in the dream-work: rather than contradicting the «wish-fulfillment» theory, such phenomena demonstrated how the ego reacted to the awareness of repressed wishes that were too powerful and insufficiently disguised. Traumatic dreams (where the dream merely repeats the traumatic experience) were eventually admitted as exceptions to the theory.

Freud famously described psychoanalytic dream-interpretation as «the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind»; he was, however, capable of expressing regret and dissatisfaction at the way his ideas on the subject were misrepresented or simply not understood:^[33]

The assertion that all dreams require a sexual interpretation, against which critics rage so incessantly, occurs nowhere in my Interpretation of Dreams … and is in obvious contradiction to other views expressed in it.

— Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams

On another occasion, he suggested that the individual capable of recognizing the distinction between latent and manifest content «will probably have gone further in understanding dreams than most readers of my Interpretation of Dreams«.

Jung[edit]

Although not dismissing Freud’s model of dream interpretation wholesale, Carl Jung believed Freud’s notion of dreams as representations of unfulfilled wishes to be limited. Jung argued that Freud’s procedure of collecting associations to a dream would bring insights into the dreamer’s mental complex—a person’s associations to anything will reveal the mental complexes, as Jung had shown experimentally^[34]—but not necessarily closer to the meaning of the dream.^[35] Jung was convinced that the scope of dream interpretation was larger, reflecting the richness and complexity of the entire unconscious, both personal and collective. Jung believed the psyche to be a self-regulating organism in which conscious attitudes were likely to be compensated for unconsciously (within the dream) by their opposites.^[36] And so the role of dreams is to lead a person to wholeness through what Jung calls «a dialogue between ego and the self». The self aspires to tell the ego what it does not know, but it should. This dialogue involves fresh memories, existing obstacles, and future solutions.^[37]

Jung proposed two basic approaches to analyzing dream material: the objective and the subjective.^[38] In the objective approach, every person in the dream refers to the person they are: mother is mother, girlfriend is girlfriend, etc.^[39] In the subjective approach, every person in the dream represents an aspect of the dreamer. Jung argued that the subjective approach is much more difficult for the dreamer to accept, but that in most good dream-work, the dreamer will come to recognize that the dream characters can represent an unacknowledged aspect of the dreamer. Thus, if the dreamer is being chased by a crazed killer, the dreamer may come eventually to recognize his own homicidal impulses.^[39] Gestalt therapists extended the subjective approach, claiming that even the inanimate objects in a dream can represent aspects of the dreamer.

Jung believed that archetypes such as the animus, the anima, the shadow and others manifested themselves in dreams, as dream symbols or figures. Such figures could take the form of an old man, a young maiden or a giant spider as the case may be. Each represents an unconscious attitude that is largely hidden to the conscious mind. Although an integral part of the dreamer’s psyche, these manifestations were largely autonomous and were perceived by the dreamer to be external personages. Acquaintance with the archetypes as manifested by these symbols serve to increase one’s awareness of unconscious attitudes, integrating seemingly disparate parts of the psyche and contributing to the process of holistic self-understanding he considered paramount.^[36]

Jung believed that material repressed by the conscious mind, postulated by Freud to comprise the unconscious, was similar to his own concept of the shadow, which in itself is only a small part of the unconscious.

Jung cautioned against blindly ascribing meaning to dream symbols without a clear understanding of the client’s personal situation. He described two approaches to dream symbols: the causal approach and the final approach.^[40] In the causal approach, the symbol is reduced to certain fundamental tendencies. Thus, a sword may symbolize a penis, as may a snake. In the final approach, the dream interpreter asks, «Why this symbol and not another?» Thus, a sword representing a penis is hard, sharp, inanimate, and destructive. A snake representing a penis is alive, dangerous, perhaps poisonous and slimy. The final approach will tell additional things about the dreamer’s attitudes.

Technically, Jung recommended stripping the dream of its details and presenting the gist of the dream to the dreamer. This was an adaptation of a procedure described by Wilhelm Stekel, who recommended thinking of the dream as a newspaper article and writing a headline for it.^[41] Harry Stack Sullivan also described a similar process of «dream distillation.»^[42]

Although Jung acknowledged the universality of archetypal symbols, he contrasted this with the concept of a sign—images having a one-to-one connotation with their meaning. His approach was to recognize the dynamism and fluidity that existed between symbols and their ascribed meaning. Symbols must be explored for their personal significance to the patient, instead of having the dream conform to some predetermined idea. This prevents dream analysis from devolving into a theoretical and dogmatic exercise that is far removed from the patient’s own psychological state. In the service of this idea, he stressed the importance of «sticking to the image»—exploring in depth a client’s association with a particular image. This may be contrasted with Freud’s free associating which he believed was a deviation from the salience of the image. He describes for example the image «deal table.» One would expect the dreamer to have some associations with this image, and the professed lack of any perceived significance or familiarity whatsoever should make one suspicious. Jung would ask a patient to imagine the image as vividly as possible and to explain it to him as if he had no idea as to what a «deal table» was. Jung stressed the importance of context in dream analysis.

Jung stressed that the dream was not merely a devious puzzle invented by the unconscious to be deciphered, so that the true causal factors behind it may be elicited. Dreams were not to serve as lie detectors, with which to reveal the insincerity behind conscious thought processes. Dreams, like the unconscious, had their own language. As representations of the unconscious, dream images have their own primacy and mechanics.

Jung believed that dreams may contain ineluctable truths, philosophical pronouncements, illusions, wild fantasies, memories, plans, irrational experiences and even telepathic visions.^[43] Just as the psyche has a diurnal side which we experience as conscious life, it has an unconscious nocturnal side which we apprehend as dreamlike fantasy. Jung would argue that just as we do not doubt the importance of our conscious experience, then we ought not to second guess the value of our unconscious lives.

Hall[edit]

In 1953, Calvin S. Hall developed a theory of dreams in which dreaming is considered to be a cognitive process.^[44] Hall argued that a dream was simply a thought or sequence of thoughts that occurred during sleep, and that dream images are visual representations of personal conceptions. For example, if one dreams of being attacked by friends, this may be a manifestation of fear of friendship; a more complicated example, which requires a cultural metaphor, is that a cat within a dream symbolizes a need to use one’s intuition. For English speakers, it may suggest that the dreamer must recognize that there is «more than one way to skin a cat,» or in other words, more than one way to do something. He was also critical of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of dream interpretation, particularly Freud’s notion that the dream of being attacked represented a fear of castration. Hall argued that this dream did not necessarily stem from castration anxiety, but rather represented the dreamer’s perception of themselves as weak, passive, and helpless in the face of danger.^[45] In support of his argument, Hall pointed out that women have this dream more frequently than men, yet women do not typically experience castration anxiety. Additionally, he noted that there were no significant differences in the form or content of the dream of being attacked between men and women, suggesting that the dream likely has the same meaning for both genders. Hall’s work in dream research also provided evidence to support one of Sigmund Freud’s theories, the Oedipus Complex. Hall studied the dreams of males and females ages two through twenty-six. He found that young boys frequently dreamed of aggression towards their fathers and older male siblings, while girls dreamed of hostility towards their mothers and older female siblings.^[46] These dreams often involved themes of conflict and competition for the affection of the opposite-sex parent, providing empirical support for Freud’s theory of the Oedipus Complex.

Faraday, Clift, et al.[edit]

In the 1970s, Ann Faraday and others helped bring dream interpretation into the mainstream by publishing books on do-it-yourself dream interpretation and forming groups to share and analyze dreams. Faraday focused on the application of dreams to situations occurring in one’s life. For instance, some dreams are warnings of something about to happen—e.g. a dream of failing an examination, if one is a student, may be a literal warning of unpreparedness. Outside of such context, it could relate to failing some other kind of test. Or it could even have a «punny» nature, e.g. that one has failed to examine some aspect of his life adequately.

Faraday noted that «one finding has emerged pretty firmly from modern research, namely that the majority of dreams seem in some way to reflect things that have preoccupied our minds during the previous day or two.»^[47]

In the 1980s and 1990s, Wallace Clift and Jean Dalby Clift further explored the relationship between images produced in dreams and the dreamer’s waking life. Their books identified patterns in dreaming, and ways of analyzing dreams to explore life changes, with particular emphasis on moving toward healing and wholeness.^[48]

See also[edit]

• Dream dictionary
• Dream journal
• Dream sharing
• Lucid dreaming
• Oneiromancy
• Oneironautics
• Personality test
• Psychoanalytic dream interpretation
• Recurring dream

References[edit]

Works cited[edit]

• Haque, Amber (December 2004). «Psychology from Islamic Perspective: Contributions of Early Muslim Scholars and Challenges to Contemporary Muslim Psychologists». Journal of Religion and Health. 43 (4): 357–377. doi:10.1007/s10943-004-4302-z. S2CID 38740431.

Further reading[edit]

• Aziz, Robert (1990). C.G. Jung’s Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity (10 ed.). The State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0166-9.
• Aziz, Robert (1999). «Synchronicity and the Transformation of the Ethical in Jungian Psychology». In Becker, Carl (ed.). Asian and Jungian Views of Ethics. Greenwood. ISBN 0-313-30452-1.
• Aziz, Robert (2007). The Syndetic Paradigm: The Untrodden Path Beyond Freud and Jung. The State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-6982-8.
• Aziz, Robert (2008). «Foreword». In Storm, Lance (ed.). Synchronicity: Multiple Perspectives on Meaningful Coincidence. Pari Publishing. ISBN 978-88-95604-02-2.
• Doniger O’Flaherty, Wendy (1986). Dreams, Illusion, and Other Realities. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-61855-2.
• Freud, Sigmund (1966). Introductory Lectures. W.W. Norton. p. 334.
• Freud, Sigmund (1900). The Interpretation of Dreams. Macmillan.
• Freud, Sigmund (1920). A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. Boni & Liveright.
• Hall, James (1983). Jungian Dream Interpretation: A Handbook of Theory and Practice. Inner City Books. ISBN 0-919123-12-0.
• Sechrist, Elsie with foreword by Cayce, Hugh Lynn (1974). Dreams, Your Magic Mirror. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-31384-X.

External links[edit]

• Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners – Full text of Sigmund Freud’s revisitation of The Interpretation of Dreams
• A contemporary Jungian view of dream interpretation

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See More

A dream is the experience of a sequence of images, sounds, ideas, emotions, or other sensations during sleep, especially REM sleep. The events of dreams are often impossible, or unlikely to occur, in physical reality: they are also outside the control of the dreamer. The exception to this is known as lucid dreaming, in which dreamers realize that they are dreaming, and are sometimes capable of changing their dream environment and controlling various aspects of the dream. Dreams have long been one of the most puzzling aspects of consciousness that humankind possesses. Both religion and science have tried to define what dreams are, where they come from, and what they mean.

People all over the world throughout history have experienced and reported dreams. Some have been, or believed to have been, prophetic, messages from the spiritual world or heaven giving warnings or announcements of fortune that is to come. For some, dreams are seen as manifestations of our unconscious desires, thoughts, secrets that we repress in our waking lives but which surface as we sleep. For others, a more straightforward and benign explanation is that the brain processes the experiences of the day into long-term memory during sleep, sometimes activating a stream of data into consciousness, forming a dream.

Whatever the cause, and there may be different types of dreams that result from different processes, it is the responsibility of the dreamer to act appropriately with regard to the dream experience. Setting too much store by dreams as opposed to the «reality» of the physical world has its dangers; equally, though, information received in dreams may be legitimate, whether from one’s own mind or from another realm. Achieving maturity as a human being, united in mind and body, may prove necessary to be able to discern the true meaning of dreams.

Dream content

A dream is the experience of a sequence of images, sounds, ideas, emotions, or other sensations during sleep. The events of dreams are often impossible, or unlikely to occur, in physical reality—people known by the person to be dead may appear, people and events occur in locations where they are not normally found, the dreamer may experience activities that are physically impossible such as flying, people known to speak another language may be comprehensible to the dreamer, and so forth. People all over the world throughout history have experienced and reported dreams. The content of these dreams, although the details vary as widely as the lives of the dreamers, nonetheless has a certain universality.

Calvin S. Hall and Van De Castle published The Content Analysis of Dreams in which they outlined a coding system to study 1,000 dream reports from college students.^[1] From the 1940s to 1985, Hall collected more than 50,000 dream reports at Western Reserve University. Hall’s complete dream reports became publicly available in the mid-1990s by Hall’s protégé William Domhoff allowing further content analysis. It was found that people all over the world dream of mostly the same things.

Common themes

A number of common themes have been identified in dreams. These include: themes relating to school, being chased, sexual experiences, falling, arriving too late, a person now alive being dead, flying, and failing an examination. In addition, it has been found that 12 percent of people dream only in black and white.
^[2]

Emotions

The most common emotion experienced in dreams was anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive feelings.^[1] Ethnic groups showed different percentages of dreams of an aggressive nature. The U.S. ranks the highest amongst industrialized nations for aggression in dreams, with 50 percent of U.S. males reporting aggression compared to 32 percent for Dutch men.^[1]

Gender differences

In men’s dreams 70 percent of the characters are other men, while women’s dreams contain an equal number of men and women.^[1] Men generally had more aggressive feelings in their dreams than women, and children’s dreams did not have very much aggression until they reached the teenage years. These findings parallel much of the current research on gender and gender role comparisons in aggressive behavior. Rather than showing a complementary or compensatory aggressive style between our thoughts and dreams, these data support the view that there is a continuity between our conscious and unconscious styles and personalities.

Sexual content

Sexual content is not as prevalent in dreams as one might expect. The Hall data analysis shows that sexual dreams show up no more than 10 percent of the time and are more prevalent in young to mid teens.^[1]

Recurring dreams

While the content of most dreams is generally experienced in only a single dream, most people experience recurring dreams—that is, the same dream narrative is experienced over different occasions of sleep. Up to 70 percent of females and 65 percent of males report recurrent dreams.^[1]

Cultural and religious perspectives

Long before science and psychology, religion and cultural beliefs were developed to explain the dream phenomena. Dreams were thought to be part of a spiritual world, and were seen as messages from the gods. The Abrahamic faiths—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—believe that there were two sources of dreams: God and Satan.

Dreams are prolific in the Bible, Torah, and Qur’ān. Sometimes, these dreams are messages from God, such as of Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, when the Angel Gabriel spoke to him in a dream and told him that the baby Mary was carrying was the Son of God. After the visit of the Three Wise Men to them in Bethlehem, an angel appeared to him and told him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt for their safety. The angel appeared again in a dream to tell him when it was safe to return to Israel. Other times people given more obscure messages that required interpretation. Both Jacob and Daniel were all given the ability to interpret dreams by God. Likewise Joseph was given the power to interpret dreams and act accordingly, which he did for the Pharaoh of Egypt.

