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Interpreting Dreams
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In the last of my series on dreaming we look at common images and symbols in dream interpretation.
I love working with the unconscious and find dreams fascinating. We can think of them as metaphors for what might be going on in the dreamer’s life and/or the unconscious side of their internal world. A dream could be a conscious or unconscious wish for something to happen as Freud thought or a way of processing something that may have happened in the past or be happening now that the dreamer hasn’t yet had time to think about.
On waking, the dreamer often wishes to find out what a dream means, to read the dream as a message for the dreamer. Nostradamus (a French astrologer) was doing this over 500 years ago, indeed he wrote a book entitled Dream Interpretation which is still popular today.
Obviously, it’s impossible in a blog post to work with you to explore the meaning of your dreams. But there are some universally accepted meanings for some images in dreams which you may find interesting and helpful.
Images and Symbols in Dreams
Here are a few:
- Falling. If the dreamer dreams they or someone else is falling this can mean that the dreamer is experiencing anxiety about something. Maybe they feel they are losing control over a situation or are anxious about it.
- Dying. If the dreamer dreams about dying this could mean that they are coming to the end of something. This may be a literal ending or possibly the end of a chapter in their life or just an increasing awareness that it may be time for a change in some area of their life.
- House or home or possibly a room. This can often relate to the dreamer’s mind or even life. So, for example, if you dream of a messy room or house this could represent the difficulties and chaos you might currently feel.
- A wallet or purse. This can mean that the dreamer is thinking about money. Maybe they will come into money and good luck will come their way or that they are concerned about some aspect of their finances.
Interpreting Dreams
There is another theory of dream interpretation, that each person or element in the dream stands for one section of the dreamer’s life or a part of the dreamer’s personality. So, we can think about the dream from a more objective place where the dreamer is like a director of their own film, splicing together different parts to make a whole narrative.
In essence, dream interpretation is about having the ability to take a step back and think about the content of what you are dreaming. As you do that, check in and see how it feels. Do your hunches about the meanings of the dream resonate with you?
The dreamer is the most important person in dream interpretation. I always defer to them and their feelings and memories about the dream because they are the one who had the felt experience and memory of the dream and they know when a meaning makes sense to them.
There are parallels with dream interpretation and the process of psychotherapy. Both can open up thinking and exploration so that the patient can process their dream or life material to better understand themselves and their life and relationships.
I hope this blog series has given you some insights into dreaming and encouraged you to take some time out to listen to your dreams.
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash