People spend the third part of their lives in a dream. Most of them have dreams, some even a few in one night. How the process of falling asleep occurs, science has long explained, but scientists do not like to talk about the psychology of dreams, citing the fact that this is not their diocese. Dream researchers and psychologists have not yet come to a consensus on the causes of sleep patterns and their interpretation.
Moreover, in the cultures of different countries, superstitions and signs associated with dreams are quite different, which makes it even more difficult to understand the origin of dreams and the psychology of the images that they convey.
What is a dream?
The concepts of sleep among people of different mindsets, beliefs and lifestyles differ significantly:
• Science explains sleep as a reduced reaction to external influences, when the body and consciousness “turn off” and rest, recover, and the brain goes through four different stages in the process of sleep, and during the phase of BDG (fast eye movement), a person sees images that are a consequence past day, experiences and all kinds of impressions.
• From the point of view of esotericism during sleep, a person leaves his physical shell and can travel with the help of the astral body, and dreams are events that happened to him during these travels.
• The ancient Egyptians believed that in a dream God gives people his will (it was they who created the first interpreter of dreams), which the priest-interpreters then conveyed to the rest.
Dreams in terms of psychology
According to psychologists, a dream is a reaction of the mind to life events, inner experiences, stresses and hidden desires. In a dream, the subconscious through the images of sleep indicates a problem and a possible way to resolve it. No wonder all the powerful techniques of working with the subconscious (hypnosis, meditation) are close in their state to sleep. Only in the latter case, the state of mind is completely controlled, but in a dream, on the contrary, is completely free.
Some scientists attribute the “deja vu” effect to dreams too: once seen in a dream, but a forgotten event or place after a period of time really takes place in a person’s life and seems to be repeating.
Author of Psychology of Dreams
The interpretation of dreams was extensively studied by Sigmund Freud, considering dreams to be suppressed desires and suppressed libido, manifested in the form of images.
The Austrian psychotherapist described this concept in detail in his book Psychology of Dreams, carefully describing various cases of the use of sleep psychoanalysis, which may be the connections of images and real life of a person, his past and hidden. Sigmund Freud's theory of explaining the essence of dreams divides all
types of dreams into two types:
- sexual attraction (love, instinct of self-preservation and reproduction);
- craving for death (the desire for harmony in life, the correct way of life, cyclicity).
At the same time, the author emphasizes that the main image of sleep is not necessarily something vital, it happens that a small, insignificant detail affects the unconscious much more than the key point. The peculiarity of Freud’s method is that only the patient himself can comprehend the images, connect with another object or situation and make a conclusion, starting from deep emotions and emotions, and the psychologist only guides him.
Also, his theory is based on the fact that the very first association to the analyzed image is often the most accurate, so the first thing that came to mind when waking up is often the most accurate interpretation.
Jung's Archetypes
Carl Gustav Jung (Freud's student) is his main opponent in the science of the study of the nature of sleep. His position in the interpretation of dream psychology is more extensive, not being categorically attached to sex and its manifestations. Jung believed that the images of sleep are something really important and experienced in the process of life, and to mix the dreams of a schizophrenic with the dreams of a person with the Oedipus complex is simply stupid.
In his theory of interpretation of dreams, Carl Gustav adhered to the connection of images with archetypes (the psychological image inherent in the collective unconscious), he used seven of the main ones constantly. Animus and Anima (male and female principles), Self (integral personality), Sage (symbol of absolute knowledge) and Shadow (chaos, vices and shortcomings). The interconnection of such images and their influence on human consciousness is clearly traced during all Jung's studies and gives an understanding of human nature from a broader perspective.
The conclusion made makes it clear that Freud used base instincts, while Jung relied on spirituality.
How to interpret images from sleep?
To understand the signals of the subconscious, you need to do the following:
- Record a dream immediately upon waking, so that small details are not forgotten. Describe as clearly and in detail as possible.
- Arising spontaneous associations with images immediately register, without analyzing. Sometimes the active work of the brain and attempts at logical conclusions nullify important deep images. Over time, the ability to explain a dream will improve, and it will be possible to easily manage life events and internal states.
- If there are no associations, use an authoritative interpreter of dreams.
For a deeper analysis of dreams, psychologists recommend keeping a diary in which dreams are recorded, their interpretation and if prophetic dreams, then the period of time through which the dream has come true.
Are prophetic dreams messengers of fate?
It is believed that a prophetic dream predicts the future, gives a hint for upcoming events, while really coming true in the near future. Typically, such dreams are dreamed by people with increased sensitivity and a special psychological attitude (on the eve of an important exam, wedding), although it happens for no reason. According to the signs of old-timers, prophetic dreams can more often occur on a name day, on the Holy Week (between Christmas and Epiphany) and on the night from Thursday to Friday (the most fateful dreams are on that day, but it’s more difficult to remember).
What is a dream book?
The dream interpretation is an interpreter of images which the person sees in a dream. The most popular are the dream book of Gustavus Miller, Sigmund Freud and the dream book of Wang, and young people often resort to online interpretation services without going into the subtleties of interpretation. Among fans of esotericism, Nostradamus's Interpretation of Dreams and Dreams, as well as Meneghetti's dream book, are in demand.
For ease of search, dream symbols are often written in alphabetical order in the interpreter. In order to understand the psychology of sleep and what he wants to convey to consciousness, one recalls images from a dream, then one needs to look in the interpreter and read the explanation of the images and try to create an overall picture from all. This will be the interpretation.
If the same dream occurs several times
It happens that people for a long period of time periodically dream the same dream: with the same images, situations and actions. Sometimes the plot changes slightly, but more often it coincides 100%.
From the point of view of psychology, repeating dreams are attempts by the unconscious to point out the same mistakes in life or habits that a person does not change in himself. This will be repeated until a person decides to analyze the signals, turns to a specialist in the interpretation of dreams and dreams and draws the related conclusions.
Also, sometimes in a dream a person sees tragedies of the past in which he was an involuntary participant or spectator: car accidents, scenes of violence, war or cases of suicide. From a strong emotional shock, what he sees is imprinted on the subconscious and through dreams periodically reminds himself of himself, causing the witness to experience suffering again. In such cases, it is also recommended to seek the help of a psychotherapist.
Superstitions associated with dreams
In every culture of the world, in almost every nationality, there are superstitions associated with what they saw in a dream.
- The Slavs believed that it was impossible to tell a terrible dream until dawn, otherwise it would come true. Looking out the window, it is necessary to repeat three times: “Where is night, there and sleep” (some advised saying the same words to running water, replacing “night” with the word “water”).
- If a dream occurred on a public holiday (church), then it should have been fulfilled no later than the next day's lunch, so it was considered a very good sign.
- If the baby laughed in a dream, it was forbidden to wake him - it was believed that an angel was playing with him.
- In a dream, stepping on or smearing excrement was considered a huge success, for money and luck.
About dead people coming in a dream, there is a whole system of interpretations. If the deceased simply saw in a dream - this portended bad weather, and if he called for himself, then he foreshadowed a quick death to the one who would follow him. In such cases, old people recommended going to church and putting a candle for rest. It was believed that it was generally better not to respond to a “call” in a dream, even if the dreamed person was alive - this was unfortunately, unfortunate and sick.