Joseph Smith (1805 — 1844), founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, claimed to have received a visitation from a resurrected prophet named Moroni that led to his finding and unearthing (in 1827) a long-buried book, inscribed on metal leaves, which contained a record of God’s dealings with the ancient Israelite inhabitants of the Americas.

In such cases, the distinction between a dream and a vision of spiritual beings while awake is blurred. Indeed, people reporting such visitations from beings apparently from the spiritual realm are often unsure as to whether they were awake or dreaming.

Ancient Buddhism taught that dreams were the mental projections of a person’s desires and fears, an illusory construct developed out of each person’s attachment to the illusory world of waking consciousness. Tibetan Buddhism took the idea one step further, and taught that the dream state was actually one of the bardos, or transition states of conscious that was akin to the spiritual state a person goes through when they die; hence, developing consciousness within this the bardo-dream state would help prepare someone for the ultimate transition in death.^[3] In India, scholars such as Charaka (300 B.C.E.) had a similar take on dreams, believing that they were the product of the senses and natural make-up of a person.

Shamanism in various cultures saw dreams and dream-like states as connections to worlds and realms of the spirit. Although there were hundreds of different shamanistic traditions, generally, dreams were considered by most to be alternate states of consciousness where people could visit different spiritual realms, engage in spiritual and physical healing, commune with deities and spirits as well as obtain special knowledge and abilities.^[4]

Psycho-dynamic interpretation of dreams

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were the first to identify dreams as an interaction between the unconscious and the conscious. They both asserted that the unconscious is the dominant force of the dream, and in dreams it conveys its own mental activity to the perceptive faculty.

Freud

Sigmund Freud arrived at his theory of dreams by research (though he rejected much of the prior work), self-analysis, and psychoanalysis of his patients. As his theory developed, Freud often used dream interpretation to treat his patients, calling dreams «the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.»

In his book The Interpretation of Dreams, first published at the end of the nineteenth century, Freud argued that the foundation of all dream content is the fulfillment of wishes, conscious or not. The theory explains that the schism between superego and id leads to «censorship» of dreams. The unconscious would «like» to depict the wish fulfilled wholesale, but the preconscious cannot allow it — the wish (or wishes) within a dream is thus disguised, and, as Freud argued, only an understanding of the structure of the dream-work can explain the dream. Freud listed four transformations applied to wishes in order to avoid censorship:

• Condensation — one dream object stands for several thoughts.
• Displacement — a dream object’s psychical importance is assigned to an object that does not raise the censor’s suspicions.
• Representation — a thought is translated to visual images.
• Symbolism — a symbol replaces an action, person, or idea.

These transformations help to disguise the latent content, transforming it into the manifest content, what is actually seen by the dreamer. The basis for all of these systems, he claimed, was «transference,» in which a would-be censored wish of the unconscious is given undeserved «psychical energy» (the quantum of attention from consciousness) by attaching to «innocent» thoughts.

Freud further claimed that the counterintuitive nature of nightmares represented a clash between the super-ego and the id: the id wishes to see a past wish fulfilled, while the super-ego cannot allow it. He interpreted the anxiety of a nightmare as the super-ego working against the id. (He further claimed that in nearly all cases these anxious dreams are products of infantile, sexual memories.)

Jung

Dream analysis is central to Jungian analytical psychology, and forms a critical part of the therapeutic process in classical Jungian analysis. Although not dismissing Freud’s model of dream interpretation wholesale, Carl Jung believed that Freud’s notion of dreams as representations of unfulfilled wishes to be simplistic and naive. Jung was convinced that the scope of dream interpretation was larger, reflecting the richness and complexity of the entire unconscious, both personal and collective. Jung believed the psyche to be a self-regulating organism in which conscious attitudes were likely to be compensated for unconsciously (within the dream) by their opposites.^[5]

Jung believed that archetypes such as the animus, the anima, the shadow, and others manifested themselves in dreams, as dream symbols or figures. Such figures could take the form of an old man, a young maiden, or a giant spider as the case may be. Each represents an unconscious attitude that is largely hidden to the conscious mind. Jung believed that material repressed by the conscious mind, postulated by Freud to comprise the unconscious, was similar to his own concept of the shadow, which in itself is only a small part of the unconscious.

Although an integral part of the dreamers psyche, these manifestations were largely autonomous and were perceived by the dreamer to be external personages. Acquaintance with the archetypes as manifested by these symbols serves to increase one’s awareness of unconscious attitudes, integrating seemingly disparate parts of the psyche and contributing to the process of holistic self understanding he considered paramount.^[5]

Jung cautioned against blindly ascribing meaning to dream symbols without a clear understanding of the client’s personal situation. Although he acknowledged the universality of archetypal symbols, he contrasted this with the concept of a sign—images having a one to one connotation with their meaning. His approach was to recognise the dynamism and fluidity that existed between symbols and their ascribed meaning. Symbols must be explored for their personal significance to the patient, instead of having the dream conform to some predetermined idea. Jung stressed the importance of context in dream analysis. In service of this idea, he stressed the importance of «sticking to the image»—exploring in depth a client’s association with a particular image. This may be contrasted with Freud’s free associating, which Jung believed to be a deviation from the salience of the image.

Contemporary dream interpretation

In contemporary psychoanalysis, the role of dream interpretation has been diminished by focusing on other aspects of psychoanalytic views.^[6] Nevertheless, dreams, and their interpretation, continue to provide a powerful therapeutic focus. Many studies have underlined the importance of dreams in psychoanalysis, and therapeutic work in general.^[7] Further, a growing body of literature supports the continuity hypothesis of dreams from sleep to waking reality. The continuity hypothesis suggest that the content of dreams is not remote from the waking reality, but, rather, portrays the most prominent feelings, interests, and concerns of the individual.^[8]

Science of dreams

During a typical lifespan, a person spends about two hours each night dreaming, a total of about six years dreaming.^[9][10] Yet, there is no universally agreed-upon biological definition of dreaming. It is unknown where in the brain dreams originate—if there is such a single location—or why dreams occur at all.

REM sleep

General observation shows that dreams are strongly associated with Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. REM sleep is the state of sleep in which brain activity is most like wakefulness, which is why many researchers believe this is when dreams are strongest, although it could also mean that this is a state from which dreams are most easily remembered.^[11]

In 1953 Eugene Aserinsky discovered REM sleep while working in Nathaniel Kleitmans sleep laboratory. Aserinsky noticed the eyes beneath the subjects’ eyelids seemed to be fluttering during periods of their sleep. Kleitman suggested that Aserinsky use a polygraph machine to record changes in the brain during times when the eye movements occurred. During these sessions, Aserinsky began to notice patterns in the brain waves of the volunteers. During one session he awakened a subject who was crying out in his sleep during REM and confirmed an earlier hunch that dreaming was occurring.^[12] In 1953 Kleitman and Aserinsky published the ground-breaking study in Science.^[13]

In 1976, J. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarly proposed the activation synthesis theory of dreams. This theory asserts that the sensory experiences are fabricated by the cortex as a means of interpreting chaotic signals from the pons. They propose that in REM sleep, the ascending cholinergic PGO (ponto-geniculo-occipital) waves stimulate higher midbrain and forebrain cortical structures, producing rapid eye movements. The activated forebrain then synthesizes the dream out of this internally generated information.^[14] They assumed that the same structures that induce REM sleep also generate sensory information.

Role of forebrain

Hobson’s 1976 research suggested that the signals interpreted as dreams originated in the brain stem during REM sleep. However, research by Mark Solms suggested that dreams are generated in the forebrain, and that REM sleep and dreaming are not directly related.^[15] While working in the neurosurgery department at hospitals in Johannesburg and London, Solms had access to patients with various brain injuries. He began to question patients about their dreams and confirmed that patients with damage to the parietal lobe stopped dreaming; this finding was in line with Hobson’s theory. However, Solms did not encounter cases of loss of dreaming with patients having brain stem damage, which went against Hobson’s notion of the brain stem as the source of the signals interpreted as dreams. Solms viewed the idea of dreaming as a function of many complex brain structures as validating Freudian dream theory, an idea that drew criticism from Hobson.^[16]

Continual-activation theory

Combining Hobson’s activation synthesis hypothesis with Solms’s findings, Jie Zhang proposed the continual-activation theory of dreaming, that dreaming is a result of brain activation and synthesis while, at the same time, dreaming and REM sleep are controlled by different brain mechanisms. Zhang hypothesized that the function of sleep is to process, encode, and transfer the data from the temporary memory to the long-term memory. In this model, NREM sleep processes the conscious-related memory (declarative memory), and REM sleep processes the unconscious related memory (procedural memory).

Zhang assumed that during REM sleep, the unconscious part of a brain is busy processing the procedural memory; meanwhile, the level of activation in the conscious part of the brain will descend to a very low level as the inputs from the sensory are basically disconnected. This will trigger the «continual-activation» mechanism to generate a data stream from the memory stores to flow through the conscious part of the brain. Zhang suggested that this pulse-like brain activation is the inducer of each dream. He proposed that, with the involvement of the brain associative thinking system, dreaming is, thereafter, self-maintained with the dreamer’s own thinking until the next pulse of memory insertion. This explains why dreams have both characteristics of continuity (within a dream) and sudden changes (between two dreams).^[17][18]

A 2001 study showed evidence that illogical locations, characters, and dream flow may help the brain strengthen the linking and consolidation of semantic memories. These conditions may occur because, during REM sleep, the flow of information between the hippocampus and neocortex is reduced.^[19] Increasing levels of the stress hormone cortisol late in sleep (often during REM sleep) cause this decreased communication. One stage of memory consolidation is the linking of distant but related memories. Payne and Nadal hypothesized that these memories are then consolidated into a smooth narrative, the dream, similar to a process that happens when memories are created under stress.^[20]

Other associated phenomena

Lucid dreaming

Lucid dreaming is the conscious perception of one’s state while dreaming. The occurrence of lucid dreaming has been scientifically verified. Many people, including scientists and psychologists have started to acknowledge the benefits of lucid dreaming. If developed as a skill, a person who is able to achieve lucid dreaming can often explore the complexities of their sub-conscious, helping to deal with past trauma, fears, anxieties, and can promote mental health.^[11]

Recalling dreams

Many people have difficulty recalling their dreams. Researchers refer to these types of dreams as «no content dream reports.»^[21] It appears that such dreams are characterized by relatively little affect. Factors such as salience, arousal, and interference play a role in dream recall and dream recall failure.^[21]

Keeping a dream journal appears to be a useful technique to improve dream recall. It is quite common to not remember much of a dream on first waking, but by lying still, not letting concerns of the day occupy the mind, with sufficient concentration the entire dream may be recalled.^[11]

Dreams of absent-minded transgression

Dreams of absent-minded transgression (DAMT) are dreams wherein the dreamer absentmindedly performs an action that he or she has been trying to stop (one classic example is of a former smoker having dreams of lighting a cigarette). Subjects who have had DAMT have reported awaking with intense feelings of guilt. Some studies have shown that DAMT are positively related with successfully stopping the behavior, when compared to control subjects who did not experience these dreams.^[22]

Dreaming as a skeptical argument

While dreaming a non-lucid dream, the dreamer does not realize that they are dreaming. The classic example is a child dreaming that they are using the toilet who wets the bed because they do not realize that they are in a dream. This lack of awareness has led philosophers to the idea that one could be dreaming right now (or at least one cannot be certain that one is not dreaming). First formally introduced by Zhuangzi and popularized by Hindu beliefs, the dream argument has become one of the most popular hypotheses in support of skepticism. It was formally introduced to western philosophy by Descartes in the seventeenth century in his Meditations on First Philosophy.

Déjà vu

The theory of déjà vu dealing with dreams indicates that the feeling of having previously seen or experienced something could be attributed to having dreamed about a similar situation or place, and forgetting about it until one seems to be mysteriously reminded of the situation or place while awake.

Dream incorporation

In one use of the term, «dream incorporation» is a phenomenon whereby an external stimulus, usually an auditory one, becomes a part of a dream, eventually then awakening the dreamer. There is a famous painting by Salvador Dalí that depicts this concept, entitled Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening (1944).

The term «dream incorporation» is also used in research examining the degree to which preceding daytime events become elements of dreams. Studies suggest that events in the day immediately preceding, and those about a week before, have the most influence.^[23]

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Artemidorus. The Oneirocritica of Artemidorus. New Haven: University Microfilms, 1971.
• Bentley, Evie. Awareness: Biorhythms, Sleep and Dreaming. New York: Routledge, 1999. ISBN 0415188733
• Castaneda, Carlos. The Art of Dreaming. Thorsons, 2004. ISBN 978-1855384279
• Das, Lama Surya. Awakening the Buddha Within. Broadway Books, 1997. ISBN 0767901576
• Dement, William. The Sleepwatchers. Nychthemeron Press, 1996. ISBN 0964933802
• Dieterle, Bernard, and Manfred Engel (eds.) The Dream and the Enlightenment / Le Rêve et les Lumières. Paris: Honoré Champion, 2003. ISBN 2745306723
• Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. NuVision Publications, 2007 (original 1899). ISBN 978-1595479365
• Freud, Sigmund. A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. New York, NY: Boni & Liveright.
• Gackenbach, Jayne, and Stephen LaBerge. Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain: Perspectives on Lucid Dreaming. New York, NY: Plenum Publishing Corporation, 1988.
• Garfield, Patricia L. Creative Dreaming. 1974 (original 1920). ISBN 0671219030
• Hall, James A. Jungian Dream Interpretation: A Handbook of Theory and Practice. Inner City Books, 1983. ISBN 0919123120
• Hill, Clara E. Working with Dreams in Psychotherapy. 1996. ISBN 1572300922
• Jung, Carl. Dreams. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1974. ISBN 978-0691017921
• Koulack, David. To Catch A Dream: Explorations of Dreaming. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1991. ISBN 0791405028
• LaBerge, Stephen. Lucid Dreaming. Sounds True, 2004. ISBN 1591791502
• Lippman, P. Nocturnes: on listening to dreams. Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press, Inc., 2000.
• Norbu, Namkhai Chogyal. Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2002. ISBN 978-1559391610
• Phillips, Will. Every Dreamer’s Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Benefiting From Your Dreams. Totonada Press, 1994. ISBN 1575660482
• Rock, Andrea. The Mind at Night: The New Science of How and Why we Dream. New York: Basic Books, 2004. ISBN 0465070698
• Storr, Anthony. The Essential Jung. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press 1999 ISBN 978-0691159003
• Van de Castle, Robert L. Our Dreaming Mind New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1994. ISBN 0345396669
• Walsh, Roger. World of Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition. Llewellyn Publications, 2007. ISBN 0738705756
• Wangyal, Tenzin Rinpoche. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 1998. ISBN 978-1559391016

External links

All links retrieved June 21, 2021.

• The International Association for the Study of Dreams
• Content Analysis Explained The complete Calvin S. Hall / Robert Van de Castle coding system.
• The Case Against the Problem-Solving Theory of Dreaming.
• Dream Moods

• Previous Article

• How Deflection Can Hurt Your Mental Health

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• The Whole Is Greater Than Its Parts: An Overview Of Gestalt Psychology

Dream Analysis and Interpretation Are Imperfect Sciences

The subject of dream interpretation has been of interest for many years, and for good reason. Understanding the deeper meaning of dreams can bring about realizations about how you feel and think, which can be beneficial for providing personal insight.

Understanding Dream Interpretations

Famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud described dreams as the «royal road» to the unconscious and suggested that by studying the obvious content of dreams, we could bring to light the hidden and unconscious desires that lead to neurosis.

Analyzing dream symbols and ascribing meaning to them has become a source of both entertainment and self-reflection in popular culture. Do dreams mean anything? Can you learn your unconscious wishes and desires by interpreting your dreams?

What your dreams tell you and whether they reveal your true feelings depends on various factors. While some modern theories of dreams suggest that the answer is no—that dreams may have a more biological component or even be due to sleep position—this hasn’t stopped interpreters and analysts from attempting to identify what common dream themes and symbols mean.

7 Most Common Dreams

Researchers have found that the seven most common dreams involve being attacked or chased, being late, loved ones dying, falling, flying, school, and sex.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common dreams and what dream interpretation books have to say about them.

9 Common Dreams and Their Interpretations

1

Dreams About Falling

Dreams about falling from great heights are very common. While there is a popular myth that if you hit the ground in your dream you will die in real life, it simply is not true. So what exactly could dreams about falling really mean?

According to many popular dream interpretations and at least one study, falling dreams are a sign that something in your life isn’t going well. It might suggest that you need to rethink a choice, for instance, or consider a new direction in some area of your life.

«Dreaming of falling is very common. It is a symbol of fear in real life— perhaps of failing at work or in your love life,» says Russell Grant, author of «The Illustrated Dream Dictionary.» He adds that «Falling often expresses a need to let yourself go more and enjoy life more.»

2

Dreams About Being Naked in Public

Have you ever had one of those awkward dreams where you show up at school or the office in your birthday suit? Don’t worry. Dreaming about being naked is hardly unusual.

Penney Peirce, the author of «Dream Dictionary for Dummies,» suggests that dreaming of public nudity might indicate that you feel like a phony or that you are afraid of revealing your imperfections and shortcomings.

3

Dreams About Being Chased

Dreams that feature being pursued by a known or unknown attacker can be particularly terrifying. And many people experience these types of dreams. But what do dreams of being chased say about what’s going on inside your mind?

Dream interpreters often suggest that such dreams mean that you are trying to avoid something in your daily life. Tony Crisp, the author of «Dream Dictionary,» suggests that being chased in a dream might indicate a desire to escape from your own fears or desires.

The key to understanding what such a dream might mean depends partly on the identity of your pursuer. If it is:

• An animal: You might be hiding from your own anger, passions, and other feelings.
• An unknown chaser: If your pursuer is a mysterious, unknown figure, it might represent a childhood experience or past trauma.
• A member of the opposite sex: Crisp suggests this means you are afraid of love or haunted by a past relationship.

4

Dreams About Losing Teeth

What do dreams mean if your teeth fall out? Penney Peirce, the author of «Dream Dictionary for Dummies,» suggests that dreaming about losing teeth can have multiple meanings.

It might mean that you are worried about your attractiveness or appearance, for instance. It may also indicate that you are concerned about your ability to communicate, or that you are concerned that you might have said something embarrassing.

«The real essence of teeth is their ability to bite through, to cut, tear, and grind,» she explains. «If your teeth fall out, you lose personal power and your ability to be assertive, decisive, and self-protective.»

5

Dreams About Dying

Death is another common subject of dreams and one that can be particularly disconcerting. Dreamers sometimes dream of the death of a loved one or even of dying themselves. Popular dream interpretations suggest that such dreams reflect anxiety about change or a fear of the unknown.

«Like death, change can be scary because—also like death—we do not know what is ‘on the other side’ of the change, which is why the dreaming mind equates change with death,» suggests Lauri Loewenberg in her book «Dream on It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life.»

Loewenberg also believes that dreaming about the death of a loved one can reflect a similar fear of change, especially with regard to our children. As a child grows up, a parent’s mind begins to wonder where the younger version of the child went. Dreams of dying, therefore, reflect a sort of mourning for the passage of time.

Studies have also shown that those approaching the end of life and loved ones around them experience significant and meaningful dreams, often relating to a comforting presence, preparing to go, watching or engaging with the deceased, loved ones waiting, distressing experiences, and unfinished business.

6

Dreams About Taking a Test

Studies have also found that dreams of test-taking are common. According to Craig Hamilton-Parker, author of «The Hidden Meaning of Dreams,» taking an exam in your dream might reveal an underlying fear of failure.

«Examinations are stressful experiences in which you are made to face up to your shortcomings,» he writes. «To dream of failing an exam, being late for one, or being unprepared shows that you feel unprepared for the challenges of waking life.»

7

Dreams About Infidelity

Dreaming that your spouse or romantic partner is cheating on you with someone else can be incredibly distressing. In some cases, people even start to wonder if the dream might really be true. Does dreaming that your partner is unfaithful mean that it might happen? Or that it is already happening?

While these dreams might be the reflection of fears of infidelity, such dreams probably don’t mean that your spouse is cheating or will cheat, say Trish and Rob MacGregor, authors of «Complete Dream Dictionary: A Bedside Guide to Knowing What Your Dreams Mean.»

«This is another ‘what if’ dream–you are testing the limits of reality,» the authors suggest.

Eve Adamson and Gayle Williamson, authors of «The Complete Idiot’s Guide Dream Dictionary,» posit that dreams about infidelity indicate issues with trust, loyalty, and communication in a relationship. «If you or your partner cheated in your dream, one of you isn’t getting what you need from that relationship right now,» they write.

8

Dreams About Flying

Many people experience dreams about flying. Flying dreams can be exciting and even liberating, but they can also sometimes be quite frightening (especially for those afraid of heights).

According to Tony Crisp, author of «Dream Dictionary,» dreams about flying often have two very different sides. They can represent feelings of freedom and independence. On the other hand, they can also indicate a desire to flee or escape from the realities of life.

«Flying alone occurs most frequently,» he writes, «showing the independent aspect of flying. But because it often involves positive feelings of pleasure, flying may depict our sexuality…especially aspects of it expressing freedom from social norms and restraints.»

9

Dreams About Pregnancy

Dream interpreters often suggest that dreams about pregnancy represent everything from creativity to fear. David C. Lohff, the author of «Dream Dictionary,» believes that pregnancy dreams might sometimes represent a woman’s fears of being an inadequate mother.

Author Tony Crisp, has a different take, suggesting that pregnancy dreams indicate that the dreamer is developing some area of potential or deepening a relationship. Dream interpreter Russell Grant writes that these dreams presage difficult times.

More Common Dream Themes

There are other dream themes that tend to be fairly common. They include:

• Discovering new rooms or passages
• Being dressed inappropriately
• Being unable to find a toilet
• Arriving someplace late
• Having a massive wave approaching you
• Finding money

Frequently Asked Questions

• What does it mean when you dream about someone?

  Psychoanalyst Carl Jung believed that if you dream about someone close to you or someone who is important to you, that might represent how you feel about that person in real life; whereas if you dream about a person you are not close with (such as someone in your past) or an unknown person, that person is more symbolic.

  Sigmund Freud suggested that the environment around the person you’re dreaming about may matter as well, such as dreaming of your parents in places you would normally find a king and queen, which would be a sign of your respect for them.

• How accurate are dream interpretations?

  There is no way to answer this question with any certainty as dream interpretations are both individual and subjective. They are individual in that the meaning of dreams for one person may not be the same for another. Dream interpretations are also subjective in that they are based on the meanings that you assign them, and these assigned meanings can also differ from one person to the next.

• Why are dream interpretations important in psychoanalysis?

  The self-organization theory of dreaming implies that dreams are a reflection of one’s physiological and psychological activities, thus providing important information about the person’s thoughts and emotional state. Psychoanalysts can then use the person’s dreams to better understand what is going on in their mind, perhaps on an unconscious level.

• What do sexual dreams mean?

  Some studies suggest that having sexual dreams is a result of your thoughts and fantasies when you’re awake, with more frequent thoughts about sex contributing to more of these dreams. Others connect dreaming about sex with a desire to be in a sexually stimulating situation. These types of dreams are common, with more than 95% of people reporting having dreams that are erotic in nature.

• What do recurring dreams mean?

  Some researchers theorize that regular, recurring dreams represent being frustrated about psychological needs that are unmet. Recurring dreams are also common after experiencing a lot of mental distress, such as with post-traumatic stress disorder.

• What do vivid dreams mean?

  In some cases, having vivid or highly intense dreams is a result of major trauma, with some studies showing increases in these types of dreams post-9/11.

  Dreams that are vivid generally occur during REM sleep and could also be due to fragmented sleep, sleep deprivation, a sleep disorder, stress, pregnancy, or a medication you are taking.

A Word From Verywell

So what do you think? Do some of these dream interpretations seem accurate? If not, don’t worry—your dreams are unique and highly personal. In all likelihood, the things you experience in your dreams probably reflect the concerns you face in your daily existence or of recent events.

How do you analyze a dream? The first step is to write down everything you can remember as soon as you wake. Dreams are often quickly forgotten, so jotting down the details can help aid in recall. Next, look at the dream’s contents and think about what it might mean in your life. What association do you have with the events of the dream? What kind of feelings did it evoke? In many cases, you may find that your dream reflects the events or concerns of your waking life.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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22. Younis I, Abdelrahman S, Ibrahim A, Hasan S, Mostafa T. Sex dreams in married women: Prevalence, frequency, content, and drives. Dreaming. 2017;27(3):251-9. doi:10.1037/drm0000058

23. Vaillancourt-Morel M, Daspe M, Lussier Y, Zadra A. Targets of erotic dreams and their associations with waking couple and sexual life. Dreaming. 2021;31(1):44-56. doi:10.1037/drm0000160

24. Weinstein N, Campbell R, Vansteenkiste M. Linking psychological need experiences to daily and recurring dreams. Motiv Emot. 2018;42:50-63. doi:10.1007/s11031-017-9656-0

25. Dithole K, Thupayagale-Tshweneagae G, Mgutshini T. Posttraumatic stress disorder among spouses of patients discharged from the intensive care unit after six months. Issues Mental Health Nurs. 2013;34(1):30-5. doi:10.3109/01612840.2012.715235

26. Hartmann E, Brezler T. A systematic change in dreams after 9/11/01. Sleep. 2008;31(2):213-8. doi:10.1093/sleep/31.2.213

27. Sleep Foundation. Vivid dreams.

28. Wang JX, Shen HY. An attempt at matching waking events into dream reports by independent judges. Front Psychol. 2018;9:465. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00465

By Kendra Cherry

Kendra Cherry, MS, is the author of the «Everything Psychology Book (2nd Edition)» and has written thousands of articles on diverse psychology topics. Kendra holds a Master of Science degree in education from Boise State University with a primary research interest in educational psychology and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Idaho State University with additional coursework in substance use and case management.

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Dreams have always been a mystery since the beginning of time.  Though out time there has been many guesses behind the reasons for dreaming.  Some say that our dreams are messages from our unconscious mind to our conscious. The messages are able to guide us and lead us in the right path. Others believe that a dream is just a dream with no real significance behind it.

Many have gone as far to think that our dreams are prophetic that are set from higher powers.  As far as dreams and dreaming goes your guess is good as the next person.  Dream interpretation and symbolism is a popular subject, and some dreams seem to permeate our society. Whatever they are, dreams are still a mystery to scientists. What is their purpose, if they have one? Why do we dream at all?

Scientists are just beginning to learn about the function of sleep, and dreaming. Some researchers suggest that dreams serve no real purpose, while other believe that dreaming is essential to mental, emotional and physical well-being. Ernest Hoffman, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Boston, Mass., suggests that “a possible (though certainly not proven) function of a dream to be weaving new material into the memory system in a way that both reduces emotional arousal and is adaptive in helping us cope with further trauma or stressful events.”

Why Do We Dream?

Psychoanalytic: There are several popular theories surrounding why we dream: psychoanalytic and activation-synthesis are the most popular.Consistent with the psychoanalytic perspective, Sigmund Freud’s theory of dreams suggested that dreams were a representation of unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations. According to Freud’s psychoanalytic view of personality, people are driven by aggressive and sexual instincts that are repressed from conscious awareness.

While these thoughts are not consciously expressed, Freud suggested that they find their way into our awareness via dreams. Freud wrote that dreams are “disguised fulfillment’s of repressed wishes.” He also described two different components of dreams: manifest content and latent content. Manifest content is the actual images, thoughts and content contained within the dream, while the latent content is the hidden psychological meaning of the dream.

Activation-Synthesis: According to this theory, circuits in the brain become activated during REM sleep, the brain synthesizes and interprets this internal activity and attempts to find meaning in these signals, which results in dreaming. Basically, the brain will interpret the meaningless signals and imposes a story on top of them — resulting in the fragmented and nonsensical nature of some dreams.

This model suggests that dreams are a subjective interpretation of signal generated by the brain during sleep. This does not mean that dreams are meaningless; in fact, a by-product of this process may be the development of new and unique ideas. The idea of dreams contributing to new ideas has merit, as there have been several notable dreams that contributed to inventions:

Frankenstein Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was inspired by a dream: “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous Creator of the world.”

The sewing machine Elias Howe invented the sewing machine in 1845. He had the idea of a machine with a needle which would go through a piece of cloth but he couldn’t figure out exactly how it would work. In his dream cannibals were preparing to cook him and they were dancing around the fire waving their spears.

Howe noticed at the head of each spear there was a small hole through the shaft and the up and down motion of the spears and the hole remained with him when he woke. The idea of passing the thread through the needle close to the point was a major innovation in making mechanical sewing possible.

Benzene The scientist Friedrich August  discovered the seemingly impossible chemical structure of benzene (C6H6) when he had a dream of a group of snakes swallowing their tails.

Yesterday Paul McCartney claims to have composed the melody for the Beatles’ song “Yesterday” in a dream; the song has since become the most recorded song in the history of popular music.

Dream Interpretation

Dream interpretation has been a popular practice in spirituality for millennia. It was practiced through most of the world, and most religions have some semblance of dream interpretation.

Dream interpretation was taken up as part of psychoanalysis at the end of the 19th century; the perceived, manifest content of a dream is analyzed to reveal its latent meaning to the psyche of the dreamer.

One of the seminal works on the subject is The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud.  At Dream Dictionary we can analyze all of your dreams and dreams symbols.

Here at dreamdictioanry.org we offer thousands of translated dream words to help you tune into your unconscious. Opening the mysterious door will lead you into a world of truth, fantasy and a connection to ‘the self’.

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• dreame (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English drem, from Old English drēam (“music, joy”), from Proto-West Germanic *draum, from Proto-Germanic *draumaz, from earlier *draugmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrowgʰ-mos, from *dʰrewgʰ- (“to deceive, injure, damage”).

The sense of «dream», though not attested in Old English, may still have been present (compare Old Saxon drōm (“bustle, revelry, jubilation», also «dream”)), and was undoubtedly reinforced later in Middle English by Old Norse draumr (“dream”), from same Proto-Germanic root.

Cognate with Scots dreme (“dream”), North Frisian drom (“dream”), West Frisian dream (“dream”), Low German Droom, Dutch droom (“dream”), German Traum (“dream”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål drøm, Norwegian Nynorsk draum, Swedish dröm (“dream”), Icelandic draumur (“dream”). Related also to Old Norse draugr (“ghost, undead, spectre”), Dutch bedrog (“deception, deceit”), German Trug (“deception, illusion”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: drēm, IPA^(key): /dɹiːm/, [d͡ʒɹiːm], [d̠͡ɹ̠˔ʷɪi̯m]
• Rhymes: -iːm

Noun[edit]

dream (plural dreams)

1. Imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping.

   Synonym: (archaic) sweven

   have a dream

   scary dream

   vivid dream

   erotic dream

   feel like a dream

   be in a dream

   Hyponym: nightmare

   • Dreams are but interludes which fancy makes.

   • She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact, drowsily realising that since she had fallen asleep it had come on to rain smartly out of a shrouded sky.

   • 1982, Roland Orzabal (lyrics), “Mad World”, in The Hurting, performed by Tears for Fears:

     And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
     The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had

2. (figurative) A hope or wish.

   have a dream

   fulfil a dream

   harbour a dream

   realize a dream

   • So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one’s dreams.

   • 1963 August 28, Martin Luther King, I have a Dream‎^[1]:

     I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!
3. A visionary scheme; a wild conceit; an idle fancy.

   Synonym: vision

   a dream of bliss

   the dream of his youth

   live in a dream

   wake up from a dream

   impossible dream

   • c. 1735, Alexander Pope, John Donne’s Satires Versified

     There sober thought pursued the amusing theme,
     Till Fancy coloured it and formed a dream.

   • 1870, John Shairp, Culture and Religion

     It is not, then, a mere dream, but a very real aim which they propose.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

dream (third-person singular simple present dreams, present participle dreaming, simple past and past participle dreamed or dreamt)

1. (intransitive) To see imaginary events in one’s mind while sleeping.
2. (intransitive) To hope, to wish.
3. (intransitive) To daydream.

   Stop dreaming and get back to work.

4. (transitive) To envision as an imaginary experience (usually when asleep).

   I dreamed a vivid dream last night.
5. (intransitive) To consider the possibility (of).

   I wouldn’t dream of snubbing you in public.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], lines 167-8:

     There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
     Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection.
     […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window […], and a ‘bead’ could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.

Usage notes[edit]

• «Dreamt» is less common than «dreamed» in both US and UK English in current usage, though somewhat more prevalent in the UK than in the US.

Derived terms[edit]

• bedream
• dream up
• dream on

Translations[edit]

Adjective[edit]

dream (not comparable)

1. Ideal; perfect.

   • 2014, P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit and Other Stories, Random House, →ISBN, page 158:

     If a girl who talked like that was not his dream girl, he didn’t know a dream girl when he heard one.

   • 2017 November 14, Phil McNulty, “England 0-0 Brazil”, in BBC News‎^[2]:

     England found chances a rarity, although Liverpool striker Solanke almost made it a dream debut in the closing seconds, only to miscontrol at the far post.

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• dream in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “dream”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams[edit]

• -derma, Mader, ad rem, armed, dearm, derma, derma-, m’dear, medar, ramed, redam

Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Irish dremm (“crowd, throng”), from Proto-Celtic *dregsmo, itself probably related to *drungos (“throng, host”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /dˠɾˠaumˠ/^[1], /dˠɾˠoumˠ/^[2] (as if spelled dram)
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /dʲɾʲɑːmˠ/^[3], /dʲɾʲamˠ/^[4]
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /dʲɾʲamˠ/^[5]

Noun[edit]

dream m (genitive singular dreama, nominative plural dreamanna)

1. crowd, group of people, party (group of people traveling or attending an event together, or participating in the same activity)
   • 1929, Tomás Ó Criomhthain, An tOileánach, chapter 4 “Scolaidheacht agus Fánaidheacht”, p. 48:

     Thug sé scilling do’n té ab’ fhearr is gach rang agus ar shíneadh na scillinge ’nár rang-ne ní h-aenne de’n dream mór do fuair í ach me féin.

     He gave a shilling to the best one in each class, and when he was giving out shillings in our class, there wasn’t one in that big group who got one but me myself.

Declension[edit]

Mutation[edit]

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
dream	dhream	ndream
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “drem(m)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “dream”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 260
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “dream”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

dream

1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of drem

Old English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• drīm, drēm, *drīem, drām

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-West Germanic *draum, from Proto-Germanic *draumaz, whence also Old Frisian drām, Old Saxon drōm (“joy, music, dream”), Old High German troum, Old Norse draumr.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /dræ͜ɑːm/

Noun[edit]

drēam m

1. joy, pleasure, gladness, rejoicing
2. that which causes merriment: musical instrument, music, melody, song, harmony
3. frenzy, ecstasy

Declension[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

• drēamere
• drīeman
• pīpdrēam

Descendants[edit]

• Middle English: drem, dreme, dreem, dreeme; dream, dræm
  • English: dream
  • Scots: dreme

See also[edit]

• swefn

West Frisian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Frisian drām, from Proto-West Germanic *draum, from Proto-Germanic *draumaz.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /drɪə̯m/

Noun[edit]

dream c (plural dreamen, diminutive dreamke)

1. dream, vision in one’s sleep
   • 2008, Greet Andringa, Libben reach, Friese Pers Boekerij, page 70.

     Hy koe net sliepe, want de dreamen oer syn deade maten wiene noch slimmer as wat er mei de eagen iepen seach.

     He couldn’t sleep, because the dreams about his dead companions were even worse than what he saw with his eyes open.

2. daydream
3. desire, what one wishes
4. delusion

Derived terms[edit]

• deidream

[edit]

• dreame

Further reading[edit]

• “dream”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Dreams can be elusive, and at some point we’ve all wondered, what do they mean? Do they mean anything? While there’s no clear answer to these questions, we consulted a dream expert (yes, it’s a thing) to get a better understanding of what goes on when we shut our eyes every night and how to interpret it when we wake up in the morning.

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What could your dreams be telling you?

8 common types of dreams and what they could mean

There are lots of theories on what teeth falling out could represent in a dream, but one idea equates teeth to confidence and self-esteem. Many would feel embarrassed if their teeth suddenly fell out, so it’s possible someone who dreams about this might be dealing with shame. Again, as Naiman says, it’s about what feelings the dream evokes in you.

Falling is one of the most common dream themes that people report. It could relate to feeling a lack of control. Perhaps you’re dealing with a sizable personal struggle, and the stress is carrying over into your dreams. Ask yourself how it felt to be falling in the dream, and then consider any issues in your life when similar emotions are present.

When considering being chased in a dream, the most obvious explanation could be that you’re running from a problem. Something you’re afraid of is at your heels, and you’re avoiding it. In this way, your subconscious mind is almost encouraging you to face whatever it is you’re running from.

Not necessarily a sign that you or someone you know is pregnant, pregnancy dreams are often thought to represent change or growth. Is there something in your life that’s growing and evolving, perhaps a project or relationship? Pregnancy is all about development, so look out for that theme in your waking life.

And lastly, we have premonition dreams. Have you ever dreamed about something and then shortly thereafter your dream «came true,» in a big or small way? You wouldn’t be the only one! While difficult to rationally explain, if you frequently experience premonition dreams, you might want to lean into it and consider exploring your intuitive abilities further.

If you’re naked in a dream and feel shame upon waking, it could be a sign that you feel exposed or embarrassed in some part of your waking life. If you’re super confident in your nudity dream, on the other hand, it could be a sign that you’re fresh off a breakthrough and are feeling free and unencumbered.

Having a sex dream about someone doesn’t necessarily mean you actually want to have sex with that person. More often than not, it’s a sign that the other person has some personality trait or value that you’re jealous of or want to embody.

How to remember your dreams

The takeaway

This article is a brief overview of Sigmund Freud’s dream theory. The majority of this information is pulled from Sigmund Freud’s book, The Interpretation of Dreams.

What are Dreams made of?

Sigmund Freud believed that “all material making up the content of a dream is in some way derived from experience” (The Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 44). In saying this, Freud is suggesting that all dreams are composed of elements rooted in physiological processes.

Freud said that elements that compose a dream are:

• External sensory Stimuli: When the body experiences real external stimuli during sleep. A few examples of this can include, an alarm clock, a strong odor, a sudden temperature change, or getting stung by a gnat. Often times, these sensory stimuli will make their way into dreams, and become a part of the dream’s narrative.
• Internal (Subjective) sensory excitations: Imaginative visual phenomena, or in Freud’s term “hypnagogic hallucinations.” “These are images, often very vivid and rapidly changing, which are apt to appear—quite habitually in some people—during the period of falling asleep.” (The Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 63).
• Internal Organic Somatic Stimuli: Sensations produced by the internal organs during sleep. Freud suggested that this form of stimuli can be used to identify and diagnose diseases. For example, “dreams of those suffering from diseases of the heart are usually short and come to a terrifying end at the moment of waking; their content almost always includes a situation involving a horrible death.” (Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 66).
• Physical Sources of Stimulation: Thoughts, interests and actions engaged in the day before sleep. Freud said that “the the most ancient and the most recent students of dreams were united in believing that men dream of what they do during the daytime and of what interests them while they are awake.” (The Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 70).

Freud believed that dreams can be highly symbolic, thus making it difficult to uncover the waking elements that compose them. This is why dreams can appear random and independent from our conscious experience, and according to Freud, lead us to believe that dreams have a supernatural cause.

According to Freud, there are always physiological and experiential elements at play behind the curtains of a dream, and these elements can be identified with proper methods. This is the fundamental principle in Freud’s approach to dream analysis.

What is the purpose of a dream?

The purpose of a dream under Freud’s ideology is to bring repressed wishes and deep desires to the surface so that the dreamer can confront and reconcile their repressed feelings. Freud wrote that dreams are “disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes.” (The Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 255).

In Freud’s view, the primary purpose of a dream is to “release the pressure” of the dreamer’s repressed fears and desires. Freud also specifies that wish fulfillment dreams are not always positive, and that they could be “the fulfillment of a wish; a fulfilled fear; a reflection; or merely the reproduction a memory. (The Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 148).

Freud’s Method of Dream Interpretation

“I shall bring forward proof that there is a psychological technique which makes it possible to interpret dreams, and that, if that procedure is employed, every dream reveals itself as a psychical structure which has a meaning and which can be inserted at an assignable point in the mental activities of waking life.”

– Sigmund Freud

According to Freud, all dreams can be traced to a waking element, thus it is possible to decipher and interpret dreams with scientific precision. From this stance, Freud developed a surprisingly simple method for interpreting dreams:

1. Psychological Preparation of the client: “We must aim at bringing about two changes in him: an increase in the attention he pays to his own psychical perceptions and the elimination of the criticism by which he normally sifts the thoughts that occur to him. In order that he may be able to concentrate his attention on his self-observation it is an advantage for him to lie in a restful attitude and shut his eyes.” (The Interpretation of Dreams, Pg. 126).

In order to uncover the waking elements behind a dream, it is necessary to encourage the client to explore their thoughts freely and without shame. For example, if a client describes a weapon used in a nightmare, ask questions to uncover the root of that weapon. After doing so, it is possible to move on to the next dream experience (or item) and begin piecing together the common threads within the dream. This process will eventually lead to a broader understanding of the dream as a whole.

Examples of Typical Dreams

In his book “The Interpretation of Dreams,” Freud is very careful about giving meaning to common dreams, as he says that, “we have seen that, as a general rule, each person is at liberty to construct his dream-world according to his individual peculiarities and so to make it unintelligible to other people.”

Embarrassing Dreams of being Naked

Dreams of the Death of Persons of Whom the Dreamer is Fond

If the dreamer is painfully affected by the death, this means that the dreamer subconsciously wishes that this person may die. Freud is then careful, as he knows this interpretation may instigate a rebuttal. He then goes on to explain that this wish for the person’s death, may not be a “present” wish, and may have taken place long ago.

Freud gives the example of a depressed pregnant woman who had wished for her baby to die during a low point in her pregnancy. Many years later, this mother had dreamt of the death of her adult child. The causation of this dream, was the wish the mother had long ago for her baby to die.

Sigmund Freud’s physiologically based theory of dreaming was a major cause of the falling out between him and Carl Jung. Carl Jung, who took a more metaphysical approach to dreaming, could not continue to believe in Freud’s idea of dreams. Eventually, Jung ventured out to build his own dream theory which included more metaphysical components.

Do you agree with Freud? Leave a comment below.

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Sources Cited

1. Zhang W, Guo B. Freud’s dream interpretation: a different perspective based on the self-organization theory of dreaming. Front Psychol. 2018;9:1553. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01553
2. Freud, S., & Strachey, J. (2010). The Interpretation of Dreams: The Complete and Definitive Text (1st ed.). New York , New York : Basic Books.